# Does this count as a Diorama?



## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

Guys,
Well as my screen name suggests, I'm a car modeler, and I am. to a point (I must limit myself) As you will see, I am a serious railroad modeler, even more so. I got A LOT of locomotives, in HO scale, Steam and Diesel. The steam is the basis to my layout, BUT, I model late Steam era, early diesel, on the Baltimore & Ohio, along side of the B&O, I also have the Western Maryland, and a little of the Chesapeake & Ohio as well....

But in the train world of modeling, my biggest "love" of all is Articulated steam locomotives, they're HUGE, and look awesom in operation!

Amoung those, I have. My favorite, the B&O's EM-1, "Yellowstone" I have 2 models of this enormous locomotive, and wanted as display case to put it in, BUT not like a normal shelf type set up (I make my own cabinets as well....) SO, because, I have 2 of these locomotives, I needed atleast a 2 shelf unit. I made up a "case" with one shelf, which is the part of the "box". So, with this, thats a base, but I wanted something more, and to have this, I built this box into what is a Diorama? Its got a steel girder bridge going though the center of it, to hold a second locomotive, (A Brass B&O EM-1, "Yellowstone") and then the lower "ground" level to hold the other one, thats a Spectrum Model.










Then a better close up of the left hand side of the display diorama:










Then a center picture:










then a right hand side shot:










This case is "traverse" I guess you could say, the left hand side of the bridge, goes from the back corner, to the right hand side to the front edge! The "pillar" had to be placed to allow the lower track to go under the bridge, BUT had to be justified to the length of the bridge and the placement of the road.....Plus the "pillar" also has a signal on it, which is why the signal box on the ground is there, and to the left of the "pillar" is a ditch for drainage, that has real dirt in it thats has been covered with a type of material I thinkl does water effects VERY well!

And over-all picture of the case, without the locomotives:










Would this count as a diorama? It will have 4 spot lights in the top corners of the case, to shine down over the locomotives as this case will have a hinged plexiglass cover as it hangs on the wall in my living room!

I got a bit yet to do to it, but....I thought it was good enough for posting at this point in time!


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I'd say yes.


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

John,
Thanks! I got some work yet to do to this one. this is the first one I EVER done! So far, the only part that's "out of place" really is that lettering on the bridge, and I purposely done that! I wanted the name to "stick out" to those who looked at it, even tho, its weathered over as a real one would be.

I got more trees to add to that all as well, the weeds are pretty much done, I also have another telephone pole to add by the road, and once all the scenery is done, I got Telegraph wires and signal wires as well as telephone wires to add which will be dead last to go into the case!

AND I'm going to try an incorporate all my family pets too! (This is gonna be a fun one!) As I can get all of them in there, I just got to come up with a way to represent a snow white rabbit in HO scale! LOL The rest of our pets will be easy, and to that most of them, are made in HO scale, its the rabbit that's playing a more challenging roll!


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## 1970AMX (Feb 3, 2011)

John P said:


> I'd say yes.


Ditto,,,very nice display and takes up minimal space.
My wife just inherited her brother's HO collection. I am guessing he had over $5000 (retail) in diesel engines mostly northeast since he lived in Ohio


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

AMX,
THANKS! Your probably, right with the northeast railroad engines that your wife just got, specially from the Ohio area. I myself, was born and grew up in south western PA so......Toward the center of town was B&O mainline, to the outskirts of town was the Western Maryland,......My home place? Was trapped between 2 sets of railroad tracks! Either one not all that far away! Less then a block either direction....

As for my Diorama/display, its 28 inches wide, by 16 inches tall. the locos in it, are both 22 inches long! Just to give an idea of the whole thing, also its 5 inches deep.

But as I said, I got a bit more work to do to it....As in these pictures, its not completed! I have a trim board that will cover the edges of that "sky" against the backing of the case.....Just for trim, PLUS to serve as a covering to the wires, I'm going to run for the LED spot lights!


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## Parts Pit Mike (Jan 3, 2001)

Looks good. I'd certainly call it a diorama as well. In my Local Hobby Story they had an HO Scale Model Kit of a Big Boy in Baltimore & Ohio markings. As far as I know there never was a B&O Big Boy -- but it looked good anyway


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## 1970AMX (Feb 3, 2011)

-Hemi- said:


> AMX,
> THANKS! Your probably, right with the northeast railroad engines that your wife just got, specially from the Ohio area. I myself, was born and grew up in south western PA so......Toward the center of town was B&O mainline, to the outskirts of town was the Western Maryland,......My home place? Was trapped between 2 sets of railroad tracks! Either one not all that far away! Less then a block either direction....
> 
> As for my Diorama/display, its 28 inches wide, by 16 inches tall. the locos in it, are both 22 inches long! Just to give an idea of the whole thing, also its 5 inches deep.
> ...



Look up northeast ohio railfan on Facebook


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

Ohhhh I know! I know of the Cleveland and Sandusky Areas and then further west you go towards Chicago the worse it gets it seems! (Not a bad thing for those of us that are railroad modelers but....) you get the idea. Then all the lake added activities too, Ore to the mills and barges fulla God only knows what. yeah I know. it gets really busy around there......


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

Parts Pit Mike said:


> Looks good. I'd certainly call it a diorama as well. In my Local Hobby Story they had an HO Scale Model Kit of a Big Boy in Baltimore & Ohio markings. As far as I know there never was a B&O Big Boy -- but it looked good anyway


Thanks! 

As for the B&O "Big Boy" Nope! In real life, they wouldn't have fit through the small bore tunnels. AND the east coast has a lot of tighter curves then the UP has out west.....

BUT the B&O "Yellowstone", was one wheel set short of a "Big Boy". Was also a lot stronger then the big boy as it was a short, stout loco, (The B&O's Yellowstones, were the smallest of that wheel arrangement)


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## irishtrek (Sep 17, 2005)

Yes that does count as a diorama, and maybe even a bit more.:wave:


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## -Hemi- (May 5, 2014)

I had assumed so, but you know what assuming does......As for the display, I just wanted something...more then a normal wooden case that was mounted to the wall, and one that I could actually get some "spot light" ideas going on to do something I normally would not have!

I got display cases, almost one if not 2 in every room of the house except my Daughters room....Shes got one of her very own made from Cedar, for HO scale Thomas and Friends Bachmann Spectrum stuff, shes collected over the years (shes 9) I probably at some point ought to post my "shop" display cases so everyone can see the true hoarder that I am! LOL 

...just my all time favorite loco, to be in a lighted display that also has a bit of scenery in it, sounds right for a living room wall you know? 

I thought of other things I'm going to add to this display as small details, The only part I thought ofdoing and backed away from was lighting the railroad crossing lights, AND the signal lights as well as the spot lights even tho, that would have looked AWESOME in years to come would not have been easy to replace the mini lights or worse, the LEDs I may have used! So, I choose not to add them! Plus the spot lights are LEDs and they will have most of the attention, you know?

Anyone else get into large Steamers such as these?


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