The wife's HO Atlas layout...

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I apologize to everyone, especially Jos! I failed to include the correct URL for Scale Trees and so added considerable confusion to an already confusing situation.

Anyway, there are two tree vendors with nearly identical names:

Scale Trees (located in Canada)
http://scaletrees.wix.com/tree
Inexpensive, basic trees made with Woodland Scenics materials. According to the web site, production is now limited because the owner has entered college and no longer has much time for making trees.

Scale Tree (without the "s" -- located in Woodstock, Georgia, USA)
http://www.scaletree.com/
Great looking trees, much nicer than anything I have made or used on my layout. According to the web site, they are no longer manufacturing trees.

For those who aren't aware, Jos (grove den) is the author of the excellent How to Make Trees and Shrubs sticky on this forum! Check it out!

- Jeff
 
Small video of the left side Mountain, Hill and Housing area

Have a little progress with the base ground cover for the Mountain, started planting tree's on the hill and made some changes to the Housing Area of the Mountain:


https://vimeo.com/117231887

Hope this works this time.
 
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Looking real good Tony. Things are moving ahead. Waiting to see the town area.

I shouldn't pick on you about the right side of your layout. Where the town of Logan is where I am now working sat as a plywood shelf for about a dozen years where everything was piled up. Now I had to improvise to find a space to store stuff. Apologies.
 
montanan said:
Looking real good Tony. Things are moving ahead. Waiting to see the town area.

I shouldn't pick on you about the right side of your layout. Where the town of Logan is where I am now working sat as a plywood shelf for about a dozen years where everything was piled up. Now I had to improvise to find a space to store stuff. Apologies.
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Montanan, you right - you shouldn't "pick on me" about the right side of the layout - especially when the town is on the left :)

I have the Town all laid out and know exactly where everything is going for it. I need to get the tree's etc in on the Mountain first though as I am going to need to "kneel" on the Town Area to put those tree's in. Once I have the top portion of the Mountain treed, I'll be putting the Town in on a more permanent basis.

I do agree though, the town is the only flat area of the layout and is "ideal" for "storing stuff" :)

Lynnb said:
Looks very good indeed. Will you be painting a backdrop at all? Never too late you know.
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Thanks Lynn, was looking at the wall the other day actually and wnat to, at the very least, repaint it so it doesn't look so "shitty"!

Eventually, I'd really like to have a proper backdrop for it but don't know what I want or whether what I wan is going to be gettable. I have looked at a few sites for back drops but none of what seen seems to fit in with my layout so I don't know what I am going to actually do at the moment.

What would be nice would be to take a photo of the layout, along with the wall and send it to someone for them to put a backdrop to. If there is such a place, I haven't found it.

The other thing that might cause a problem for an actual backdrop is how much the layout "drops" from the top of the Mountain down to the hill, on that side of the layout and then the same for the "rear wall" . I don't know., perhaps I am imagining problems that don't really exist.
 
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Keep up the great work Tony!

You have to see the video Terry posted in the coffee shop today, when you have time.
 
Hawkesburytrain said:
I like it
Those 3 houses on different levels with the steps ...... very nice
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Hawke,

Sorry I missed your post earlier, but thank you and yeah having the houses on differing levels creates a little interest I think and is a little out of the norm.

Bruette said:
Keep up the great work Tony!

You have to see the video Terry posted in the coffee shop today, when you have time.
Click to expand...

Thanks Louis and I'll take look now.
 
More work done to the Mountain Residential Area:

TheMountainEstate2_zpsb625d5be.jpg


TheMountainEstate_zpsa4d61949.jpg


HouseandRoadTunnel_zps928cd73c.jpg
 


Looking real good Tony, Impressive. Can't wait till you get the trees in. That will be an outstanding scene. Well done.
 
Montanan,

Thank you, your too kind. I am keen to get the tree's in as well but need to start at the top of the hill and work my way down. I really need to get some 3" - 4" or 5" tree's though. All I have are 2" - 3" with a bunch of 3" - 4" Pines.

The Pines are great, but I need deciduous or hardwood.

I might wander down to Lantz Hobbies and see what they have with regards armatures and flock. I might try to make my own seeing as I think I will need around 200 + of them.
 
I found these pine trees on Amazon. Not cheap, but reasonable. I was thinking about making my own, but I did want to get moving ahead on other parts of the layout. Not the best, but better looking than many offerings.

attachment.php
 
I have a lot of Pines from Grand Central and Scaletrees (Brad). I'd really like to buy them from Jos but I can't afford the great (and undeniable) quality of his tree's at the moment.

I'm like you, am in a bit of a rush to get the Mountain done, at least the top half. To do that, I need to get on the layout for comforts sake so the Town etc has to wait, and I am at the point where I don't want tow it any more.
 
I don't think it would hurt to put some cheeper trees in the background or as smaller ones between the better detailed trees.

I have heard of the 3' rule which I think means how does it look from that distance?
 
lasm,

Thanks mate, that does make sense although I am not looking for "high end" tree's (as such), just something that will break up the fairly consistent and monotonous sky line.

As some will know, we live in a valley and when I look at the hills around us, it actually looks as though all of the trees (if on a level playing surface) would all be the same height. It is only the slope of the hill that gives the impression one is taller than the other. That, somehow doesn't look right in scale though.

Maybe having the same height of tree BUT having different tree's might also work.
 
What's a house without a Mail Box? Good question ...


IMG_1447_zps85abb7db.jpg


IMG_1448_zps3efdf2fc.jpg



Not the greatest, but they will work until I can find some decent commercial ones. What I have seen so far though have been over priced or have included stuff I don't need.

Eventually, they will be situated down on the road, once I get the car parking sorted out that is.
 
You have to have a place for the mail person to put the model railroad supplies!

Looks great to me Tony!
 


Geeze Tony, putting the mailboxes up there will make the mail carrier have to get out of their vehicle and climb a few stairs and probably cause them to whine.

Looks real fine.
 
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