Now Adding Desert Plants To Layout, BUT NO TREES!

You might want to try Scenic Express for Joshua Trees.

It's back...

You da man Rip. I frequently drive thru Mojave on my way up 395 and am a big fan of RR routes in desert scenery flanked by mountains. So no trees and grass for me but I need to figure out what kind of rocks and plant life to add as my layout is currently a little thin in that area. Would like to see what you come up with.

S

During my HO days I modeled the EsPee in so Cal....so I like desert landscape.

I found these Pegasus kits, they have 2-3 different, nice for O scale desert areas.

THANKS ALLAN,

So far I've been purchasing my Desert Flora from Hobby Lobby, which has a good stock of Woodland Scenic items.

I'll have to buy a few Joshuas from Scenic Express, if I can't find anything a bit less costly elsewhere. 

Joshuas are the King of Trees up here in the High Mojave Desert at 3000 ft. elevation, and my layout would be bare without a few! The State of California protects all native Joshuas.

Here's the Joshua Tree we had in our front yard until a severe gust blew it onto our roof, with great damage.

It was over 500 years old, according to local tree service people, but its root system was failing, which is why it blew down.

Thanks for the tip, Allan,

Rip Track

HEY AMC DAVE,

I'll certainly look into Pegasus Models!

Cheers,

Rip Track

Mr. Scott T. Johnson,

At age 78, I don't build anything anymore.

As for Locos & Rolling Stock, I don't Scratch-Build, I don't Kit-Bash, I don't Weather, and I don't Paint.  I run my equipment right out of the box, all new and shiny, the way I like it! 

As for Scenery...same-o same-o!

I don't fool with Materials, Tools, Glue, Paint, or any other mess.  I want Instant Gratification, with no work!  This is why I buy my Mountains and Buttes ready-made, from Lowe's and Home Depot, in the form of Valve Covers, in either Granite or Sandstone colors, at $30 to $60 each.  I have 10 of 'em on my 124-foot layout.

Rip Track

I second the advice about checking out the Pegasus cacti, they are very good. They do however require gluing two pieces together, so this might be over the line as far as your willingness to actually do any type of craftsmanship regarding your layout goes.

Looking at the picture of the Joshua tree in your front lawn I would wager a guess that the root system was failing (rotting) due to being over watered. The amount of water required to keep a grass lawn green in the desert will do this to most desert flora.

Dear On30,          [See...I got the connection!]

You wrong me, Sir!

I'm not that averse to gluing 2 pieces together!

And you're right about Joshua tree root systems failing due to over-watering.

As Ever...

Rip Track

I have used pipe cleaners to make my cactus.  Easy to assemble and easy to paint.  Drill a hole for the base and you have inexpensive scenery.

Al Owner of the LT&T

HEY MIKE,

Those Grand Canyon pictures have no resemblance whatever to my dry, arid Mojave High Desert.

I live here, Sir, and I can tell you that the only growth we have are Yucca plants, Joshua Trees, and the ground bushes that become tumbleweeds.

Our annual rainfall is almost too small to be recorded.

You're suggesting that I turn my noble Desert into a green forest? 

Nossir!

Rip Track

Enjoy what you like. It is interesting to me how different people's taste can be. For example, I would never be interested in doing a SW landscape like that. The thought of not having big green trees and grass is unfathomable to me. That's one of the great aspects of this hobby. Build it the way you like it

Boys, I really enjoy taking a totally unconventional approach to layout building!

While the rest of you have gotta have those trees, rivers, meadows, farms, grazing cattle, bridges, trestles, tunnels, crossings, turnouts, switches, turntables, signal towers, barns, silos, factories, churches, stores, homes, cars, trucks, buses, people, livestock, pets, etc, etc, I take pride in having, wanting, and needing none of those!

I want my railroad to run in a Wilderness, not a Metropolis!  

RIP TRACK  [That's me in the middle with the venerable Webley Patriot]

Gotta love the bit about the "tutorial on Desert flora". I hate to break it to you, Mike,  but areas of terrain that are covered with pine trees are called "Forests". The areas with bushes and scrub trees like scrub oak that you picture in those tourist trail shots on the canyon walls are called "Chaparral" . That being said there are areas of desert that do have a variety of small types of trees, I happen to live in one called "The Sonoran Desert". I have spent plenty of time in this area of the country (I have been scratching the earth in search of Gold in my spare time for close to 40 years now) and I can validate Hal's assertion that the High Mojave is completely treeless. Even "Joshua Trees" are not technically trees, they are a variety of very large Yucca plant.

