Trees and Line Poles at Scotch Run

So far, all the trees I've planted on the layout have been clumps of lichen, which are perfect for simulating the forest canopy. I was rolling around several ideas for the foreground trees. I tried making some of my own with some plant material used for dried floral arrangements. While some of those did make it onto the layout, it's a tedious and time-consuming process to make them.

I used Woodland Scenics trees on my last layout and I was happy enough with them. But they're also very time-consuming and messy to make. Plus they are made out of plastic and I wanted something a bit more realistic for this layout.

In need of some arboreal inspiration, I headed off to the local hobby shop. And that's where I discovered Woodland Scenic Fine Leafed Foliage. This stuff is basically plant material that's been died various shades of green. It can be removed from the stem and used with WS tree armatures or simply broken apart to make individual trees. It's a time-consuming and messy process, but it yields phenomenal results.

While I was at it, I also added some line poles to the right-of-way. The poles are cheapie Model Power stuff that came with some other MP buildings I've. Now, this cheap stuff requires some work before it gets anywhere near my layout.

First thing I did was paint the poles Floquil "Roof Brown" and then sprayed them with Dulcote to kill the plasticy shine. After that, I loped off the bases, opting instead to simply make a hole in the plaster and coat the end of the pole with some CA. Eventually, they'll be wired up.