Westfir Scenery - Trees

After the initial application of grass and bushes, it was time to begin the vertical scenery development: trees. It is no big secret that modeling northwestern mountains requires a great deal of trees. I predict that my railroad fully finished could consume 1-2 thousand individual trees, although this may be a conservative estimate! In Westfir specifically, the tracks run through a "tunnel" of trees before entering Tunnel 22 itself. This tunnel made of a foundation of conifers, however a good proportion of the trees are deciduous. Modeling this dense, spring vegetation proved to be a great artistic challenge in my narrow scene.

I began adding trees on the ridge above Tunnel 22 with conifer trees I had on hand from a previous railroad. I did apply a fresh coat of foliage to give the trees a refresh, however these served as a great foundation for the rest of the scene even if they are not the most outstanding models. Each tree has a mounting pin and is held in place with hot glue.

Conifers placed as a foundation for the rest of the vegetation in Westfir. 

I used Supertrees material and SuperLeaf leaves for the deciduous trees. Given the springtime setting I chose the two lightest greens shades for leaves. The armatures are painted gray and spray adhesive is used to adhere the leaves to the armatures. The leaves are applied lightly to imply trees that are in the process of leafing out.

Starting to add spring deciduous trees to the tunnel. These go a long way in giving the scene depth.

As I worked down the hill, I started to plan future locations of conifers. My approach to conifers may be unique, at least among other railroads I have seen. I am looking to model trees that are close to accurately tall. As you can see in the next photos, the trunks of these future trees seem to tower over the seen. This is exactly the look I am going for and hope it creates a dramatic yet realistic mountain feel.

Working with composition of conifers. Still uncertain on arrangement, but note the height of the trunks!

On the other end of the scene I started to add deciduous trees on the narrow slope. The Supertrees material added a great sense of depth and created the densely vegetated look I am seeking to achieve. I will further this area with a future application of bushes and shrubs.

Trees added to the narrow entrance to the layout from staging. I will eventually finish this area with fascia.

Trees ready to be placed in the scene. 

Deciduous trees added near the liftout. The distance from the tracks to backdrop is only 2-3 inches here. 

 A large conifer was constructed for near Tunnel 22 and more deciduous trees were added. I decided to not block the view of the tunnel with the large conifers I was fitting into the scene earlier. I will use low deciduous cover instead.

Vegetation around the tunnel continues to develop. More is needed, but this is close to the final state. 

Overall view of Westfir in its near complete state.

As the scene stands a majority of the main trees are in place. I would like to add a few more conifers and will need 5-10 more deciduous trees to continue to fill in. So far I am pleased with the springtime colors that are starting to develop and the once bright green grasses are starting to become more integrated into the scene given the complimenting leaf colors. This area is not yet complete, but very close to being finished for now. I will continue to post updates as they develop.