Winnipeg Model Railroad Club mourns the passing of MMR Ron Einarson

Ron Einarson is seen receiving his Master Model Railroader certification from fellow MMR Moe Smith at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual general meeting and banquet in 2017.

Ron Einarson MMR died suddenly on November 18, 2022 at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg after contacting Covid and undergoing hip surgery.

Ron was born in Winnipeg on September 25, 1949. He attended Grant Park High School and graduated Grade 12 from United College. He worked 43 years for the Federal Government in Winnipeg. 

Ron was a member of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club since 1983, and was a member of the NMRA for almost as long. He also served as superintendent of the No.1 Northern Division and as the President of NMRA Canada. He served on the board of the WMRC as recording secretary. Ron achieved a a lifelong dream when he was designated Master Model Railroader (MMR) #593 in 2017.

Before the reorganization of the #1 Northern Division in 2008, he was the President, chief cook and bottle washer and tub thumper for the NMRA. Ron single-handedly kept the NMRA alive in Manitoba when no one else wanted the job. Every month he set up the NMRA display at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's meetings and held clinics. One of his popular features was the "tool of the month”. 

Ron was the heart and soul of the WMRC and the No.1 Northern Division. He was front and centre at every WMRC open house and TLR regional convention held in Winnipeg, giving his time and talents to help make them a success. Ron organized the layout hop for the 2010 TLR convention held in Winnipeg.

Ron's love of life and enthusiasm for the hobby was truly infectious. He was a blood donor with  over 50 donations. He was a tireless volunteer, a highly skilled model railroader and a great friend.

Ron had been suffering from dementia for several years and was unable to attend meetings of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club. He had been residing at the West Park Manor Personal Care Home shortly before his death.

He is survived by his wife Yvonne of 49 years, son Neal and daughter Louise, his grandchildren Amber, Eddie, Zoe and Link, his brother John, his sister-in-law Marilyn and numerous nieces and nephews. Ron was predeceased by his parents Helen and John Einarson, in-laws Elsie and Eddie Attwater, Grandmother Olivia Einarson, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.
 

 

Ron Einarson recieves his Master Model Railroader award

Long time WMRC member Ron Einarson received his Master Model Railroader (MMR) plaque a couple of days ago from the NMRA, just in time to show it to all of our members at our November meeting.

Ron, who has been a WMRC member since 1983, is just one of 593 model railroaders in the entire history of the NMRA who has received this coveted award. He stated at the meeting that he never would've been able to have been awarded the honor without the continued support and guidance from the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club. Way to go, Ron!

Ron Einarson becomes a Master Model Railroader

Ron Einarson, seen here displaying at the No. 1 Northern Division's annual train meet in 2015, has just been named Master Model Railroader by the NMRA.

It is with great pride that we announce that our own Ron Einarson has been designated a Master Model Railroader (MMR) by the NMRA. Ron has been a member of the WMRC since 1983, and has been a member of the NMRA for almost as many years. He has also served as superintendent of the No.1 Northern Division  and as the President of NMRA Canada.

Ron is MMR #593. The title of MMR will follow after his name at all NMRA functions and any written material about him. The NMRA presently has over 18,000 members, and in it's entire history there has been only 593 MMR certificates awarded, so this is a rare honour indeed!

The MMR is an achievement program, and each applicant must earn a series of seven certificates for their work before they receive the title. Ron has worked very hard to earn this title, and his modelling work has always spoken for itself. Way to go, Ron!

Ron Einarson goes for his Master Model Railroader certification

Long time WMRC member Ron Einarson has just completed his layout in preparation for qualifying for a Master Model Railroader certificate (MMR) from the NMRA. Ron has been a WMRC member since 1983, but Norm Leathers still refers to him as "that new fella".

Ron’s layout is unique due to the fact that the structures take priority over the railroad. His layout is a simple point to point design with a small freight yard, but the buildings are in the foreground, and the track is in the background. This is very appropriate for an extremely talented structure modeller such as Ron, and it also makes his layout all the more realistic. 

Let’s face it - At one time or another, we’ve all been guilty of showcasing a lot more railroad than structure and scenery on our layouts, which is not prototypically correct. But Ron has achieved a perfect balance between structure, scenery and railroads. 

