"i see scenery" new 6th sense

domer94

You are certainly not alone  I'm sure many of us here on the Forum look at the world through "layout glasses".  I know I do.  Driving through the country and seeing a church,cabin, farm, or walking in the park and coming across some kinds of stones, tree bark ( for land forms )  or sticks to use for log loads on my flat cars.  In the city I'm checking out bridges, building styling, industrial areas, railroad ROW, stations, yards, tank farms, you name it ..... all of which I view through the lens of " how could this look on a trains layout".  Welcome back to the hobby and enjoy the ride 

I like that term "layout glasses".

I enjoy looking at building color combinations and older signs. My next Ameritowne building is going to have a Consumer Credit Co office on the second floor like this building. 

Yes, indeed, Domer94, you are not the only one, I am certain. I usually have a camera with me or at minimum my i-phone for just such scenery seeing...

FrankM

yep...  the detail of that bridge girder and abutment....  that's what im talking about. the viaduct you have pictured there....  that's a dh&w or Lackawana ? I thought I saw it in a film reel at Steamtown over the weekend.

I visit the viaduct when traveling along Rt.11 which I take north of Scranton, PA on the way to Great Bend and other points northward to Cortland, NY. I believe the Susquahanna RR uses it nowadays.

Yours truly will have the honor of running NKP Berkshire No. 765 across the Tunkhannock Viaduct later this summer...several times!

It is such a massive structure that the 765 will look line an N scale locomotive when going across it.

I should imagine that would be some thrill! If the viaduct looks that good from my humble perspective on the ground, what must it be like when viewed from its RR tracks, in a steam locomotive no less! Woooooweeeee!

FrankM.

P.S.Thanks for naming it correctly - I couldn't think of its name.

there better be a good cab view video posted...asap

Here's s'more "scenery I've seen"...

Homer, NY

..and another low bridge seen along Rt.11 driving from PA to Upstate NY...

maybe this is like the TRUMAN SHOW and we are all living in a giant layout...

there is an old lackawana (I think) signal bridge poking out of an overgrown elevated branch that feeds a warehouse that is adjacent to the turnpike extension feeder to the Holland tunnel. I tried snapping a pick, but its a tough curve to hold a phone and drive at the same time. I love the Hoboken / JC area... there are so many traces of railroad greatness that reveal themselves if you look hard.

Good thread!

In fact, it's a good place to post some pics of my favorite 'there's-a-prototype-for-everything-especially-trees' category.  Every so often in my travels I see a really unusual, ridiculous, laughable, crazy, awesome, etc., tree form.  Since I like to make my own trees for the layout from common materials, some of my early creations could hardly be called specimen/nursery quality.  But, then, I find a real tree that looks like the one I made.  So, what the heck?  Why not?  ....and keep a copy of the photo handy to stifle the comments, should they arise!!

These sort of postings are limitless.....great idea!!!

KD

I do it all the time. See something interesting and think how that would fit in on a layout--especially concrete and stone bridges and street railroad trackage.

Excellent topic!

for several years I was traveling around the states.

Not all of them are charismatic, some are really sad but deepest in nostalgia, like Detroit or Buffalo. 

After all those years finally I choose mid towns.

Andre.

I am totally guilty of driving around seeing things with the "modeler's eye".  But you can do it with photographs, too.  Looking at Andre's great picture above, it made me realize the potential of shadows in model photography.  Many of us do everything we can to avoid shadows in our pictures. But, as the photo shows, REAL scenes very often have stark shadows that add interest. I am going to experiment with this, especially the sharp shadow of the tree.

I was reading today in Railpace that passengers on the Nicholson run will have the chance to be bussed to street level for a posed shot of 765 on the bridge.  Kind of curious if the street level shot will be from the west or the east.

I've visited many layouts during open house month in November and been to many train show looking at other peoples work.  I'm sure everyone will agree that we see things on peoples layouts that just don't appear to be real or in scale.  Trees look lopsided or funny, Stone work out of scale etc.  I've been thinking about getting my camera out while out driving and snapping pictures of interesting sights that in real life don't look real or in scale.  That way when I do put some scenery on my layout I can prove it really exists in real life.

Wow, now that is one very cool reply. Enlightening. Edifying. Indeed.

At present I find myself looking at track configurations, small bridges, and interesting signals more than buildings. And when stuck in traffic, I day dream about which car and truck models are available in 1/43. :-)

Andre, I was pleasantly surprised to see your watchman's shack photo. The real one is a few miles from my house. The restored 1879 train station next door has a place in my carpet layout via a blown up antique postcard. It made the cover of the town's 300th year history and has become quite iconic.

Thinking about modeling really sharpens the observation skills.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Tom,

All this area is full of small towns and abandoned tracks. Amazing. 

Is the Station still covered by old stoves?

Andre.

Pretty much whenever I'm in Smalltown, PA, I see Ameri-Towne structures.

It sure is, Andre.  Erickson's still restores antique gas stoves and antique stoves are all over the place. Which is probably why the book cover used an old postcard image  I keep meaning to get a picture of the B&M boxcar (or two?) and caboose that he has on a siding opposite the watchman's shed. The colors are nearly gone now. You are right about the abandoned track in the general Metro west Boston area.  There's a great small flat wooden RR bridge, no railings, just this low tiny thing, one track wide spanning a stream. The abandoned track goes through a horse cemetery for State Trooper horses then heads into West Concord junction (B&M? NH, NYC, and etc., plus commuter rail).  With the snow gone, I hope to photograph it. For the right modeler (not me), it would be a great project.

Tomlinson Run RR

Tom, here is the other side of the tracks!

I think I have a better picture somewhere.

Andre.

Interesting topic.  I do it, too, but never took photographs.  The scenes all reside in the mind's eye.

Scenic Express, my favorite source for landscaping supplies/foliage miniatures, has several products (in his "MN" group: MN99824S; 25S; 26S; 21S; 22S; 23S ) that I like very much but did not want to get carried-away with when using. So, I drove Upstate NY to see, if possible, how such wild flowers might occur in nature. I got an eyeful and share some of that experience here with you...

Needless to say, I learned a lot.

FrankM.

I saw these restored buildings in Wilmington DE and had to snap photos for possible future train stuff.

great topic!

moonson, beautiful pictures

keep it coming

j

Out West, one block wonder

http://www.railpictures.net/vi...=198075&nseq=123

OK, I finally got to explore the small NY NH & H bridge hidden off the side of the road that I pass on the way to work every day. It crosses Nashoba Brook in West Concord near the State Prison. I envisioned it as a modeler's dream as I'd wiz by. Unfortunately, I had the wrong shoes on for climbing down to the water's level for some artful/engineering type shots but hopefully there's something of interest here. 

Ironically, I just learned today that this abandoned track is slated to be turned into a rail trail: http://brucefreemanrailtrail.org/

I've been fearing this, as I strongly suspect they'll destroy this lovely bridge.  There were actually two of them but the other one just has the parallel steel supports left as far as I could tell from my vantage point.

Enjoy and have those X-Acto knifes and balsa wood handy!  Ready, set, model! :-)

Tomlinson Run Railroad