This image is used to advertise ME’s urban viaducts. I have liked the image for a long time and is one of the photos in my dossier of “inspiration images” for my layout. Does anybody know where it comes from, other than that? Who’s layout is this? Are there other photos of it online someplace?
And then secondarily, aside from the obvious bridge and foreground / near-field elements, what all do you think would be required to recreate (as in capture the essence of) a scene such as this? When I look at the picture, I see a photo backdrop, and at least some of the buildings in the background look as though they could be 2D as well, albeit very nicely done-- or at the least, well-controlled in the camera angle!
Do you think this look could be achieved in 6-9 inches of depth? (Which is what I have available). I’m also of the opinion that it might be possible to recreate the feel of it-- at least to some degree-- with just a photo backdrop alone. What do you think?
I think you could get the feel of this scene with only 6-9 inches of depth. To get that urban feel, I would go with buildings maybe a couple of stories taller than the train, placed on the back side of the elevated tracks. I might also use building flats with a backdrop behind them. I personally like trains moving past a 3D model vs. a 2D backdrop. You could then place a building or two in front of the elevated tracks so the trains pop in and out of sight to give an illusion of more distance.
Yes, that’s kind of what I was thinking about… Interspersing some low-relief models with actual 2D flats, probably mounted on foam-core or something, and then an actual photo backdrop. I think part of the challenge to doing it convincingly is managing the resultant shadows, which could easily make or break the scene.
It looks to me like the scene itself is pretty deep, possibly all of the buildings are 3D. The backdrop appears to be distant and non-urban. I’m thinking that there might even be an aisle between the buildings and the distant horizon.
I also like the idea of an urban backdrop with some low-relief flats giving you a third dimension of the background scene in only an inch or so. I would detail the heck out of the flats, though, with well-mortared bricks, windows with fire escapes, large advertisements decalled on the walls and so on. The details draw the viewers’ eyes away from the flat backdrop scene and make it less prominent.
In the picture, the cars and wood fence in the foreground serve the same purpose, pulling the viewer into the scene at the detailed front, rather than the back. A bright spot, like an animated Miller Engineering sign or an iluminated building with a detailed interior, will also keep eyes in the foreground.
I think the layout pictured belongs to (or belonged to, I heard it was for sale a while ago) the Midwest Valley Modelers, a modular group from the St. Louis area. What you’re looking at would be the club’s urban modules photographed outdoors…no photo backdrop there at all. Their modules are 28 inches deep, but in this photo, they may have posed one city module in front of a second city module (as opposed to them being next to each other in a row as in normal operating conditions) to enhance the illusion of depth for the photo session.
The club’s layout has appeared several times in the model railroading press (including the Nov 1995 issue of MR and Great Model Railroads 2001). You can look up “Midwest Valley Modelers” and also “Ken Patterson” at the Model Railroad Magazine Index to find others: http://trc.trains.com/Train%20Magazine%20Index.aspx?view=SearchResults&advanced=true
On the other hand, it could also be just a diorama built specifically for the advertisement, and shot outdoors, which is something Ken Patterson does for a living: http://kenpatterson.com/home.html
FYI, the viaduct appears to be based on the “High Line” that used to be along the St. Louis riverfront. Micro Engineering is located just outside of St. Louis.
Here’s a pic of the High line being dismantled (not my pic.) It has been replaced by a single-track concrete viaduct.
I don’t know whose layout that is, but you’ll find a similar big-city scene using the same viaduct (but in less depth) on Vic Smith’s HO scale City Edge layout.
Thanks for the reply Steve! I am familiar with that layout, but hadn’t thought of it to look at in this context. I’ll go find the youtube vids and study it a bit and see what I can take away from it. I did a little mock-up the other night and I think it could be done reasonably in around 12-15 inches-- and I’m assuming a row of buildings in front-- which would be about the same amount of space as the parking lot in the original photo I posted. But that also requires it being up at eye level. On the lower deck, which is in the 38-40 inch range, probably a tad bit higher when the elevation behind the yard is considered-- don’t know exactly how high, a few more inches-- its harder to do it as convincingly. But I still think that 12-15 inches could do it, perhaps even as little as 9-12 inches if I cheat with the depths a little more aggressively.
I appreciate all the responses, you guys are giving me some good food for thought.
Yes, I found it there too and I agree, it looks like the right module. I’m going to write to him and see if he can tell me anything more about the construction of the scene. I definitely appreciate all the help and pointers!
