(Article written for the Keystone Flyer, newsletter of Division 2, MidCentral Region, NMRA)

The French author, Marcel Proust, wrote a famous series of novels, In Remembrance of Things Past, in which the seemingly trivial act of tasting a pastry with tea suddenly brings a flood of memories; the novels trace these memories over the course of several decades.

It seems to me that model railroaders are trying to do something similar, except that we must choose a few details, almost trivial when taken one at a time, and evoke a whole atmosphere that includes the two important elements of time and place. The relevance of Proust does not end there. Several times in his novels, he diverges from the story into brief essays that include discussions of places and place names, where the names came from and what they meant. One way to understand the history of a place is to know how the place came to be named, and the evolution of the original. In addition, Proust describes train journeys, the emotions that accompany travel, and in particular, the progress of the "little train" that takes him to his friends' house in the country.

Recent years have brought a number of good essays on the importance of time and place in model railroading; Tony Koester's column in Model Railroading is a good example. The mundane details of everyday life are important elements in placing a scene solidly in time and space. These details include the presence of fences, sidewalks, guardrails on roads, and the types of vehicles. Many details are hardly noticed until they violate the period or place we are trying to model.

This approach to the hobby is opposite to the one in which effect is achieved through modeling the unusual and the fantastic. Tony Koester made a similar point, perhaps unintentionally, in a column in which he pointed out the lack of kits for many common structures and details.

The hobby is obviously changing. Some of the kits Tony requested are now available, and interest in prototype modeling in motive power, rolling stock, and operations is rising steadily. If we also include scenic elements, we could call the results "total prototype modeling".

Division 2 has done its part. Neal Schorr has that ability to model the typical, and many of us have attended his clinics on highway construction. The key seems to be able to see the typical, and translate it into model-building.

Take another example: mobile homes and trailers. C.J. Riley's simple castings for trailers are exceptions. His are the kind towed by cars, sometimes used for living quarters. But, what about mobile homes? Modular homes? The recently-offered mobile home kits represent the 1950's, but do not resemble the one I inhabited as a student in the 1970's.

Can you point to layouts or photographs that seem to shout out the time and place? My admiration for the work of John Nehrich and others in creating the NEB&W goes back several years when I saw a photograph of the layout, and one particular scene brought back memories of upstate New York, where I grew up.

AN APPROACH TO MODELING TIME AND PLACE

Success in "total prototype modeling" does not necessarily come with following rules, and there are certainly no short cuts. However, I believe there are modeling behaviors that tend to lead to success or failure, and I hope to share my thoughts on the subject in this and future columns.

1. Scratching and bashing. It is not necessary to scratchbuild every car or structure, but it helps to know a few basic techniques and have the self-confidence that comes in knowing that if a particular structure is needed, that you can build a reasonable facsimile. Learning to scratchbuild is daunting for many people, but it's like any skill; one can start slow, and build up.

It is well-known that one of the easiest ways to pick up the skill is to work through some kits, which instruct one on the basic steps. More importantly for the future scratchbuilder, kits tell you what materials that are available, such as scale lumber, sheathing materials, and castings for doors, windows, and details. I find that a large proportion of time in scratchbuilding is in locating the castings. It came as a big "a-ha" to me when I realized that kits are largely made up of components available separately on the market. So, try to find kits similar to the types, region, and time you want to model.

You could argue that kit-bashing skills should be developed first, but I tend to argue the opposite. I find it hard to take a kit and modify it to fit my needs. Perhaps I need to get better at modeling a certain look, without having to follow a particular prototype. I find it easier to start from scratch.

2. Avoid a dependance on kits. Although there are exceptions to the rule, I find most kits to be lacking in authenticity. If they are based on a particular prototype, then fine; your job then is to determine if the place and period are right. It's amazing how subtle regional differences in architecture can be, so a depot from New England might not work at all in the Midwest.

There are more kits available for domestic architecture based on accurate data, and these should be sought out as appropriate. I've explained above how kits can be useful, but I feel that a total dependence on them is too much of a limit. Not to mention the cost.

3. Learn the "look." Regions and periods have characteristic looks in railroad, domestic, industrial and commercial architecture, as well as details of everyday life and along the railroad right of way. Returning to architecture--a particular interest of mine--regions and periods differ in the materials used, window sizes and shapes, and proportions. For instance, windows once accounted for a large proportion of the outside wall of buildings, simply because the sun was an important light source. Factories and houses alike had multipaned windows six feet high and several feet wide. Sensitive modeling demands appropriate proportions.