| Make the land look real, and have a great time doing it. | | | | shown the true nature of what railroads meant to |
| That just about sums up the purpose of scenery on a | | | | people 100 years ago, as well as their true role in |
| railroad track layout. It adds that final touch and realism. | | | | history. |
| You may even give it that "WOW" appeal. Folks of all | | | | What you choose as your scenery - a small town, a |
| ages will admire how authentic the surrounding | | | | coalmine, a large town, a steel mill, a textile mill, or |
| environment is. They'll absolutely marvel at how it's all in | | | | anything else you can imagine - is totally up to you. No |
| miniature. | | | | matter what you choose, you can find it in miniature. |
| Let's face it, there's something totally mesmerizing | | | | You can either find kits for specific scales, or the |
| about a village that is a tiny, detailed version of the real | | | | finished article. |
| thing. Many model railroaders take this portion of the | | | | One reason many of us use kits is quite simple: the |
| hobby every bit as seriously as they take the | | | | options are simply amazing. All you need to do is walk |
| locomotives and rolling stock. Amazingly it is not too | | | | into a serious, dedicated hobby shop to see an |
| difficult to do! | | | | overwhelming number of structures that can be built |
| Any serious model railroader can do it, if they really | | | | with kits. This is especially true if you're running HO and |
| want to. To get started, you could go to the hobby | | | | N scale systems. The variety of choices will take your |
| shop and buy buildings, vehicles, men, women, and | | | | breath away. |
| children. You could pick up your mountains, trees, | | | | A technique I've used is to combine parts. If I think a |
| sawmills, domestic houses and most other things you | | | | building should have a different front, like the one I just |
| will see from a train carriage window. | | | | bought with a different kit, I put it on. After all, I'm the |
| There's absolutely no shame in buying the finished | | | | one in charge of this city! |
| article, especially when you're first starting out. But | | | | Some model railroaders even go so far as to cut their |
| there just may come a day when feel confident | | | | kits in pieces. They use these as the basis for a |
| enough to build your own." The next thing you know, | | | | building of their own design. This practice is so popular, |
| you're heading out the door to buy supplies. Either way, | | | | it even has a name: kitbashing. It's a shame the action |
| keep the goal of this hobby in mind if you don't enjoy it, | | | | has been given that violent-sounding name, because |
| don't do it. | | | | the finished products of these "kitbashers" are usually |
| In many ways, it's your scenery that makes or breaks | | | | quite beautiful. The most common material for scenery |
| the aesthetics of your layout. As a model railroader, it | | | | kits is plastic, you can also find wooden and kits of a |
| pains me to say this, but I have to admit that trains are | | | | hard plaster (hard white clay with a resin additive), cast |
| just a small part of our world. If you really analyse it, a | | | | polyester resin, and even cardstock. |
| railroad is nothing more than a ribbon of steel that | | | | How are you going furnish your layout? Make all the |
| connects cities, manufacturers, industries, mills, and | | | | scenery yourself or build it from kits? Maybe you will |
| yards and of course people. | | | | want to do a bit of kitbashing, just go out and buy the |
| The locomotives and rolling stock are part of that, but | | | | finished article. Truth be known I'll do anything to make |
| only a part. So if we can display everything as one | | | | it look right. |
| within their natural surroundings, then we have really | | | | |