How do you make cheap log loads?

[dragenrider]

Greetings to all my fellow modelers! I've been struggling to come up with a realistic looking log load for my cars. I've tried natural twigs with mixed results:



Then I saw these on eBay as part of an auction:



Does anyone know what those are? They aren't straight like dowels, but they don't have branches or bends like a cleaned twig. They are different sizes like real logs.

Any guesses are welcome. Other thoughts on loads would be appreciated. I'm also trying to figure out some pulpwood loads without buying and cutting up commercial castings.

[Anonymous]

They almost look like the slimjim dog treats I have for the dog? Hmm are they plastic?

How about going out into the woods, see if there are any decent/straight twigs.

[dragenrider]

Ironic! I was thinking dog treats, too! I know Cody Dog's treats get hard after a while. Maybe I could dull coat them or something. I need to cover the smell so he won't chase my trains! [:D]

[Rotorranch]

What could be more realistic than real trees?

I have gone to the pasture, and found small saplings of the approximate diameter I'm looking for, and "clip" with the snippers! Viola! A log load!

Look for the straight little trees. Somewhere, ( maybe not in YOUR back yard ) there is wild growth that supplies a wealth of HO scale materials! All just for the clipping!

Rotor

[stokesda]

You mentioned making pulpwood loads.... A while back I tried making a pulpwood load by collecting small twigs and cutting them into appropriate lengths with my Dremel tool. It was a pain in the butt, and I only got about half a load finished before I got bored and gave up (for now), but it did look very good. Maybe someday I'll go back and fini***he job [:)]

There's got to be an easier way, though.

[SpaceMouse]

What kind of trees are you modeling?

[Anonymous]

The twigs in the photo look a lot like cut and dried berry vines just like those in my back yard...
I personally use small diameter wooden dowls that I cut on my band saw to uniform length, then stain the outsides with a dark oak leaving the ends natural. After they dry, I glue them together with Elmer's wood glue in a stack configuration, then glue them to the flat car and tie black sewing thread across them in several places to resemble tie downs.

trainluver1

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dragenrider


Then I saw these on eBay as part of an auction:
Does anyone know what those are? They aren't straight like dowels, but they don't have branches or bends like a cleaned twig. They are different sizes like real logs.

There are guys on eBay that make different types of scale logs and pre-made loads. I got some that were supposedly redwood, but they were awefully small for redwood and the color was horrible.

As mentioned before, I think you need a different variety of twig. But depending on your species of tree, what you are modeling might not make a nice tidy load. It depends on your location, and the type of lumbering done in that area. If you are modeling the west, the scale logs you are looking at are way too small in diamenter.

[loathar]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rotorranch

What could be more realistic than real trees?

I have gone to the pasture, and found small saplings of the approximate diameter I'm looking for, and "clip" with the snippers! Viola! A log load!

Look for the straight little trees. Somewhere, ( maybe not in YOUR back yard ) there is wild growth that supplies a wealth of HO scale materials! All just for the clipping!

Rotor

[#ditto] Yea I do the same thing. Woody vines look great when they dry out and I also use some thing called a Crate Merddle(spelling??).They get these flower pods on the end that dry out and look just like dead conifers.I use those for my Aggro tree trunks.

[oleirish]

I have an tree out frount that I use .When I prune it,It makes good logs for my log cars,I cut them to about a scale 35'.
JIM

[Anonymous]

I think you were right on the money with the logs you made. Here's why. 30 years ago or more, you would have been inaccurate. I remember as a child, seeing log cars on trains, and log trucks driving down the road. You used to be able to count the logs on the trucks and train cras, remember? I sure do. Since from the looks of your cars you're modeling a fairly modern logging road, I'd go with what you made. They look a lot better than the slim jims.

[dragenrider]

Hey, spacemouse. The kind of trees I'm modeling are those that have roots on one end and leaves on the other! [}:)] Actually, I never considered that question. Very thought provoking.

trainlover1, that's a good idea, too. They'd be a little uniform in appearance, but then so are telephone poles and pine trees.

loathar, I have a crate merdle in the front yard. I never thought to try that.

To the rest of you, thanks! Feel free to add more thoughts! [D)]

[Anonymous]

I found that cinnamon sticks I found in Ben Franklin make very realistic logs when you fill the open ends with some wood filler. Their surface looks very much like real "bark" and you can cut them to size easily with a small saw. They are also all different diameters and are not totally straight, like real trees. I have also seen the same thing at a dollar store. A plus is that they also smell good.

[Anonymous]

Azaleas make good logs. The bark is the right color and the meat of the Azalea is the natural color of wood.

[emdgp92]

There was an article in MR awhile back on this very subject. If I remember correctly, Christmas tree branches were cut to size and then glued into the cars. Wait until a few days after Christmas...and you'll have all the "pulpwood" you'll ever need :D

[tatans]

Any small bush(fairly straight) make great logs small tree branches work too, a small branch is the exact scale of a large tree in size and texture,also no 2 trees are the same size(like dowling) for authenticity check how a tree is sawn, there is groove about midway across where the saw cut and the tree breaks. I made a huge pile of logs for cars and storage yard. Take some of these small logs and saw them into short peices glue them and you have a pulpwood load.

[Rotorranch]

I just went out behind the store here, and grabbed some sticks off the ground, and out of a bush. I cut them eith a pair of linemans pliers into approximately 35 foot scale lengths. ( About 4.75 in ) It took about 5 minutes.

