Planning Scenery for Your Model Railroad

Fourth in the Realistic Model Railroading series by the same author, this volume shows modelers how to turn to the real thing – natural land forms, crops, forests, water features, and even the seasons, to get better results on their model railroad layouts. What are the critical – and “model-able” – differences between the Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains, for example, and what resources can help modelers achieve a natural-looking scene from each area? These big ideas are supported by modeling projects as examples of incorporating realistic natural effects including rock strata, water forms, field crops, and space-saving industries.

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Author: Tony Koester
Softcover; 8 1/4 x 10 3/4; 96 pages; 25 black and white photos; 175 color photos; 10 illustrations; ISBN: 9780890246

Tony Koester has written a half-dozen books focusing on his life-long hobby of model railroading. Tony is the editor of Model Railroad Planning, a special annual issue of Model Railroader magazine, as well as a contributing editor to MR. He writes MR’s popular Trains of Thought column and has written numerous feature articles for MR. He also served as the editor of Railroad Model Craftsman magazine until 1981.
Tony spent a quarter of a century designing, building, and with his friends, operating a freelanced coal-hauling HO railroad, the Allegheny Midland (the Midland Road). More recently, he has been hard at work on a multi-deck HO layout that accurately depicts the Nickel Plate Road’s St. Louis Division as it appeared in 1954.

Introduction 4

Signature scenes 6
Landmarks make it easier for viewers to understand your railroad

Signature structures 18
Selecting appropriate structures helps reinforce your railroad’s theme

“Texture” 28
Showing that your railroad has a history adds visual interest

Rocks aren’t hard 38
Choosing rock formations helps to fix your railroad’s location

Water’s ways 50
Modeling various types of water requires different techniques

The forest or the trees 60
Modeling a forest isn’t the same thing as modeling a lot of trees

Seasons – all five of ’em 68
Discovering the opportunities inherent in an “off season” avoids the mundane

Crops and natural resources 78
Choosing appropriate crops and minerals can help identify a time and place

Backdrops 84
Expanding a scene is even more important on a narrow shelf layout

Putting your railroad on the map 92
Reading and using maps adds interest
and purpose to your railroad