2022 Retrospective

Well, it's that time of year again, when I look back and assess the state of my hobby.  This year, perhaps more than the last two, has been a year of change punctuated with highs and lows.  It began with some scenic work on the Pine Branch Park railroad and continued work on the Milk & Mail passenger train, but quickly ebbed.  (See the labels in the sidebar for more on these and other topics).  In May my family and I learned that my Mom was coming to live with us; glad news yet filled with the promise of new opportunities.  By that time I was well into building the diorama I would enter into the Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off 2022.  I began blogging about that after I learned I didn't even place or make the top five.  That was a major disappointment, but despite that the work itself was four months of joyful creativity.  I may enter in 2023...we'll see.

 

Orange Avenue scene against a real Florida sky

While we did find a new home and have moved into it, we're still settling in, finding places for things, culling and reorganizing, etc.  Initially I had high hopes for turning the detached garage into a comfortable model train space.  I soon realized that wouldn't happen without significant investment of time and money.  With a son about to go off to college next year, that's not likely to happen anytime soon.  So, the focus shifted to how I might bring the existing railroad into the house.  Turns out there IS space if you're willing to accept the limitations and find a way to model within them.  This means no long trains sweeping around broad curves at high speed, however, I can focus on building smooth-running steam engines, a broad variety of rolling stock and highly detailed scenes.

This fire station is just begging to be modeled.

A few personal notes.  Somewhere during the move this summer I managed to develop an inguinal hernia.  I'm not taking the surgical route unless it becomes absolutely necessary.  This means 2023 is the year I get in shape, no excuses.  On the 29th we said goodbye to a dear family friend, our dog of 11 years, Maggie.  She will be missed.  While my Mom is nearly settled into her "apartment" in our house, there are still a few big items to deal with.  Half of this house was built in 1936 and half in 1992 and some maintenance was deferred longer than it should've been by previous owners.  Hopefully by this time next year I can report all is up to snuff and in good working order - both in my home and my body!

 

Our sweet girl in October, wondering why I'm taking her picture.

I still maintain that blogging is useful for archiving bigger ideas.  That is, Facebook and Instagram are great for sharing a quick idea with a short shelf life, but good luck finding that tidbit in a sea of chatter.  Someone recently commented to me that my blog is a "thinking model railroader's blog".  I hope it continues to be thoughtful and maybe even thought-provoking in a positive way. 

If you have been, thanks for reading, and I look forward to sharing more model railroading with you in the upcoming year.

Galen

Earl Benteler's Allegheny Railroad

A while back I purchased a few models on eBay from the collection of John L. Oliver.  Included in these was a hopper car lettered for Earl Benteler's Allegheny Railroad.  Somehow John Oliver had come to possess one of Earl's cars and he had carefully made a cardboard box with a neatly typed label for this car.

Recently I happened upon another Allegheny car; a box car in rough shape, in a lot of assorted Mantua and Revell rolling stock.  While I'll be able to use the other stock (I have rebuilt Mantua gondolas before) it was the box car that prompted the purchase.  I probably have the Varney parts in my spares box to rebuild this car, which is my intention.

This lovely discovery launched a new search for information on Earl F. Benteler.  Previous searching hadn't turned up much.  This time I discovered, sadly, that he had died in 2021.  See his obituary here, and note the comments regarding his modeling:

https://www.willigfuneralcremationservices.com/obituary/Earl-Benteler

On a happier note I discovered his most recent model railroad efforts, having added to the Allegheny name to create the "Greenock, Allegheny and Hell Bent Railroad".  See photos here:

https://www.keystonedivision.org/photo_page_folder/gahb.html

And to answer the mystery of how John Oliver ended up with one of Earl Benteler's hoppers, see this ad from Model Railroader magazine, October 1963.  It'd be neat to know if Earl still had a "Pan Handle Rusty Route" car of John's in his collection.  Note the word "Greenock" in the listing:

And finally, here's Earl (wearing the hat) sharing a bittersweet moment with one of the greats, then-editor of MR, Linn Wescott, in February 1966.

I believe strongly that it is up to us today to honor the craftsmanship and passion of the previous generation of modelers, keeping that spirit alive by showcasing their work and, as we are able, to tell their stories.  I never met Earl or John, but as a fellow modeler I feel a connection - even tenuously - to them through these models and the snippets of history available in print.  Hopefully my efforts will inspire others to do the same with similar "fallen flags" and the men who built them.

Now how this box car ended up in Longview, Washington, where I once lived for a few years...that's another mystery.  It may have something to do with one of Milt Moore's Gibraltar hoppers I found at a train show across the river in Rainier, Oregon...but that's a story for another time.  I leave you with this image of the two Allegheny cars now reunited.

"Family Reunion"

New Digs

We're reaching the point of unpacking and settling into our new home when I can begin to set up my workbenches.  Yes, workbenches, plural.  During the lockdown I had set up a small bench in our bedroom in order to have a quiet space in a full house.  My main workbench was in our long living room, shared with our boys' gaming computer, my wife's workbench for her crafts*, our television and seating area, all adjacent to the dining room and kitchen.  Quiet, focused time with a model was rare unless I got up early or stayed up late, so having that small bench in a room where I could shut the door and put on some music to drown out the world for a while was critical to my sanity.

Garage bench slowly coming back to life.

Now in our new home I have the blessing of a detached garage.  Yes, despite the challenges of model building in a non-climate controlled space, it is a blessing.  I suspect it will become better with time as I insulate the space, but for now it presents the same challenges as the previous attached garage - too hot in the summer afternoons and likely too cold in the winter.  Also, while California is dry most of the time, it is our proximity to the sea that gives us the cool overnight temps.  However, this brings with it moist air, and our winters are wet.  So where can I find a space in the house to work?

