highly over rated

Ok - I know the article is tongue-in-cheek, and this reply leans slightly in that same direction, but of everything on a model railroad - scenery is the least necessary.

You need some sort of benchwork, be it a shelf, table or the floor.  You need some source of power, even if it's just a 9 volt battery. 

Even the power-on-board guys need track. Or at least, most of them will want it.

And if you don't have trains, well - you're not modeling in the railroad arena, are you.

All of that works without scenery.

I enjoy highly detailed scenery as a work of art, as an accomplishment, and as an expression of the modeler's vision. But - I can do without most of it.

My imagination is pretty active. I prefer basic structures that don't have a lot of detail. A loading door or dock so I know where to spot the cars is plenty.

The more detail you add to the scenery, the more you limit my imagination. Once I've spent a little time looking at all of the little details, I'm done. I'm bored.  The scenery has nothing else to add to the experience.

Scenery that just hints at detail, however, let's my imagination go free. I can fill in the blanks as often and as varied as I want.

I prefer a railroad that operates with few or no flaws to the beautiful diorama every time.

gs

Indeed

We operated for years on a friend's layout that was pretty basic as far as scenery -- mostly green grassy patches and trees where there were no tracks -- with lots of adapted Suydam buildings and illustration board industries. The owner had a simple, straightforward operating scheme worked out and it would keep seven of us busy for several hours. The suggestion of a setting was important, but it didn't need to be photo-realistic.

This is an interesting question...

Especially since I'm swinging around to the idea of getting more of the scenery complete on my layout.

Not because it will make it run any better, but because I really don't have much in the way of finished scenery for good photographs of equipment on it.

Great topic. I suggest it

Great topic. I suggest it depends on your point of view. If you are so into ops you wish to treat the railroad as a board game then scenery can be superfluous. If however you build detailed models and like to see them in realistic settings then scenery is likely very important to you.

Things should not get damaged by trains derailing. I would suggest if your equipment derails rather regularly you need to fix some things. It is possible to run things with out worry of derailments, but that takes attention to tuning as the author mentioned in his article. Also track needs attention as well so when doing the scenery make sure it can survive the required work on the layout.

Earlier I listed two extremes for scenery and it is likely that many of us fall in between. Like all things in the hobby you must choose what is right for you.

For me, the scenery is

For me, the scenery is important. I have built layouts in the past where I would not run a train or have a session until it was fully scenicked. Now that I have greater appreciation for switching and sessions, I will run a train now and then, but still spend more time on scenicking, as it is the aspect ot the hobby I like the most. To each his own. I have been labeled a "diorama-ist" that just likes seeing a train run through it or parked on it.

Then I also like a scene without a train on it also:

Deemiorgos

I still think that beach scene is incredible. The beach wrack and rip-rap is dead on.

Scenic to taste

Wish I had a picture of my dark green plywood railroad empire from the the 1970's.

The author is correct, the lack of scenery does not impede operations. Scenery enhances the experience. Personally, I find scenery can be the most challenging part of the model railroad build. Especially when viewing or taking pictures close to the ground.

2004 HO scale revival started by the purchase of an Athearn USRA 2-8-2 light Mikado (the wye is in a closet) versus 2017 HO scale TOMA work.

Eugene

To be fair - I should say

To be fair - I should say that once I have everything running, scenery will be added to the layout.  And, during the design I did take into account room for basic structures.

But I do think scenery is especially important for visitors, especially those that are not model railroaders.  Well done scenery sets the stage and can quickly provide context for all of those rails and trains on the table.

It is interesting to watch the people viewing our N-trak modules. The less they are involved with model railroading, the more they are interested in highly detailed scenery with lots of little figures.

gs

Thank you Jeff. Someday on a

Thank you Jeff.

Someday on a future larger layout, I will recreate a longer similar scene.

BTW this is how I made it:

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/14040?page=1

Indeed, Eugene. It ceratinly

Indeed, Eugene. It ceratinly helps with the suspension of disbelief and enhances/brings you into the world of it.

Yes to scenery.

I would have to say, for me, scenery and details are my favourite part of model railroading.

As I have said before I am building a 2 level 76 sq ft N scale layout. I am still on the laying track and wiring phase of my layout, but I want to get that done so I can start scenery and detailing. I have 8 station stops and 8 sidings for industries beside or outside of the towns. A total of 155 spots allocated for structures and at present I have 138 kits to fit the spots, the remainder  will be bashed or scratch built, unless new kits can be found.

I have also collected several packs of detail parts, as well as 65 packs of Scenic Accents from Woodland Scenics or People from Preiser. I also have 3 totes (12x12x18) full of bits for trees and 6 drawers, from those rolling plastic 4 drawer carts, full of scenic turf and dirt etc.

So, yes, scenery is tops for me, I love to watch the train snake through the scenery.

This must be the layout for this Article

Here is a video I found for the SP Exeter Branch.   It is one of the best operating layouts I have been on.  The entire operations is well done. etc.  It is populated with 3 sided buildings.  It looks like everyone is having a good time too.  This layout has only what is needed for it to be operational and everything works.

From what I understand it was backdated about 30 r 40 years and all he did was change rolling stock an power.  You mind fill in the rest.

On a layout that I operate on

On a layout that I operate on part of the briefing is to be carful and not break anything.  You are then shown or told about the damaged from the last operating session. It is almost 99.98% given that something will get broken or damaged that night.

