GRAPHIC DESIGN | WOODWORKING | MODEL RAILROADING
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Model Railroading
Falls, PA
Tunkhannock, PA
I'm a long time model railroad fan. I have built many layouts since I was a kid. Now I belong to a club that works in n-scale using the N-Trak modular standards. We do many shows and expos over the years. My specialty is structure modeling and scenery. My favorite era is the steam era around turn of the century.
Using turn-of-the-century photos and maps from the local historical society located in Tunhannock, I began to layout a three-module set. It had to comply with N-Trak standards so that the modules would hook-up with any other N-Trak module, but at the same time try to represent the town accurately. I made a lot of choices in locating the main structures and roads as well as laying out the railroad operations to it would be interesting to run trains.
The layout also makes use of forced perspective to make short distances seem longer front to back.
Just up the river from Falls is the town of Tunkhannock.
(pronounced tun-KAN-ick) I also found many, many photos including this panoramic view from 1890. (I split it in half here for viewing) All the structures I intended to build are shown here including the covered bridge over the Susquehanna.
Again using historical photos and also photos of the modern-day town, I began construction of the structures. Some, like these along Tioga street or Route 6, were kit-bashed from Design Preservation styrene Models. Other such as Winola Worsted were made from scribed basswood sheets. Many many windows were needed, along with curtains and some interiors. Most of the buildings are wired with lighting as well.
Keeler House Hotel model in progress from cut-up DPM model and adding extra styrene custom structures.
The Packer House Hotel is right on the front of the layout and so needed some extra attention to detail.
View of the Packer House from the river.
Bird's eye view of the whole layout
View showing the covered bridge and Winola Worsted Yarn Co.
Tunhannock Lehigh Valley Depot.
Tunkhannock River bridge. It is up this river that the famous Tunkhannock viaduct is located. Locals know it as Nicholson Bridge as the town of Nicholson is below it.
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I found many views of the same charming Lehigh Valley RR train station in history books and the local historical society. Falls is near the town where I grew up, and my parents lived nearby at Lake Winola for many years. So I was able to visit the site many times and compare to the old photographs. There is still one track there, actively operated by RBMN RR.
Falls train station circa 1900. Falls is located northwest of Scranton, PA right on the Northern branch of the Susquehanna river.
Overview of the full finished module. Added a visual history panel in front to show the reference.
The module won 2nd place award at the 2006 National Model Railroad show in Philadelphia.
The Packer House Hotel is right on the front of the layout and so needed some extra attention to detail.
Close up of the depot. All the buildings were scratch-built from scribed basswood scale lumber to duplicate the originals. Automobile models from brass kits.
My method of translating old photos into models involves using Photoshop to square off the images, and then using Illustrator to draw over the images resulting in an accurate, scalable plan drawing. I then simply print it out and fold it up for a prototype.
Then I use scribed basswood sheets, styrene brick sheets and custom windows and doors to build up on the prototype.
I belong to a model railroad club working in N scale with N-Trak modular standards. The simplest modules are 2' x 4' so it allowed me to start out building a simple small module as a replica of the scene. I love modeling and scenery and this scene allowed some great modeling and scenic opportunities.
Module construction based on plywood with foam sheets to build up terrain. Also used my folded paper prototypes to check scale and spacing.
Module scenery construction. Plaster rocks sculptures and castings, painted and starting add add real pebbles that I collected from the very site. The water will be poured using Envirotex 2 part clear epoxy.
Buttermilk Falls from which the town of Falls gets its name.
The grist mill borrowed water from the falls to power its equipment.
I swam and climed all around these falls. The buildings are long gone. It is just overgrown woods now.
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Train Show photos
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ADOBE MUSE CC
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