 New bench beneath the window used to be my wife's crafting table.

In the new house there's a 'den' or 'family room' at the back of the house where I can set up a small bench - larger than my old bedroom bench, but not large enough for spreading out a big project.  I'll be sharing this space with my boys' computer again, and a TV, but this time in a smaller room.  Just like the last house, my bench will be under a window and next to a sliding glass door leading out to the back yard and in this case, the garage.  In the old place there was an area for parts, tools, etc. and train magazines along a wall next to the workbench.  So too here, but instead of old dorm-room pine shelves from Ikea, we've ordered new finished open shelves for books and a central display cabinet with glass doors -  for models, of course - also from Ikea.  We like Ikea.  

Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to show off the new spaces as I expect them to look when fully operational.  First up on the den workbench will be Star Wars Legion figures in need of paint, and in the garage, the Milk & Mail train continues with the Combine car.   What's on your workbench these days? 

*My wife's craft space, by the way, is now in its own cabinet but in the living room at the front of the house.

Diorama Design and Composition

I'm not a professional artist with training or any formal education in the subject, but I know what I like.  That is to say, I have an idea of what a scene could be or might be before I begin building it, and I learn whether or not I like that idea as I build the scene.  As various elements like buildings or major land forms or trees are brought to the space the idea might shift and change.  That was certainly the case with my Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off 2022 diorama.

Click on the image above then open in a new tab to see a really BIG version.

At first I wasn't even going to enter the contest simply because I was already building a railroad and had a good head of steam and didn't want to lose momentum on that project.  But when I figured I could build a diorama using elements that would find a home on the railroad, and potentially win a little cash to fund the hobby, well, it wasn't hard to commit to the endeavor.  So I set about I making a few sketches of a scene that might easily incorporate models I knew I'd want on the railroad that I already had on hand.  I chose the structures based on how long it might take to build them the way I like them considering the four month time frame of the contest.

Once the structures were selected I could consider their arrangement.  I've always liked intersections and streets, especially the way they relate to the structures alongside them and the way they fit into or shape the natural setting.  Add a railroad to the mix and it gets really interesting.  In this case I decided to keep the freight railroad element to a minimum - a spur for the mill - while giving more emphasis to the horse-drawn street railway, a unique element less commonly modeled.  I considered running streets and tracks parallel to the diorama edges at first, but migrated toward an offset angled configuration to allow more room to develop the grounds of each structure and set it in its context.

The "quadrants" of the scene, defined by the major streets, are not evenly balanced yet the structures and scenic elements give them appropriate weight.  The large Purina building occupies a smaller area than the two smaller structures diagonally opposite.  Think of a beam scale, how the smaller weight slides along a long bar to balance the heavy weight on the other side.

Elements like the farm field, the orange grove, the family garden behind the cottage or the Florida scrub habitat could all be modeled in part along the diorama edge and the angled orientation would give the impression they continued on beyond the edge of the diorama.  A parallel orientation might give the idea that the field or grove ended at the edge.  We assume the streets continue even when perpendicular or parallel to the edge because that's a more commonly seen trope on many model railroads.  Still, I believe even they benefit from the angled treatment.   

Structure roof-lines were also considered in the composition of the scene.  Strong parallel lines like rails running down the brick street give the eye a path to follow.  Other elements interrupt that flow while some reinforce it.  Roof lines can do either or both.  Natural elements like the orange grove can be parallel to the street and reinforce the motion while creating rhythm.  The dirt road breaks the rhythm and lets the eye jump across the street to a different area.  The billboard is set at an angle to the road and is the only man-made element oriented that way; the rest are parallel or perpendicular to each other.

 

Note the color, texture, and the way the elements interact with the edge.  We know that driveway keeps going and turns toward the back porch.  So too the lawn and garden continue.  The strong roof lines direct the eye through the scene and the colors of the house both reflect the tans and reds of the scenery.

Color was a major element considered in the composition.  The bold patterns and patriotic colors of the Purina Mill really stand out against the greens and browns of the landscape.  So too the white billboard.  Across the street, however, the colors are more subdued.  Yes, the fruit stand is garish, but the yellow, orange and green are echoes of the orange grove.  The colors for the Queen Anne style cottage were chosen from actual home colors used in the period.  The maroon and tan on the cottage echo the brick street and sandy soil.

Perhaps the most important color on the diorama was the street itself.  I chose a dark brick color with blue tones to simulate the over-fired bricks used on streets in Florida from that period.  The tan earth of the sandy dirt roads and driveways contrasts with the brick, as does the bright green grass.  I found several photos showing the sand blown onto the road and wanted to highlight this effect.  The other major color consideration was the foliage, from the faded lime green of the palm fronds to the deep dark green of the orange trees and every shade in between.  Florida is a green, lush place, and the foliage needed to reflect that vibrancy.

 

From the muted dark green of the Oak behind the cottage to the vibrant bright spring green of the lawn, I hoped to capture some of Florida's lush and diverse foliage, both in color and texture.  Look closely and you'll spot the Azalea in bloom.  Liriope lines the front path.

  

The final element I considered in the composition was the placement of figures and mini-scenes.  That topic will get a post of its own.  Thanks for reading and feel free to comment or ask questions.  I hope these ideas help you create interesting scene compositions on your dioramas or model railroads.

A Better Purina Building

... or, simple upgrades to make a classic kit into a stand-out structure.  This post is yet another in the series about how I built my diorama for the Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off 2022.

