Modeling Town Square - Park

[Burlington Bob]

I agree with Phill.  In lots of small towns in the Midwest the railroad goes right through the middle of town and many have small parks beside them.  Bushnell, IL is a good example.  The BNSF mainline is double track in that area and goes through the middle of the town with park areas on both sides and the business district borders the parks.  To top it all off, they have a carnival in that area every year.  What Roger is showing is not too far from reality.

[peteski]

Interesting.  I didn't say that the modeling was wrong - it just didn't seem right to me. I won't think that average people who want to spend some quiet moments while a train blows right by their park bench.  Of course this wouldn't be a problem for any railfans. 

[Kisatchie]

Mainline train tracks cut right through the center of New Orleans' City Park. The park is so big though, it's not that noticeable.


Hmm... yeah. It cuts
through the golf course...

[rogergperkins]

Pleased to see this topic has stimulated discussion.  After viewing my photos, I thought that there needs to be a better transition between the park and the mainline, and that may be a row of smaller trees.
I am modeling central Illinois in 1940s where it is/was not uncommon for the railroad to be built and some small towns developed around the railroad.

  If we need a "story" to justify the location, the owner of the largest hotel donated this land to the city as a memorial to Civil War Veterans.  It was not an all together altruistic gesture; the conditions prevented another hotel from being located across from Union Station.

Remember as well, I said this was inspired by MR, not by reality. 

[rogergperkins]

Bronze WILL need weathering.  Need to see how it dries.

[peteski]

Yeah, bronze is usually not metallic looking after it develops a patina. It usually looks dark brown.

[rogergperkins]

Working toward patina.
The forward gear of my "way back machine" is not working properly.
I used a W/S steel rail track painter, then wiped off before it dried.

How fast does bronze change in Illinois? Era of layout is 1940's, thus statue erected in memory of US Civil War veterans in 1915.
Would it have as much patina as the one in the photo?

[strummer]

OK, one thing that bothers me a bit, both in your park and in the MR article, is the proximity to the railroad tracks. In real life, city planners try to locate parks in quieter locations. But, since model RR layouts are mainly depicting the railroad right of way, finding a quiet out of the way spot in a city on a layout would be a tall order.

I think it may depend on where you're modeling. When I was growing up in Connecticut (which was settled pre-rail era), the village squares I can remember, in Northfield,Litchfield, and Thomaston all had the squares in the middle of town. Only Thomaston, as I recall, had any rail lines, and they were quite a distance from this center part of town proper.

I suppose this was because these towns where built around the roads (wagon trails?) that were the first transport systems.

Dunno if this adds anything; just reminiscing.

Mark in Oregon

[Alwyn Cutmore]

Roger.

The whole scene looks to be in balance but I believe you will get a better effect if you sprayed the statue black and then dry brushed the high areas with copper paint. You could also dry brush on a slight hue of dark green which a lot of bronze statues get coming through with the oxidization of the metal. If you want to get real pedantic paint a few white dots on his shoulders and get a couple of those scale pigeons and put them on him.

There is a good old saying that goes with this and that is " Some days you are the pigeons and some days you are the statue".

What ever, it does look good and reminds me of central parks outside major stations the world over. A lot more peoples will give it life and remember the kids playing hide and seek around the base.

Regards

Al

[ljudice]

If maintained, like the "golden boy",  bronze will stay golden indoors or outdoors forever:

http://www.sandstead.com/images/genius_of_electricity_aka_spirit_of_communication/

Not saying that would happen to a statue in the park, of course...

[DKS]

Bronze WILL need weathering.  Need to see how it dries.

I have no problem at all with the proximity of the rail line in this scene; I've seen it often enough in life. I think a dark patina on the statue (and perhaps some locals enjoying the open space around it--a couple of picnic blankets, perhaps?) would complete this scene.

[rogergperkins]

The Gold Medal Models spiked iron fence arrived a few days ago and with any good weather in the next few days, I will get it sprayed flat black.
I will also be reducing the length of the park very slightly to match the fence section length.

As for the statue, when I find a black version of the W/S Tidy Track Painter, I will test it for adding a 4th or 5th layer of patina.
I challenge those of you who advocate further aging of the statue to show us an example of your own modeling where you have achieved the look. 

David, every one is too busy with the War Effort to have time to frolic in the park.   

As I mentioned, based on local history the park area and statue have their origins in 1915 as a 50th anniversary of the US Civil War was being observed.
Unlike so many statues dedicated to one person, it was dedicated to all those who served.  The tract of land where Union Station now stands was a part of a grant for Revolutionary War Service, and the sale of that small portion to the railroad was one of many profitable business ventures that grew out of the hotel business.

[DKS]

I challenge those of you who advocate further aging of the statue to show us an example of your own where you have achieved the look.

Damn, and I made one of these park statue things, too (complete with spotlights), it's just not here. I'll have to grab a shot next time I'm at Rick's...

[rogergperkins]

David, second your d*mn!  Just found the fence I purchased years ago and already painted. Now have 3 sets of Gold Medal Models spike iron fences and 1 set with the gates. 


Note to emphasize up from down, one section has spikes pointing down.   

[eric220]

Would it be possible to rotate the statue 90 degrees so that it's facing the station? There's something about having it face to the side that seems off-balance to me. It would seem more natural to have a solitary statue facing the direction that most people would approach it.