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Dioramas Articles

The author describes how he created a small street scene in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The author describes how he models a realistic-looking brick sidewalk.

The author describes how he built a diorama of a car that ran into the water, and covers how he creates an "ambiance" in his models.

The meter-gauge siding modeled shows how the author details his models, integrating in-street running.

Modeling stone wall remnants using polyurethane insulation foam.

The fun and challenge of building a diorama in a one-foot square.

The author shares the techniques he tried in the construction of this 5-inch square diorama.

A 1:16 scale of a Powell planer, built from Plastruct ABS strips.

A Century of Trains in Sedalia

A modeling interpretation of an area in 1900, 1950, and 1999.

A Trio of Scenic Inserts

Building three scenes that can be inserted into the layout. Includes construction photos.

American Flyer Locomotive Service Facility

The author describes a 4'x6' layout that features a turntable, a roundhouse, and a loop of track around them. Includes many photos of the diorama.

Dearborn Station

With the right backdrop, lighting, and photography equipment this small diorama looks like photos taken of the real world. Includes a sidebar on how the photos were taken.

Edendale Creek Diorama Part 1

The author built a diorama in proto:48 for a scratchbuilt Fairmont Railway Motors weed burner. The article contains lots of photos of the diorama under construction and the finished model.

Hard Times

The author describes aging a model pickup truck, and then the diorama he built. The photos included do not show the truck.

Jim Lorbiecki's Milwaukee Road Everett Street Station Diorama

This diorama models the Everett Street Station, or Milwaukee Union Station, which was built by the Milwaukee Road and opened in 1886. The station was located on Everett Street between N. 2nd Street and N. 4th Street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Includes several close-up photos of the diorama.

Model for the FBI

The author is commissioned to build a model of the Branch Davidian compound for a court trial. He used a local engraver to cut all the wall and roof pieces out of styrene to speed up the process. Includes photos of the diorama, and the story of him bringing it to court.

Modeling a Flood

With all the recent flooding in New Orleans, Texas, and Florida, the author thought it might be a nice idea to model a flooded area in an NTrak module. The article has many photos of a 1990 flood in Caryville, Florida. No actual modeling is done or shown.

New Tracks

The possibilities of S-scale blending with the 1:64 diorama modeling community; a plus for both. Several 1:64 farm manufacturers are covered and interviewed in this article.

Sutton Wharf

A 5' by 1' imaginary English 18-inch gauge industrial railway diorama in 1:25 scale. Includes trackplan and close-up photos.

The 12" Square Challenge

The author decided to participate in this challenge to produce a realistic diorama in a 12" square surface by trying out S-scale. The article includes several photos of this T-intersection street scene set in England.

The Making of Wharf Street

The author describes the process that he and a handful of friends went through building this diorama/layout that is displayed at the Bar Mills headquarters, which they built for the National Narrow Gauge Convention of 2007 in Portland, Maine. The layout is set in coastal Maine in 1925. Includes many close-up layout photos, a track plan, and the exterior of the building that houses the layout.

The Rio Grande Southern at Dolores: an Sn3 diorama

After deciding on standards among the local Sn3 club, the author describes how the informal group built 24 feet of modules to model the RGS. In addition to photos, there is also a track plan for how the sections are set up.

Tony Dixon's Module

The author describes Tony Dixon's S-scale farming scene diorama, which includes a lot of vehicles that Tony likes to modify and super-detail. It is a great example of how one can model in S-scale without necessarily involving trains.

Trackside Photos

A photo of Philippe's modernday diorama featuring a BN locomotive and a shoe store in Buffalo, New York.