I've always admired the Suydam Purina Building with its bold checkerboard graphics.  During the course of building mine, I discovered that the checkerboard pattern dates back as far as 1903-4, and the further back you go, the more elaborate the pattern becomes.  Back then the checkerboard was painted on just about any surface from wagons to walls, and whatever wasn't red and white check was a deep blue.  As time passed the amount of surface area covered in the ubiquitous checkered pattern diminished so if you're modeling a more recent structure, less is best.  However, for my 1914 diorama, the building as printed fits right in.  Even the typeface is a great match for that era and beyond.

The kit reflects the standard of the time (mid 50s? - HO Seeker shows it in the 1956 Suydam catalog), with window frames printed on acetate, die-cut walls and overly large-section stripwood.  The few metal castings for the roof details are nice, but you're set up to fail with the heavy copper wire that must be bent carefully to become piping and soft flat metal strips for struts.  I tried, and failed to achieve a result I was pleased with, eventually using bits from my scrap box to cobble together the support.  Your mileage may vary.  The platforms and steps were simple wood shapes meant to be painted to look like concrete and the kit included "skylights", more akin to clerestory roofs, made of similar wood shapes to be covered in paper.  I chose not to use this detail, but a skylight from Campbell would make a better substitute.

To begin the upgrade, I substituted Tichy windows for the printed acetate.  All that was necessary was to widen the die-cut openings ever so slightly and paint the window frames brown to match the lower wall sections.  Next I made new freight doors from old plastic Ertl box-car floors since they were scribed with wide board detail.  Some cross braces completed the transformation.  For the main door and office door I found two metal castings from my collection, probably from Sequoia and Dyna Models, respectively.  Since one freight door would be posed open I created a simple floor and walls for the warehouse area that might be seen through the opening 

The card roof in the kit was simply coated with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper which was painted and heavily weathered to resemble tar and gravel roofing.  The corner trim and wall cornice was made with the stripwood from the kit augmented with some finer sizes from my supply.  The printed walls were left unmodified but the corrugated walls were marked with a pencil and scibed to created the illusion of individual panels.  After the building was assembled these were lightly weathered to further that effect.  A note here - brace, brace, BRACE!  No, we're not crashing, but even with the bracing I added to the roof it still managed to warp a little.  This isn't noticeable unless you look for it and the problem would go away if I were gluing the roof to the walls but I wanted to leave it removable for future interior detailing.

The front porch was made by layering scribed paneling to the sides and individual boards to the top of the wood block provided in the kit.  The metal roof is the kit roof, again marked and scribed to simulate individual panels, over a stripwood frame.  For the side loading dock I scratchbuilt a simple structure from scale lumber and stained it to look like treated wood that had begun to bleach in the sun.  This structure, like the others on the diorama, is not intended to look that old so the weathering was restrained.  One interesting detail on the dock ramp is the cleats running up one half of the ramp.  This is a detail I observed in old photos but have never seen modeled before.  Another oft-forgotten detail is the downspout.  I created two from square styrene stock and painted them brown, applying them to the sides near the front porch.

As for additional details and figures I added a few carefully selected details rather than a buckshot smattering of junk.  Near the loading dock I placed two old pallets, a trash can and a dolly loaded with sacks.  At the base of the ramp are four large barrels.  A horse is tied to a hitching post - a lovely cast metal part whose origins are unknown.  On the front porch is a scale, but the main area of interest is the loading dock where three figures are posed.  One man sits on the dock listening to another tell a tale while a third has just emerged from the loading doorway to see what's going on outside.  Perhaps he is wondering why the work has stopped.

Is this kit overused?  Maybe in a previous era.  Peruse any year of Model Railroader from the 60s or 70s and you'll likely spot one in the Photos section or on a layout.  John Allen had one, so there's that.  It is colorful and stands out in a scene.  But today's prototype modelers are more interested in modeling "the ordinary", or what George Sellios called "boring".  I tend to agree with him and yet, there was a time in our history when such structures as this were the prototype and there was nothing ordinary about them.  Give this kit some love and it can be a stand-out structure on your railroad too.

The Post-Project Blahs

Recently I noticed something I hadn't paid much attention to before.  After completing the National Model Railroad Build Off diorama I got mildly and briefly depressed.  Not enough to require medical assistance or psychological intervention (no shame to anyone who needs help from either) but enough to make me take notice.  I had heard Adam Savage speak about this feeling he gets following the completion of a big project, and sure enough, that was what I was feeling.  He talks about it at length in this video:

Here's what I can add from my recent experience; my post-project depression reminded me that I really enjoyed the process of making that diorama.  I loved all four months of that work and part of the depression was knowing that after the work was done I'd be occupied with the greater life project of moving from one house to another, helping my Mom move in with us, and all the reorientation that goes along with that change of address.  Not only was that diorama done, but making similar models was on hiatus indefinitely.  That I am now even more excited to begin work on the next project is a good sign.  Success breeds success and joy builds on joy.

To those folks out there who might say this is just a bunch of psychobabble because "It's just a hobby"...sorry, that's selling it short.  That loaded phrase probably has a hundred reasons for why a person would say it and any time you hear it - whether from someone else, or echoing in your own head - don't believe it.  I can't speak for anybody else, but this hobby is important to me.  I feel great satisfaction being creative.  Anything we create, great or small, is an expression of ourselves.  While we do take a risk investing our resources, time and energy into such an thing that will be viewed by others, the work is worth the risk for the joy of creating.

