Model Railroad Blog

Picking Your Theme

Visual “texture” and a prototype that’s still rockin’ and rollin’ are key ingredients for a theme that captivates me and motivates me to keep working on the layout. This shot was taken a few months ago where The Downtown Spur crosses 22nd Avenue. On the left, a tank car is spotted at Family & Son.

I can’t think of a subject that contributes more to somebody’s enjoyment of the hobby than selecting the “right” theme for their layout, something that motivates them and has them chomping at the bit to work on it steadily.  How do you find it, though?  How do you pick the right one?  The answer to that question is elusive, something I’ve never been able to pin down for myself, let alone articulate to others. For some, they fall into it. For many of us, including me, it isn’t so easy.

Even if you are successful, there’s no guarantee that your interest will hold forever.  Maybe it doesn’t need to.  I’ve had a number of cases where I was riding the wave for years and then lost interest.

You know you’ve found your mark when the prospect of walking into the layout excites you. The flip side, the “shot and a miss,” is having a railroad that checks the boxes, is modeled well, but leaves you flat, sort of a shoulder shrug when you think about it. Stagnation sets in, and months pass without you working on it….and not even caring.

Personally, the most important thing is to have a place with a hard-to-describe energy and vibe that draws me in.  An edge.  Visual interest architecturally and scenically.    A place that has an air of optimism, not a sense of resignation and depression as it dries up economically. I need a theme that is still operationally active.

I want a theme where I have a like-minded and excited community of support to feed me news, information, and photos.  This could be friends, online groups, or both. I need a theme I can and will visit in person.

My past layouts?  Things have worked out, but I’ve had some swings and misses along the way.

Miami and LA:  I have no clue why I’ve been drawn to these cities most of my life.  Part of it might be due to the portrayal by Hollywood, but that doesn’t explain all of it.  In the cases of both, you can feel the energy and optimism as soon as you walk off the plane.  The businesses aren’t massive, but they’re in overdrive.  When you’re in the field, it’s lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way, or you’ll be flattened by a forklift or truck! 

Even when I knew I wanted a South Florida layout, it was a few years before I narrowed things down.  In retrospect, the thing I did right was enlisting the help of others. Ultimately, it was fellow modeler David Orr who brought the Miami scene to my attention and laid out what it was all about and how the pieces fit together.  If there’s one piece of advice I can insert into this rambling dialogue, it would be to get others involved in your search.  Cast a wide net of potential subjects.

The Monon In Indiana.  This layout was based on my hometown.  I had lots of fond memories and access to information.  Over time, however, I felt my emotional ties to the area fading.  When CSX surprisingly found the line to be redundant and ripped up all of the rail, I was done.  I rarely ran the layout after that. It sat unused until I dismantled it. I’m thankful for the good times it provided but honestly, I don’t miss it.

Brooklyn Waterfront. What a great theme and city.  So rich in rail history. Loaded with visual interest.  I just felt no connection or ties to the area.  Modeling the 1940s didn’t grab me…I found out after the fact.

The Georgetown Branch.  Another great theme.  It’s in my backyard also.  The fact that it is no longer in service is a deal breaker.  Plus, I have friends in the area who have already modeled it exceptionally well.  I’ll let them do the work of building it, and I can just go visit!

Baltimore/York.  What a head scratcher.  Great theme.  Lots of vibe and texture.  Unlimited access to information.  Intense operations.  Love visiting there.  Why do I have zero desire to model either?  I have no clue. 

Knowing oneself is something we think we have a handle on, but probably less so than we’re willing to admit.  That truth, that reality, makes the selection of the fit that’s right for us quite challenging indeed.

New Horizons For The Sungas Scene

Sungas on the Downtown Spur layout. I used a sky image from the actual site for the background.

For me, the best way to experience my layouts as if I were actually there is through photography. There are limits to how far squinting with one eye just above the layout will take you!

Realism of the model photos is greatly enhanced if you crop in a photo of an actual sky for the background. Looking back at past photos where I’ve done that, I’ve become less than satisfied with how a number of them turned out. The horizon line was the problem. In many cases, I have prototype photos of the area I’ve modeled. Why not use those for the background I crop in?

