I am about to start my benchwork on the third and hopefully the last layout I have built over the last 25 years and I am in need of a little advice. I have realized over the years my love of trains and railroads has more to do with the development of the technology and the equipment itself than trying to recreate an era.
While I do scenery well, at least that is what I have been told, I really don’t see it that much if you know what I mean. When I visit other modelers layouts I am always drawn to the trains. I "see: the scenery and buildings only in my peripheral vision.
I feel the same way about buildings. While I know they are necessary to set the mood I think I’d rather go to the dentist than build and paint one.
Because of this, it has always been very difficult for me equipment wise stick to an era. Since coming back to HO three years ago from O I have been very good at sticking to equipment from the steam to diesel transition era. But in view of the new Genesis GP15-1 and Atlas MP15’s well I am beginning to waver.
What I have been working on in my mind is a walk around layout, 7’ by 20’ with a divider down the middle and staging yards at the ends at a 90 angle. I would like the trains to be the stars with scenery and buildings done to a minimum.
What I can’t seem to work out is how to mix eras without it looking silly. Have any of you done anyhting like this? Any advice?
I have multiple eras on my layout. I too have an affection for the steam to diesel transition era. I have a scenic divider going though the middle of most of the layout - a 9 X 40 Island. One side models the southwest (California,Texas) based on the ATSF,SP and UP in the late 40’s to early 50’s. The other side the Midwest (Kansas,Missouri,Arkansas) MOPAC,Frisco,Cotton Belt,KCS,RI,UP,BNSF in the 1980’s to the present. I’m very happy with the results so far.
MR has had several articles on scenic dividers over the years.
You seemed to have stated that you like the equipment more than anything so make your scenery your priority and do structures that are “neutral”, meaning ones that could still exist in a more modern era. Many buildings from the diesel/steam transition era would still be around in the mid to late 80’s.
On one session you could run your steamers and early diesels then at another your later equipment.
In the end you have to do what you enjoy and what makes you happy. It is a hobby after all and no one is grading you on your accuracy.
Well, I don’t have any experience in this, but not knowing anything about a topic never got in my way of having an opinion.[(-D]
I’ve read of modelers that keep the buildings and vehicles"time-generic" and change out the trains from time-to-time to run different eras. Some make the change gradually to represent the passage of time.
And others just run what they like regardless of the era; and that’s ok too, after all, this is a hobby, not a religion.
Rick how have you divided your layout with the divider? I though at first of having the railroad go around me with a duck under but I think I can utilize my space better with a walk around. But I’m trying to decide how to divide the 7’ wide island with the divider.
I’m looking at doing a small layout that works for 1945 'til now. Things I’ve thought:
vehicles are lift-off/changeable
signals MIGHT be convertible from semaphore to searchlight by “plugging in”. Details to follow. Someday.
Lotsa buildings fit almost any era. For those that don’t, I’m expecting to use a common foundation at a certain location and have changeable buildings. A couple of “modern” buildings in a scene can certainly set the era convincingly.
Signs and signage say a lot about era. They can often be changed.
Trees, happily, haven’t changed much over the last 65 years.
So, I’m expecting to be able to establish various eras as necessary. I do suspect, however, that I’m not going to do a lot of changing just because I want to run my C44-9 rather than my 4-6-2. I s’pose I’ll reserve a lot of that for company.
Since your area is only 7’ wide, I would suggest you stay with the around the walls, center operating plan. You can have a 2’ wide shelf and a 3’ operating area. If you go to a table, even 4’ wide, it limits you to 22" radius max, and only 18" of space on each side. That is a very narrow space to walk in.
As for your era question, as stated, it’s your layout, do what you like. There are several good options above, hope one strikes your fancy.
I have a dual-era layout. I’ve always been a late Transition Era guy, but I fell in love with earlier steam equipment. So, I have tried to build twin rosters of equipment to let me run either steam or diesel, with appropriate rolling stock behind. When you think about it, space is a big limitation for most of us, so finding a way to use twice as many engines and cars, although not at the same time, just adds to the enjoyment of the hobby.
But, I’m primarily a scenery guy. Since the fateful decision to dual-era my layout several years back, everything I put in has to be done with that consideration in mind. So, I don’t glue down autos and trucks. Like the trains, they have a “dual-era” box under the layout, where the vehicles from the 30s live while those from the 50s and 60s are out in the sunshine, and vice versa. Fortunately, most buildings in my “rust belt” layout can look like they’ve been around for a while. I avoid very modern buildings, like glass-front offices or fast foot places.
I have one movie theater which is slated for “subbing out” when I build the old hotel that stood there “before the fire” in the history of Moose Bay. I’ll keep the theater, and just replace it when I do the cars and trains.
I’ve been looking to see if I have photos I could post. let me explain my layout a little further.Think of a dog bone shaped layout. My minimum radius is 24" most mainline is 30-32" R curves. Down the center of the entire layout is a mountain range split in half by a 24" tall scenery divider painted to look like distant mountains,sky and clouds. (One of my degrees is in art).my layout is 60" off the floor so sitting in on a stool or standing up.I cannot see the other side. Completely different areas on each side. I have 8 mainlines. I use a wireless MTH DCS wireless controller. I can switch over to conventional or DCC on some of the circuits.
I actually have a 24 by 28 foot room this is going in so I am really looking at 7 by 20 with a divider sdown the middle or a 10 by 22 with a around the operator wit a duckunder.
Misterbeasley you have given me a great idea. Build drawers under the layout to store the freight cars of the era not being run. I have also thought about having a common base for buildings that don’t fit in two eras.
Rick I am visualizing it I’m thinking about having 2.5 feet of pure rural running on one side and 3.5 feet of small town scene on the other. Each side will have two separate mainlines.
You want to remember that reaching further than 30" unless you are very tall, have very long arms or a very low layout gets difficult. If you are planning an open center even though you don’t operate from it, then you would have access to things toward the back.
The style of trees might not have changed, but they are often cleared in one location and grow larger in another location from the steam era to the diesel era. Have pop-in foam sections that represent the different stages of tree growth over several decades.
I remember hearing someone tell me at a workshop on scenery that buildings are great time travellers, if it was there in 1940 it could be there in 1990. Just weather and morph it to show how it survived the times. Example a groecery store or a warehouse, you could have faded ads from the 40-50’s on the side of the brick or show signs of them under a newer ad. same with any other buildings so that way you can use steam era building in a diesel world and looks just fine.
Well I’ve always envisioned a layout that is a time line. Each town moves up one time period so each in and of itself represents a single time period but the whole layout shifts in “era” from one end to the other.
With a divider, one side could represent the beginning of the choosen modeling period and the other be the ending.
You could have the first level be one time period and a second level be a different time period on an around the wall or bookshelf layout.
Another thing you could do is invest a whole lot of money in numerous LED video monitors for displaying the output of computers that take the input of photos and graphics to create backdrops that change time periods and have animation.