Cable Car Conversion

This post is the fourth in the series about how I built my Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off diorama.  In the first post I described how I made the brick street.  Next I discussed the thought process behind kitbashing a vintage plastic kit.  Last week I talked about some of the lessons I learned designing and composing the diorama itself.  This time I'm going to show how I kitbashed a Bachmann Cable Car into a horse-drawn streetcar.  

Here's the cable car during deconstruction and conversion.  I've been to San Francisco many times and I rode the cable cars years ago.  On a more recent trip my wife and I spent more time riding the buses, but I digress.  Next is a photo of the initial reconstruction.

In the above image the roof has been shortened and tacked together and the ends are being modified.  The donor car is, admittedly, pretty cheap but I think it has great potential.  They can be found on eBay or at train shows for a decent price.  Originally I planned to build a streetcar as a decomsissioned vehicle now placed as a tourist attraction at Strickland's Store on my late 20s era Pine Branch Park layout.  This is, ultimately, where this model will end up.  But for this diorama it needed to be in service.

The body shell has been given a coat of primer and the gaps from the roof reduction filled with putty and wet sanded.  The frame was scratchbuilt from styrene with end plates and railings in brass, soldered.  The bearings came from a Selley old-time passenger truck and the wheels are O scale spoked speeder wheels from Wiseman Model Services drilled to accept the axles from the Selley wheelsets.  The horse is a heavy metal casting, probably lead, of what I think is a circus horse; see the pointy thing between his ears.  This was carefully filed away and the head reshaped.

Here is a prototype picture I found.  There are many designs for streetcar bodies and most are similar, resembling a short coach body with clerestory roof and open platforms.  This particular prototype matches very closely the Bachmann cable car body, right down to the gentle arches in the windows.  Had I not been pressed for time, I may have modeled more of the lovely detail on the end platform railing and panel.  Mine is far simpler but still conveys the essence of the thing.

Lettering was done mostly one letter at a time using an alphabet sheet from K4 decals.  I chose Orange Avenue because it fit neatly using the yellow letters I had and helped set the scene in Florida.  The paint scheme was chosen after looking at several preserved horse drawn streetcars.  Yellow and brown seemed to be a popular combination, and the Tuscan Red roof is a classic choice.  I painted the horse as a big Palomino draft horse.  I already had dark brown and medium brown horses and a gray mule on the diorama, so it seemed a good choice.  

The tackle was mostly cast onto the horse but the reins are made from black electrical tape.  The swingle tree was scratchbuilt from styrene and wire with scale chain superglued into an arc behind it.  These bits are fiddly but the result is worth it in terms of realism and a fine scale look.  The driver is a Weston figure and the passengers are two seated townspeople from the Lytler & Lytler Ragtimers series.  The car body is removable to allow access to the interior.

This last image sets the streetcar into the story.  The woman hailing the car is from Preiser.  I didn't submit this shot due to the obvious wrinkles in the sky, the poor lighting, and lack of focus at various depths.  Still, I like it for the story it tells.  Three mini-scenes are visible in this one shot, and they will be the subject of a future post.  I had a great time kitbashing this little car and using it to paint a picture of life at the turn of the previous century.

As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave your comments and questions in the field below.

Lessons Learned

In this post I'll share a few lessons I learned from building a diorama for the Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off contest.  While building a diorama may seem like a simple, straight forward thing to do, it really challenged me to think differently.  The process also made me realize a few things about myself and my approach to the hobby; beliefs I had held but never clarified into solid ideas. 

This is a BIG image if you'll click on it, then open the picture in a new tab for the full size.

First off, this diorama taught me that I could fully scenic a 2'x4' space in only four months, from ground cover to scratchbuilt trees, four feet of brick street, two feet of hand-laid track, three craftsman structure kits, a kitbashed structure, a Jordan vehicle, a kitbashed streetcar and numerous figures, all hand painted.  My current model railroad is only 4'x6' - that's just three times the area of the diorama.  Plus, the Purina Mill, Strickland's store, streetcar, billboard and orange grove all have spots already marked out on the railroad once I decommission this diorama.  If I were to work at half the pace I did to get this diorama done, I could have the Pine Branch Park railroad scenicked in two years or less, to a very high standard of detail and realism.*

Four feet wide

In this contest the focus was strictly on two parameters as defined by the rules; creativity and skill.  I set out to tell a story about a place in central Florida in 1914.  My model railroad has a similar goal, but is set in the late 1920s and includes operating trains as part of the storytelling.  Both use creativity and skill, but the diorama is a more limited setting.  Instead of operating the trains to provide action that tells the story, the setting itself has to do that task.

Why is this man sleeping behind this sign?  Some stories raise questions.

In truth our models, apart from the ones that move, all face the same challenge; how to imply action without motion.  While building my horse-drawn streetcar I realized one possible reason for why more folks don't model this mode of transport; it can't be made to move realistically.  A powered streetcar pushing a lifeless horse down the street would look odd, yes?  Some modelers don't like to use figures that are in an "action" pose, as if time is frozen, because it looks strange next to a train that does move.  On a diorama with no moving trains this matters less, if at all.

Is this a train?

Another challenge I faced was whether or not to use a backdrop.  Modules or home layouts often include a backdrop and the Walthers contest did not require one.  However, the contest submission form called for photos of the "front", "left" and "right" sides of the diorama.  Oh.  I hadn't considered front or back, left or right when planning the scenes.  It was a diorama to be viewed from any angle, and engaged with by the viewer from any direction.  This arrangement made it difficult for me to designate a "front" of the diorama. 

You can't see this from the front.

