neo train model: Modeling

Showing posts with label Modeling. Show all posts

Wednesday, 12 August 2015

"That's what I'm talkin' 'bout..."

Just a short follow-up on my previous post on 'selective representation.'

Andy Rubbo who lives a few towns away here in central New Jersey is doing a brilliant job on his multi-deck depiction of the Pennsylvania Railroad's New York Division, circa 1967. Known to us now as the Northeast Corridor, Andy is faithfully modeling this line that includes some real urban centers including Newark, Elizabeth and Rahway.

A couple of photos below show Andy's skills in taking standard DPM kits and turning them into recognizable shops just off of the right-of-way.

Signage and a wonderful color palate transform these well-known kits into something special, representative of that which is found in downtown Elizabeth. Note the distinctive worn, white painted brick and the oxidized copper-clad turret!

The center structure has been skillfully reduced in width while all three storefronts are enhanced by the sloping roadway. Lintels have been altered and new parapets and roof details have been added to slightly change the appearance of these popular kits.

Although Andy is best known for his handiwork in depicting the catenary which dominates the rail line, his talent is evident with all of his structures. He has a keen eye for the little details that helps in representing the time and place that he is modeling... and he can do so with a combination of scratch-built and kit-bashed structures.

As he says, "My aim is for the end result to be recognizable and unmistakable... one that captures the essence of each scene." Hmmmm, sounds just like selective representation. For more on the PRR, check out Great Model Railroads 2013.

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BONUS: RHETORICAL QUESTION OF THE DAY...

Did you know? Andy maintains his fine eye-hand coordination for modeling by flying commercial jet liners for a living.?

Friday, 7 August 2015

"Modeling using 'selective representation'..."

I don't know the details for the origin of the term 'selective compression'... the who, when, how, etc. And maybe I just don't fully get it, but it always seemed rather limited to me as a descriptive element for what we do as modelers. After all, just about everything about a layout, regardless of scale, is compressed. There isn't a lot of selection going on here sometimes, unless it's selective elimination or selective omission. It may be an acceptable catch-all or a generally agreed upon bon mot, but I need more. It's just too darn tidy.

I initially bought into that convenient sounding term in approaching the planning of the Old Main Line, but quickly realized that there was going to be a bit more required to pull this off. Obviously the main line run is compressed, but in assessing the Layout Design Elements I discovered that more decisions would be required. And that is especially evident for a relatively narrow shelf-type layout.

In analyzing Ellicott City, the layout's signature area, I concluded that outside of the key ROW buildings, the downtown lacked any real significant identifiers or any one specific structure that defined the town. Shrinking, or compressing a series of structures was not going to accomplish too much. That, combined with limited space, required a compilation of signature elements into a few structures to ultimately convey the downtown. I would humbly suggest that perhaps 'selective representation' might be a good term for this objective.
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Ellicott City's 19th century buildings were largely built from nearby quarried granite and limestone and tended to be located on the lower part of Main Street adjacent to the railroad.

Elements such as metal roofs, doghouse dormers, shutters and the number of divided lights in window sashes tell a story about a building's time and place. Note the off-center storefront which contrasts with the overall symmetry of the structure. More on that below.

Photo overviews help to define an area's color palate and distinctive architectural details.

Immediately adjacent to the river and railroad is one of the oldest structures in town. The post-Revolutionary War building is significant by it's twin chimney's, cedar shake roof, 9x9 divided lights and off-center front door. The jarring interruption to pure symmetry was how colonists rejected Georgian architecture that was viewed as too aristocratic.

Early 20th century buildings lined the upper part of Main Street and tended to be of brick construction. Any number could have come out right of the Design Preservation Models' catalog. Note especially the cream colored storefront at the rear of this photo. It is very comparable to DPM's 'Carr's Parts.'

DPM kits serve as a good starting point for any downtown as complimentary background buildings. Adding stone foundations and replacing chunky windows with those from Tichy can improve the look of basic kits like 'Jim's Repair Shop' from Walthers. The large stone structure is a serious kitbash. Its dual dormers, metal roof and asymmetrical storefronts will combine some of Ellicott City's most distinctive architectural elements.

The well-known DPM kits will be customized starting with a change to their rooflines and/or roof materials. Some brick sheeting and enhanced coping was added to the parapet of 'Carol's Corner Cafe' while 'Carr's Parts' will take advantage of its false front to conceal a pitched tar-paper roof. 'Skip's Chicken & Ribs' had its rear wall trimmed and roof lengthened to provide a more realistic method of drainage for a clapboard-type structure. All window sashes are thinned down through careful filing.

The 'Freeman Manufacturing Company' kit from Railway Design Associates served as the basis for one of the downtown buildings. The ends were trimmed from their original clerestory profile to a traditional gable one, while the front was carefully routed out to accept two storefront facades from the 1970's Heljan Con-Cor 'Courthouse Square Series.'

Ultimately, final customization and 'selective representation' will be achieved through color, signage and applied details like awnings, porches and balconies. The siting of the storefronts on the inclined main street will add additional interest and distinction. Everything is certainly compressed, but the analysis and decision making in depicting Ellicott City goes far beyond that.

Geez, and we haven't even talked about 'selective orientation' yet. More on that in the near future.

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BONUS: RHETORICAL QUESTION OF THE DAY...

Did you know? These days the author defines the term 'selective compression' as the process of deciding upon which Tommy Copper item to wear for his cranky knees and back.?

Sunday, 3 May 2015

"Well knock me over with a feather..."

I'm not sure what was more surprising a couple of birthdays ago. The fact that my wife and daughter didn't update my wardrobe with stylish fashion that I would never buy myself, or the fact that they ventured into the realm of model railroading. Model Builder software caught their eye, and although my architectural schooling came pre-computer age, this apparently looked like something I might be able to handle.

