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I'm about to start making some trees for my N scale layout. I went out and bought various sizes of Woodland Scenics armatures and I've watched and read many many articles and videos on making them. One thing still escapes me...they NEVER mention the type of woodland scenics foliage to put on the branches! Is it ground foam? Clump foliage? Fine leaf foliage? Cut up Lichen? Etc.... can anyone let me know what is the standard thing to use for an N scale tree?
Hi ecarfar: I believe WS recommends using clump foliage or foliage (has poly fiber with fine foam. To tell you the truth, I don't think WS makes a tree or tree kit that looks very realistic. In my opinion, Super Trees look much better. Lately, I've been experimenting with deciduous "bottle brush" trees. Here's some examples:
Super Trees
"Bottle brush"
These are HO, but N scale are just made half this size. Hope this helps.
Grampy, I've always loved your stuff. It's great inspiration. This thread is very timely, as I just reviewed the bottle brush trees this week looking for a low-cost high-production method. It got me to wondering - is there anything in particular you do differently to create the deciduous trees?
Hi: The biggest difference is I used more twine with no gaps to give a fuller profile. I'm still experimenting with them and I think the next ones I will try to thin the "branches" a little more. Another difference is the color of the ground foam. With dec. I used a lot more green, no conifer green. Oh and for evergreens, I shaped the trees in a conical way, with the dec., I made them rounder. Good luck with yours, be creative with them. One other thing, evergreens in the wild tend to have branches down to the ground, so not much trunk is visible. With the dec. I used silicone sealant for the trunk. I trimmed them to the thickness that looked right with scissors, then painted them brownish gray. Actually, the same thing could be done with the evergreens, if you want some trunk showing.
I'm about to start making some trees for my N scale layout. I went out and bought various sizes of Woodland Scenics armatures and I've watched and read many many articles and videos on making them. One thing still escapes me...they NEVER mention the type of woodland scenics foliage to put on the branches! Is it ground foam? Clump foliage? Fine leaf foliage? Cut up Lichen? Etc.... can anyone let me know what is the standard thing to use for an N scale tree?
ecarfar, Dude remember one thing in this hobby and even more so in N scale there is no "right way or wrong way to do things,as in any hobby your going to get 100,000 ppl tell you "how to do it" so take what ppl tell you and do what works for you,it's your railroad and if you like the way it looks that all that matters.I mean can you see all of us doing things one way ?????I have never and never will tell anyone "how to" do something I always tell them " if it works for then then do it"
Larry AKA IDCR
I can honestly second the opinion that you should do what works best for you, while I'm constructing benchwork for my HO Layout, I experimented a little and found that one way worked better than another for me. I think the key is to experiment until you come up with something that works for you.
I have never and never will tell anyone "how to" do something I always tell them " if it works for then then do it" 