As someone with an "island" style railroad (see more about that here) I've always built structures with an eye to how they'll look when viewed from all sides.  On a layout where the views are controlled structures and other scenic elements can be built to take advantage of that, omitting back walls for example, or only detailing what will be seen.  On my diorama different views and vistas would open or close as the viewer moved around the scene.  This is how I had begun to imagine the elements on my layout so naturally it is how I placed these elements on the diorama and why all sides received some level of detail as appropriate for the scene.

Did my design choices hurt my chance of winning the contest?  Perhaps.  Most of the entries that made the final cut were pretty clearly arranged with a defined front and back, though not all.  What about the railroad elements?  None were required for the contest, technically, though a train did need to be shown in the final photos.  I think a horse-drawn streetcar is a train and though I had no freight car on my spur at the feed mill, one of the finalist entries showed no train at all.  And the era?  Or locale?  Perhaps.  Very few folks model Florida and nobody I've seen models Florida in the teens or twenties.  This is new territory in our hobby, and sometimes the familiar scene will win out over the unfamiliar.

Figure provided for scale. ;)

Would I do it differently if I were to enter again?  Maybe...or maybe not.  My design choices were deliberate even though I wasn't fully conscious of all the assumptions influencing my choices.  A viewer can't see it all from any one angle, just like real life.  It tells a story through the composition of elements and placement of details.  The setting is unique and hasn't really been explored before.  It demonstrates skill and creativity.  But most of all I'm happy with the diorama I built - it makes me smile whenever I look at it. 

Thanks for reading - feel free to comment below or ask questions.

 

*Completing the current model railroad will likely take longer than two years.  As of this writing I'm still unpacking boxes and sorting my garage, and won't be doing any more work on the railroad in situ until I know the roof won't leak and rats won't be chewing the scenery.  I'll be following Bruce and Janet Chubb's example from their early modeling days, building models at the kitchen table until the train room is ready.

Kitbashing Speedy Andrew's

This is the second installment of my "how-I-did-it" articles chronicling the development of my NMRBO22 entry diorama.  For part one, see the previous post on how I made a brick street with track for a horse-drawn streetcar.  In this post I'll show progress pictures and discuss my thinking behind turning an AHM "Speedy Andrew's Repair Shop" into my "Strickland's Speedy Service and Souvenirs".  For some interesting history on the original structure, and other fun kitbashing ideas using these kits, see JD Lowe's 30 Squares blog and search for "speedy" or just click the link.

In the photo above you can see some of the kit parts laid out alongside my mock-up and a few other parts I had in mind to use.  The mock-up was made by photocopying the kit walls and gluing them to cardstock.  In the end I didn't use the brick card or the pre-printed shingles but did use the metal doors and shutters.

Here are the original kit parts.  I like to use as many of the walls as possible, even if they don't make it as walls.  Not pictured is the wood textured "ramp" you were to place at the garage entrance; that part became the two signs over the drive-though bay on my model.  Speaking of which, that was the element that made my redesign click.  That big false-front entrance wall is the dead giveaway for the kit origins.  I had to do something to disguise that, so I re-imagined it as a sign above two pillars, using cut-offs from the walls to add bulk.  The "interior" wall from the kit became the drive through ceiling.

Another trick I used to hide the kit's origins was to eliminate the "L" shape of the building and reorient the main entrance in relation to the big sign.  The weakest elements of the kit, in my opinion, are the windows and doors.  I subbed two metal doors (either Dyna Models or maybe Sequoia, I can't be sure) and added Tichy shutters to the windows.  On this wall I shifted one window a bit towards the door so they'd be symmetrical and used the shutter to hide the gap that created.  The little bump-out at the back of the building is the sort of thing that just happens organically during kitbashing.  Once the main building is set, those remaining pieces you haven't used just cry out to be used somehow!

And here's the finished structure, showing the final elements I used to hide the kit's origins - the standing seam metal roof in place of the cast shingles and the signage.  DISTRACTION!  If I'd only used the main sign with the lovely arch in the top it might have been too easy to say "oh, that's that old AHM kit I've seen before".   The two signs on the sides perpendicular to the main sign, centered as they are over the drive-through, create a sense of weight and bring balance to the structure over and against the main building with its side-entrance and porch.  

The building in situ, with a mini-scene to tell the story.  Strickland stands on the porch welcoming the dapper gent, who has just pulled up in his brand new 1914 Austro Daimler 18/32 Cabrio.  Jeb and the kid look on, wondering just how much this man will buy.  No doubt they have a hundred other questions they'd love to ask him.  If he stays long enough maybe they'll get to.  He's just the sort of tourist they've been seeing more frequently ever since the county paved Orange Avenue, opening their part of central Florida to the rest of the state, and beyond.

The other side of the building, with more signs.  The brick paper I did use came from Walthers - from the middle of the last century.  It was the right balance of red, orange and gold to suit the colors I had in mind for this building.  The large signs were created in Gimp, the ads are from JL Innovative and other sources.  The smudge pots don't look too dirty or rusty because they're new.  They're resin castings from California Model Company and are the right style for the period.  So too the gas pump - it came with the kit, and is actually a pretty close match for the ones used in the 19-teens.  The more common glass-top pumps didn't become popular until the 20s and 30s.  

Leave any questions or comments down below, and thanks for reading.

 

 

Old Florida Brick Street

This post is the first of several detailing how I built my diorama for the Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off 2022 (nmrbo22 in the tags).  In this installment, I show how I built the brick street.

