I’m sure I am in the majority in that I model mid summer. This seems to me the easiest to do scenicly. Lots of choices in foliage and commercial backdrops for the most part are from this season. Fall seems to be popular with a lot of modelers given the availability of fall foliage. I have seen a number of winter layouts with snow covered scenery although it seems to me this would be a chore on a large layout since keeping the snow white would be a maintenance nightmare. I have seen very few layouts set in the early spring. This would be a real challenge. Decidous trees would still be bare. There would be little if any undergrowth. Wooded areas would be covered with a blanket of leaves. I have no idea how you would model that. I hate polls so I thought I’d just post this and sample the responses.
One of the advantages of modeling the Texas Gulf Coast (ATSF to Galveston) is that you can have palm trees year round - lol. I do like modeling with Fall trees - though there are not as many beautiful reds down here. The mix between evergreen in the Piny woods and deciduous trees turning yellow and gold can be quite striking. Most of my layout is in the city, but the area down by the river is forrested much like any bayou here on the Texas Gulf Coast. (Still love my palms)
Through the use of wormholes, I model Minnesota to Arizona and spring through fall. It allows me to do more things. I hope the purists will forgive my use of my memories as a prototype.
I havent started scenicing yet, but it will be fall…late october, so i can have all the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns out. plus the christmas tree farm can be busy.
Also so i can have the trees on the top of the MT frosted with the early winter snow
Kevin
Fall. See below.
Jim
Early winter, basically late fall with the first “dusting” of snow. Course in northern MN snow can start in September and run til May.
Now I know that a lot of people will go “Say what, those guys are crazy” but here is what we are doing and so far the plan hasn’t changed. Our first section we built is in Spring Time. The second section (Under Construction) is in Summer. Our next 2 phases will be in Fall and then Winter. Now, I know that doesn’t make a lot of sense. But we are doing because it gives us endless possibilities and One of the reasons we are in the hobby is to have FUN!
We’re doing early-mid spring. Like fall, it gives a great variety of colours from different trees in bloom or budding, lilac and forsythia going boing, and a dusting of snow up in the mountains. And all the rivers and streams are rushing.
Cheers,
Maureen
This is an interesting topic for me. I’m thinking I will model the fall, but I don’t want the colors to be too garish. Even though they may be in real life, that only lasts for a few weeks or less, but on a layout it would be more or less permanent, and that could get old fast. Since I’m modeling the anthracite coal region, there will be large expanses of um……coal, with the occasional tree popping up. That may offset other areas of fall colors and make it palatable – if that makes any sense.
BTW, Brett – your fall colors look very good.
It’s always midsummer for me. I hate cold weather and anything related to it!.
By the way, Misteslaus, [#welcome]! Good to have another one on board. Do you model NM extensively? It’s always been my favorite state.
Tom
I’m doing summer not just because it’s easier to model but because I like that time of year most. I have seen a couple modelers doing all year round. Such as the guy who does the Lone Wolf and Santa Fe layout. He models changing seasons by having a different season on different areas of the layout.
http://www.trainweb.org/lonewolfsantafe/
I model late spring to mid fall. I had planned on modeling all four seasons, but several winters of shoveling snow, and work outside in it, diminished my enthusiasum for that project.
Nick
I model September, 1964 - and I don’t have a square millimeter of scenery finished!
In my case, it all started with a timetable. I’ve been operating bits and pieces of that timetable for close to 40 years now, and am in the process of building a layout that will allow me to operate more, and more faithfully. Obviously, my scenery, when built, will have to follow suite.
How about operating the whole timetable? I’d love to. Does anybody have an unused hangar and a spare megabuck or so? I don’t.
Chuck
The Yuba River Sub is set in mid-October of any given year from 1940-1952. That’s when the High Sierra are usually at their Fall peak and I can have lots of color (mainly gold Poplars). I’ve always found Fall to be the prettiest season of all in the Sierra, especially around my home town of Nevada City, CA, which was settled mainly by New Englanders in the 1850’s, who brought a lot of their native trees out here with them. Fall in this area of the Sierra Nevada looks a lot like Vermont.
Tom [:P][:P]
I have shyed away from the fall season colors.
I think some manufactures have an odd idea of fall colors. Unless you pay the big bucks.
My O scale layout has fall trees and bushes and my wife mentions they look unrealistic.
twhite I meant to mention the picture in your post looks great!
My Wife and I model in three Seasons, at one end of our Layout we have a Thunder
Storm showing prominitly on the Backdrop {handpainted} moving into more of a Spring
scenery to the other end which is more of a Summer scene. Works for us!.
John.
I like spring. At the time when grass has turned green, and trees have new leaves on them. The nice thing about early-mid spring, is you can model snow on mountain tops too. I plan to model the upper level of my future layout in snowy mountains.
I thought about modeling all four seasons, but to do it right, I would want a big enough area, where each season on the layout is in it’s own room, so you’re not looking at snow on the ground, and a summer BBQ in the back yard all at the same time!
Spring at right, late spring to summer moving across the rear towards the left. Late summer thunder storm left of center (still working out the details), autumn at the left. The yard and town areas
(front area) are summer. Maybe a bit of snow in the highest hills later on. The current layout is 27’ x 12’ G shaped and models upstate NY. I like the change of seasons but don’t care much for winter in the real world so why have it on the layout?
Thank you for the compliment, I really appreciate it.
Actually, Fall is a season that is tricky to model. In some areas of the country, trees turn from green to ‘dead’ overnight, in other areas, there’s a Peak color season that might last a week or two. It depends on the area of the country and the types of trees involved. Actually, I’m modeling a two-day period in any given October when trees are either at peak, or beginning to ‘die’, depending on the tree itself. Out here, we have a mixture of evergreen and deciduous, so that the deciduous Peak is a HUGE contrast to the color of pine, fir and cedar. And it can look ‘artificial’ to those not familiar with the area I’m modeling. When you model Fall, more than any other season, you have to think more in the ‘moment’ of time, than the larger view. It’s sort of like Impressionistic Art–you don’t dwell on it as much as you just let it hit you.
I like Fall, but I don’t reccommend it for every modeler. As I said, it very much has to do with which area of the country you choose to model.
Tom [:D]
We do not have to worry out here. We do not have spring summer winter and fall. The seasons are either wet or dry. Trees are same colour all year. I have never seen any one try to model the wet season. Has any one tried that? Modelling heavy showers on the layout?