Once all the paperwork has been filed, Ron will join the handful of model railroaders in the entire world who have achieved the vaunted status of Master Model Railroader. Congratulations, Ron!

Come see Santa at the NMRA Christmas train show this Saturday!

The National Model Railroad Association presents their first annual Christmas Train Show! Bring the kids to meet Santa Claus, and stay for all the layouts and displays in a Christmas setting!

Santa Claus is going to have some very good company at the show! Joining jolly St. Nick will be the No. 1 Northern Division’s Free-Mo HO gauge modular layout, WinNtak’s N gauge modular layout and the Lionel train O gauge “Giraffe Car” layout. 

Multiple award winning modeller Ron Einarson will be holding a modelling workshop. Fred Headon of Warehouse Hobbies will be on hand to offer all sorts of model railroading and modelling advice. Fred is the Canadian Director of the National Model Railroad Association and is a certified Master Model Railroader (MMR). 

There will also be a model railroad flea market, featuring a variety of model railroad equipment in various gauges for sale.

This is the last train show of the year, and it looks like it's going to be a good one! The show is being held on Saturday, November 12 at Whyte Ridge Baptist Church, 201 Scurfield Boulevard. Hours are from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. Handicap accessible. Admission by silver collection. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to St. Amant.

Ron Einarson and Morgan Turney winners of Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's model contest structures category

Long time WMRC member Ron Einarson won first place in the club's annual model contest in the structures category for his HO scale model of Weezer's Motorcycle repair shop. Ron is a highly skilled modeller who specializes in structures, and has won numerous awards for his work over the years.The structures category is where the work of our members really shine! 

 WMRC Program Director Morgan Turney won second place in the model contest's structures category for his HO scale model of the mile 34 snow shed. 

 Aaron Woloshyn won third place in the model contest's structures category for his HO scale model of a signal gantry. Aaron is a highly skilled and prolific modeller who has won seven awards in this year's competition alone!

Gino Kost won honourable mention for his G scale model of a watchman's tower. Gino is no stranger to building structures, whether they're HO, G scale or prototype. He was the guy who coordinated the building of the structure that now houses the WMRC's Gateway Western HO scale railway in the Winnipeg Railway Museum!

Everyone had a great time at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual Klinic Karnival

 Ian Plett shows how to install DCC in an Athearn locomotive. It's not as easy as it looks!

Six of Winnipeg's best model railroaders were on hand at the WMRC's meeting on December 11 to share their skills at the club's annual Klinic Karnival. Ian Plett demonstrated how to install DCC in an Athearn locomotive. WMRC Program Director Morgan Turney showed how to make realistic trees out of common plants and weeds.

Ron Einarson showed off his exceptional talents of modelling with wood, Aaron Woloshyn held a clinic on making hydro poles, and Richard Mikolayenko showed how to scratchbuild styrene models using photo references. Virginia Braun held a clinic on building station kits. She gave some great modelling hints on how to model realistic looking stucco using Elmer's Glue, toilet paper, and an egg beater!

And it was hot dog night! Every December, the club holds their "Christmas banquet" of hot dogs, chips and pop at their monthly meeting. Much thanks to our canteen staff - Jean and Godfrey South, and their children, Frances and Tommy, for cooking and serving up such a great meal!

 Richard Mikolayenko shows the photo references he uses for modelling structures.

 Aaron Woloshyn uses a few basic tools to make realistic hydro poles.

 Virginia Braun has a truly remarkable talent for building miniature structures!

With just a pinch of this, a dash of that, Morgan Turney has made another great looking tree!

Winnipeg Model Railroad Club holds annual Klinic Karnival

December is Klinic Karnival Month at the WMRC! Come on down to the Charleswood Legion on December 11 and learn from other members how to improve your model railroading skills. We'll have several table clinics set up and you can visit each one at your leisure and learn how they 'do their thing'.

Program director Morgan Turney has arranged for several clinic presentations. Ron Einarson will be modelling with wood, Aaron Woloshyn will be making hydro poles, Ian Plett will show you how to install DCC on Athearn 'blue box' locomotives. Morgan will also pitch in, and he'll be holding two clinics! The first will be a clinic on making trees from common plants and weeds, and the second will be on how to put an Athearn blue box kit together.

And don't forget that......

