Jan05 MR.
Incredibly real.
I assume you mean Lance Mindheim (spelling?)'s scene in N scale? Other views of the same scene have been published and they are all equally great and believable. The meandering stream, the correct variety of stream bed details based on the side of the stream, the weeds, the ground cover color, all reflect careful study of reality.
But I think the other thing that makes it very real looking is that he used real scale height trees. Look how they tower over the trains. Too many modelers use trees that are only 2 or 3 times taller than the trains themselves – meaning 20 to 35 feet. Yes there are trees that height but trackside they often grow to 80 - 100 feet.
Dave Nelson