Hobo Jungle

[2railjon]

What I have no interest in doing, here, is disclosing/explaining how I make my scenes, who and what my resources are, and where I get my ingredients. I will not conduct a craft-work seminar. Layout Refinements is a business, after all, small, but all mine. I am Layout Refinements.

Murph, I'm not sure if you were having a "special snowflake" moment when you wrote your post but here's my take on your comment. Model train forums are not just about conversations of daily activities and weather. They also revolve around the sharing of product reviews, technical info, supplies, and construction techniques. Take care and I wish you success with your business.

[Mitch]

What I have no interest in doing, here, is disclosing/explaining how I make my scenes, who and what my resources are, and where I get my ingredients. I will not conduct a craft-work seminar. Layout Refinements is a business, after all, small, but all mine. I am Layout Refinements.

They also revolve around the sharing of product reviews, technical info, supplies, and construction techniques. Take care and I wish you success with your business.

You're right, Jon. I can't figure where Murph's comin' from with this statement, either. He had a complete article published in OGR Run 224 Oct/Nov of '07 titled "My Neighborhoods", which gave a pretty good account of his methods and practices. I wonder if maybe that hurt his business?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Good points. Ok, when I can recall sources (I've been buying kits , kit parts, built-ups , etc. for years,) where it seems helpful and actual, I'll try to include sources, such as Valley Model Trains , which is where I bought numerous kits, and Roy Baker's Railroad Shop, from whom I buy all of my most unique and expression-full figures, including livestock. It's just that I've been collecting so much stuff for years, building a substantial inventory of parts and features that I'm not sure I want to or can get into dissecting any particular scene. What I do is construct whole vignettes which give their own interpretation of life around us and save a layout-building hobbyist from having to search for all the ingredients involved. In fact, for some of the elements I have crafted into whole vistas, I have been required by clients to use their purchases which I have, then, weathered, annexed, and/or otherwise modified to fit the overall effect.

Thanks for wishing me well, Jon.
Snowflake-ily yours,
Murph
P.S. Here's an example. I constructed this corner of a client's layout, utilizing his (MTH?) houses, Lionel bridges, which I weathered, featured a hill (note the red-marker lines drawn on the plywood to plan for the hillside) crafted by a craftsman-friend, and included that being-built framed house I bought at a TCA York, PA Meet log before. Recently, I went to that craftsman's table, near mine in the Orange Hall, to re-acquire his business card to recommend him to clients, but I promptly lost it in the shuffle of things when packing-up and exiting York this past October.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

What I have no interest in doing, here, is disclosing/explaining how I make my scenes, who and what my resources are, and where I get my ingredients. I will not conduct a craft-work seminar. Layout Refinements is a business, after all, small, but all mine. I am Layout Refinements.

They also revolve around the sharing of product reviews, technical info, supplies, and construction techniques. Take care and I wish you success with your business.

You're right, Jon. I can't figure where Murph's comin' from with this statement, either. He had a complete article published in OGR Run 224 Oct/Nov of '07 titled "My Neighborhoods", which gave a pretty good account of his methods and practices. I wonder if maybe that hurt his business?

Ok, if I post any photos, Mitch, I'll do so in the spirit of that article, intending to be helpful and sharing ideas. Good point. (I have no idea if that article helped or hurt Layout Refinements.)
Murph
P.S. So, in the spirit of that article, Mitch, here are a few more detail shots of that corner project, included here in my answers to you and Jon because I enjoyed that crafting project immensely and can recall most of its particulars (from 2007). Ask any questions you like or make coments and I will do my best in reply.

If I would say anything technique-wise about my work, I'd say I am not shy to pour on the nature - foliage, shrubs, trees of various sizes and hues, etc. just like real-life, in many areas of this country, in my opinion. If a client is going to hire me, he has seen my work, or purchased it, and knows there'll be a buck-or-two spent on ground-covers and foliage.

[2railjon]

Thanks, Murph! We love you like a fellow hobo. I remember when you almost lost your eyesight. You were in our prayers.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I'm still in my prayers.
Thank you for saying that, Jon. Sincerely.

[rogruth]

Murph has mentioned several times that he takes trips through eastern Pennsylvania, New York and other near-by states to gather
info for referencing when he builds Insta-Ramas. I don't remember if he takes photos or just remembers a lot of stuff.
My guess is that most of us do not do that type of thing on a regular basis. I guess other sources are also used by Murph.
Of course he may not do this at all.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Murph has mentioned several times that he takes trips through eastern Pennsylvania, New York and other near-by states to gather
info for referencing when he builds Insta-Ramas. I don't remember if he takes photos or just remembers a lot of stuff.
My guess is that most of us do not do that type of thing on a regular basis. I guess other sources are also used by Murph.
Of course he may not do this at all.

I just started taking a few photos recently since my wife and i got iPhones which have camera-ability that really works well and is most convenient. Usually, I have just been struck by a sight (like these shown here) and committed it automatically to memory and can't wait 'til it starts to pour out onto an acrylic sheet (base-plate) when I craft.
Murph
Scenes influenced/instructed by such excursions are these examples...

[The Dirt]

Murph sure had the critical-analyzing-observing-catagorizing-eyeball-thing going on when he visited Lancaster County and Rough & Tumble. I didn't realize it at the time. Saw it later in his vignettes.

[2railjon]

Awesome layout photos, Murph!!! Thank you for sharing!!!! Iphones rock for capturing quick photos of scenes. I just wish I could incorporate some of my memorable shots onto my layout, but I don't think the Union Pacific ever rolled through here!!!








But sometimes I come close.

[J. S. Bach]

(I have no idea if that article helped or hurt Layout Refinements.)

I suspect that it had little or no effect. You may have lost a couple of sales but I suspect that others (who may not have heard of you before) looked at it and decided to buy at least one.

[J. S. Bach]

That photo reminded me of this place in Bowman, South Carolina:

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Murph sure had the critical-analyzing-observing-catagorizing-eyeball-thing going on when he visited Lancaster County and Rough & Tumble. I didn't realize it at the time. Saw it later in his vignettes.

That' SO TRUE, Pete! The R&T continues to inspire me. Here are a few detail shots that seemed to manifest seeing all that machinery I was able to get close to, inside and outside the pavilions on the grounds in Lancaster; also, the local activity around the R&T site...

I'm happy and impressed that you detected some of that R&T influence in my work. Feelin' any of it here?...

[rogruth]

Murph,

You must have a remarkable memory.
The colors, tints, shades, hues that
you use look so subtle and natural.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

That photo reminded me of this place in Bowman, South Carolina:

If we modeled either of those sites, who would believe us?