Why buy our modular building drawings!
Let me begin by saying the wonderful thing about our hobby
is that each modeler is Master of their kingdom. And there
is no real right or wrong way of doing something as long as it works for
you. Having said that, please accept what I say
below as only my opinion based on 50+ years of model railroading.
What is important when a visitor first views your layout?
Closely watch their head and eye movements and you will
observe the following. 1) The rolling stock, 2) the track design, 3) the
“backdrop”, and 4) individual details or mini scenes.
I will focus on the “backdrop” which I will define to mean everything on the far
side of the most distant track from the viewer.
A good backdrop is very important because it initially
defines the physical boundary of your layout. Next it provides
you a tool for visually extending the dimensions of your layout in a virtual
way. On other words, if your backdrop contains
a building properly presented, a visitor will want to believe the building
extends beyond the front view they have. Lastly the
backdrop becomes a visitor’s focus of attention when waiting for a train to
arrive at a spot and once it passes.
The key components for creating a good backdrop are to make
it Comprehensive; Consistent; Include lots of Visual
Dimension; and appear believable.
Immediately after completing by bench work I proceeded to
hang and tape the thinnest sheetrock above all the bench work.
This provided me with a painting base to build on and protected the surfaces
below from any real damage from the layout. I
then proceeded to paint the sheetrock with a light shade of sky blue. (I shy
away from wallpaper preprinted backdrops,
not because they are not excellent quality and easy to use, but I object to
seeing backdrops that are visually more detailed
then the foreground or present a perspective that is fixed regardless of your
viewing angle or presents more than I am willing
to visually accept. Example: A photograph of New York City or the Grand
Canyon.).
So far I have provided consistency by having all backdrop
areas appear the same to a visitor. And I add at a reasonable
cost. (A gallon of paint). I’ll assume you have in your layout plan divided the
backdrop into multiple scenes such as wilderness,
rural, small urban, industrial etc. Also you have thought out a logical
transition between them. I will focus on the urban and
industrial scenes where my modular building drawings apply.
A problem must of us have is that there is not enough
foreground space to place a large industrial complex or structure that
logically qualifies to produce enough out put to warrant multiple car deliveries
or loadings let alone a single freight car. On
the other hand out of necessity we all try to include at least one or more
sidings or yard track capable of handling a string
of freight cars. This is where the value of modular building drawings begins to
pay off.
Plan and create your backdrop working from the far side of
the last track (clearance point) towards the now sky blue wall.
Calculate your available space in depth in terms of 1/16 of an inch increments
and focal points for visitors horizontally in
inches. The objective is to create a perceivable change between focal points in
each of these segments. Permit me to use
the following scenario to illustrate my concept. Assume my scene is 7 feet wide
and I have only 3” of total depth to work
with, and the objective is to have focal points about 6” apart as a visitor
would follow along the backdrop.
I could create a single large industry with materials input
at one end and finished good loading at the other. It could be
created around one large building or multiple buildings interconnected. The
alternative is to have multiple industries of
varying size, architecture, and function. I personally would choose the latter.
Next decision is: Are the buildings independent
of the railroad or tied to it by loading platforms or facilities. I would choose
the former. (Even if the track is not a siding,
the layout could be operated by scheduling a way freight to have track rights
for a short period of time to accomplish
loading or unloading.) Using selective compression I would vary the platforms to
between ¾ of an inch and 1 inch. I
probably would have a building start at the clearance point and step back to
have an exposed loading platform and
return towards the clearance line, perhaps half way. I would probably have
another building with a different architecture
have its loading doors at the clearance line.
Whether it card stock or kit bashed the front row of
buildings should have dimension to them. The real issue is their depth.
When we view real structures we are at ground level and for the most part
looking up. All I usually see above them is the
sky. When a visitor sees a model scene they are looking down and what they see
or logically expect to see is a large roof,
not a wall mural. What I want visitors to believe is that the building is real
and what they see actually extends back. On
other words I need to intentionally get them to not focus on the back wall.
Detailing the roof no matter how shallow is very important.
Assume we decide to allocate only 1 inch for the roof depth
for our front building. I would load it up with vents, chimneys, piping, air
conditioning, etc. At one time I offered a tall
round smokestack that was scale width but had a front ellipse that projected out
¼ of an inch. While most buildings
have a flat roof the important thing is to break up the roof line besides
varying the structure heights. Remember elevator
shafts tops, skylights, and roof accesses add to the vertical dimensioning.
Next decision is what can be placed behind the front
building and the wall. There are several choices. Another building
(either as an extension of the front building using the same architecture, or a
different The building can be either O scale
or you can drop down to S scale. This structure should have a little less fine
detailing and requires less dimensioning than
the front building. Try to leave a little space between the front building and
the back building so viewers do not get the
initial impression that the back one is glued to the front.
The wall treatment in a heavily industrialized area need
only to be a slightly dimensioned typical tall objects in perhaps
HO scale such as smoke stacks, church spires, bridge tower or crane tower.
Unless you are in a valley it makes no
sense to me to create mountains or vegetation. Better to focus on clouds once
all the backdrop is brought up to this level.
Another choice is in some places to extend the depth of the
front building to almost the back wall leaving enough room
to place some large trees created with flat backs and limbs in front that extend
slightly over the front building. Between
the buildings place a fence and some lichen in the back to cover the lowest part
of the back wall.
So having said all of the above;
Why are my Modular Building Drawings a
better choice for all or a portion of your backdrop.
1- They allow you to create entire buildings or partial
buildings of the size and function to fit your scene.
2- Per square inch of the blue wall you really need to
cover they are the least expensive option you have. Remember you
only buy the modules you want.
3- Except for some Elmer’s white glue, a fine point magic
marker to touch up edges and some card stock for layering
the cost of finishing a building is far less than kit
bashing etc.
4- Because we offer all of our drawings in O, S, HO you
would have consistency in mixing scales for dimensioning.
5- All of out drawings are line drawings NOT “photoshoped”
images that would make the backdrop spotty with excellent
detail that would look out of place relative to the foreground or what stands
next to it.
6- Our Modular building drawings when assembled and
fastened to the table or back wall with Velcro will enable you
to easily reposition them as your scene requirements vary over time. Try that
with a mural type backdrop.
7- Last but not least, because you are working with
cardstock it is far easier to create unique buildings in size and shape
than kit bash and plastic or cast structure.
I hope this has helped you better understand where our
development focal point has been and enabled us to better serve
you. I welcome your comments and questions.
Les Lewis 203-226-2798 or email me a
wsptmdlwks@aol.com and please include the words ‘modular building
drawings’ in your subject line so it will get through our filter. Thanks
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