Model Train Journal

I am rusty at posting here, so if the picture's are messed up, I will try to fix it.

My layout has a couple levels. The front of the top level is back from the front of the bottom level. I have facias on both levels.

The facia on the bottom level serves as purpose: the front of the layout, in a position to be brushed up against, needs to be sturdy. But the top facia? It always sort of bugged me. I really didn't have any good reason for doing it. I was looking at it and realized in terms of vertical viewing space it's a bit of waste, and its location close to the track causes it to show up easily in photos.



Since you can't see the bottom level without sitting or crouching anyway. I don't want to bring it out as far as the bottom either, mainly because I do like to see the track on the front bottom from a standing posture, and because I think people would bump it with their elbows. It's a tight space as is and I don't want it any tighter in the viewing area. However, I realized that I can extend the upper deck ground level out and down without compromising the existing view of the bottom level.

I just built it out with foam boards, tippy sculpted it roughly, and applied CelluClay.







What I am getting at is that I initially did the facia on the top level because "that's what you do", but now realized there are instances where a facia has a use and instances where you don't need it and can ditch it, get more real estate, and not negatively affect views of other parts of the layout. I took the photos above whike trying to be at the same viewing location (a common viewing location for me) and maintaining the same view of the bottom. So for reference notice that you can still see the same stuff on the bottom as you could before.

Now I have more breathing room for photos on the top front track.



Since photos for posting on line are more common now than in the past, any other thoughts of new ideas for facias? I was also thinking of painting a sort of front drop on mine rather than just black or brown or whatever...

Beautiful layout.

I always viewed the facade the way you view the proscenium in a theater. It provides a visual cue to separate the stage and what's on it from theater itself. In the minds eye you are telling your self to ignore the stuff above or below those lines. Your photo's show this isn't always necessary.

Upper level is less of an issue, you just chose not to look down. Lower level gets a little more tricky. There is no "sky" per se. In your examples there is enough distance between the base of the upper level and the actual track that the mind's eye will probably treat it like an Escher drawing. Something slightly odd and probably not worth extensive scrutiny.

Hi Chuck, thank you and good points.

Turns out that the bottom part of the old upper facia is visible at the top of the bottom scene (that's a mouth full!) to give that frame effect. I'll say I did it that way on purpose!