The Model Tree Shop

16/06/2026

The summer sale is now live at The Model Tree Shop!!!

Until 24 June, you can get 10% off everything in the shop, from model trees, hedges, bushes, scatter, foliage, scenic materials to layout details. Whether you're topping up essentials or picking out something specific for a build you've been putting off, now's a good time to move on it.

To claim your discount, just use code summer-26 at checkout or go straight to the sale page via this link: themodeltreeshop.co.uk/coupon/summer-26

Happy building!

Ian and the team.

12/06/2026

Hi everyone, and welcome to The Model Tree Shop page.

I'm Ian, and I've been running TMTS from York since taking over in 2024. The shop itself has been around since 2005, so there's a fair bit of history here, and I'm genuinely proud to be the one carrying it forward.

What we do is pretty straightforward: we stock scale model trees and landscaping materials for modellers who care about getting the scenic side of their projects right. Whether you're building an OO layout with a wooded embankment, putting together a 28mm wargaming table, detailing a diorama, or working on an architectural model at 1:100, the right tree or ground cover makes a real difference to how the finished scene reads.

We stock everything from twisted wire and etched brass trees to static grass, scatters, and ground cover across all the main scales and gauges. The aim is always to help you find what actually works for your project, not just what's on the shelf.

One thing I say a lot: there's no such thing as a scale tree. But there is such a thing as the right tree for your layout, and that's what we're here to help with.

So, tell us in the comments: what are you building right now? Can we help?

08/06/2026

The question we get asked more than any other: what size tree for my gauge?

Here is something worth knowing before you buy a single tree for your layout: there is no such thing as a scale tree. A real oak (full grown) can stand anywhere from 15 to 30 metres tall. That means the "right" tree for your layout is not a fixed size. It is a starting point, shaped by your gauge, your scene, and what you are trying to suggest.

That said, gauge and scale gives you a very useful anchor. Here is how it breaks down in practice.

T Gauge runs at 1:450. A 50mm tree represents roughly 74 feet in the real world. You are working very small, so even a modest tree model reads as a mature specimen. Trees in the 30 to 55mm range tend to work well here, but we do have some smaller.

N Gauge sits at 1:148, 1:150 or 1:160. A 70 to 80mm tree comes in at around 37 feet, which is a solid mid-sized deciduous. For larger trees, 100 to 105mm gives you something that reads as genuinely tall without dominating the scene.

OO Gauge, the most popular scale in the UK at 1:76, is where most of us live. A 100mm tree represents roughly 25 feet. For a convincing mature oak or ash alongside the lineside, you are looking at 120 to 150mm. Larger is possible but not many of us have space! Smaller 70 to 80mm trees work well as younger growth or hedgerow fillers.

O Gauge at 1:43 is the big one. Trees need to earn their place here. A 150mm tree is only around 21 feet at this scale, so you often want to be looking at larger specimens to avoid everything reading as saplings. Our Large Scale trees go up to around 350mm tall.

The full scale chart is at themodeltreeshop.co.uk/scale-charts-tools/ if you want to work through the numbers for your specific scene.

Every gauge has a practical tree size range that makes a scene read as convincing, and the team at The Model Tree Shop know exactly what that range is for yours. Drop your gauge in the comments and we will help you find the right trees for your layout.

04/05/2026

Trees too!

30/04/2026

The bank holiday weekend is almost here and, if you haven't seen it yet, we've got something a little different happening on Monday.

We're opening up the HQ.

If you've ever wanted to see the full Model Tree Shop range in person before buying, Monday 4th May is your chance. We'll have far more trees on display than we could ever take to a show - every type, every size, right there to handle and compare. And many items in stock will be 10% off for the whole day.

It's not just us either. Train Trax will be running their test track and office layout throughout the day, with KATO N gauge and HO gauge on display, plus Hex-TRAX and T-TRAK modules built by the team.

Two doors down, York Modelmaking will be opening their doors at the same time, so there's plenty to keep you busy. The Yorkshire Area Group of the N Gauge Society will also have a T-TRAK module display with us, and there will be tea, coffee, and - we make no apology for mentioning this again - cake.

📅 Monday 4th May · 11am to 5pm
📍 Unit 15, The Bull Centre, Stockton Lane, York, YO32 9LE
🎟️ Free entry - ticket booking appreciated though so we know how much cake to order

Grab your ticket and full details here: traintrax.co.uk/train-trax-and-the-model-tree-shop-hq-open-day

Hope to see you Monday. 🌲

29/04/2026

We've prepared a representative display of all our stock trees - Twisted Wire/Palm, Etched Brass/String and Wire, and the Plastic tree range. We wish we'd done this ages ago as we think they look great and it helps to understand how they can be used!

Come take a look at our Open Day on Bank Holiday Monday: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/train-trax-and-the-model-tree-shop-hq-open-day-tickets-1987326277393

23/04/2026

Just over one week to go until we open the doors!

We get asked the same questions at every show: "Can I see the full range?" "Is Ian actually there?" "Do you have X in stock?" The honest answer at a show is always "we've brought what we could fit in the van."

Not on 4th May. On 4th May, the answer is yes.

The full The Model Tree Shop range - trees, ground cover, static grass, landscape materials - plus everything Train Trax does with KATO, all under one roof at our York HQ. No stand, no tent, no car-boot unpack. Just the whole operation, properly laid out, with time to actually talk.

If you've been waiting for a chance to come and see us properly, this is it. Link in comments for everything you need to know.

🗓️ Monday 4th May · Unit 15, The Bull Centre, Stockton Lane, York, YO32 9LE
🔗 traintrax.co.uk/train-trax-and-the-model-tree-shop-hq-open-day

16/04/2026

We've spent the spring at other people's shows, with York Racecourse at Easter being the most recent. GREAT events, and we genuinely love being there. But...we've been thinking: what if we opened our doors and invited people to come and see what we are all about?

So that's exactly what we're doing.

On Bank Holiday Monday, 4th May, we're opening up the HQ - Train Trax and The Model Tree Shop, together, at The Bull Centre in York - from 11am to 5pm. Come and see where it all actually happens. Meet Ian and the team properly. See far more of the Model Tree Shop range than we could ever squeeze onto a show stand. Watch the test track running.

And yes...there will be cake.

And we won't be the only ones. York Modelmaking are two doors down and opening their doors at the same time, and the Yorkshire Area Group of the N Gauge Society will have a T-TRAK module display with us. There's a lot to see.

Attendance is free, but we'd love you to grab a ticket in advance so we can make sure there's enough of everything to go round (cake included).

Full details at the link below and in the comments 🌲

traintrax.co.uk/train-trax-and-the-model-tree-shop-hq-open-day

06/04/2026

We've got some show special offers on Trees too!

Last day of the York Model Railway Show for this year. We're here until 4.30pm with our track, trains, trams, trees and more things that don't begin with T.

04/04/2026

All setup for the York Model Railway show over this weekend at York Racecourse. We've got a sample of our trees on show and happy to talk through the range at stand 74 with Train Trax too!