Rotor

[Anonymous]

Try this next Christmas, when you Christmas tree has dies and is laying outside awaiting disposal, break off a bunch of small twigs. The take a NWSL chopper, set the length, and build yourself a pulpwood load! Assemble them in a car with white glue.
I've done several over the years,and they look great!!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dragenrider

Hey, spacemouse. The kind of trees I'm modeling are those that have roots on one end and leaves on the other! [}:)] Actually, I never considered that question. Very thought provoking.

trainlover1, that's a good idea, too. They'd be a little uniform in appearance, but then so are telephone poles and pine trees.

loathar, I have a crate merdle in the front yard. I never thought to try that.

To the rest of you, thanks! Feel free to add more thoughts! [D)]

It's trainluver1, not trainlover1... And don't be agreeing with me just to get on my good side because I'm not loaning you any money!. [:p]

trainluver1

[Anonymous]

I live in a fairly wooded area here in Colorado so when ever I need logs, I just stroll around picking up twigs from about 1/2 to 1" diameter.
As was said before, nothing looks as real as real wood.

[mcouvillion]

I've used small twigs to make a pulpwood load for an Athearn bulk-end flat. Took forever to cut all the twigs to the right length. Some twigs/branches have side branches that are way out of proportion. These should be discarded. I think natural is best, but be prepared to look around for a while, then spend some time cutting and gluing.

lothar, I believe the spelling is "Crepe Myrtle", sometimes seen as "Crape Myrtle". As a kid in Cub Scouts, I had to give a 5-minute presentation on the plant and could not pronounce the name - until after the meeting was over. I have a bunch of them in the yard, so I am reminded daily about my embarrassment.

Mark C.

[jacon12]

QUOTE: Originally posted by loathar

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rotorranch

What could be more realistic than real trees?

I have gone to the pasture, and found small saplings of the approximate diameter I'm looking for, and "clip" with the snippers! Viola! A log load!

Look for the straight little trees. Somewhere, ( maybe not in YOUR back yard ) there is wild growth that supplies a wealth of HO scale materials! All just for the clipping!

Rotor

L
[#ditto] Yea I do the same thing. Woody vines look great when they dry out and I also use some thing called a Crate Merddle(spelling??).They get these flower pods on the end that dry out and look just like dead conifers.I use those for my Aggro tree trunks.

Lothar, thanks for the tip on the Crepe Myrtles for trees, I have about 15 of those around in the yard!
JaRRell

[Anonymous]

How patient are you? If you want oak... find an acorn....
This works! I had an exhibition layout but couldn't get there on the day... my stand-ins were inundated with questions about how I made the logs... they didn't like the answer when I got there...

Living trees... it occured to me that when you stand in (broadleaf) woodland a lot of what you see isn't tree but the light coming through the leaves... I tried lambs wool to get the fine effect... but the natural fibres tend to clog together when colouring... then I stumbled on acoustic wadding... the stuff they put in the speakers of PA systems... this is synthetic... you can spray paint it... it doesn't clog without having to be too careful. It sticks to branches of tree skeletons with spray glue. It stays "fluffed out". Don't recall specific makes but they're probably different names her anyway.. have fun...experiment.

Don't know how flamable some mixes may be... try a test run and warn us what flares up PLEASE!

[loathar]

Congrats Dragenrider!!! This post made the MR Mag E-mail newsletter! [8D]

[reklein]

If you live in an area where filberts(hazelnuts)grow, the suckers make beautiful logs. They are straight ,have a very fine grained bark, no knots with a light taper and come in all scales. I built a little flat car size rack and loaded it with logs, hot gluing them together as i went. Being careful not to let the glue show. Then I removed them from the little rack,which when you make one will be the appropriate size for your scale, and glue a chain around each end, Making a nice little load that can be added or removed as your operations require.

[ShaunCN]

yep real tree bracnhes, very samll of course work very well.

[Anonymous]

Use the real thing, of course. I have a 7 car log train tha uses small (N) size twigs cut to car length. When trees are cut they are not all car length. So, you cut some tht look like the bottom of the tree and some that look like the top-with the limbs trimmed off. My log cars were made from tank car frames trimmed and with wooden floors on each end. The logs are glued together and glued to the cars, the scale chain is glued on each end and to the car frames. Can't get any more realistic tha that. BTW, logging operations used any type of car that would haul logs. Very few of them had ta string of identical cars.

[leighant]

I thought log loads grew on trees. I wandered around the yard and found a whole batch of candidates, then culled down to ones not too bent outta shape.


For pulpwood, I used some reed/broomstraw from the floral shop.

[Anonymous]

Howdy.

What has always worked for me is using real trees. I have also heard of saving Sprue from plastic kits, and painting it brown for straight logs. I havent tried this though. I model the Cass Scenic in Mower days, Im on the Leatherbark Railroad " the Old and rusty."

As far as pulp wood loads go, At the Elk Valley Railroad Club We use saw dust for pulp loads, hoiwever I highly reccommend what I do. That is to get fome stick out of your yard ( these are best when harvested after a wind storm.) and a Knife and wittle off the bark. This is realistic, and creates as much as you want depending on the size of the log.

I was at the Clarion Jamboree back in April ( this is an event presented by the I-80 group of the NMRA) and they used a foam block, and pasted the pulpwood as siding.

What is it about you guys tonight. this isnt an art gallery. And thats what most of these photos are, art.

Many thanks.
G.W.R

[Anonymous]

I have "Red Tips" in my yard that worked out well. The bark is thin/flakey and debarks easily. Ceder can also look good. I also cut branches close to trunk where it flares out to make stumps. Gotta have stumps in the forest. [2c]