What Type of Scenery do You Model?

[Deleted]

It's been a while since I conducted a poll on the Forum, but I've been wondering what type of physical geography (scenery) people model or plan to model on their layout, module, or diorama.

Please consider scenery independent of the railroads, location, era, or scale modeled. Since many scenery types overlap and most people model more than one type, chose as few or as many types as you like (except the last two questions, select one only).

I am posting on the HO Scale forum since I want to garner the most responses and comments. Will cross-post the link to the O, N and Crew Lounge forums.

I'd like to hear your reasons for modeling or avoiding particular types of scenery.

The poll will close Thursday August 18.  Thanks.

[Brakie]

I model industrial buildings with industrial type scenery like storage silos,tanks,trailer drop lot,concrete transloading area, etc

[Deleted]

Update/plea: Six people have participated in the first hour or so, but the last two questions have only three answers between them. They should total the number of respondents. No one can tell how you voted, so please pick one:

I currently have a sceniced layout, module, or diorama
or
I DO NOT currently have a sceniced layout, module, or diorama

[fr8kar]

I have a few Free-mo modules all based on prototype scenes in Texas and Oklahoma. The scenery ranges from rolling grassland to the Arbuckle Mountains and the settings range from an unpopulated rural area to densely populated areas like Norman, Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas.

Since the right-of-way is the focus on my fairly narrow Free-mo modules, there isn't much in the way of structures except those that can be modeled in the form of a "flat" or a cutaway building. The next module I will build will have a passenger depot and platform, which marks a bit of a turning point for me since the entire building will be modeled.

Additionally, there is a requirement in the Free-mo standard to keep the scenery somewhat neutral to allow for an easy visual transition to adjacent modules. This applies to the endplates, but to keep the module groups cohesive the scenery within a group tends to blend and my group is no exception.

[wp8thsub]

My layout features scenes from the edge of the desert through adjacent irrigated farmland, to areas that are more industrial and urban.



This aisle represents the Great Salt Lake desert and its immediate surroundings based on photos from several locales of the WP in Utah and Nevada.



This locale looks across some salt flats.



This farmland is almost all the way through the run to the opposite end of the main.  In the area modeled these landscapes are in close proximity as well.



Various region-appropriate industries are served along the way, such as these concrete pre-fab structures representing a printing plant and grocery warehouse.



A dense urban industrial area representing Utah's Wasatch Front occupies this unfinished part of the layout.  

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2015 17:12:59 GMT -8 wp8thsub said:

My layout features scenes from the edge of the desert through adjacent irrigated farmland, to areas that are more industrial and urban.

Very nice work! The backdrop, natural areas, and structures look great.

[alcoc430]

Nice poll

My RR is still in the planning stages It will be urban/industry/dock type scenery, since I don't have much space I'm envisioning little if any open grassy/farmland etc areas except as used as temporary filler.

[valenciajim]

Rob--excellent scenery and layout. My layout is LA to Denver in a 165 feet of mainline. Urban LA through southern California chapperal to the desert to the mountains to Urban Denver. Sorry no pictures yet.

[riogrande]

Looking good Rob. Very effective and brings back memories of some of my drives cross country between Denver and California in the 80's where you could see such long distances. Of course your layout and trains nail the period and type that I enjoy the most.

Cheers, Jim

[SantaFeSammy]

Fantastic, Rob!
I model the flatlands where one can see for miles, with lots of ag business and farm land.

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2015 14:56:47 GMT -8 @sppepfe said:

It's been a while since I conducted a poll on the Forum, but I've been wondering what type of physical geography (scenery) people model or plan to model on their layout, module, or diorama.

Please consider scenery independent of the railroads, location, era, or scale modeled. Since many scenery types overlap and most people model more than one type, chose as few or as many types as you like (except the last two questions, select one only).

I'd like to hear your reasons for modeling or avoiding particular types of scenery.

The poll will close Thursday August 18.  Thanks.

