Model Railroading - Themes
Model Railroading - Themes
Model Railroading - Themes
Model railroad themes tie the trains, buildings and scenery together, telling the story of the train display and explaining its premise. Themes can range from historical to winter holiday, with everything else in between. A theme is truly a matter of individual preference and can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be, depending on how many resources you may have available to develop it.
Establishing a theme is critical prior to constructing a model railroad display, as all trains and accessories depend on it. Whatever model railroad theme you decide, choose one that best interests you because you will have more enjoyment researching the era and building the accompanying display than a theme that does not interest you. Some general considerations for themes include the purpose, location, season and time period.
Purpose
The purpose of a train display helps to develop the model railroad theme. The purpose can be whatever you want - moving passengers from one busy city to another, carrying livestock across the countryside or even just showcasing a variety of different trains in a relatively scenery-free environment. Basically, the purpose answers this question: What is it that you want to convey in your train display?
Location
In addition to the display's purpose, the location serves as one of the primary elements in a model railroad theme. With no location, there can really be no theme. The location can be anywhere you want, whether you choose the North Pole, the American Midwest, a desert, a jungle or any busy metropolitan city. Consider a location that interests you so that your research is most satisfying.
Season
Once you have determined the purpose and location, the next consideration is season, or time of year. If you have chosen upstate New York in wintertime, then you would probably want to add synthetic snow, frozen ponds and lakes and perhaps some holiday decorated pine trees. For a summertime theme in the southern United States, you may choose to include mountainsides full of lush green trees, sidewalks lined with flowers and people swimming and picnicking at a beach.
Time Period
The time period also helps to achieve a model railroad theme. Typically, hobbyists choose a time period between the 1800s and present day; however, there are no set rules as to which era a model railroad display has to represent. The time period, though, determines which kinds of trains and accessorizing buildings and scenery to use. For example, a city theme in the 1990s may include an Amtrak train traveling past shopping centers, arenas and densely populated residential neighborhoods. On the other hand, a late 1800s theme would move a steam engine through wide countryside and sparsely populated frontier towns.
Examples of themes
Some possible railway themes may be:
West Virginia in the autumn of the 1950s
Modern day New York City at Christmastime
American Midwest in the summer of the late 1800s
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