Specifically Irish scenery

[jhb171achill]

I wonder have any of our number ever given serious thought to what should line the hedges and walls and fences of modelled railway lines?

 

Driving back to Dublin today from Westport I took the long way round in order to take photos of the old Ballaghaderreen station and the museum at Kiltimagh station.

 

I noticed, driving miles through today's pleasantly sunny country, the vibrant gorse and turf bog areas, the light brownish reeds contrasting with the surprisingly rich green grass, and the stone walls covered in multiple shades of mottled lichens and moss.

 

Brambles abounded too; later, of course, the rich red of fuschia and purple heather will make an appearance.

 

It struck me that accurate reproduction of these would very much enhance any layout.

 

Any thoughts?

[Noel]

I wonder have any of our number ever given serious thought to what should line the hedges and walls and fences of modelled railway lines?

 

Driving back to Dublin today from Westport I took the long way round in order to take photos of the old Ballaghaderreen station and the museum at Kiltimagh station.

 

I noticed, driving miles through today's pleasantly sunny country, the vibrant gorse and turf bog areas, the light brownish reeds contrasting with the surprisingly rich green grass, and the stone walls covered in multiple shades of mottled lichens and moss.

 

Brambles abounded too; later, of course, the rich red of fuschia and purple heather will make an appearance.

 

It struck me that accurate reproduction of these would very much enhance any layout.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Hi JB, Good question. I was only recently wondering the same myself. It's something I'm going to have to tackle over the coming months. Every inch of line boundary is going to need some sort if realistic border be it hedge rows, overgrown fencing, walls, embankments with foliage, trees, etc. I will probably study some of the fantastic 'photographic website updates' albums from our resident photographers to get ideas. Noel

[jhb171achill]

Excellent idea.

 

I was looking in recent weeks at the boundaries on both the erstwhile Achill and Clifden branches - stone walls for the most parts - that browny-red stained stone so common in "turfy" areas in the west. With gorse and bog in the background, this would give a really uniquely Irish look to a scenic stretch of any layout.

[MikeO]

A very good question. I had to consider this aspect while making up my T-Trak modules. My solution was to incorporate items from the landscape, dolmens, standing stones, round towers and thatched cottages as well as yellow gorse. In addition where possible I used authentic landscapes for the backscenes. Types and position of buildings I think also play an important role in identifying the landscape as Irish. A combination of of all of these goes along way to help people identify the origin of the scene we have created.

 

MikeO

[David Holman]

Back in my [primary school] teaching days, I always told the kids to paint what you see, not what you think, whenever we did any observational work. Therefore direct observation is the key, though this inevitably also means using photographs, both of which introduce a range of additional parameters.

Season/time of year, plus time of day and weather will all influence colour tones, while the period in history being modelled is also important, for what is in the landscape is continually being influenced by humans.

When using photographs, the above also applies, plus the caveat that early colour film was significantly slower than today, so tones may not be accurate.

Then there is lighting on the layout itself. Fluorescent tubes are notorious for flattening colours, so the old maxim of modelling in the same light you are presenting in applies.

A further issue lies [quite literally] in the eyes of the beholder - not just degrees of colour blindness either. Men's eyesight increasingly sees shades of green less well as we get older, so getting the opinion of your significant other may be of value - as well as when getting dressed in the mornings...

So, research your subjects carefully and don't rely on memory. Indeed, even with the verdant shades which come from Ireland's plentiful 'liquid sunshine', I'd advise going for more subdued tones than you might first think. Colour fades with distance, so the smaller the scale and the wider the baseboards, the lighter the tones need to be. That especially goes for back scenes.

Also, whatever materials you use, aim to blend as much as possible. Personally, I never use a single shade of scatter or fibre and with electrostatic fibres often have three or more colours mixed together.