General Discussion (Model Railroader)

One of the most common comments I get from people who visit my website is that they are surprised to learn that my layout is only 36 by 80 inches.  They say they can't tell that just from the photographs.  I take that as a compliment, because I generally photograph the layout in such a way as to disguise the small size.

But I have to come clean...  The only reason I can get away with making such an obviously tiny layout (the table is simply a hollow-core interior door mounted on folding legs) look larger is because I used tried-and-true techniques for making it look bigger.  None of these techniques are my own; they were discovered by other modelers just like yourselves.

My layout is very heavily based (that is to say probably 80-90%) on Lou Sassi's Mohawk Division project layout in the December 1993 Model Railroader.  It's a tribute to Lou Sassi's genius (not mine) that the layout incorporates so many tricks essential to making the small look big.  It also shows that a plan made for 70's Conrail in NY is useable for a 50's PRR in PA!

1.  Scenic divider:  This is a big one for roundy-round table layouts like mine.  Most MR project layouts use one, and they range from the low ridge of trees on the N scale Carolina Central to a no-kidding backdrop down the middle like on the HO Alkali Central.  Lou Sassi's plan for the Mohawk Division used the town and a low ridge to divide the layout in half and make the loopy-nature of the layout less obvious.  I ended up making the low ridge much higher to hide a coal mine, but it serves the same purpose.  The layout is effectively split in half, making both sides appear farther apart.

2.  Scenery above and below track-level:  Any time you can add some vertical elements to an otherwise horizontal endeavor, you can make it appear bigger.  Lou's plan includes two scenes that go below track level; both involve roads undercutting the railroad, with one also including a sizeable stream.  I kept both scenic elements, but swapped out Lou's very neat-looking steel bridge for a signature Pennsy stone arch bridge.

3.  Scenic boundaries:  Lou's plan effectively uses roads to divide scenes, even on the same side of the layout.  Again, I kept these elements in my incarnation of the plan because they worked so well in his.  US Route 522 follows the scenic divider down the middle on my plan, and PA Route 45 ducks under the Jack's Run Bridge, separating East Mifflin from Jack's Run on the more scenic side of the layout.  Areas of trees and low brush, typical of Central Pennsylvania, are also used to further sub-divide scenes.

4.  Perspective:  I have many free-standing trees on my layout, but the mountains are covered with a forest canopy made from an assortment of Woodland Scenics Foliage Clusters, polyfiber balls, lichen, and Z-scale pines.  The size of the trees decreases slightly with elevation to give a bit of perspective.  Also, the ridge on my layout is too narrow to be realistic.  But the actual width can only be determined by looking at in from an angle which is rarely seen.  Usually it's viewed on the broad side, so the insufficient depth is not so obvious.

It was either John Olsen or Malcolm Furlow who suggested that he viewed his layout as a camera would.  So his scenes were made distinct from one another.  That philosophy has helped many a small layout (John Allen's first G&D comes to mind) look much bigger than it was.

Kudos to Lou Sassi also for his awsome design!

Here the scenic divider splits East Mifflin from the Berwind-White Eureka #43 Mine.

US522 divides the layout length-wise.

PA Route 45 divides Jack's Run from East Mifflin and M Interlocking (just out of sight to the right).

loathar wrote:

Attaboy Dave!

I get it...!  As the line from Airplane goes: "Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes!"

Dave has some good insights into making a small layout seem bigger. Here are a few more thoughts on the subject.

My first complete (well track work was completed) layout was a HO 4x8 twice around. By dividing up the railroad into a series of vignettes it seemed much bigger than it was (especially to a camera!)

* An absolutely flat trackplan will tend to seem smaller. I think my layout seemed bigger because the two laps of the twice around went up and down to different levels. 

* There was a row of hills/mountains running down the length of the layout that separated it into a front side and back side.

Front side of the hills (hills on left)

Back side of hills (previous picture taken over the hills on the left)

Warning! If you put a view block down the center of the layout (hills or backdrop) you'll need to walk around the layout to see what's happening over there! Be sure the controls for electrically controlled turnouts (and electromagnet uncouplers) are on the same side you'll be on when running trains there (yep, been there, done that, rewired the controls...)

* Bridges can further divide a layout into separate scenes - left of bridge, right of bridge, and under the bridge.

* Tracks that are at different levels will seem to further away from each other. This is true even if the elevation difference is only an inch. John Allen used this in the Port area of his final G&D.

The bridges and mini-gulch break up this scene into three parts. The elevation difference between front and rear tracks created a further division of the scene making it appear that the two tracks were going very different places.

