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It would seem that many modellers have misconceptions concerning making relistic scenery and trees for
their layouts. I hope this web site and our exhibition demonstration stand will go some way to showing just
how easy and inexpensive it is. All that is required are a few basic tools, a supply of the the raw
materials, a little patience and some ingenuity.
Many of the commercially manufactured trees currenly on sale are far too small. Some resemble bottle
brushes more than the actual species of tree they are supposed to represent. However, as we are able to show,
even 'bottle brush' and 'cocktail stick & Lichen' trees can be improved and made to appear more realistic, quite
easily.
It should be remembered that a fully grown tree can reach a height of over 60 feet; which in 4mm scale equates to 240
mm, ie; 24cm., or nearly 11 inches. Not all specimins consist of a single bare trunk with a few branches
at the top. Many mature trees such a Oak or Sycamore have large amounts of Ivy clinging to the trunk and
branches, which actually makes modelling it easier.
Of course there are always examples of much smaller trees so the methods we use reflect the wide variety of species
and size of trees found in the countryside. For that reason it is recommended that some time be spent looking
at examples in their natural habitat. It may also help to take a few photos for reference purposes as these
will prove invaluable later.
There are also some excellent reference books too, such as 'The Observers Book of Trees', or 'The Ladybird Book of Trees' sadly
now long out of print but examples of which still appear regularly on eBay at very reasonable prices. I suggest
opting for the later editions, post 1970 if possible, because they contain more colour photographs than the earlier ones.
Another good reference book is 'The Readers Digest Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs of Britain', which is well worth having.
Additional pages and photographs will be added in due course and will cover the methods of construction of all our
trees together with hints and tips on making scenery and scatter materials etc.
The photos below show what can be achieved with the minimum of effort and for practically no cost. All the
raw materials used are readily available, if you know where to look?
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Some of the
basic
components used
in Tree &
Shrub making.
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What do I need to make authentic trees?
All the materials shown here were used in the production of our tress and
consist of 'Sea Foam Moss' (Teloxys Aristata)', 'Sea Lavender', (Limonium
Latifolium), 'Ice Plant ' (Sedum Spectabile) and Yarrow.
(Achiliea Millefolium). With the exception of 'Sea Foam' they are available completely free of charge. Our demonstration shows
how 'Sea Foam' and 'Reindeer Moss' can be obtained for a small fraction of the prices charged by some retailers.
Numerous ther materials such as Reindeer Moss or Lichen (Cladonia Rangiferina)
are also used.are used
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The Lombardy Polar tree shown below was made using the 'Jack Kine' bottle brush method of production. It
took a lot of experimentation to find a suitable sizal string to make the branches but we think the end result is a good representation
of an actual example.
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A scale 60 ft.
Lombardy Poplar
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The collection of trees shown below were all made using our basic methods and represent a very small number of the several
hundred trees that will ultimately be included on our L.M.S. 'Swanbourne' Club
Layout.
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Forthcoming Exhibitions:
We have been invited to the following shows, and look forward to meeting you there:
No exhibitions booked as yet.
We would be delighted to hear from any Exhibition Organisers who would like to invite us to attend their forthcoming show
with our demonstration stand. You can contact our Exhibitions Manager using this link.
The Common Alder pictured below was probably one of the easiest examples to make. As with almost all
the other trees it has a reinforced trunk for added rigidity and resistance to the inevitable odd knock from 'the big hand
in the sky'.
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A scale 70 ft.
Common Alder.
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The English Elm illustrated below is an amalgum of materials and teqniques and, we think, captures the feel of the actual
tree very well. It is also amazingly heavy for its size, which came as something of a surprise when it was completed.
Similar techniques to those used to make the English Elm were utilised to make the Lebanon Cedar pictured below.
Like the Elm, this example is also quite heavy for its size and looks really impressive in place on the layout.
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