Practicalities and fantasy

It's obvious that Morfa's scenery is at an early stage of development. I prefer to get all the nasty, functional, nuts and bolts jobs out of the way before making things pretty. Though simple in nature Morfa is a pretty big train set, being an 18' x 12' kidney shape.Previously all my other layouts could be grouped under the category of 'micro'. It's the sheer extra work, coupled with interests which veer off target, that has been responsible for the basics taking 'till now to reach completion. The last phase of work has seen the branch line which penetrates the backscene finished, the points made operational and the wiring completed. Here's a sketch of the station area which should explain what's in front and what's to the rear of the backscene, and how it fits with the geographical reality.

Here's what really happens once the model world fades from 3-D to 2-D behind an artfully placed clump of trees.

If we zoom in it's possible to see better the workings off stage.

However to keep up the lie that my version of Morfa is real it's necessary to also hold in ones mind the earlier plan.

Borrowing

Generally I believe that backscenes are good, unfortunately the shape, size and orientation of Morfa mean that only two and a bit sides are covered by them. A good proportion of the layout can be viewed from both inside the squished oval shape and from outside. Looking out on the bits devoid of backscene one has to filter out the rest of my playroom clutter, but looking in I hoped to be able to borrow the backscene from the far side of the layout. Take a look at the photo, it shows how the principle works.

The train is a foot or so away from the camera, the backscene about fourteen feet. In an ideal world I'd have used the whole height available to me, but practicalities forced a two foot high backscene, leading to the letterbox cropping of the shot. However the mind is a wonderful thing and when watching trains pass here, the white wall above the backscene fades out.

Friendship 2

Though they may not know it there's much of my friends in Morfa. Earlier I've credited them as a motivating force, but they have an influence that goes far beyond this. Good company and conversation set off so many ideas, many of which have made it into the model or will at a later date. Friends also populate the altered reality that is Morfa. Many of the manifestations exist only in my mind, as things to do once the layouts scenery develops, some are works in progress, just one nears completion. 

You may remember Jones Motors of Arthog pictured some time ago. As the layout is close to the stage where I can get on with the scenery proper, I thought it would be fun to build the garage scene as a module which would be set in scene when the landforms go down. Jones Motors (in my mind) is run by a friend of the same name who works in the trade and has the cross of  Imp enthusiasm to bear. He's a natural salesman, I can imagine the world being his lobster, his word being his euro-bond.