(jeb@oscalemag.com). - O Scale Trains Magazine Online

While there won’t be much room for three-dimensional sceneryon the layout, what will be modeled has to say “Indiana”,and not call to mind Appalachia or New England. Therefore, I’mgoing to pay closer attention to the types of trees represented onthe layout, along with the grasses and other groundcover. (Seemy article in OST #26.)Building types also play a key role in locating a layout in aparticular region. The signature industry on the I&W will bea roofing shingle plant. This is what keeps the line going. My45model will be scratchbuilt, and large enough to justify rail service.The feed mill from Cedar Grove (Photos 4 & 5) is anotherkey building on the line that separates this railroad from all theothers. Having distinctive buildings on a layout helps to avoidthe generic look that you sometimes see, where the same buildingkit shows up everywhere. While scratchbuilding structurescan be time consuming, the rewards are many. Another sceneryaspect is to model the industries represented in the region youmodel. While the area surrounding my prototype has steel mills,chemical plants and paper mills, none of these were served bythe real I&O branch that I’m modeling. Building products andfarm commodities make up the bulk of the traffic base for thisline, and so it will be on the layout.Name everything: tracks, locations, and anything else youcan name. In Richmond, Indiana, the Pennsylvania had namesfor tracks like “the Long Branch”, “the Short Track”, the “BarnumTrack” and (my all time favorite) “the Stingy Track”. The name"Whitewater" shows up all over my area. There’s a town ofWhitewater in the Whitewater Valley, which borders the WhitewaterRiver where you can rent canoes from Whitewater CanoeRentals, and on it goes. A strong regional name like this can givea clear identity to your modeled locale. Naming everything addsanother dimension of reality to our modeling efforts for no extracost or space, while giving tons of character in return.OperationsI like low key operations. The first time I saw a train on thebranch I was hooked. When I modeled in HO, the temptation toadd trains and complexity to the layout was always there. I simplydon’t have the space for it in O Scale, and that’s a relief in away. This lets me concentrate my efforts on developing qualityrolling stock and other detailing, often short-changed on largerlayouts. I can also learn and appreciate what the prototype didto get the job done for their customers. Operations on a smalllayout need not be limited as many fear. Taking one’s time toenjoy things is wonderful, while running and switching at prototypicalspeeds makes the layout seem larger.Construction of the I&W is well underway. Maybe the Editorwill let me share more of that in the future.uAdvertise in O Scale TrainsMagazine! We have the bestrates in the business!Stevenson Preservation LinesO Gauge Kits and Parts from pastMaster ModelersCatalog 2005 Price: $3.00Baldwin Model Locomotive WorksLobaughAdams & SonsLenoirKansas City KitHines LinesAlexanderPearce Tool Co.Bob Stevenson, 2326 230th St. Ames, IA 50014Mar/Apr ’07 - O Scale Trains • 15