When I decided that I needed to have a brick street on my diorama I began searching for options on how to make one.  Walthers sells a plastic kit with injection-molded segments that looks pretty good, but then you've got to deal with section joints - not impossible, but not how I wanted to go.  Also, it's pretty hard to get the crown of the street looking realistic.  Brick texture sheets in plastic and laser-cut material are also available but present similar challenges.

Here's a prototype image of the look I was going for.  This image in general was a great source of inspiration for the overall look of the diorama, with a streetcar track added of course:

Finding no ready-made solution, I looked into making my own.  First I tried hand-embossing brick using a paintbrush ferrule with the bristles removed and bent into a crude rectangle.  The material is DAS clay and the girder rail is simply two rails with one laid sideways up against the web of the other.  This is the result:

This wasn't half bad, but the "bricks" looked more weathered and rounded, like rough stones.  The girder rail looked okay but again was too large and urban for my early 'teens setting.  This technique was also a lot of work and my carpal tunnel nerves were not happy after just this small test piece!  So, I ordered a 3D printed brick roller from Rail-N-Scale on Shapeways.  Here is the result of that first test (you may want to open link in a new tab for a better view):

MUCH finer detail; almost too fine, but I'd rather err in that direction than to be too chunky.  No special rail needed - this is code 83 flex.  Using the tool as it came from the maker was awkward, so I followed Martin's (Marklin of Sweden) advice and made a roller arm.  I used a cheap detail paint roller from the hardware store, all of $3.00.  The smaller roller with the ridges is for street track while the wider one on the handle is for making plain brick texture.

While the DAS clay comes in a nice terra cotta color, I wanted a dark, over-fired red and blue-black color scheme for the bricks based on existing historic brick streets in Florida.  Google "The Old Brick Road" and you'll see a surviving example of an early Florida highway.  Here's what I came up with on my test sample:

And here's how it looked on the diorama after all the scenery was in place.  There's a defined edge but as you can see, the dusty sand has found its way up onto the street in places, especially at the intersection with the dirt road.  This image was not submitted to the contest primarily because of the background - the street just drops off into nothing behind the streetcar.  However, note the camber of the road - something that would have been very challenging to do with styrene sheet or other brick textured material.

Final thoughts on the tool and technique; the tool is worth it but it takes practice to use and patience to let the clay rest before texturing.  The fine texture means mistakes such as drifting or over-marking the texture aren't as visible unless you look closely or the light catches the brick detail just right.  Will I use this tool again?  Absolutely.  There is no finer-scale brick texture out there unless you're willing to draw your own and have it laser cut (as Tim Warris did for his Bronx Terminal).  In fact, it has me rethinking the paving on my Pine Branch Park street scenes.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share this article.

Time to Think

Another "pre-stuffed" shot of the garage.  Future staging yard?  or...?

 

"You have to think about your stuff more than you realize but not as much as you’re afraid you might."

- David Allen, Getting Things Done

 

These days I'm thinking about my stuff.  Moving does that; it causes us to reevaluate our stuff.  Where will it all go?  To those moving into a larger space the question is simple to answer.  But for those downsizing or adjusting to a differently laid-out space the question is harder and involves a longer decision tree.  What is this?  Will I keep it?  When was the last time I used this?  Is it worth more to keep or will it cost less to replace?  When the cost of the home is divided by the square footage and that price-per-square-foot number sinks in, suddenly the question of what goes where takes on a whole new weightiness and heft.  The value of the stuff comes into question in terms of return on investment, play value, sentiment, etc.  

The quote above from David Allen, one of my favorite authors and a person I'd consider a mentor through his writing and videos, is especially apt at this time.  A few moments each day thinking about the stuff - asking the appropriate questions about it and making determinations - pays great dividends in generating movement and actions that lead to a well-organized home full of the sort of things we love and want to surround ourselves with.  Chief among those questions is this, "How do I want to use this stuff?" or a better way to put it, "How does my intended use of this stuff reflect who I am and who I want to be?"  Yes, I know, a deep, philosophical question on a model train blog.  You may be thinking this is too much, it is just stuff after all.

But I'd argue that the thinking is worth it.  Kristi and I have always told our boys, "People are more important than things".  Does our relationship with our stuff reflect that reality, or our intention to live that way?  Is our home a place for people beyond our family?  Does the placement and care of our stuff enable us to be closer to one another, open to others, or does it reflect a more private life?  Or all three?  My garage will be my space - hence the possessive pronoun - but will I share it?  Will the railroad I design for that space be a private world, only occasionally viewed by family and friends, or a more public space?  How I answer that question will have a bearing on how I arrange the stuff in the space.

Set Back or Step Forward?

 

 

The new garage before the rest of the stuff arrived.

To answer the question in the title, YES to both.  First, the setback.  Despite all the difficulties of the previous garage home, I had grown accustomed to it.  I had made improvements to the space, mainly in keeping rodents out.  I could find a tool or supply in thirty seconds or less and had room to work.  There was a plan for building and operating the railroad, as well as other projects such as helping my son build a pan-tilt-zoom head for live-streaming or creating a diorama for the 2022 Walthers National Model Railroad Build Off.

Now, in a new space, I have to start all over.  New critters to keep out.  New holes to plug.  Dust and debris (just look at the pile of clay roof tiles along the wall!)  And, this space is detached.  If I want to get to the railroad I have to traverse the summer heat or winter rain.  At least it doesn't snow here.  In addition, I've got a long honey-do list and home renovation projects that must be done sooner than later.  That pushes any hobby space improvements far down the list.

...on the other hand...

