Nice pics

Beautiful!

Yes, I second Joe's question! What are we looking at, is there a trackplan sort of photo? Love the modeling!!

Observations

First off, I really like what you’ve done. Very good modeling skills.

That said, as someone who’s spent a great deal of time studying the past, I noticed a few things immediately:

• The entire area looks way too clean. No debris anywhere. Back then, people would often just throw their trash out the back window. No places for animal waste, either.
• There are also no outhouses, in an era when nobody had indoor plumbing. I didn’t see any pumps for outside water, either.
• No smokehouses. Back then, people had a separate structure to hanging and curing meats and storing foods over the winter. You can still find such structures in houses built as late as the 40s and 50s.
• No weeds or undergrowth of any kind. Even a desert has some weeds here and there.
• You last photo seems to have a ‘road to nowhere’ that ends right at the creek but doesn’t seem to ford it.

I don’t want you to think I’m nitpicking you, just pointing out stuff people will likely spot right away if they’re familiar with the area or the timeframe.

Love the stuff you’ve posted so far!

Very nice!

Great pictures! Really gets the feel of the era!

Great looking layout!

Very nice!

The road to nowhere

The picture that makes you think that there is a road like that must have been prior to the first picture in the series being taken. That road is at the end of the pig pen and in the first photo you can see the bridge that is now there.

As for the outhouses and smoke houses, Out houses definately. Smoke houses more or less. Not everyone had one but if you raised pigs you sure would have had one.

Not a compete scene

These photos are of a section of the layout that is still in progress, I just thought i would share what i have done as my first layout ever, so far. if you notice in my pics i have posted that i am working from you can see i have stuff to do. 

Reminded me of this:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/159

Reminds me

of John Allen's first G&D layout with the bridge crossing over the scene.....DaveB

Nicely done...

...I like the sow with the piglets.

If this is your first layout well done!

Very Nice

Excellent attention to details, I have driven through pretty much the entire state of South Dakota, and the rugged topography looks like what you have duplicated here. The western half of the state is full of land forms like this, and the Badlands is really something to see.

Beautiful work!

This is really nice! The trestle is great, the gound cover and "crick" are excellent. I especially like the fences, this style is rarely modeled. Please post more photos as you move forward.

Awesome modeling

Its refreshing to see this era/genre of a steam layout again, you've nailed it. 

Please post more updates when you can. 

Beautiful work! Is there an

Beautiful work! Is there an HOn3 4-8-0 roaming these parts? I've always found those attractive engines and would like to build one someday.

Very nice!

This is giving me even more ideas!

Fremont Elkhorn & Missouri Valley RR. 4-8-0 Mastodon

Fremont Elkhorn & Missouri Valley #209 above Nevada Gulch on the Portland Line (circa 1900) with a 30 foot combine  

I found the original pig pen!

From the original photo!

And there appears to be an outhouse across the tracks behind the house/barn/shed cluster of buildings. LOL