Entry posted by rcmacchipilot
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First of all, let me sum up with the pretense, Modeling locations in Dorsett does not make you in the slightest bit insane.
Inspired some what by a heated discussion at the club as well as one of Mikels' blog entrys ( bellow) , The old grey matter churned away at a rate that had it been in competition with a butter churner, it would have put the butter churner out of buisness.
http://www.rmweb.co....iscussion-club/
To set the scene,
( I aknowledge this came from some website some where and some one else other than myself took this photo )
Last nights discussion focused on the new layout we potentially plan to create and exhibit. The club is very much of the opinion that realism is the critical factor in desinging a model layout, hence why we try to focus and discover new techniques to create realistic and interesting scenery that looks like its real at 1:76 scale ( also what makes the forums and blogs on rmweb such a gold mine due to the diverse skills and abilities of the modlers on here). The argument got the old grey matter ticking though, as so much as to when is a layout considered realism, when is a layout considered impressionistic and when a layout can be considered as abstract and where the barriers are between these ideals. (Ill explain where dorset comes into it later )
In simplest terms, Realism is the case for replicating something so that it is an exact replication of real life.
Impresionism, is a case of replicating something that does not necessarily exist in real life but is a representation of something that does.
Abstractism, is the creation of something that represents nothing in the real world, or something in the real world in such a light that it does not represent what it exists in the real world.
The question is when modeling a rail road then when is a model railroad defined as being a "realism" model railroad, an "Impresionistic model railroad" and an abstract model railroad.
A "realism" model railroad, can never truly be real ( unless its actually 12 inches : Foot) because there is always a level of comprimise that has to be met. ( even pendon has to make comprimises ), So really any layout that is considered to be " realism" is actually " impressionism" with some interesting history and a little guess work.
So by that deffinition we need to re-examine how we look at realism. Eventually one must realise that "realism" its self is subjective. It is based on our experiences and what we believe we are seeing. , So really realisim isnt really modeling the real, its modeling what we believe. At the same time, one can see and believe things with their imagination, as the imagination is only an extension of what we see in the real world.
To that extent, then something that can be described as abstract ( such as the wallace and gromet layout ) is really no more or less abstract or realistic than a layout based on realism....
So where does dorset come into this? After being advised by a number of people that I should focus on a location, and period, and yet, I wanting to model and practice modeling terrain and buildings from various areas in england. I set out to find a place that had as many types of buildings etc on it. A place that could have swamps, many types of locations and vegetations, and a place that I could flex my artisitc arm. I searched google for a while and came up with the county of dorset ( no kidding, you can find stone, lime and red brick construction right next to each other, and I have no doubt that there is also victorian, elizibethian and georgian architecture that could be found there as well )
As all track plans are always impressionist because sacrafices have to be made, then it falls to all the scenery and the rolling stock to define the location.
So next time, some one tells you, you cant model red brick, next to lime and that the walls had to be stone on a layout that looks like it could be real and you make it for the fun of it.
Tell them you are moddeling dorset, I am....... with LNER, GWR and mabey LMS excursion trains on it 
( I was not kidding about any form and colour of soil being found in dorset, The geology map from bellow shows that most colours could be moddled )
Cudo's and acknowledgements, must go to all the other lads that model locations in dorset such as corfe castle, portland, poole, bournemouth that gave me inspiration and the realisations to write this blog.
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