The main scene/diorama on my layout represents my hometown, Miles City, Montana, in 1959.  This diorama is 16" deep and 16' long, along one side of a former single car garage.  In order to provide staging and multiple train possibilities there are two hidden tracks behind the diorama, next to the wall.  I need access to these tracks, but don't want to see them otherwise.  So the backdrop behind them needs to be easily, and selectively, removable.  In many areas

I have a small stockyard on my layout that I based on one near my home town.  It was owned by a neighbor with a distinctive name and had that name painted in LARGE block letters on its board wall.  When I got out my 40 year old dry transfer letter sheets to add the name, it was of course dried out and unusable.  At my local art supply store there was one employee old enough to remember dry transfers, but none to be had.  Of course I can print any font and size on paper, but I didn't want a sign posted on

When I decided to put some scenery along a two track staging area along one side of my room things got a little out of hand, as usual. I added another track for a small stockyard left over from a previous module. And I needed a place for a recently retired (it’s 1959) coal and water stop. All of this required a simple backdrop. The scene I had in mind stretched across a narrow band of two slides taken from several miles away. Just zooming in and splicing would not have left any ‘photo-realism’. Besides this is a layout, it’s a representation, made by me.