I have always been of the opinion that we are modelling a railway line, and not the country side. Therefore, if I take a chain saw and cut along one side of the line, then cut the other side on the way back, pick it up, take it home, and put it on the layout, that's what I am modelling.
A lot of time and effort can be spent getting plans, photos and measurements and other things, then find it doesn't fit, (this was me) so we modify it, and there goes our efforts. There are times when we spend our time and effort doing things to scale at one end of the layout, and at the other end, it is out of scale and sometimes removed from the plan, just to make it fit. This is what I admire about "SCR" (each time I think about it - often) items on the layout are to scale, but the distance between station halts is well situated. The layout is a pleasure to watch trains moving, and I am sure would be a pleasure to operate.
Camden looks bare in places and needs something to fill it, but a look at the pictures of that particular area, and that's what it was like. So, I am only doing a representation. On the layout between Bow Bowing Creek and the Hume Highway I have a family and friends gathering, this is because these two areas in real life was some 10's of Kilometers apart, but on the layout, it would be lucky if there is one "scale" Kilometer between them. Back in the 1950's my parents and friends used to go mushrooming in these paddocks along Narellan Road, just like my first photo, so I got to see many a train on this line. I inserted Elderslie just to fill the scenery. I have 3 photos of Elderslie and they each show different scenery surrounds. Camden Line is a representation of what was there 60 years ago. I felt that I only needed to have the important scenes, being Campbelltown, the starting place, Narellan, for the Coal Loader, and Camden, the end of the line. The remaining stations were just "Halts" and had no historical significance, and I didn't have room for them unless I encroached into the middle of the room.
In some scenes I have used the buildings or trees/bushes to hide the rear edge of the module. (or the chain saw cuts).
Thank you for publishing your thoughts. Seems you have the "modelling blues". Compromises is a necessary part of modelling. It is a shame that many, or most of the Camden line prototype scenes are now just memories, or photos in books, as it can somewhat be hard for visitors to appreciate an accurate structure, from one that is modified, or imagined. Model railway layouts, once scenically completed, have to be operated to maintain on-going interest. In the meantime, if I could be as bold to suggest, your Camden layout needs some backscenes to complement your excellent foreground modelling. The pale blue just adds to the "something missing" aspect that confronts you when you enter your train room. Good luck
ReplyDeleteHi Rob,
DeleteThanks for your comment and thoughts on the matter, I do appreciate it. To add a back scene behind Campbelltown Station means I would need some Main Line scenes with "Red Rattler" Suburban Electrics in the platform. Also at Narellan how about the Coal Loader. These scenes are just not possible. Maybe I should have worded the blog to refer that this is why I have built my layout the way I have. The moduled sit hard against the walls, so there is no space to put backdrops on the back unless I fasten them to the walls. I have some 150 pictures of this line in reality and tried to keep as close to them as possible, but when I look at the layout, something seems missing. I have tried to overcome this by adding more scenery last week. Thanks again Rob.
Rob,
DeleteSorry I have a correction to make. I mentioned that the backscene for Campbelltown would require "Red Rattlers", This is incorrect. The main line was not electrified until May 1968, which explains the 2 photos I have of the 30 class with End Platform cars on the Up and Down Mains doing the YO-YO service Liverpool to Campbelltown. The Camden line closed 1st January 1963. Sorry for my error.
Agree, backscenes are something that is hard to fit as an afterthough, although they make a significant difference to look of a layout.
DeleteMy only memory of the Camden line was the railway beside the road on the bridge. I saw it once when I was probably aged 3 at the time (Yes, I was a train tragic even at that age). The next time my father travelled the family along the hume hwy, the railway had gone. I did travel through Campbelltown on various country trains in the 1960s/70s, but didn't take notice of the overhead - I was watching for steam trains