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Model Forum / General / Railroads / May 2004Tree height
Someone here posted the link for the company that made nice looking trees. I'm in the market for some foreground trees and these looked pretty good and seemed to be reasonably priced. I know that this question has an obvious answer which is, "it all depends..." So I'll ask it then suggest a discussion instead of answers, OK? How tall of a tree would you use on an HO scale layout? I'm thinking in terms of different settings... in town, in "the woods," out in the country and even in some mountainous areas. In looking around town, my thought is that most trees seem to be in the 40' range with some obfious exceptions. That would be about 5-6 inches in HO scale. But I'm not sure about trees in a woods setting or taller pines in the mountains. Anyone want to add anything? dlm  Signature--------------------------- Dan Merkel I suggest that you get a Tree Guide. These guides give the average shape and mature height for all species of trees. > Someone here posted the link for the company that made nice looking trees. > I'm in the market for some foreground trees and these looked pretty good and [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > dlm In general trees are scaled down just as buildings are on a normal layout setting. If you modeled trees their real size we would have the same problem as if we modeled most building their real size, simple lack of room. John Miller posts: > In general trees are scaled down just as buildings are on a normal >layout setting. If you modeled trees their real size we would have the same >problem as if we modeled most building their real size, simple lack of room. John is absolutely correct. Most real trees tower over trains. Modeled trees must be selectively compressed to look acceptable. Even mature, middle-sized trees are typically 40-60 feet tall, while elms, oaks, and various firs grow to 100 feet. My own rule has been to make trees about 2/3 or even 1/2 true scale height if they stand alone or are in a sparce stand. Forests, except at the very front, are easily accepted as realistic looking at 1/2 actual scale height or less. CNJ999 I intend on using "HO Scale" trees on my N Scale layout. An 80' tree is 6" in N, a 100' tress would be 7.5" in N Scale. SignatureWill N Scale - Credit Valley Railway www.muskokacomputes.com/CVR_Home.htm > In general trees are scaled down just as buildings are on a normal > layout setting. If you modeled trees their real size we would have the same > problem as if we modeled most building their real size, simple lack of room. Bob Hundman, the editor/owner of Mainline Modeler, is into modeling trees. He has a paper back book published all about the subject (real trees). "Trees of North America by Alan Mitchell Illustrated by David More" $19.95 Mainline Modeler occasionally has articles on how to make a tree. Check; http://www.securetrainweb.com/hundman/cgi-bin/viewcatalog.cgi?magazine=book;ct=1 There are also many tree making articles in Mainline Modeler to model specific tree types. Most of their back issues are available through the site. Bruce > Bob Hundman, the editor/owner of Mainline Modeler, is into modeling > trees. He has a paper back book published all about the subject (real [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Mainline Modeler occasionally has articles on how to make a tree. > Check; http://www.securetrainweb.com/hundman/cgi-bin/viewcatalog.cgi?magazine=book;ct=1 Dan, remember tahat the younger the tree, the smaller it will be. Also, the more 'alone' the tree is the more detailed it should be. If you are making a mountainside, I would have the front row or two as detailed as possible, depending on distance from viewer, then just use screening at just below crown height and use the clump foliage to simulate the tops of the trees. If you want to have a dead tree in the mix, just plant a tall one on the screen. Don't forget to undulate the screen some to vary the heights of the tree tops. > Someone here posted the link for the company that made nice looking > trees. I'm in the market for some foreground trees and these looked [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > dlm SignaturePlease note; return email address has changed. It is now farosenbaum@sbcglobal.net. Emails to Earthlink will be ignored. The Gratiot Valley Railroad Club bi-annual train show and sale November 7, 2004, at the Macomb Community College Sports and Expo Center. Macomb County Michigan. Please visit our Web Site Click here: http://www.gvrr.org/ > Someone here posted the link for the company that made nice looking trees. > I'm in the market for some foreground trees and these looked pretty good and [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Anyone want to add anything? A mature Elm tree could easily top 100 feet. That's over a foot in HO scale. What trees are you modelling? Paul SignatureWorking the Rockie Road of the G&PX >> In looking around town, my thought is that most trees seem to be in the 40' >> range with some obfious exceptions. That would be about 5-6 inches in HO [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > What trees are you modelling? Douglas fir, yellow or red spruce: "http://forestry.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://131.220.103.1/conif ers/pi/ps/menziesii.htm" under "Description" it reads: "Trees to 90(100) m; trunk to 4.4 m diam.; ..." Thats ~36" tall and 2" at the base in HO scale. WOW!!! I'm likin' it. Should be able to obscure just about anything with that !! *8-> Paul SignatureWorking the Rockie Road of the G&PX > Someone here posted the link for the company that made nice looking trees. > I'm in the market for some foreground trees and these looked pretty good and [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Anyone want to add anything? On every layout most dimensions (of scenery) are seriously forshortened. On my layout the depth of "rest of the world" behind the tracks is represented by 6"-12" of scenery and the width is probably 1/2 to 1/3 of the prototype proportion. A single tree has to be chosen that has dimensions that fit with the scenery rather than with the trains. If your layout is an oval on a flat board then a tree behind the front tracks is also a tree in front of the rear tracks and must be a scale representation or a toy. If you only have a tree behind a track then the tree becomes a tool of forced perspective. Regards, Greg.P. >Someone here posted the link for the company that made nice looking trees. >I'm in the market for some foreground trees and these looked pretty good and [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >scale. But I'm not sure about trees in a woods setting or taller pines in >the mountains. Well, in N Scale, I'm a firm believer in full-scale trees. Nothing bugs me more on a layout than a "mature" forest only 3 inches high. I make my own trees, and typically a _small_ tree is 3-4 inches. Trees on my most recently finished modules top out at 8-10 inches (over 100 feet) and I swear that one of these days I'm going to do an N-Track module with full-to-scale redwoods over 300 scale feet tall. The trees ouside my window are over twice as high as my two-story house, and they're not all that big as trees go. When was the last time you saw that in a model scene? When it comes to trees, size DOES matter... and if you make them big enough, you don't need as many. >How tall of a tree would you use on an HO scale layout? I'm thinking in >terms of different settings... in town, in "the woods," out in the country [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Anyone want to add anything? I would hate to model some of the Karri trees from down south, 200+ feet high and 15 feet diameter = 2'3" high & 1.5" thick trunk. http://www.calm.wa.gov.au/national_parks/previous_parks_month/gloucester.html is pics of tree formerly used as a fire lookout, cabin is 190 feet up Even with 50% compression it would still be BIG Alan in beautiful Golden Bay, Western Oz, South 32.25.42, East 115.45.44 GMT+8 VK6 YAB ICQ 6581610 to reply, change oz to au in address |
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