We're having our Annual 'Christmas Dinner'. Enjoy a delicious hot dog prepared by the South Family canteen crew. And please bring a non-perishable food item for the Christmas Cheer Board. The fun starts at 7:30PM at the Charleswood Legion, 6003 Roblin Boulevard. There's plenty of free parking, and visitors are always warmly welcomed! See you at the meeting!

Gooch's to hold open house this weekend

If there's any such thing as a Winnipeg tradition, then Gooch's Bicycle and Hobby Shop certainly fits the bill! They've been in business since 1927 and has had four generations of the Gooch family running the store.

Veteran model railroaders have seen their shop move from Portage Avenue to Sherbrook Street and back to Portage Avenue again. Their present location is at 1046 Portage Avenue, by Garfield Street. They're now located in what used to be a video store - now there's a business trend that's come and gone! But the demand for bicycles and hobbies supplies goes on and on!

 On December 5th and 6th they're holding their 15th annual open house. There will be lots of displays by local modellers from various hobby groups across the city, including our own Ron Einarson.

Hours are from 10:00 to 5:00 on Saturday, and from 12:00 to 4:00 on Sunday. Call 204-956-6571 for more details or email gooch@mymts.net.

Our own Ron Einarson will be sharing his award-winning modelling expertise all this weekend at Gooch's annual open house.

Mondel contest awards presented at Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual banquet

    Ron Einarson is presented an award certificates from WMRC model contest chair Morgan Turney. Ron received several awards at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual banquet. 

   Every year the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club presents the awards for winners of their model contest at their annual banquet. Long time member Ron Einarson was awarded first place this year in the structures category for his model of the O.H. Wright & company supply. He was also awarded third place for his model of his HO scale Kent Farmers AG & grain supply, and also received the best in show award for his HO scale Renfro lumber rack. Ron also received gold medal awards for all three structures.

     Second place was awarded to Gino Kost for his model of a tall steel trestle bridge. Gino also received the kit award, the gold medal award and the Clark Summers award for this structure.

      Outside of the structures and the special event competition, no other models were submitted. This led WMRC President to comment in his column in the May issue of The Lantern, the official publication of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club:

   "At our club spring open house we had only a handful of members enter models in the model contest. Even the Special Event had a small turn out with only 5 members entering models. I have to wonder, has modeling become passé in model railroading? Should the club continue to have a model contest? We have tried to encourage members to bring out their models to meetings by having the monthly model display with a cash prize. This is awarded in a random draw. The people entering are almost always the same few. An open question to the membership - SHOULD THE CLUB CONTINUE TO HAVE A MODEL CONTEST?"

     This has been a continuing problem, not only for the club, but for model railroading in general. Many of our finest modellers have passed away, and they haven't been replaced by younger members. Model railroaders can now buy structures that are fully assembled and weathered at a very reasonable cost. Quality rolling stock is now usually cheaper than kits. This makes model railroading less labor intensive, but if this trend continues, we run the danger of having all of our model railroad looking exactly the same.

Gino Kost receives an award certificate from WMRC Model Contest Chair Morgan Turney at the club's annual banquet. Gino won several awards for his model of a tall steel trestle bridge.

Ron Einarson's other old time coal conveyor models

   For reasons that can't be explained, the WMRC blog post about Ron Einarson's old time coal conveyor has consistently been one of the top posts of this site. Hoping that lighting will strike twice, this post features his latest effort in modeling a few more old time coal conveyors, submitted at the model display at November's meeting.

    Ron found three more Walthers kits hanging around in his place (also for reasons that can't be explained). He painted them right on the sprues so he could easily clamp in an upright position to dry. Then he trimmed the sprues and touched up any areas that were missing paint.

    He used "Krazy" Glue (Cyanoacrylate), as it dries much faster than styrene glue. After letting everything dry fro a day or two, he gave the models a dusting of black chalk dust to give them a used appearance. They're a perfect compliment to the coal trestle display he exhibited at last year's model contest at the WMRC open house last March!

View Ken Epp's Cougar River Subdivision on-line

In the November issue of The Lantern, the official publication of the WMRC, member John Longhurst authored a moving article about his late brother-in-law Ken Epp's layout, the Cougar River Subdivision. Unfortunately, this publication is only available to members of the WMRC. But you can still view Ken's layout on-line on two links!

