Hello all. I was just curious as to where you folks get your inspiration for your layouts, buildings, etc. I personally have a stack of old hard cover train books, many of which are in black and white that I use for research. Even the way I set up my consists a lot of times is a mimic of photos I’ve seen in these old books…
Tracklayer
I model what I’ve seen in real life, in a normal setting (i.e. no excursion trains or anything exotic). Mostly places similar to where I live.
I also model what ive seen in real life situations. I also get a lot of my ideas and inspirations from all of you on these forums. Dave
Modeling ideas for me comes first from the era that I want to model which is 30’s to late 50’s. Next, what part of the country do I want to model. I have decided on New England area, so now I found some older Topographical maps. These maps show all the RR that were still around at that time. Many now are not “live” so at least I can have the active routes in the proper time era. The next step was book, magazines and visits to some of these areas to see what the buildings ( those still standing ) looked like, what industries where there, the types of bridges, streams etc.
After that, came the locomotive rosters for all the RR’s that ran at that time, B&A, B&M, MEC, Rutland, NH, etc.
Finally, some RR book searching, even libraries in some towns for historical info, to determine what industries were being served by the RR’s during that era, ie milk cars, wood products, etc.
I’m with Ken, I like to model things I have seen in real life.
I model anything that I think is interesting. Sometimes it’s real-life, sometimes it’s pictures and mags, other times it’s just me farting around on Atlas’ RTS Software.
I get my ideas from things I see in real life, from magazines and from other layouts I’ve visited or seen at train shows.
Tracklayer,
Books (black and white and color train, logging, the west)
MR mag and Narrow gauge gazette
Club layouts and train shows
Dream, Plan, Build videos
Real Life
Study, Study, Study.
Sue
I have several methods that I use.
1.My past railroading experience.
2.Old books to include non rail publications.
3.Close observation of the prototype to include track work.
4.Studying old railroad pictures to include line side details.
5.Trains and Classic Trains magazines as well as Railroad & Railfan.
6.Railroad videos that feature older railroads and of course videos that feature modern railroads…Don’t be afraid to pause the DVD or tape to study a building,cars etc.
7.Model Railroader and Railroad model Craftsman to include Greatest Model Railroads and Track Planing.
8.On line research.
9.Talking to railroad men and retirees.
10.Historical Societies to include the local society and library research.
I’ve modeled several things from Colorado narrow gauge to my current interest in the PRR of the 1950s.
I was inspired by a trip to the Durango & Silverton to start narrow gauge… but eventually my annual trips to Strasburg, PA and the RR Museum of Pennsylvania, plus four years at Penn State, led me back to modeling Pennsylvania and the Pennsy. I drew my inspirtion from what I remember as a young boy, in awe of those big Pennsy steamers in the exhibit hall. Across the street, the Strasburg Rail Road was still running some PRR steam, most notably the 1223, a D16sb 4-4-0, and, for a brief period in the 1980s, the 7002, an E5 4-4-2.
I was equally inspired by trips on the ex-Pennsy Philadelphia and New York divisions, except for me it was Amtrak and SEPTA, Penn Central having died the year I turned 2.
I now maintain two full bookshelves of Pennsy-related books from equipment guides to scenic books. I have 4 of the Pennsy Diesel Years books, 3 of the Pennsy Steam Years, 1 of the Pennsy Electric Years books, plus 2 Color Guides to PRR Freight and Passenger Equipment, several of the Trackside on the PRR series, 2 of the Standard Plans of the Standard Railroad of the World books, issues of the Keystone, Pennsy Journal, Rails Northeast, PC Railroader, and any number of other books…
From this personal library (which is always expanding) I draw my inspiration and ideas for modeling. If I sit, for example, to add PRR TrainPhone antennas to a locomotive, I can count on finding at least a dozen or more photos from all angles of the same loco type so that I can do an accurate job.
Building this library wasn’t cheap, and I probably have as much cash tied up in the library as on the layout, but it’s a magnificent reference and source of inspiration.
I’m kinda new at all this (2-3/4 years so far) so I get most of my ideas from old footage and photographs, as well as articles and magazines on particular topics that grab my interest. And, of course, the prototype.
I’ve also gotten ideas from layouts that I’ve either seen in person or in a magazine. There’s just so much to absorb and learn…[:)]
Tom
This forum.
Mental inspiration, or illness (at least thats what my wife calls it)
Then you’re in trouble…One can’t learn to much from any forum…Gotta study.
I get a lot of my modeling ideas from the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. This magazine has many excellent photos of layouts - both big and small, including dioramas - in ALL scales plus in depth descriptions of how to build and model the items that are featured. They also have a lot of prototype photos, plans, and information. It is an excellent source for scratch building as well as RTR models.
Another great source is the internet, especially forums like this and others. Personal websites, hosted by individules who model because they love the hobby and genuinely want to help others by sharing information and have no commercial interest in the various products they use, are another invaluable resource.
I also get a lot of ideas from older issues (60s - 90s… even some from the 50s) of Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman magazines. These issues have a lot of plans and are oriented towards instructive articles on how to do things,
I use television and movies as a substitute for my creative artistic ability.
I get into my car (or get on Amtrak, ride somewhere and rent a car) and get out into the countryside. I look for interesting “railroad scenery” in small towns where any railroad, from a Class 1 to a shortline, currently operates, or even in towns where the ROW has been removed. I may see an interesting building - an old freight house, trackside shanty, or maybe a depot that’s now the town hall, or a derelict piece of rolling stock stored on a weeded-over siding that’s worth a few snapshots. I got an inspiration for a rural grain-loading facility just driving along a county highway in Iowa. I like looking for any evidence of what RR used to operate through a town. Even if I don’t see anything “inspirational”, driving through small towns and rural areas is still a lot of fun to me.
I get my ideas from Cracker Jacks boxes, unsweetened Cheerios (Pull out the wax paper and look at the inside of the box. Mostly though, I help other people design layouts and steal their good ideas and use them with the next guy.
The vision, though, comes from somewhere else, and without that, the ideas are inconsequential.
There is a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction to be gained from researching, planning and scratch-building a real structure. I think I like this aspect of the hobby as much as any other element.
The inspiration for my layout is the Santa Fe line (nee KCM&O) from Alpine, TX to Presidio, TX. The era is the late 50’s under the imaginary premise that it became a moderately successful line.