Just finished constructing, Scalescenes Island Platform. Really good model, with some very tricky bits. I had a go at weathering, but I'm not too happy with the results. Just need some finishing touches, posters station name, and so on. I don't know if a station like this exist in Victoria Australia, but it does now. Obviously I have to make a platform at some point. Phil from Australia
My layout will have a rather strange mix of architecture. It's a rather backwater little town with a small rail yard and over on one side a coal mine. I'm using an eclectic mix of power and rolling stock as I have kept all my trains from past birthdays and Christmases as a kid. It was/is a branch line of the Lehigh Valley RR in northern Pennsylvania, but the yard has been recently partnered with an up and coming RR museum, hence the mix of equipment. The town has three Pola buildings so some German influence in the early days, some American buildings and will have several UK cardstocks. Half the fun has been coming up with a background story explaining all the differences. My local hobby shop owner is pleased as he says "It's your railroad, have fun building it and enjoy the trip."
Next to my mineral dock on the lowest level a number of old style US type buildings, collected secondhand in the early days of my railway's development, have now gathered together into a railside 'community' as they did not fit in elsewhere, I kind of like the group styling that has evolved. It is rather appropriate that nearby the dockyard locos are primarily USA tanks, gives a sort of consistency to the area, it was not originally planned that way but I like the feel of it and will apply the scenery around them appropriately in due course.
Well it helps make it look as the trains have actually travelled somewhere, using scenic breaks and trying to make each area look different, a modern yard laid out cleanly like the motor works to the rough and ready at the cement works and colliery where siding tracks are made a little drunk and untidy. There are many ways to enhance our models, the cement works is nearly all Walthers HO kits, but kept to the same scale looks okay, the wagon works are European HO buildings but I have taken these Austrian style buildings and made them look Victorian, adding guttering, downpipes and opened up doorways to 4mm scale, replacing brick arches with grey stone lintels. Needs weathering, my to do list grows .... I pondered a lot in my youth about modelling a specific place even with 18.83 but time flies and it is best IMO that you build what you want to enjoy as you want, my railway is my escapism from this crazy world we live in, so it should be how I want it.
I learned a long time ago I didn't have the patience to be a rivet counter and thank goodness the hobby shop owner i mentioned sort of took me under his wing and convinced me to do what I wanted and have fun. I'm enjoying this forum very much due to the wide range of seriousness in modelling as well as the general welcoming attitude.
Looks great. I’m an it’s my layout I’ll do what I want person. In fact as soon as I see it shouldn’t have that many or they wouldn’t have that there I tend to think it’s time to look elsewhere.
