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Dioramas are a fun and easy hobby for many folks. They can feature just about any subject that the hobbyist is interested in. They can be made to fit in small spaces, or even can be mounted on a wall. Below are three model railroad dioramas I made; two in "N" scale, and one in "HO" scale. Below the dioramas is the "N" gauge model railroad that is currently under construction.
This "N" scale diorama was inspired by an article in a Model Railroad magazine, of another hobbyist who created a mountain railroad scene.
The narrow gauge railway look was easier to do with standard materials, so that the engine & rolling stock can be quickly changed for continued interest.
The mountain base was made from plaster castings, with a wooden bridge placed over the river below. The landscape was done by gluing ground cover and store-bought trees in place. Then the river bottom got various rocks and stumps glued in place, the river bed was painted, and lastly liquid pellets were melted over the stove & poured on top. This gives the appearance of constantly flowing water, and the small amount needed made it easy to work with.
Many people place telephone and utility poles on their railroads without any wires. It is not an easy thing to do, but I prefer to have wires for the realistic look. A slight droop between poles adds to the realism.
The diorama seen above measures 2 feet wide by 1 foot deep by 1 foot tall, and it fits very nicely on a cabinet shelf.
The diorama shown here is also in "N" scale. It features a long Pullman car passenger train being pulled by a 4-8-4 Santa Fe engine.
The scene is a west coast run along the shoreline between Tacoma and Portland. Along this coast there are plenty of bridges and trestles that cross the rough & rocky terrain.
The bridge was scratch-built from wood stock, including the utility wires support on the side of the bridge.
The same technique for the landscape was used, with less rockery & stumps in the water as this is deeper water.
The northwest is full of boats on the shore, as seen here. They get a great view every time the trains pass by.
A little run-down station has been well-used at this end of the scene. This diorama was actually made with 2 fence boards as the base. The size is 6 inches deep by 6 inches tall by 4 1/2 feet long.
The diorama here was made in "HO" scale, and it features lots of details. Most are metal castings, with standard rolling stock- again so the engine & freight can be easily changed for a different look. The base is plywood, and made in a similar fashion as the diorama above.
An old-timer Union Pacific 0-4-0 has a small freight load behind it. The scene is just east of the Cascade mountain range, in Eastern Washington.
It actually was a little more difficult to fit all the "HO" structures and details on this scene. The size is 6 inches deep by 8 inches tall by 5 feet long.
It takes a lot of manpower to keep things going on older railroads, especially when using older equipment.
The one plastic structure here is the machine shop on the right. Weathering was done on all the buildings to give a worn look.
The excellent detail on the store-bought people makes for good realism. And lots of people in the scene, doing lots of activities gives the viewers lots to look at.
This diorama gets the most attention of the three, perhaps due to so much going on. This effect is easier to accomplish in "HO" scale than in "N".
The "N" scale railroad layout shown here has evolved from being planned as a simple one-level design; to a three level city with a large number of structures and activities. The overall size is 4 foot by 8 foot, with each level being the same dimension minus the cutouts for the landscaping.
Though the work is still progressing, you can see the vast complexity with this layout. The downtown area of the city is on the top level, to the left. The residential homes are to the right of downtown.
The middle level is reserved for the industries, where most of the railroad activity happens. Two auto bridges traverse the industry level- one on the right & one on the left side. The middle level also has the engine house & maintenance yard.
The trains operations require constant attention. The middle level runs a pair of lines, each having reversing loops and both with time-delay tracks inside the landscape, so each train disappears for a bit. Then there are the numerous spur tracks that need rolling stock to get dropped off & picked up. The lowest level also runs two lines, but they disappear for most of the time inside the landscape. They are freight lines that only are seen at the front, giving the appearance as if they travel to & from distant places.
All the buildings on the layout will be illuminated, which makes wiring a bit complicated as it is being done in sections; with dimmer controls so the brightness can be adjusted. The track switching is all by remote, with block control wiring. The block controls, switches, dimmers, wiring box & power packs are all mounted on a pull-out drawer below the layout- which is great for sitting in my bar stool & pulling out the drawer for operations, then pushing it back in & out of the way afterwards. Access to the hidden tracks is done with hinged panels between the levels on the sides, and the rear of the levels are open- which means this layout requires me to have complete walk-around capability. I like this though, as it makes for easier construction & maintenance. As the work progresses, I will update these photos so you viewers can watch things develop.
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