The first link is from the Sweden Freezer website. This site was the on-line home of the WMRC until Bill Taylor's passing last year. Bill created and maintained this website for the club, starting at the time when not many of us even had computers, not to mention internet access. The site for his business still exists, but links have been created to re-direct viewers to the new websites for the WMRC and the AVR. However, the link to view Ken's layout still exists! It was last updated in 2003, with several images taken by our own Ron Einarson. View it by clicking here. 

The other site to view Ken's layout is at John Longhurst's own website, the Manitoba and Minnesota subdivision. You can view his tribute to Ken and see several images of his layout by clicking here. 

NMRA Canada's first Winnipeg public train show was a resounding success

    A crowd of enthusiastic youngsters take turns trying their hand at operating an N scale layout at NMRA Canada's train show last Saturday.

Over 250 very happy people attended NMRA Canada's very first public train show last Saturday. Although the show was scheduled the day after Halloween and at the same time as one of the biggest comic book conventions in Western Canada, the event still managed to draw a surprisingly large crowd of train lovers, and raised a respectable amount of money to be donated to St. Amant.

The No. 1 Northern Division's Free-Mo group, which had the largest display at last month's Manitoba Mega Train Show, had the largest display this time as well. The group (dubbed the "blue shirt guys" by the show's visitors) received many compliments not only for their layout, but their willingness to share all aspects of their hobby and answer any question the viewers had about their group, and of model railroading in general.

Veteran model railroaders Ron Einarson and Rob Gairns held popular clinics. WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich (using his alter ego as "The Giraffe Car Man") wowed the kiddies once again with his hands-on Lionel layout. There was also a hands-on N Scale layout, and a G scale display run by Manitoba Mega Train organizer Maurice Dorge. 13 year old Michael Leader, the group's youngest member,  was also on hand to run the John Allen Timesaver Module.

No. 1 Northern Superintendent Dennis Rietze ran a demonstration on how to run a model railroad with a cell phone. He was also interviewed by CTV News Winnipeg, which ran the segment on their Saturday evening news program. Several NMRA members were also on hand to promote the organization and its many benefits to model railroaders.

It was also great to see a lot of old, new and familiar faces at the show, such as former Elmwood Hobby Works proprietor Vern Gibson. There were lots of families and plenty of kids , who stayed for many hours enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby!


    Ron Einarson held clinics all day, displaying many of his award winning models.


    Lookee here! Could that be our old friend Kent, the former WMRC Lantern Editor with his son, enjoying WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich's portable Lionel display? It sure is!

       Two of the "Blue Shirt Guys" (not to be confused with the Blue Man Group), Alan Graham (Centre) and No. 1 Northern Treasurer Sid Greenstone (L) promoting the many benefits of NMRA membership at  the show.

Watch "So You Want a Model Railroad" (if you dare)

    This is a hilarious (and somewhat painful) short sent by long time WMRC member Ron Einarson about how a man's obsession with building his model railroad gets just a bit out of hand. This is one of a series of shorts made in the 40's and 50's featuring a character named Joe McDoakes, who gets into all sorts of trouble following his desires. There were over 60 shorts made, all with the titles beginning with "So You Want To......."

     If the voice of Joe McDoakes sounds familiar, that's because the actor, George O'Hanlon, was also the voice of George Jetson!

     This short is a little over eight minutes long, but please watch it all the way through, and look out for that surprise ending! It is strongly advised NOT to watch this with your spouse. Click here.

Will Rod Stewart be at the Assiniboine Valley Railway's open house this weekend?

  

    Could we see Rod Stewart riding on the AVR this weekend? Who knows?

   Everyone knows that Rod Stewart is not only a legendary world class rocker, but he's also a model railroader! In the model railroading community, he's almost as famous as Ron Einarson or John Longhurst!

   Tonight  Rod will be in concert along with Carlos Santana at the MTS Centre. This man commands large crowds wherever he performs in concert. When he's not performing, he lives year round in Hawaii. So why would he pick this weekend to perform in this mosquito ridden backwater?

   There can be only one answer - he must've heard about the AVR's open house this weekend! Maybe he read this blog for the information!

   We don't know for sure if he's going to be there, but the only way to find out is to go there yourself! It looks like it's going to be a wonderful weekend for riding the trains! The hours for the open house are from 11:00 to 5:00 on Saturday, and from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday. It costs a measly two bucks a ride, and kids under three can ride for free. A 12 ride rail pass is available for $20, which is good at any AVR event.

