Model Railway Scenery Skills: How to model hedges

Follow our step-by-step guide to making realistic hedges for your model railway.
Railway tracks all over the country are lined with hedges so we thought we had better produce a step-by-step video guide, showing you how to model realistic hedges for your model railway.
For the latest model railway expert advice check out BRM magazine: www.pocketmags.com/brm

[@Madonsteamrailways]

I live in the Hertfordshire town of Hoddesdon. The road outside my apartment borders my rear communal garden and Upper Marsh Lane. As a hedge, it’s more like the one you’re building at the moment than the sort of hedge I remember from London.

[@davidorf3921]

I hate to break this to you, but in a properly constructed (or laid) hedge the trunks don't grow vertically, they start vertical but then they are cut a short distance above ground typically 1 to 1.5 ft up and bent over, the object of a farm hedge is to stop stock getting through, when you part cut through the trunk you can then lay the upper part of the tree over the amount varies, if you have lots of trees forming the hedge you don't need to lay it over as far as if the trees are sparse, you interlock the trunks for extra strength, vertical posts are usually interspersed with the living trees to add more stability, new growth will cause the limbs on the upper side of the trunk to grow upwards vertically and the partially cut through trunk will also sprout new growth like a coppiced tree, typically you then leave the hedge alone for a 8 years or more, just trimming up wayward branches, after typically 8 to 15 years the partially cut trunk may well have died off (not always) but the coppiced section will give you a nice new trunk to work with. Each region of the UK has it's own style of laying a hedge. Modern farming practice often uses power flails to roughly cut hedges but such hedges are easy to push through and are not proof against stock so typically will have a barbed wire fence added. I was the son of a farm manager, got taught the basics of laying a hedge more than 40 years ago :-)

[@claire6795]

Interesting ! Thanks. I'm in Devon with Devon hedges, mixed natived Holm oak, holly, beech, wild roses blackthorn etc. Its lovely to know how they look like they've got thick ARMS?? 😃

[@medwaymodelrailway7129]

Great video.Good update too.

[@leswall6293]

Very good tips and idea's but as a novice , what's 4mm and 7 mm , I only know of gauges N.OO ,G

[@davidorf3921]

4mm = 00 scale i.e 4mm = 1 foot 7mm = 0 scale 1:43.5 or 7mm to the foot

[@leswall6293]

@@davidorf3921 Cheer's for the heads up

[@robot7759]

Hedgeman!!! 👍

[@rogerclark5869]

Thanks Brilliant

[@joesask857]

thanks man

[@Madonsteamrailways]

A useful lesson

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Pardon my jovial spirit, but is that Benson or Hedges? My father liked both in his pipe!!

[@peterknightley2838]

Cheap scourging pads work just as well.

[@poshingtonno1157]

Thats what I use. very cheap and effective

[@knottyal2428]

You can get a lot of N gauge hedge out of one scouring green pad. Good stuff!