* Tunnels are big time scene separators. Track running through a cut is also a good scene separator.

* On a smaller layout, the amount of detailing that is feasible (in a given amount of modeling time) is much higher than on a large layout. The more detailed the scenes, the more time one's eyes spend on that scene effectively making each scene into their own vignette. 

* Roads can provide separation of scenes on either side of them. They also lead the eye to places you want the eyes to be led. When they hit a corner the mind tends to think of the 'around the corner' as a different place. For example here are two pictures taken of the same corner but from different ends. 

Looking at the corner one way 

And looking at the same corner the opposite way

A grade crossing effectively divides a scene into 'before the x-ing' and 'after the x-ing' segments. 

* A row of trees can be a good separator - field on one side, town of the other.

* Even a well placed fence can help create a mini-vignette. 

I'm sure there are more tricks. Anyone else?

Regards,

Charlie Comstock 

Charlie,

Now that's what I'm talking about...!  I wouldn't have guessed 4x8.  Looks like a 5x10 at least.  Great job on taking advantage of the vertical!

Good call on cuts dividing scenes, too.

I have one as well:

This cut seperates East Mifflin from LEW Interlocking at the west end of Lewisport, PA, and hides the end of the narrow ridge that seperates the town.

The rocks, BTW (I know, off-topic) are Flexrock foam castings.  I never could get plaster castings to look right.  So, I took the easy-way out.  With a few layers and colors of paint, you can't tell they're foam.

I read the title to this thread, without seeing Dave's name as the poster.  I though, Dave Vollmer would be the guy to talk about that!  Then, I saw, HE WAS!

Hi Dave,

I know this is a bit off topic, but it's the second time today I have typed these questions for you, I started a while ago and got caught up with work and when I went to post the thread had been locked. ( not surprised )

How do you create the smoke in your photos ? Can you manipulate the smoke to get it to "lay down" across the top of the train or "push out" from the engine like there is a strong wind blowing ? Just curious as I think it enhances the sense of realism of your model steam photos, and it's something I want to play around with till I get the time to start building a proper layout in the garage.

Cheers, and thank's in advance,

Warren

Big Ugly Waz wrote:

Hi Dave, I know this is a bit off topic, but it's the second time today I have typed these questions for you, I started a while ago and got caught up with work and when I went to post the thread had been locked. ( not surprised ) How do you create the smoke in your photos ? Can you manipulate the smoke to get it to "lay down" across the top of the train or "push out" from the engine like there is a strong wind blowing ? Just curious as I think it enhances the sense of realism of your model steam photos, and it's something I want to play around with till I get the time to start building a proper layout in the garage. Cheers, and thank's in advance, Warren

I'm not answering for Dave but it looks like a little digital magic with Photoshop, same as I did in my signature pic.

But I have to come clean...  The only reason I can get away with making such an obviously tiny layout (the table is simply a hollow-core interior door mounted on folding legs) look larger is because I used tried-and-true techniques for making it look bigger.  None of these techniques are my own; they were discovered by other modelers just like yourselves.

I was about to say that Dave was able to create the impression that his layout was larger because, like Sir Isaac Newton, he "stood on the shoulders of giants". It then occurred to me that if Dave actually did stand on the shoulders of giants, it would have the effect of making his layout seem smaller.

[12 step meeting]

Hi, my name is Andre and I have a warped sense of humor. It's been 3 days since I created my last pun, 2 days and 3 hours since I wrote a twisted limerick, 23 hours and 12 minutes since I told the joke that ended with a line about a frog in a blender and only 5 minutes since I quoted Marx. That's Groucho, not Karl.

I'd like to give myself over to a higher power, but unfortunately that higher power went by the name of William Claude Fields. I'm doomed.

[/12 step meeting]

Andre

Big Ugly Waz wrote:

Hi Dave, I know this is a bit off topic, but it's the second time today I have typed these questions for you, I started a while ago and got caught up with work and when I went to post the thread had been locked. ( not surprised ) How do you create the smoke in your photos ? Can you manipulate the smoke to get it to "lay down" across the top of the train or "push out" from the engine like there is a strong wind blowing ? Just curious as I think it enhances the sense of realism of your model steam photos, and it's something I want to play around with till I get the time to start building a proper layout in the garage. Cheers, and thank's in advance, Warren

Warren,

It's done with the airbrush tool in Paint Shop Pro 7.  You can manipulate the sharpness, transparency, and color as well as the size of the spray.

I don't think my smoke looks as good as it could if I cropped in real smoke, but it helps the steamers look less like plastic and more like the living, breathing steel creatures they represent.