This space is mine.  No need to get permission from the landlord to make any necessary changes.  Oh I had a long list of things I'd have done in our rental IF the place was ours.  Well, now this place is ours, and I can do what I want to make it wonderful.  I waited too long to improve previous places we've lived, and each time we moved I was a bit saddened that I should have or could have done this or that if only...  So this time I'm not wasting any precious moments.  Call it a mid-life crisis or whatever you will; I'm motivated to make it happen as soon as possible.

And while the layout will languish until everything is unpacked, modeling will not cease.  I've got an army to paint - Rebels and Storm Troopers and Speeder Bikes!  After tasting how fun it was to play a game of Star Wars Legion last Thanksgiving, I resolved then to get this game going in the near future.  That time is now.  I can set up a painting desk in the new house and enjoy a few moments each evening putting paint on plastic so that we can play an exciting tabletop game in our dining room.  

Finally, does this mean the blog is back?  Well, yes, but there's no guarantee it'll be anything remotely regular.  As I mentioned in the previous post from two months ago, I believe blogging is for fleshing-out ideas beyond what a picture can convey.  I will continue to use Instagram and link that app to Facebook to keep my family and friends updated, but if anyone wants to learn more this will still be the place to do that.  Thanks for reading.

"The only difference is that today, with what we know and what we're learning to do, we really can bring our dreams to life. It takes a lot of work, but the truth is, if we can dream it, we can do it." - dialogue from Horizons at EPCOT Center

A Time of Transition

Hello readers!  It has been a few months since my last post and in that time I've been thinking about this blog.  While I set out to create a place to share my hobby with family and friends, along the way I began to realize the blog was a creation unto itself beyond my original ideas.  I also realized that the blog wasn't working like I'd intended and that simply creating posts for their own merit, while interesting, wasn't enough to sustain the effort I was putting into that work.  Add in the Walthers 2022 National Model Railroad Build Off contest, and the blog was the first thing to go to make room for that undertaking.

Now there's a move on the horizon to a new home, and a new phase of life.  My mother will be moving across the country to live with us and this is a wonderful, exciting adventure for her and us together.  There's no firm timetable as of yet, but as with any such transition, it will happen when it happens and it will likely happen all of a sudden.  The hobby as it stands, and so much else, will be put on hold and set into stasis until we're settled into the new place.

Will the blog resume when the dust settles?  I don't know.  During the construction of my entry in the Walthers contest I have begun utilizing Instagram and Facebook to share my progress as it is far simpler than creating a blog post.  I believe blogging is for writing, explaining, and presenting ideas that require more than a photo can provide on its own.  (This is why "Wordless Wednesday" posts make little sense to me on a blog platform.  They may not be useless in a larger scheme of sustaining interest in a blog; they just aren't taking full advantage of the functionality of blogging.)  But I have found far more connection to my family and friends through those platforms than on blogger.  This was the original thrust of the blog after all.

Thank you to all who have regularly visited this blog.  I hope to post an update on the topics I've begun here, to tie up loose threads, sometime in the next year if not sooner.  

Galen

More Practice

After sharing the last post about Practice, I immediately thought of a few ideas about how model railroaders might do just that - practice!  In no particular order, here they are:

Fos Scale Models Kit of the Month Club

This is a pretty cool idea from a relatively newer craftsman kit manufacturer who has been making deep inroads into that market.  If you've watched Jason Jensen build anything, you've likely seen a FOS Scale Models kit, and probably one of these offerings.  For about a dollar a day, you get twelve kits a year.  Or to put it another way, for the price of one South River Model Works or Fine Scale Miniatures kit resold on eBay, you get twelve little HO scale structure kits.  

Now $375 sounds like a lot all at once.  But how many modelers buy a single craftsman kit for that much, only to leave it on the shelf because they're afraid they might ruin it?  And ruin it they might - the fear is not unfounded if their modeling eyes have been bigger than their skills!  Setting aside the Sunk Cost Fallacy, I think it is still better to practice new techniques on smaller models over a longer time, than to dive in and take on a huge project only to lose steam part way through and leave it to gather dust.  Practice can give a person confidence to take on a larger project because the necessary skills are no longer unknown variables.

Walthers Build-A-World

Another option with a high cost up front is a new offering from Walthers.  Designed to build a full range of skills from laying track to building scenery and structures, this is a service that delivers - literally - a box of tools and supplies to your doorstep each month for six months.  The modeler follows along with a video series where experts guide them through the necessary steps to complete that month's tasks.  At the end of the process the modeler has completed one of three dioramas, (selected beforehand).

Again, $399 is a chunk of change.  It is also the cost of a new locomotive with DCC and sound, less than season tickets to the NFL franchise of your choice, and FAR less than season tickets to any NBA team.  How many movies can you see for $400?  With popcorn?  You get the idea.  While both of these options could possibly be assembled more cheaply by purchasing your own supplies or small kits, the missing factor in either case would be the pre-arranged delivery schedule.  That kit is going to show up each month.  That can be a wonderful external stimulus.

Other Options?

I have tried twice to write something positive about model railroad forums and the NMRA, only to end up grouchy and irritated.  Suffice it to say, if you find either of those options helpful, whether through periodic "challenge" builds on forums or the Achievement Program of the NMRA, good for you.  Personally I have issues with both even though I have only participated in forum challenges in the past.  Unfortunately the Attaboy Culture, at least for me, tends to rob praise of any meaning and bury or outright dismiss honest criticism as being harsh or a buzzkill.  Neither setting seems to be conducive to any structured form of practicing a technique or mastering a skill through repeated, deliberate activity.