   The Assiniboine Valley Railway is located at 3001 Roblin Boulevard, right next to Assiniboine Park. If you see Rod there, remember that you read it first right here! But even if he isn't there, you're guaranteed a great time riding the rails!

   Please not the the AVR has a new website, which you can reach by clicking here. 

Model railroading: The greying of our hobby

              Are the meetings at your local model railroading club beginning to look like this?

   There's no doubt about it - model railroading needs more younger members! The greying of our hobby has been happening for a long time, and it's epidemic all across the country. We saw it coming in the 80's and 90's when we saw the younger generation's fascination with video games.

    The baby boomers were the last generation to fully embrace the hobby, mostly because they grew up with model railroads. Attendance in the WMRC spiked and thrived in the 80's when boomers such as Larry Leavens and Ron Einarson joined the club. These members were in their 30'swhen they joined, and they continue to make important contributions to the club. But now these boomers are in their 60's, and there are very few younger members joining. Membership has been declining in every model railroading club.

   Mind you, there's still a lot of life in the old codgers. The rebuilding of the Gateway Western, which included building a vary large structure to house the railway, was mostly done by members of the WMRC and the Winnipeg Railway Museum who were in their 60's, and even in their 70's!

    The WMRC has younger members, such as Ian Plett and Suzanne Lemon, who have done wonders for the club. Their enthusiasm has truly revitalized and inspired us. We need more just like them!

    Attendance the Manitoba Mega Train Show and the WMRC's spring open house has showed us that interest in model railroading is still very strong. We get many young families in to view the trains. But they're not joining!

   Our only hope for survival is to have more younger members. But where are we going to get them?

Prize draws galore at the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual banquet

    Ron Einarson reaches deep into the bucket held by Morgan Turney to select a winning ticket.

   What makes the WMRC banquets so much fun are the prize draws - and we have lots of them!

    We start off with the door prizes. Every guest receives a free ticket. There are several prizes available, including some "non-rail" items. Then we have the elimination draw. This draw actually works in reverse! The very last ticket drawn wins the prize! There were lots of moans and groans to be heard as Morgan read off the names of the ticket holders who weren't called last!

    Our last prize draw had lots of tickets. Guests purchased an arm's length of tickets for five bucks. Just to keep things fair (as some have arms longer than others) WMRC blog editor Paul Ullrich sold the tickets and used his own very long arms to measure the tickets!

    The "arms length" is measured as such: The person holds the end of the ticket roll by their fingertips, then turns their head away and pulls out the ticket roll until it touches the tip of their nose. Then the tickets are torn off at that point.

   It should be pointed out that Paul doesn't have the longest reach in the club. That honour belongs to Robert Weaver. But Paul does have a larger nose.

    There were tons of prizes, and most people walked away with something. There were even gift certificates from Home Depot and Canadian Tire, good places to buy all the wood, screws, nails and glue you need to build your layout!

Ron Einarson to sweep awards at WMRC annual banquet

   What do Meryl Streep and Ron Einarson Have in common? They're both about the same age, very  good looking, extremely talented and multiple award winners!

    At this year's open house, Ron walked away with more awards than we could count, and he deserved every one of them. If you wish to see him receive all of these honours (or just to see how he's going to carry them all away to his car), then come to the WMRC's annual banquet!

    The WMRC annual banquet will be held May 9, at 6:00 PM at the Canad Inns Windsor Park, located at 1034 Elizabeth Road in St. Boniface. Come out for the delicious buffet at Aaltos Garden Cafe and help us celebrate another rewarding year with the presentation of awards for modelling and photography (yes, there were others beside Ron who won some awards) and the always popular prize draws.

    There will be no advance tickets. All you have to do is pay for your meal before you leave. Meryl Streep will not be in attendance, but it's still going to be a fun night! Hope to see you there!

     Anybody got a wheelbarrow that Ron can borrow so he can take all of his awards to his car without making a second trip?

Winners of the Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual model contest

By Morgan Turney

The Winnipeg Model Railroad Club's annual model contest was held on March 15 - 16, 2014 at the club's open house at Westworth United Church. There were 23 model entries from seven WMRC members.

