When trying to create realistic looking scenery for your model railway trains, one technique that can be put to great effect is that of forced perspective. This is a method that involves making objects in your model railways scenery seem as if they are further away than they really are. In this article, I will discuss some of the different techniques that model railroaders use to achieve this look.
I want to start by looking at your model railways backdrop first of all, as this is one of the easiest places to use this method of creating a sense of extra depth to your model railroads scenery. As you are designing you model railroad backdrop, if you draw objects that you want to appear as if they are further in the distance smaller than those in the foreground, this will create a natural effect to deceive the eyes. Naturally, when you look into the distance, objects get smaller in size.
They also get more out of focus, so objects in the foreground should be well defined images and those in the distance should appear blurred to get the most realistic effect possible. Forgetting to do this when trying to create the illusion of forced perspective will make it look unnatural and will in fact have the opposite effect to what you are actually trying to achieve, as the eyes will focus more on it.
Another neat little trick here is to dull the brightness of the colours used and also use less detail in the background images as these are how things naturally appear to the human eye as things disappear into the distance.
Forced perspective is a technique that can be applied within you model railway itself too and is not just relevant to your backdrop. I have seen great examples of the forced perspective of a valley disappearing into the distance, complete with a river at the bottom.
This was done by shrinking the size the river as it got further away from the view point. It also included using a couple of bridges over this river, which again, got smaller as they got further away, giving the illusion of a greater distance between them. Another great way to achieve this look in you model railways scenery is by using different size and scale trees as you get further back in your layout. Micro machines mini cars used on roads winding of into the distance are also a nice little trick I have seen used.
The final technique I want to mention that can work particularly well is to use railway track of a smaller gauge than the one your model trains are running on, which you use in the distance to create an effect that the track is again further away than it really is.
Whichever method you decide upon, the main points to remember are the same. As objects get further away, to the natural eye they will appear small, become less in focus, contain less detail and appear duller in colour. Hopefully this will have given you some great ideas for your own model railways scenery. For more information on how to create realistic model train scenery, visit my website by clicking the link below.
Tim McCarthy is a model railway enthusiast with many years experience in the field of model trains. For further information on model railroads, including more on model railways scenery, please feel free to head over to http://www.modelrailwaytrainstips.com/model-train-scenery.
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Here is my footage of the Model Railway Exhibition which was held on the 17th and the 18th of October 2009 at the East Of England Showground in Peterborough, United Kingdom. The video was taken on the 17 of October 2009 and this video has been split into three parts because of the 10 minute restriction on YouTube. All stills in this video have no sound and I have chosen NOT to include background music for legal and copyright reasons, but all video footage does have its original sound though. This video starts off with some stills of several new Hornby releases at their Hornby Stand which was located just inside the second hall. These incude the new EWS Management train which will feature the new MkIII DVT Model (although it is originally classed as a “DLV” which means “Driving Luggage Van” and not a DVT (Driving Van Trailer). Also there was the MkIII DLV in Virgin Trains livery and this model is numbered 82150 which will be available to buy as a stand alone model from December this year. Also in new releases there was the new Hornby Class 395 “Javelin” Model and two new Pullman VSOE carriages as well as some more DCC sound fitted models to expand the Hornby DCC Sound range like the Class 31, Class 50 and the 9F which sound quite impressive. The layouts shown here in this part of the video are Bishop Wearburn which is a classic steam based layout, Holland Park Intermodal Container Terminal.
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