That said, I believe joining with a group of like-minded peers to take on a group build project or learn a new skill together would be a great benefit to anyone willing to give and receive constructive criticism.  There are stories, legends really, on old VHS tapes, about "round-robin" groups with contrived names like "Hartford Workshop" or "Friday Night Choirboys" that would work on each other's railroads, visiting a different home each month.  Does anyone do this anymore?  Sure, many modelers may be lone wolves by choice and some of us by default, but if being part of a small group like this is possible, it could be a venue for the kind of encouragement and feedback that drives good practice.

If it is to be...

...it is up to me!  That was the slogan printed on a long ream of printer paper (the kind with the holes down the sides on strips you'd carefully tear away...remember that?) that hung in a middle school band classroom I visited once.  Sometimes practice is simply done as a daily discipline, mustered and motivated by a passion within or driven by a performance deadline.  Sure, a peer group for feedback would be great, but when the op session is over and the snacks have been consumed and you're left alone in the train room, who do you have to please, ultimately, but yourself?  

I for one like the idea of practicing a technique - not just trying out a new thing once - in order to gain confidence in my ability to create what I'm envisioning.  For me one such technique is applying static grass.  I only recently built my SG-1 static grass applicator and have used it exactly twice, just to try it out.  But before I apply even a blade of grass to the Pine Branch Park scenery I will be practicing on smaller test strips to learn how it behaves best and see what I can do with it.

What skill do you need to practice? 

 

Practice

The YouTube algorithm suggested this video as one I might like to watch.  It was right, this time.  I don't know anything, really, about this man but I like what he has to say in this video.  I also think there's a few nuggets for model railroaders to mine here.

There's one idea that Mr. Roberts proposes that really stuck with me and caused me to ponder; practice.  Model railroading, like it or not, is a creative art form, and is a reflection of the modeler's skill.  I say, "like it or not" because I think there's a tendency among some modelers to say, "I'm not an artist" as a way of excusing what they believe is a poor scenic result, or as a way of distancing themselves from the more overtly artistic modelers, such as the oft maligned Malcolm Furlow*.

They may resign themselves to a "Plywood Pacific" railroad, since track laying, benchwork and wiring aren't considered "artistic" skills, but engineering skills.  While these skills do take practice to master, it could be perceived as easier and less painless to relay track or fix wiring instead of ripping out scenery.  That may be because these functional aspects of the railroad are less heart and more head, so to speak, whereas scenery reflects a vision of a place that is likely connected to a mood or feeling.  We are less likely to rip out or redo something we're emotionally invested in.  

And I think model railroaders are more likely to use the word "experienced" when speaking of a skilled modeler, rather than someone who is naturally "artistic", meaning they don't need experience, but are born talented and take to a skill easily.  "Mastering a skill" is not a phrase I hear used by model railroaders.  That sounds too much like work, and this is a hobby, right?  Well....um....Is the implication there that hobbies don't take skill? 

Perhaps the problem is one of practice.  While I think it is environmentally irresponsible and perhaps signifies a lack of planning, there is some merit to Joe Fugate's "Chainsaw" layout idea, wherein the first layout a person builds is understood from day one to be destined for the dumpster.  That's because it is a test bed on which mistakes can be made without fear, knowing you likely won't be keeping the thing.  It is in essence, a practice layout. 

But maybe there's a better way.  Recently I was reflecting on a diorama I had built and some of the mistakes I made during that project.  One such mistake was in the use of overly-coarse texture to represent a dirt path.  On close examination, my Dad remarked that some of the particles were large enough to be stones when viewed next to the man and his horse standing on that path.  He was right, and that observation was spot on.  While I haven't decided on the final disposition of that diorama, I'm not going to toss it in the dumpster!  The offending texture can be scraped away, vacuumed and replaced, or the structures and figures removed and used elsewhere.  (Full disclosure: I did take a hand saw to it, however, in order to divide it for use on a previous railroad.  I had initially planned to put it on the Pine Branch Park pike, but changed my mind.)

This is where people who paint miniatures or make sketches have an advantage.  A sketch can be recycled, literally, and a miniature can be stripped or painted over.  Scenicking a diorama or a larger area involves much much more than just paint or pencil and paper.  At bare minimum there's a layer of paint, then glue, and some sort of ground cover.  In more advanced scenic work there can be many layers of color and texture plus trees, shrubs, rocks, details, etc.  Starting over isn't as simple as tossing a model in a sonic cleaner with some LA's Totally Awesome.  

So how DO model railroaders practice?  Building many dioramas?  Multiple railroads?  And what about clubs?  The aforementioned diorama was built as part of a club challenge to kitbash a Life-Like General Store.  I used it as an opportunity to try some new techniques and materials, but is it practice?  It certainly fits with Mr. Robert's idea of a group challenge with peer feedback.  

I've been at this hobby long enough to see my own skills improve, but I can say without doubt that I have not "practiced" any of those skills.  I play the piano and I practice daily - deliberate practice.  I solicit feedback from peers and am considering taking some lessons again to improve my skills.  Though I am being paid to play the piano, I would still practice to improve my skill and thus increase my enjoyment of the instrument and the music I make with it.  So how much more would I enjoy my hobby if I practiced those skills that cause me grief - enough that I'd rather watch YouTube than sit at my workbench and face a potential failure?

*By the way, I absolutely love Furlow's work just as it is and I have always found it inspiring and enjoyable to look at.  When this pandemic is past us, the California State RR Museum's Model Railroading Exhibit is on my short list of places to visit sooner than later, primarily because Furlow's San Juan Central is on display there.