Scenic Tips

 

Tip # 1 - Town Statue
A perfect center of attention for a town square is a statue of the founder. Build a base from plastic or balsa. Paint it a weathered concrete color. Glue an HO Figure to the top. Paint off-white and weather with olive green. Put some pigeons on it.


Tip # 2 - Give Your HO Scale People Something To Read
Newspapers are an important part of any town.

Save the picture below to your computer, then print it out.

Next cut out the newspapers.

Using a drop of white glue applied with a toothpick, glue each newspaper into place on a figure as shown below.

You can also shrink down your own.


Tip # 3 - Funny Mini-Scenes Add Interest
Funny scenes can add a lot of interest and fun to any layout. Visitors will enjoy looking at your railroad and discovering these little details.

Here's an idea you can try.

Make a "DRIVER'S EDUCATION" sign. Glue it to the rear of an auto.

Position the car so that it is going the wrong way down a one-way street. Other cars can be driving up over the curb to get out of the way, people can be running, etc.


Tip # 4 - Add Telephone Poles

Telephone poles add a lot of realism to your layout.

Mount transformers to wood frame on the side of an industrial building.


Glue lights and phone boxes to sides of buildings.

Tip # 5 - Where The Crowds Are
People make a miniature scene come to life. And it's hard to have too many people on a well designed train layout. The key is to set up little people naturally. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Bus stops
Sidewalk superintendents at a construction site
Car accident
Protest march
Crowd of people waiting for a wedding couple to emerge from a church
Line of people at a grand opening of a store