The primary reason I posted this poll is that I'm seriously considering changing the focus of my modeling from SoCal (SP, UP, some ATSF) circa 1969 to the Portland, Oregon area circa 1971.  Portland allows for SP and UP, plus BN (with all the merger roads' rolling stock & locos still common).  My interest in Portland has been growing for a few years, and I did live there for a few years in the 90s.

What has been holding me back is scenery.  Outside the urbanized area, Portland is more difficult to model then SoCal primarily because of all the trees.  Especially the large conifers.  Conifers are difficult and expensive to model well, especially "focus" trees near the front of the layout.  And you need a lot of them for many areas outside Portland...  Deciduous trees are easier and less expensive.

SoCal / Los Angeles scenery is easier (think Tehachapi or Cajon)- chaparral, oaks and some sycamore, a couple other types of trees, no big conifers.  Semi-desert, sage scrub, etc.  Some grass and mixed brush.  All fairly easy to model effectively.  Palms are tough to model or are very expensive.  If you model SoCal you probably need a few.

Of the various types of land cover in the poll, the "easier" types to model are generally garnering more votes, while the hardest (coastline with surf) has zero. Only 37 people have responded so far- is this because so  many on the forum are "collectors" of rolling stock? It's interesting that about 40 percent of respondents won't say if the have or don't have a layout. Hmmmmm? If you have, or are just planning to build a layout, module, or diorama, please chime in.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

I've copied and pasted this from the Sunday Fun discussion we were having

Last Saturday our NMRA Division went to Grand Rapids and toured several model layouts. The third one I visited was Ralph Moxley's Ann Arbor RR layout depicting the line from Cadillac, MI to Elberta, MI where the AA had ferry boat service across Lake Michigan. The following show some of his layout. He stated that he has 'thousands' of trees. He said the deciduous trees were all made with Scenic Express trees covered with copious amounts of Woodland Scenics ground foam held in place with cheap Aqua Net hair spray. He said he purchased the conifer trees ready to 'plant'. I believe he said they were made in Mexico, slightly pricey but very well done.







I have used a dried plant called Candy Tuft for trees on my layout.

Here are candy tuft trees supplanted with Woodland Scenics clumps on my old layout.



www.ncmrc.org/joomla15/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=56%3Amaking-realistic-trees&catid=42%3Amodeling-tips-and-techniques&Itemid=55&limitstart=2

I researched my computer and also found that the material I used is also called Pepper Grass and can be purchased here:

lovejoyfarms.com/lepidium-pepper-grass/

If I am correct legendary model railroader Howard Zane uses Pepper Grass extensively on his layout.

[dtinut]

I do a bit of midwestern scenery - mostly rural areas, but some industrial also.
Here aare a couple pics of the modlues I built for the Modular club I am part of...




Unfortunately, that layout/trailer was stolen in 2009 and never recovered.... :-(

So we started over.
Here is CP Maumee, - it is farther along than this, but I don't have newer pics on my photosite yet...



Regards,
Brian

[drolsen]

I'm going to have my work cut out for me when I start building my layout someday. I'm planning to model the lush summer scenery along CSX's Old Main Line in central Maryland, like in this prototype photo from the B&O OML Photo Tour website:



I love the look of trains running through thick Eastern woods and disappearing around curves and behind the trees. The cuts and tunnels along the Patapsco River are going to be challenging to model. I hope to start working on some modules in the near future to practice different scenery techniques.

Fellow CSX modeler Brian Bennett has a good example on his website of the type of module / diorama that I'm planning to build:

www.contrailroads.com/hoppers/

Dave

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

I wish I could duplicate the smokey blue-grey atmospheric look in Dave's picture. Have to run one of those smokin' BLI GEs around the layout for an hour or so, I guess.

[ns2557]

My club has industrial on the bottom deck that is replicating areas around the gta, and scenes that are meant to replicate northern Ontario on the upper deck aside from our auto-plant that was to big to fit on the lower deck of the layout.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

This is about 15 feet of backdrop I painted today in about 2 1/2 hours using the methods of Chris Lyon as described in the series of videos at the link below. It is all done with 2 colors of paint, yellow and black.

lyonvalleynorthern.blogspot.com/2013/05/painting-backdrops-for-large-layouts.html