I wish to thank all those who participated by entering their models in the contest.These are the contest results, including the medals earned, as determined by the scoring of the judges:

Diesel Locomotive
1st Place - Gino Kost - Silver - HO CB&Q SD30 564

Passenger Car
1st Place - Ron Einarson - Silver - HO L&N Pullman 8022

Freight Car
1st Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - On2-1/2 H&LB Flat Car 8
2nd Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - On2-1/2 H&LB Flat Car 7
Honourable Mention - Ian Plett - HO Burlington Gondola load

Non-Revenue
1st Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - On2-1/2 H&LB 9 MofW Car

Structures
1st Place - Suzanne Lemon - Gold - HO Don's Mower & Saw
2nd Place - Virginia Braun - Bronze - HO Hog House
3rd Place - Virginia Braun - Bronze - HO Hen House

Displays
1st Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - HO House & Garage Display
2nd Place - Val Lemon - Gold - HO Old Barn & Yard Display
3rd Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - HO Tree to Forest Display
Honourable Mention - Ron Einarson - Gold - HO JH Murray & Son Display
Honourable Mention - Ron Einarson - Gold - HO Cast Boiler Display

Special Event
1st Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - HO S. Madisonville Extension
2nd Place - Ron Einarson - Gold - HO L&N Coal Dock
3rd Place - Larry Leavens - Silver - HO PTEX 21878 Potash Car
Honourable Mention - Virginia Braun - Bronze - HO Stake Truck
Honourable Mention - Ian Plett - Bronze - HO 89' Flat Car Pipe Load

Clark Summers Award
Ian Plett - HO 89' Flat Car w. pipe load

Kit Award
Ron Einarson - HO House & Garage

Tyro Award
Virginia Braun - HO Stake Truck & Cattle

Best in Show
Ron Einarson - Gold - HO Saw Pit Store

Modelling trees with Ron Einarson

   

   If any model railroader deserves a degree in forestry, it's Ron Einarson! He's been making trees for decades at very little cost, using simple household materials and home grown Sedum from his back yard. Ron has had so many mentions on this blog that he's developing a web presence almost as large as Justin Bieber (but he gets into far less trouble).

By Ron Einarson

   When it came to creating trees for my layout I turned to my old friend the Sedum bush. I have used it to make trees for over 30 years and I am still in awe of how great they look using little or no special techniques or skills.    In the fall I harvest the branches. I cut the stems long so I can tie a bundle together and hang them from the garage rafter.  They hang there over the winter and by spring they are ready to go.   I cut the stems shorter and then gather four to six branches together. I usually make them from 3" to 6" in height to give me a good variety for planting. Once I have the branches, I wrap them with some floral wrap I bought at a craft store. I use masking tape when I run out of the floral tape. 
      I take a 2” piece of wire, coat the end of it with glue and stick it up the middle of the trunk. It will be used for mounting the finished tree. Once the trunk is to the size I like, I take out  LePage's Ready to Use patching compound and apply it in layers so it dries evenly. I used to mix plaster, but it was messy and I never seemed to get the right consistency.Sometimes I didn't mix it enough and the mixture would dry flaky. Most of it would crumble off, or half of it would and I'd have to redo the process. For $5 I get the ready to go stuff and it goes on like a dream! It stays put and all dries together at the same time, creating a very nice trunk. 

   I also learned to have something to stick the tree in while the plaster sets. What better way to use old pieces of styrofoam than to cut it into blocks and use them to secure the tree. That’s why I put the wire in at the beginning! Clever, eh!   

   After the plaster sets (I usually don’t get back to them for at least a week or two, or the next year) I am ready to make some trees. I get out a small rasp file and score the trunk to give it some definition. Doing this makes a big mess of plaster dust - do this while outside if you want to live to finish your model railroad! 

   After my masterpiece meets my approval I paint it.  I spray the foliage with a can of cheap green spray paint. Then I sprinkle on a fine ground foam / sawdust mixture, which I dye green with Rit dye. Sprinkling the trees with this mixture often takes two or three applications to get the right look. 

   After each step I spray the tree with “cheap” hair spray, preferably a scent free type (unless you want a nice smelling forest on your layout).   When the foliage has dried, I take out the brown paint and paint the trunk. I mix up various shades of brown so I have a good variety to apply. In no time I have myself enough trees to plant a forest! But don’t forget to prepare the forest floor before planting, or you'll have a heck of time doing it after you have planted your trees!