The hill

I haven’t shared much detail with the students about my ideas for the scenery yet, as I’d like them to generate some of their own. But I developed the track plan with a few key scenic features in mind that account for some of the curves and scene transitions. As the main leaves town southbound it will cross a millpond/stream then curve along the far bank around a hill that lies between the aisle and the track. That hill becomes a view block so that operators working the town can’t see around the curve where the track immediately enters the staging ladder. The backdrop curves in from the wall along with the curve of the track to block off the view on the other side of the track.

I described this idea to the two students who had volunteered to mock up the hill, and gave them some newsprint and masking tape to rough in whatever shape they wanted that met the design goal of a view block. They’d never done this before, or anything like it, so they needed some encouragement to get started. I assured them that the great thing about a mockup is that it was easy to change, and they couldn’t do it wrong. They went to work while I went off to help other students on another project.

When they called me over to show me what they’d come up with I could see that they hadn’t fully grasped the concept. Just one little wad of paper taped to the benchwork. I had them stand in the town and look south along the track, and explained that the hill had to be high enough to hide the end of the backdrop and steep enough that a train going down the track would disappear before entering the ladder. A lightbulb went on.

Fifteen minutes later they called me back and I have to admit I had to work hard to suppress a laugh.

“That’s more like it!” I enthused. We put our eyes down next to the track heading out of the town, and by golly from that angle it wasn’t quite as comical as it looked from the aisle. It was a good start.

Jeff Allen

A (very) preliminary backdrop sketch

I’d asked another crew to think about possible backdrop views. I told them that the town we were modeling was pretty small and the depot and rail served industries were most likely somewhere on the edge of town, but they could decide if the center of town was in the aisle or in the backdrop. The curves in my trackplan suggest rolling countryside and in my mind I’ve been imagining a sort of upper New York milk train landscape, green rather than California gold. But I thought I’d let them come up with something out of their imagination.

I suggested that they cut a long strip of newsprint, tape it to the masonite backdrop panel, and start drawing in some ideas. Again, easy to make changes so no worries about getting anything perfect on the first try. I went off to help some other students and heard them chattering away over the next 20 minutes, discussing the shapes of the hills and trees and creating stories about the folks that inhabited them.

Well, when I finally came back to check up on them I had to suppress my amusement again. (Sorry about the faint pencil work):

It reminded me a little of what I might have done before I got a copy of Bill McClanahan’s book on scenery back in the 60’s. That book introduced me to geology, an interest that is still with me, and I am delighted to be in a position to turn these kids on to a similar world of wonder and understanding, and a new way of really seeing the world around them.

Jeff Allen

Keep it rolling!

Great thing your doing!  Looking forward to seeing the continued progress!

Joe

Appreciation of the natural world

One of the biggest Model Railroad "spin off" benefits that I have experienced is an enhanced appreciation of nature. I now constantly look closely at trees and vegetation and how everything sits together.
I can honestly say that my appreciation of the world has improved immeasurably and hopefully the same kind of thing will work with your kids. The sponge like nature of the youthful mind will probably mean its an even more productive exercise than with gristly old me. 

Great to  see the start of the scenic journey.... keep it coming

Rob Clark
Cornhil & Atherton RR

Congrats on the progress, I

Congrats on the progress, I wonder what the next school club to pop up will be?