I remember the name but not the layout. The layout is fabulous. I am guess Iam getting greener. Keep this up and you'll soon see nmewspaper headlines about the guy that turned green.

Earl has a great sense of humor. I could tell from his sign. And his method of hiding columns is great too. I don't have any to hide because they're inside the wall that separates my trainroom from the laundry/boiler room but if I ever get to use any part of the rest pf the basement I thought I'd turn the boxed in columns into loft office towers or apartment buiildings. But his idea of putting a gas storage tank at the bottom of the coumn is good to.

Thanks for posting this.

Irv

Many of the great modelers have/had a sense of humor. I remember John Allen's scene of a diesel salesman being hanged, Frank Titman's runaway monkeys and Earl Smallshaw's MIracle Chair Co. sign.

I wonder if some folks remember other touches of humor.

thanks Joe, for  the great update.  I have question that you might answer, having seen it in person. Are the colors as muted in person or is it a camera deal?  Or is that just reflective on the era in which it was constructed?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be critical, but I'm very interetsted on how layouts hold up over the decades, and it looks like this one is either really dusty, or the colors have faded over time (both of which make sense).

If that's the case I wonder what solutions there are avoid the dust or fading? Cleaning the dust off of one as intricate and detailed as this would be a real chore, I can see those poor people just getting sucked right up!

I need to look up the layout plan. 16' by 16'!

Thanks for the pics! Amazing how well the layout has held up over time!

I have visited a fair number of layouts over the last few years that have featured quite a lot of "dust weathering". I am starting to think that, contrary to popular wisdom, I would like to use more saturated colors and less weathering on my structures and scenery. As an amatuer photographer, I want my colors to "pop". I think you can still keep your colors flat without having them dull...

Dave Frary once did a piece about scenery maintenance. One of this tricks was to use a blower and/or soft brush while holding a shop vac nearby to catch the dust.

Chris

Chris, where were those published?

Dave Frary once did a piece about scenery maintenance. One of this tricks was to use a blower and/or soft brush while holding a shop vac nearby to catch the dust.

I'd be interested in reading the article.

I will double check when I get home.. or when I remember.. but I think it was this:

"Repairing and rejuvenating your scenery"

I also remember this being talked about on the Scotty Mason show and I may have gotten the sources mixed up. If I remember, this article was mostly about restoring faded scenery by repainting and such.

Regards,

Chris

Even though the layout is over 40 years old, some parts of it have been built/rebuilt within the last few years - we saw some areas that Earl's currently working on with new details and structures.

I didn't find the layout to look especially dusty - just well weathered and suitably dull coloration. If you view the prototype from hundreds of feet away like we're doing the model, the colors will fade and look less brilliant due to the effects of air - even a few hundred feet makes a difference.

Just look at some trees that you know are similar - check the trees right in front of you and check the trees many hundreds of feet away and you will see a noticeable fading on the colors.

To me Earl's colors just look realistically faded - in his clinic (which will appear on MRH Theater one of these days) you can see Earl talking about his weathering and painting techniques.

Earl's video sounds good, Joe. I'm wondering if the look has more to do with the color palette used by modelers of that era, and maybe that's what I'm seeing in the photos? I look forward to finding out!

After reading these comments and reviewing the images, I recall noting the difference between older Ektachrome and newer Kodachrome or Fuji slide film. That's what this reminds me of. The older Ektachrome colors were slightly muted while the newer film was vibrant with sharp colors.

I note that Earl has been able to apply an overall patina to the models. If we look at towns and cities, many buildings have a similar degree of weathering. Newer structures, or recently renovated buildings, tend to stand out as they have not yet accumulated the years of dirt, dust and grime. Looking at these images reminds me of the layer of dirt that does settle on everything and mutes the color.

This effect on Earl's layout also feels like it conveys a certain time from long ago. Kind of like a hazy memory of a place you once visited when you were very young.

Just some thoughts as I enjoy the morning coffee.

Eric