quote:Originally posted by 3rail:
I know a lot of train guys and have coached quite a few of them over the years while building their layouts. Most get overwhelmed rather quickly when they feel they have to build a layout that fully replicates the real world.
Donald
Donald,
You know it's sort of ironic for me. One reason I left HO was that I was becoming frustrated trying to duplicate the layouts and scenery in the Model Railroader magazine photos. Going to 3-rail gave me the freedom to add some of the postwar toy train look and feel, plus lots of whimsy to my modeling.
But, as I did more and more scenery, I found some scenes on my layouts gradually leaning back toward the realistic in many ways, but without the stress. As you can see from many of my layout photos, I am by no means a fanatic about total realism on the layout. But, it's fun making at least some scenes pretty close to what I was trying to do in the HO days.
So, I would never recommend that anyone stress out over how realistic the weathering or any other aspect of their layout is. Like you said, it's about having fun and getting a feeling of accomplishment.
But, like I said originally, the camera and a little photo tweaking can help you explore different looks that you may or may not want to use as a guide for your modeling.
You're right, too, about the importance of lighting in judging colors and overall effect. I know of one modeler who brought a blade of grass to the paint counter to have it color matched....it just doesn't work that way!
Jim