Lets be honest.  This is mostly older guys, poor eyes, arthritis, joint problems,  alzheimer or who knows what operating on the layout.  Things will get banged, bumped ,broken etc.  That is a fact when working with a large operating crew well past the government retirement age you are not as agile or dexterous as you were when you were 23 

If you want people to operate on you layout, expect things to get broken.  It is not people being careless etc. it is just age catching up with them.

Oh! Will, How I would love do

Oh! Will, How I would love do go through your drawers. It's amazing what can be salvages over the years and used at a later date.

I had fun

When I built my layout I was so happy testing and then running it. I took that scary (for me) 1st step of ground work using ground goop for the first time. What a difference over the brown painted pink foam. To me it was an immediate improvement and more enjoyable. I’ve since progressed to buildings, adding the ground foams and some of the forested areas. We all operate at a different level of enjoyment. If you invite me to the plywood central or the fully scenic railroad I will have fun. I loved the story!

TomO

another for scenery

Scenery?

We're supposed to have scenery?  We don't need no stinkin' scenery!  

Scenery exists solely to enhance operations. 

Randy

different strokes for different folks

Model railroading is not a single hobby. At 76 I have seen the hobby evolve from having to build almost everything till todays modelers, who in some cases have their layouts built for them. I think the majority of modelers would prefer scenery, but some can't wait to operate so forgo scenery. I love building models.some want to run trains, some want to operate, and I think my favorite is ALL THE ABOVE.  A friend,Marshall Sommers is helping me scenic my layout, in turn we are going to get an operating scenario for Marshall's extremely well detailed layout, which by his own admission was never antiquated till he had filled his layout space with gorgeous craftsman and scratch built  buildings and he is out of space.You can see Marshall's layout in February 2010 MR and at this site http://layouttour.com/photos/index.php/Marshall-Sommer-Rhode-Haven-Railroad

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My blog http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/node/27380

I enjoy having a visual reference

That video of the Exeter/Reedley operations summed it up to me. I can see that it is beautifully built for operations but if you like something that engages the visual senses.......took out the rant .I was too harsh. I’ll be better after a nap. The video made me sleepy.

OK........this perspective is in the spirit of the article. Just having a little fun with the ops guys.

That's why I quit model railroading in my 20s . . .

. . . lack of scenery! In my mid-20s I started my H0-scale oval in a garden shed. But with no scenery, and no skills or knowledge to create any (this pre-dates the invention of the internet and products from suppliers like Scenic Express), I quickly tired and gave up. To me, scenery is everything. It's the most fun to create, and the most satisfying element when completed.

For me, the scenery is the canvas, and the locos and rolling stock are the individual paints and brush-strokes.

Metrolink, I hear ya. I would

Metrolink, I hear ya.

I would get very bored without a scene for my trains to act in or pass through.

Heck, I can't even stand seeing them on display or in a display case without some scenic element to it, which is why I do this to my display tracks.

For me, it sure beats this:

There is a fine line

Allen McClelland said it best when he mentioned "Good Enough" His example was why detail the back wall of a building that no one will ever see? In my opinion Allen's Virginian & Ohio layouts were very well sceniced, but still operator friendly. Scenery can give a sense of place and time, but if you are into prototype operations that require a lot of hands on the layout, do you want to subject your operators to the embarrassment of anciently breaking some finely detailed item on your layout? Now if the purpose of your layout is for photographing trains in a realistic environment, then yes, you'll want to detail each scene to the max. Plus you'll probably also be detailing all locomotives and rolling stock to the max. This is just my opinion from years of prototype operations on a friends layout, but there is nothing better than Athearn Blue Box rolling stock for operations. It's going to happen, a turnout is anciently misaligned, a boxcar gets turned sideways in a tunnel and drops to the floor, would you want it to be a $5 blue box model or a $35 super detailed model?  

Cheers,

Rich S.

Hey Dee

your display track is beautiful. How did you achieve the variations of height and angle on the grass? The small  clumps between the rails are amazing.

Is scenery overrated?

Scenery is simply the icing on the cake, but even the best scenery is of little value on an operating model railroad unless the trains run flawlessly. Your track work is of paramount importance. If your trains don't operate smoothly, you will have very few people over to view or operate the railroad a second time. We all have an imagination and use that to create scenery in our mind on a wooden layout. When we have our trains running smoothly, then we can consider scenery. It will bring everything together beyond our imagination. I don't think scenery is overrated at all, but I do think it should be the last item on our list.

Regarding the storage of equipment over a period of time and its operation characteristics after words; more often than not, this comes after we have built a new layout or take some of our equipment over to another layout for operation. Then we have problems with equipment that ran perfectly before, now we cant keep it on the track. I believe this is because we have spent many an hour tweaking our rolling stock, locomotives and track so that it DOES work smoothly. I spend months operating equipment over the layout in every possible scenario, working out those little trouble places. Bottom line is that no one want's to come over to see you spending time re-railing equipment. A lot of people can stay right at home and do that themselves. 

Model railroaders are a little different than the public. We will go to see a finely scenic'd layout to get ideas and inspiration for our own. We will be a little disappointed that it didn't run, but if we know it will be operable the next time we come over, we will be back. The public will give the layout with outstanding scenery a casual look, and if trains aren't running they soon will leave no matter how spectacular it is. They will stay and watch trains though, even if you only have the basic bench work up; as long as trains are running.