Fantastic! It’s incredible how much detail you can put into such a small piece but still really bring it to life. You might want to start your own YouTube channel. LOL.
Fine modeling, detailing and effect. Bravo! Would make a great article for OGR.
I am going to do a small pre-war tree lot for my Christmas layout. I'm not even sure what that means other than a tinplate shed. I have the prewar whistle shed, but it has vines and flowers lithographed on it. Not sure how that would work. lol!
If you wanted to add another touch, sometimes these places made wreaths from the cuttings. Or even a wreath on the door or a post.
Excellent job, Tom!!!
Simply outstanding work! I recommend you write an article and submit it to OGR for inclusion in the magazine - I think it would make a great article!
-Greg
Many kudos! That is so cool.
All you need now is Ralphie and his dad on the annual outing to get the tree.
@NYC2UP posted:Dave, Bill & Peter, thank you.
Started on the tree lot base, which I had already painted flat white for a general snow cover. Since this space is supposed to be an empty lot, covered by dirt, grass, gravel, etc., it'll get pretty slushy and muddy where all the people are walking in and around the tree racks to buy their tree. Positioned on the base where I wanted the two tree racks, the shed and a small tree display stand I made up that the sellers commonly do so the frozen, bound trees can be opened up and the buyers can see what they look like.
Started airbrushing with soft dirt color a general path around these items where people would be walking. Concentrated a little more where I plan to make the entrance to the lot. Hit this path again in several spots with a darker fertile soil color where the foot traffic will be especially heavy, like the lot entrance, by the shed door and onto the shed's platform leading to the door.
Added in the other burning tree scrap drum with the red flickering led to the base. Positioned this one near the lot's entrance where the workers would trim off the tree trunks for the buyers, and toss the scraps into the drum. Drilled a hole in the base where I wanted it and fed the led up from the bottom.
Placed the drum over the led, after drilling a hole in the bottom. Painted a small amount of spider web wool with dark rust color that will obscure the the bright led somewhat when lit. Did this for both barrels.
For that entrance area by the burning drum, needed to make a tree trimming platform where they'd cut the trunks. Used some 1/4" wide balsawood strip that made a platform about the right height. Painted it flat dark brown and then glued on one of the bound trees using basic Elmer's white glue.
Will move on to adding the lot's string light poles and coloring the base more with soot around the burning barrels and tree needles everywhere.
Tom
It reminds of my early childhood in the Bronx when I was under 10 (53-63).....the New Haven had a small freight yard on their line into the HellGate bridge. It was along the north side of E Tremont Avenue, opposite Parkchester. They used to sell tress off boxcars with a frame of 2x4s festooned with colored lights and a fire to keep warm in an old 55 gallon drum.
Peter
Thanks all for the kind words everyone.
Will, I like your idea about a wreath for the shed door. I'll have to look around for a ready-made O-scale wreath. Don't feel like crafting one from scratch, then again, hmmm...
Johnstrains, I tell you, I quote that movie (A Christmas Story) so much at home that my son says I should be paying them royalty fees. "If we don't hurry, we're goin' to miss all the good trees" & "That's a little skimpy in the front. Well, you just put it in the corner".
Tom
Funny Tom about A Christmas Story. When you started posting about this, that was exactly the first thing I thought of. Where I live, our family(Mom, Dad, siblings and Grandmother) would go to the tree farm. Kids all bundled up, mom freezing but dad and grandmother trudging along through the snow. We all looked for the best tree, and the kids would get turns every year to pick the tree with dad having the final say on ours. It was all cut your own back then.
I do remember it wasn't my turn, think I was 6 or 7. Grandmother saw my disappointment and asked me to help her find a tree. I think I had been running around beforehand but now charged with helping her I stuck by her side. We did find a good tree that year for her house. You see, on Christmas day our families would run around in the morning, dad would pop us up to our uncle's house (his brother) for presents, then pop back home for lunch which our uncle and his family would come down. We'd eat, be stuff to the gills and fall asleep for a bit. They'd leave while us kids recouped. As soon as 5:30 rolled around, we'd get packed in the car and head over to Grandmother's house(mom's mom & dad) and have the rest of the family(mom's siblings) and maybe one of the extended family(I think my grandfather's brother may have popped in once or twice). My uncle(dad's brother) would be there as well because his wife was my mom's sister. So we'd get to see them twice as much.
Many Christmas's did happen that way. Dad eventually went artificial but grandmother always had a live tree. So many memories from those times, they're always good to think back on, and reminisce on.
@NYC2UP posted:Johnstrains, I tell you, I quote that movie (A Christmas Story) so much at home that my son says I should be paying them royalty fees. "If we don't hurry, we're goin' to miss all the good trees" & "That's a little skimpy in the front. Well, you just put it in the corner".
Tom
I get it. When our family discovered that movie years ago, my kids would quote some of the memorable lines all year 'round.
" Naw, that's one them balsams."
