Whats the intent?

Galen Gallimore runs a great blog over at http://ocalicreek.blogspot.com/. Recently, Galen made a thoughtful post titled "Whats the intent?". In turn, his post had been inspired by a post on Mike Cougill's blog at http://www.ostpubs.com/whats-the-intent/. Their posts explored the rationale behind what we are trying to achieve with our model railroads. Galen issued a challenge for other modelers to share their thoughts about the intent behind their layouts so this is some of my thinking for my Thoroughfare Gap Railroad.

My decision to model the 1890's was very intentional. From the outset, I intended for my railroad to be a 'window into the past', with a distinct focus on the connection that railroads brought to communities. 

Before the turn of the century, your own two feet or a horse were the most common mode of transport and travelling 12 miles, or 20 kilometres by wagon was a big day. When the railroads arrived they more readily connected communities across the country. Journeys now took days rather than weeks or months and people and goods traveled more freely than ever before. Railroads become vitally important in building local and national economies.

My layout attempts to build the sense of connection in three ways:

1. Point to point design 

The track is arranged like a real railroad in that the track starts in one locality (Erewhon) and ends in another (Teresaton). The layout has no continuous running. I took some time to come around to this idea as every layout I had built featured continuous running and it was hard to break with tradition. However, it opened up opportunities for operation and scenery building which further add to the sense of connection. 

2. Different scenery for different localities

The drier canyon contrasts with the green deciduous forest around Cass. This
gives a sense these places are quite different localities. 

Changing the type of scenery for each locality gives the impression the railroad covers vast distances. This was mentioned in my track plan post where I mentioned the influences of John Olsen's Mescal Lines and his colour mood technique.

I tried to place the transitions so scenes change in a logical way. The drier canyon changes to long grass land, to deciduous forests to towering redwood forests, to a snowy mountain pass. I have also made use of scenic barriers via ridges and trees to create separate scenes. 

The scenic variety can give the sense the railroad covers a vast distance.

3. Scale people

A railroad does not just connect localities or industries, it connects people. People need to travel from place to place and send and receive goods. In the 1890s, railroads were a key part of life and a larger portion of the population would interact directly with the railroad, either via passenger trains or sending and receiving the goods for their business, no matter how big or small.

My layout features many HO scale figures, possibly more than average. I’m very lucky that my father enjoys painting the figures and he is always generously finding new period figures to go on the layout. One day I’ll do a post focusing on his work.

On the Thoroughfare Gap Railroad, you will see passengers crowding the station platforms, waiting for the next train. The team tracks are bustling with workers and Teresaton’s main street is a hive of activity, the townsfolk shopping for the latest wares brought in over the rails from somewhere far away.

I feel the presence of the figures gives face for the railroads connection. The railroad isn’t just serving a set of industries; it is enable the people and their goods to travel to other places on the layout. 

A stagecoach prepares to leave Teresaton. Rail head towns became important hubs for those needing to travel further afield.
Compared to the train, stagecoaches were limited in capacity and more uncomfortable.

Overall my intent was to demonstrate the important role played by railroads in connecting communities during the 1890s. I tried to achieve this by making the trains travel in a point to point fashion through varied scenery and localities and making the people the railroad serves a principle modelling subject.

I’m interested to hear what the intent behind your model railroad is.  Leave me a comment with your thoughts or a link to your blog post. If you haven’t yet built your model railroad, what are you hoping to capture?

Coaling tower for Erewhon

Erewhon is the fiddle yard and interchange with the outside world and because of the limited space on this section of the layout, there is not much room for structures. However, there is a two stall engine house, and turntable. I am still working on a small passenger station.

A couple of weeks ago I completed a coaling tower kit that I picked up on TradeMe for $25. It is an old model power kit which, like it says on the box, went together really nicely.

I didn't paint the kit, but did give it a dirty wash and dry brush with Humbrol paints. This gives the structure a suitable weathered look and the dry brushing brings out some of the details. I cut away most of the base and painted what remained with earth coloured craft paints. 

Because Erewhon is a snow scene, the structure needed a covering of snow. I used the woodland scenics soft flake snow and stuck it in place with a combination of PVA glue and hairspray. 

I made a space for it on the layout, sprinkled some more snow around and also spread some crushed up coal on the ground and over the tracks. I glued this all down with the tried and true method of 50:50 water/PVA glue; being sure to spray the materials with 'wet' water prior to applying the glue. 

I'm a bit sad that because of where the structure is sited, viewers cannot see the other side of the structure with the coal buckets. I also have not modeled the service track to the coal buckets where a gondola would dump the coal. Again, there is not really any space behind the coaling tower or for such a track to meaningfully connected to the rest of the fiddle yard.

However, at this point I'm happy with the compromise. The tower, along with the engine house, gives an impression that Erewhon is of some importance, even if there is no space to model much else. Perhaps in a future layout it can be incorporated where viewers may see more of the structure. 

The coaling tower installed on location in Erewhon

Looking across the fiddle yard in Erewhon toward the coaling tower. Erewhon station is at far right.