Which regions/areas do you model?

R

RobertInOntario

Active Member
Mar 22, 2006
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I've been wondering how model railroaders choose their various regions they model & I thought I'd toss the question out here. In other words, how do you decide what railroad or place to depict in your layout?

I suspect the answers could be quite interesting.

I was wondering, for example, do you model railway areas that you grew up near, where you spent holidays, where you live now or do make make up a fictional layout? Or do you model places that you've never been to but would like to visit one day?

FYI, I'm basically modeling a railway line in SW England (the Somerset & Dorset Line, which is quite famous and often modeled in the UK). Although I've been to southern England many times, I've never visited this particular region. (And this layout often has to double for my CNR/Canadian trains as well! :eek:-- which tempts me to build another layout some day showing Ontario).

Just curious -- thanks!
Rob
 
I'm modeling western Montana because I'm doing a generic logging railroad for a museum display in western Montana. If I were to do a mainline railroad I would probably pick the Cascade mountain, western Washington area, which is where I grew up.
 
I model the American southwest. I'm awed by the arid landscape and the fact that people, as far back as many thousands of years, thought it a suitable place to live. Although I have only been there once, I began modeling it prior to my visit.
 
steamhead said:
I model the American southwest. I'm awed by the arid landscape and the fact that people, as far back as many thousands of years, thought it a suitable place to live. Although I have only been there once, I began modeling it prior to my visit.
Click to expand...

Interesting -- I was beginning to think that I was a bit unusual modeling a place I'd never been to. But why not model a place that you're fascinated by, as you are about the US southwest (and as I am re SW England). Thanks, Rob
 
I'm modeling Southern Wisconsin:mrgreen: , thats where i grew up, and have moved back to 7yrs ago:winki: . I'm modeling the Union Pacific(...like you folks didn't know that..:119: ), and since the CNW takeover they have been here:mrgreen: . i live right by two of their Subs, the Belvedere Sub, and the Harvard Sub:thumb: . I however, am modeling a fictitious Sub of their's, the "Rock Valley Sub":winki: , i guess you could say its a freelanced layout, with prototypical aspirations:winki::119: .
:deano: -Deano
 
I'm doing S.A.R.(South African Railways)/Spoornet because I was born and live in South Africa, although the models are VERY scarce and expensive. There will be stations/ yards based on real life counter parts but my main yard will be ficticious, named after my Fiance's surname, which is Caluza so the town will be called Caluzaville.

If I could do an overseas layout it would be the UP, Amtrak and BNSF- I mainly hear about these railroads and I like the massive locos that U.P always had and still has. I might also have done a bit of Canadian Pacific since I like the Dash 9's with the Beaver logo.

I always say to my customers though, that if they want a whole mixture of stuff and not be held down to one railway/railroad then they should choose to do modern American stuff, since you can almost find any wagon/ freight car anywhere in the U.S.!

I do however plan to eventually have an example of some scales. Live Steam will be SAR. O Gauge- Mixture of US. HO- SAR/Spoornet (HO is my main interest). N Scale- Busy building a freelanced US based Coffee Table Layout. Z- will be German/ Continental.
 
I model CN because {a}when I've lived here {in NS}and not banging back and forth accross the country,I've lived beside the track.{b}my father worked on the section{Springhill sub}for 20+ yrs.
You might think that I'd kinda have a head start but I don't remember much about the timeframe I'm modeling{early 60's}and of course even though I could hit trains from my back step ,pretty much everythings changed,they tore out the siding years ago.
I do have my very own station though,I keep bikes and lawn stuff in it.
 
Robert -

You must be planning something. This is the second time you've asked this...! ;) :D (See http://forum.zealot.com/t112603/)

I have plans for some "fictionalization" of places I have been (Orangeville, ON and the Credit River valley; Algonquin Park and some of Ontario cottage country), but in a time period when not even my parents were born (between the World Wars).

Andrew
 
Like Gus and Robert, I model the American southwest. Unlike them however, I've been all over it. I chose it because it is what most people think of when conjuring up images of the "Old West" so it is a fitting home for the BAD Western.
Doc
 
I also model the US southwest, albeit in a contemporary timeframe and very limited in scope - my interests lie within a roughly 15 mile square suburban-industrial area of Southern California, very near to where I grew up and saw quite often as a kid - and still do now.
 
MasonJar said:
Robert -
You must be planning something. This is the second time you've asked this...! ;) :D (See http://forum.zealot.com/t112603/)
I have plans for some "fictionalization" of places I have been (Orangeville, ON and the Credit River valley; Algonquin Park and some of Ontario cottage country), but in a time period when not even my parents were born (between the World Wars).
Andrew
Click to expand...

Thanks, Andrew!! Yes, I did kind of ask this question before but it's slightly different this time -- just curious to find out what inspires people to model what they do.

At the moment, I'll just keep developing my SW England layout. I don't have the money or space to build another layout yet. :cry::nope: But I still think it would be cool to model Toronto's Don Valley one day, maybe within the next few years. And I'd really like to hear how your projects are going, especially the Algonquin Park one.

Cheers,
Rob
 
Burllington Northern. As a joke, i am going to make a railroad called "Burlington Southern".

Why BN, and not something Australian? because i'll not pay 245 aus for a loco, when i can get a perfecly good Atlas for up to 150 less, and also because i got a BN loco for free.
 
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