A discussion of the elements that go into making our models and scenes more realistic. Simple, high impact ideas will be addressed. Emphasis on color treatment and scene composition.
For the modeler who's tried to capture fall colors on a layout but found the results less than convincing. Although the focus is on Eastern US and Canada autumn scenery, many of the techniques and materials apply to any season or region of the country. Clinic will cover the importance of a believable overall color tone, modeling fields and pasture land by effectively blending static and other grasses to avoid a "golf course" look, background trees, and foreground trees "two ways."
This clinic addresses the prototype practices of railroading and livestock. It will cover the distinctive features of stock cars, stockyard structures (corrals and loading chutes), special conditions and railroad rules for stock-handling (feeding, watering, rest stops), stock days and stock extras, seasonal movements, the large stockyards (Chicago, Omaha, Milwaukee, etc.) and stock selling and buying. The clinic climaxes with tips on modeling the stock traffic and industry.
Jeff and Pam Johnston model the Sugar Pine Lumber Co. / Minarets & Western Rwy. circa September 1927. In this clinic Jeff presents a look at what it takes to be a prototype modeler of a relatively obscure company. Historic photo and blueprint research, location visits, use of existing models, plus kitbashing and scratch building are all part of the run package.
An in-depth look at the background, design, construction and lessons learned in building a model railroad layout of the US Military Railroad Aquia Line in 1863 in Virginia in O Scale.
From the primitive 19th century iron horse to the thundering diesels of today, railroads have played an important part in enabling, changing, and sometimes inciting warfare. This talk is an overview of how railroads served in America's wars, and how to apply this information to design and build operating model railroads. Starting with the Crimean War in 1855 and extending to current times, the talk features prototype photos, maps and plenty of examples of world class modeling. It puts special emphasis on the US military in the American Civil War, WWI, WWII and Gulf Wars.
I was interested in the State Belt as a possible prototype to model long before I wrote the book, but the research influenced the layout. What did I learn and how I applied it to the layout is the subject of the clinic. I had two goals: recreating the San Francisco waterfront and realistic operations based on WWII. I made choices both about the design and about the operations to make this idiosyncratic fit into a 12' by 12' footprint.
The use of silicone molds and urethane plastic to cast parts can be a boon to your hobby enjoyment. In many cases, when you have a need for duplicate parts, urethane castings will save you hours of effort. Clinician Jeff Johnston explains and demonstrates the step-by-step process in a fun and easy to understand manner.
The clinic describes the research, design decisions and construction techniques used in building my N scale railroad. Research elements include the use of Sanborn maps, photographic references, site visits and railroad timetables and artifacts. Construction techniques discussed include the unique use of Gatorfoam for all bench top construction. The layout was featured in Model Railroad Planning 2015 and N Scale Railroading Magazine in 2013.