I bought some of these, too.  A bit of paint and they look wonderful.

I do not know what your travel agent told you, Mike, but areas with great big trees growing all over with plenty of rain to make them grow are not Desert. The area you are referring to is known as "The Rim". Not specifically the rim of the Grand Canyon, but rather the "rim" or edge of the Colorado Plateau.  The specific area you are referring to is the western edge of the largest contiguous Ponderosa Pine Forest in the world. It is called a Pine Forest and not a Pine Desert for a reason. That reason has to do with that watery stuff that comes out of the sky quite often. Glad I could help clear things up for you!

A desert biome is classified as an area receiving less than ~10" of rain per year. That amount of rain will not support the growth of the flora you pictured in your post above that you referred to as a "Tutorial on Desert Flora". I thought just about everyone knew this, but I have been proven wrong about such an assumption.

For future reference, if you are walking through a forest of great big trees, you are probably in a forest, not a desert.  I could take you to areas within 30 miles of the Mexican border that are pristine ancient  Fir Forest (yes Fir!). Even though this little island of Fir Forest is completely surrounded by vast tracts of Desert, this area is known as a "Forest" because it gets more rain there than the surrounding areas. It is this rain that allows for the growth of this forest. There is a good Louis Lamour book called "The Big Timber" about this area around Mt Graham. Again, glad I could help you out with this misunderstanding about various biomes.

Something worthy of note is that I figured it would be a cold day in H3!! when I would be on Hal's side of any "discussion", yet the thermometer in the shade of the porch on the North side of our house currently reads 114 degrees F here in the Sonoran Desert. If this keeps up I might break down and hit the A/C.

Edit to add: I was off a bit on the temperature here today. It is actually 116 degrees F and still rising here in the Sonoran Desert. Hard to get a good picture in the shade with such a bright background. For reference use by anyone interested in modeling a Desert landscape, the big green things out in our front yard are not Pine Trees!

HEY OWEN, 

Thanks for backing me, Owen...your checks will keep coming!

Here are examples of the "2 pieces I've glued together":

Would you like to know how many 3/8", 5/16" and 1/4" lag bolts went into this project?

All the structural assemblies were lag-bolted into the wall studs of the game room, using 3/8" Lag bolts, stiffening the game room itself!

What about 3/8" hex bolts, nuts, & washers for bolting the 2x4 framework together? No nails were used.

What about the dozens of track spikes for this 124-foot layout, with soldered rails on the curves?

Also the dozens of shelf brackets, and how about the many 4x8 sheets of OSB sub-roofing panels, and the gallon of desert-tinted paint?

Most of the work on my "Calico Freight Lines" railroad doesn't even show, but it took me almost a year to build it!

Yeah...I can glue 2 pieces together...note the tools I used!

RIP TRACK

Hi Folks,

Deserts seem to have many climates.  I am not an expert.  Here are a few photos that I took in Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico last week.  It is green along the creek.  Just a few feet above it is desert.

 I have never seen cliff dwellings on a model railroad.  That would be an interesting scenic aspect for a desert model railroad.

I have to lot into those Pegasus kits, some small cactus would be fun!  

I grew up in the desert - mostly norther NM and NE AZ areas, and model it a lot.  Big cactus and such extremely very rare - the major theme you saw in the landscape was orange-red rock and brown and water-starved scrub grass with brush/bushes in low areas where water may collect.  And lizards, as a kid I loved the lizards!!!!

You say you 'grew up' in the desert?

I didn't think you'd grown up yet.  You're having (and spreading) too much fun to be a real grown-up.

And I appreciate it.

You need one of these.....

HEY MARTIN,

That worm is from the  Sci-Fi film "Tremors".

RIP TRACK

I met Frank Herbert when I was in college, I was secretary of a science fiction club that had him come and lecture.  He is one of the most interesting people I have ever met.

No, not even close.

Native to Arrakis.

Is that from "Dune"?

Yes, we Coastal Oregonians, who live in the forest,amid mountains, and are right on the seashore are well known for our arrogant and snooty attitudes.

We are also well known for being dishonest,not quiet (the Pacific Ocean is always making some kind of noise), and it's not peaceful right now, as everyone from everywhere else is coming here to enjoy the sun,public beaches (the entire Oregon coastline is public), and eat such nasties as crab,halibut and salmon.

Think I'll stay put...

Mark in Oregon

HEY MARK

Looks like I struck a defensive nerve!

Don't be concerned...it was purely intentional!

RIP TRACK  (Here's lookin' at you!)

You're right,Mark...it's from "Dune".

RIP TRACK  (Are you a Guitarist?