Fortunately, the software does provide the user an immediate level of mediocrity with some fairly easy commands. Part Power Point, part Photo-Shop, it's a combination of photographic images and drawn ones in three basic categories: 1) siding and roofing materials; 2) doors and windows; 3) assorted add-on details.

The examples shown below are just some things I played around with during the learning process. They are actually photos taken of board-mounted print-outs and are slightly distorted, but they will suffice for our purposes here.

The very first attempt at designing a structure yielded a generic office building one might find in any present-day corporate park. My practice taught me how to layer siding materials, stretch, shrink and duplicate windows, and most importantly, add shadows to give the structure depth and definition.

I switched gears and thought back to the old AHM farmhouse kit. Using appropriate materials for the siding and roofing, I 'sketched out' something like it, again emphasizing shadows to bring the fa�ade into 3D territory. The electric meters are one of many add-on photos that can be layered in.

I combined Model Builder stone, brick and clapboard siding options to visualize a New England-type structure, like those produced by South River Modelworks. Details that can be pulled from the library include the scuppers, patched roofing using two different versions of corrugated panels and the black 'paint' for holes in the garage door. The upper windows were created by cutting the lower windows in half and adding a sill.

My city warehouse utilized the prompt to duplicate rows and columns, while two different, but similar brick patterns were used to differentiate between the body and pilasters of the building's facade. Again, shadows play a large role in defining the different surfaces, while the black and white band was put in place awaiting signage that was unfortunately not part of this software package.

Each design I conjured up built upon an earlier one. My trackside building uses contrasting brick to suggest patched areas, while the windows emphasize their disrepair or complete abandonment. I could actually see blending this in with some Kings Mill products for a customized backdrop.

I'm not sure if I'll ultimately end up using any of this software capability on the layout. Although Model Builder markets the product for the creation of paper buildings, I'm more inclined to use it in backdrop applications and as 'study models' before scratch building.

The paint program does offer modelers a quick check to see how various color schemes may work and users can also mass-produce their own roof and siding textures. I will be experimenting with this by printing out on textured paper and on various shades of light gray to gauge the different effects. For info on Model Builder go to www.modeltrainsoftware.com .

Tuesday we'll look at some alternative 'final' track plans and then move into some more construction in the days after. But I need some feedback on track plans, people! Please, don't be shy.??

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BONUS: RHETORICAL QUESTION OF THE DAY... ?

True or false? The author typically receives gifts of stylish jeans that are too low on the hips and fitted shirts that are too tight in the armpits for some strange reason.?

Sunday, 26 April 2015

"Practice makes perfect... Really?"

Allen McClelland popularized the 'good enough' philosophy on his legendary V&O layout. I don't know how he felt about the adage that 'practice makes perfect,' but I find it flawed. Aside from the debate whether anything can actually be perfect, (insert joke here), how about we agree in the interest of time that 'practice makes improvement' is a more realistic statement?

As mentioned early in this blog, I had been away from active involvement in the hobby for about 35 years, so I was anxious to assess my skills and familiarity with new tools and materials. Structure building was always my favorite part of the hobby so I wanted to practice on some inexpensive kits that I had on hand... and if I could ultimately end up using them, even for just awhile, so much the better.

The depot at Ilchester has always intrigued me for its distinctive roofline, intricate windows and multi-style siding. Prior to being demolished in 1964, the roof was simply tar paper laid in non-conventional vertical strips.

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For some reason, two Atlas 'Rural Station' kits were in my stash so they were chosen for this project. While the siding was not a match for the Ilchester depot, the roofline and the windows are the two most distinctive items and they could be replicated. The kit is very basic with some chunky details, but serviceable for this task.

A chip board mock-up was put together based on some rough 'guesstimates' from historic photos. It showed that the depot needed to be longer on one side. The window/door configuration as detailed below confirmed that. But the roof pitches seemed about right.

The four sides of each kit had tabs that needed to be snipped off, while the projection of the window mantels needed to be sanded down dramatically. The bay window wasn't used, but will be a nice addition to another model when the time comes to rescue it from the scrap box. Each window grille will be filed down a bit to minimize its mass.

The two kits were altered considerably to match the door and window configuration of the Ilchester depot. The board and batten siding was the perfect candidate to be sliced into multiple wall sections that could be butted together and glued with little evidence of joints. Windows in the front and rear of the structure were ganged together where necessary, while one end had its windows carefully reduced to single sashes.

The model was squared with the .060 styrene base that I fabricated and also reinforced with some ceiling joists. The new gable ends are a gentler pitch than on the original kit and the clapboard contrasts with the board and batten. The boxed-out front matches the prototype nicely.

The new roof is still being test fitted and the structure will be mounted on a stone foundation for interest. The top sash of the double hung windows are being replaced with some N-scale windows I found in the scrap box. I cut out the middle of each to replicate the B&O style decorative upper sash.

The kit's original gable ends have been used in the upper cross gable for a distinctive look in lieu of the ugly prototypical slatted vents. I'll withhold judgment on the two types of siding until the model is painted and weathered. The final roof treatment is still being considered.

When this is complete, I'll post photos of all four sides of both the prototype and the model. My goal for this project is to represent, not replicate, the depot while practicing on my techniques. We'll see how it goes and whether it's 'good enough.'

Tuesday we'll look at the first of several 'final' track plans.

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BONUS: RHETORICAL QUESTION OF THE DAY...

True or false? Visitors who endlessly debate the merits of replication vs. representation in modeling prototype structures will be warmly encouraged to continue their discussion with my hearing-impaired neighbor who is very lonely, but has all the time in the world.