Model Railway Scenery Book

[Geoff Endacott]

I am in discussions with a publisher concerning a possible book about model railway scenery. I would therefore like to make use of the accumulated wisdom of this forum to help with a few matters.

 

First of all, would there be a market for a new book about scenery, or is the market already too crowded?

 

Secondly, if such a title does go ahead, what should it cover? Suggestions from the publisher are cuttings, hills, mountains, streams and lakes.

 

Lastly, what do people expect to pay for a paperback "how to" guide with about 250 photos?

 

With thanks in advance of your help.

 

Over to you...

 

Geoff Endacott

[halfwit]

Hi Geoff,

 

Firstly, I personally think that the market is somewhat crowded, it does seem that every publisher wants a scenery book. A lot of them seem to cover the same ground (no pun intended) with nothing new to add to the hobby, and are I feel frankly uninspiring. I'd suggest picking up a selection of current titles to see whats already available, and have a good look at Kalmbach's (US) offerings - I find them quite interesting.

 

If you did go ahead one aspect that I feel is poorly covered is creating realistic rock faces, looking at different rock types and how to model them effectively, perhaps showing the difference between quarried or blasted rock faces and natural crags.

 

Hope that helps, and good luck if you decide to go ahead.

[Chris Nevard]

I'd like to see something as inspirational as Barry Norman's 'Landscape Modelling' rather than just another book telling people how to chuck coloured flock at a layout. The sort of book that embraces only the very best techniques and one that will push the hobby forward in this area.

[Pennine MC]

...how to chuck coloured flock at a layout.

 

Yeah, is it best underarm, or overarm?

 

 

 

 

 

[bmthtrains - David]

Hi Geoff, in my experience railway modelling books tend to sell to one of two ends of the market - ultra-basic 'Hornby Guide to Model Railway Scenics', and the specific '...For the Modeller and Historian' series that are really just filled with prototype photos for inspiration.

 

Prices, you will want to keep it below £20, but as a bookseller, I have to say I'm not sure there is much of a market for another 'natural' scenic guide, no matter how good. There's lots of choice for books covering grass, rocks, water etc. What is really missing is a quality book on how to model a wide range of man-made scenery - lineside details, signals, platforms, bins etc. A sort of model railway details guide.

 

David

[PaulRhB]

If you want an example of a good softcover scenery guide the Pelle Soeborgs book from Kalmbach is excellent. Good how too picture series rather than this is what I used and this is how it ended up.

For rocks making people realise that there are differences and that even commercial products like the woodland scenic range offer the ability to model them reasonably accurately by choosing and mixing relevant groups of moulds.

For grass I'd say static stuff has to be the focus as it's cutting edge yet easy to use if shown how and mixing colours too, we've seen several stunningly realistic uses on here. A good glossary of manufacturers and link to the forum possibly for more inspiration, though you might like to hide it somewhere near the back so they don't find it when just browsing

Price? Sub £20, ideally £15ish.

[Ozexpatriate]

Secondly, if such a title does go ahead, what should it cover? Suggestions from the publisher are cuttings, hills, mountains, streams and lakes.

 

I'd suggest picking up a selection of current titles to see whats already available, and have a good look at Kalmbach's (US) offerings - I find them quite interesting.

 

If you did go ahead one aspect that I feel is poorly covered is creating realistic rock faces, looking at different rock types and how to model them effectively, perhaps showing the difference between quarried or blasted rock faces and natural crags.

If you want an example of a good softcover scenery guide the Pelle Soeborgs book from Kalmbach is excellent. Good how to picture series.

Geoff,

 

I think every one in this thread has given very good advice - I'd particularly echo the two comments quoted above. To the publisher's comments:

cuttings, hills, mountains, streams and lakes

I'd say back scene integration is a key topic - both photographic and hand-painted. Should I interpret hills and mountains as part of the back scene or undulating countryside? My sense is that railways pass through valleys. Except for the hills we contrive as tunnels at the layout's end, hills and mountains belong on back scenes.

 

To streams and lakes, I'd add canals / drains and harbours, possibly even the sea as a background as a topic that is rarely touched, though no doubt someone's done a good 'how to' for the sea wall at Dawlish. (I'm thinking more general purpose seaside.)

 

An American example I remember from a Model Railroader article was a long jetty-like bridge across a bay that was quite good. Perhaps this isn't all that relevant for the English modelling scene but it was an nice article.

 

One area that could be included regards details that are equally true for a shunting plank and a basement empire. Real railways rarely sit on a flat plain. They almost always run on embankments (with details like drainage culverts piercing the embankment) or in cuttings (with details like drains and when the cutting is walled, details like refuges). This kind of detail is often overlooked except for layouts that are the kind of layout we look at and say - yes that looks right! Water shapes the landscape and it governs everything in scenery.

 

Perhaps it's heresy to the UK modeller, but I feel that every rail line should be up off the baseboard so the three-dimensional nature of the countryside can be modelled. This is important even where we think of the landscape as flat. I've never been there but I would guess that even somewhere like Norfolk, the line would run on an embankment with fields below the level of the line, and drains below that. You can't do that laying track right on a door no matter how much papier-mâché and flock you chuck at it.