Base photo of the model before cropping in the sky.

I had to work for this one, trial and error with two cellphones and my Canon Rebel. As usual the iPhone 6 gave the most realistic perspective. I left the overhead room fluorescents on but most of the light and shadows came from a 500w photo flood about four feet to the right. This image is a composite of four images combined with Helicon Focus.

Next, I went back to my rail fan files and found this image taken from 30th Avenue, the prototype location I was modeling. The main thing I wanted was the horizon with the containers and orange warehouse. I needed to copy/paste over the tank cars in the right so they wouldn’t show up.

All I had to do at this point was remove the background of my model photo and copy/paste it over the prototype scene. I use a Corel program for background removal but if you fiddle with the new AI tools those will work too.

A Morning at Poorhouse Yard

I’d be hard-pressed to think of a location where you’re virtually guaranteed of seeing more intense switching action than Poorhouse Yard in York, PA. Both NS and York Rail have yards in town, Windsor Street and Lincoln, respectively. Every weekday morning, starting at around 8 am, they exchange cars back and forth at Poorhouse, located between Lincoln and Windsor in York’s historic district. One minute you’re shooting NS power, twenty minutes later it’s York Rail. Back and forth, non-stop. What’s especially nice is that all of this can be taken in simply by standing on public property at the crossing at North Queen Street.

In the image above, NS SD60E (ex Conrail) is hard at work. The old Ma and Pa line can be seen splitting off on the right just in front of the tower. About twenty minutes after taking this shot, the NS unit had gone back to Windsor Street and York Rail re-appeared on the scene.

Queen Street (where I took the photo) runs north/south on the left side of the photo. Poorhouse Yard sits on the south side of the wye and is in the upper right.

Railroading

Spending eight hours a day in front of the computer working on the latest book got to the point where my eyes were glazing over, and I was going stir crazy. The Tuesday weather forecast called for perfection. I decided to call in sick and make the ninety-minute drive up to York, PA. Once the capital of the US, it’s a fascinating town, and the switching action up there is intense. Everything unfolds in a fairly small area, so you’re virtually guaranteed of seeing something cool every trip.

As usual, the rail gods decided to dick with me and play a game of cat and mouse. I would get to location A only to see the train leaving for B. I’d go to B, and it was heading back to A.

I finally caught up to the York Rail job switching E3 Logistics, a food supplier. It brought home again the vast disconnect between the pace of actual railroading vs. how model railroaders do things…slot car style. The job was to spot a massive reefer inside the structure.

I have a bad habit of getting into mission mode sometimes. I wanted a passing shot heading to the west, where the lighting would be perfect. Not so fast. Railroading doesn’t work like that. I had to remind myself that the weather was perfect, I had a train in front of me, and no schedule or place to be.

The entire process took a good fifteen minutes. They backed up to the fence. The conductor had to walk a quarter mile and unlock the gate. I think he had to unlock and throw a switch, also. Then the rollup door had to be opened. Wow, those suckers are slow! Finally….they backed in…and stopped. I waited…and waited….and waited. What the hell are they doing in there? Finally, they pulled forward beyond the gate. More waiting….and waiting. I saw the door close. Through the telephoto, I could see him lock the gate. More waiting. What is he doing back there? Finally, I could see him walking the quarter mile back to the loco. Walking, not jogging.

After what seemed like an eternity, bossman gets back to the train.

Fifteen minutes later, they were moving again and, finally….I got the passing shot I wanted. Real railroaders aren’t slot car racers.

Hue and Saturation

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book, “Student to Master, The Lifelong Pursuit of Model Railroading Excellence”.

Historically, model railroaders have had a love affair with deeply saturated, vivid, primary colors. However, that doesn’t square with the world we model, a world typified by earth tones, pastels, and desaturation. It’s also a world where, as you add distance and atmosphere, the color spectrum slides further to grays and browns.

We can improve the realism of our work significantly if we model this reality. Also, if we have a layout canvas that is, say, ninety percent earth tones and pastels, when we do add a touch of primary hues, they really snap. Note the red curbs and sign.