Hi Mike:
I looked up 'Art' as defined by Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art and, after a quick scan, if you boil all that they have to say about it, the word 'creativity' seems to stand out.
What you have done is very creative, and YES it is pleasing to the eye! Therefore, IMHO, your project qualifies as 'art'. Lots of what we do as modellers is somewhat mundane, i.e. changing couplers or wheelsets, or installing a decoder, or laying track, or wiring.... I don't think that sort of thing could be considered as art in most cases, but when we create things like your locomotive or my critters I think we can safely say that we are being quite artistic. Others may disagree.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
We all can probably pretty much agree on the basics of model railroading. It comes in many formats, in different scales and different eras, as well as many different prototypes. Sometimes the models produced are displayed in open shows (RPM meets) and sometimes in juried competition.
The question of whether model rairoading can also be art came up recently and engendered a lot of discussion, some of it heated. People didn't want to be accused of being artists in some cases, although it wasn't always clear why and even less so why they would object to others thinking of model railroading as art.
Generally, I just enjoy what I'm doing, whether building a model, working on scenery or setting up an op session. But sometimes things seem to just happen or that I do because it's something I want or need to do to satisfy my desire to model things a certain way. I was set to thinking again about what art and model railroading have in common in building a Kaslo Shops SDL39 kit I've had sitting around for awhile.
I've always had a thing for the SDL39 ever since I came across the drawings back around 1970 in MR. As a MILW Road only model with just 10 produced, it wasn't exactly a roaring success. But it had the look of a loco ready to do its job, a SD squeezed underneath a GP-sized superstructure in order to provide good tractive effort with a light rail loading.
And I always thought it'd be a great loco for the Rio Grande, the primary prototype I model. But the Rio Grande had plenty of seceodnary branch power, so no luck there. It would look so good in black and Aspen gold. Obviously, it would need two things: a Pyle or Gyralight rotating warning beacon in the nose and dynamic brakes.
Jump ahead more than a few years. There's brass SDL39s, but out of my price range. Then there is Kaslo with their resin kit at an affordable price. I bought a couple, but recently sold one because I needed the cash for expanding my NG empire up the Cascade Branch. Before I did, I contacted Kaslo, who helpfully supplied the set of castings needed to correct a too-low gearbox in the truck that would snag.
And I built my SDL39 as a Rio Grande loco. It's like no other, yet it also looks "right" -- an important criteria that I think is at the root of building any successful layout. Adherence to a prototype is a useful tool, but sometimes you get pleasing results if you follow your inspiration. I just felt I had to create this model, even though it never existed. And I was able to do this through the medium of model railroading. But it's also art IMO. If you're follwing a prototype, you'll never arrive here.
I'll post some build shots in the morning. Interested in your opinion on the build or on the crazy idea of model railroading as art. Was it a waste of a good Kaslo kit? Kinda neat or straight outta the weird 50s in model railroading? Are its lines pleasing to the eye? Does it work for you?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL