Lesson from a Train Set Diorama

Passion and persistence

Model camp ground along the railway. The dust seems to add a little character!

The Backstory

There is so much going on to capture our attention that it’s often difficult to focus on any one thing. With as many people as there are on the planet, it’s no wonder that enriching communities go undiscovered by the majority of people.

This is what I experienced when I stumbled across a model train expo at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. I thought to myself, “That sounds neat and could be a family outing.” My young daughters are fascinated with toy trains, so it sounded like a good event .

We entered the old expo hall… “old” because the old wood, old metal, and old furniture looked and smelled like it was from the 1970s… we were greeted by a few older folks (fitting) to get our hand stamped and enter the exhibition. Did I mention the place was old? Little did I know how many vendors, junk-dealers, antique shops would be present — and that I would be more fascinated by what was on display than the girls.

The Object

Model grocery put together near a small town.

Among the vintage and antique railway folks were a few model train layouts and scenes. There was a really large set… probably 12 feet wide by 30 feet long… that was the most intricate train set diorama that I have ever seen in person.

Like a closer-to-real-life version of Sim City, this model took planning, time, and money to a new level… I was amazed and inspired by such professionalism.

There were many items like the grocery store that were likely purchased and combined with other items like cars and people, but the way the “towns” and areas were constructed was well-though-out… down to the street lights. The photo I took below is an example.

I talked with the guy who built these houses himself from various materials. See the streetlight by the church on the left? He made that from the bottom/flat part of a metal thumb tack, drilled a small hole into it, and mounted it to small, steel tube that had the copper wire running through it for power. He built and wired this whole area of the town! Pretty ingenious really. A cool hobby.

Even the out-of-town areas had character… check out the cows grazing and coming to the farmer and his tractor:

I’m not sure I’d have the patience for something like this, let alone be willing to make the time and space necessary to pull it off. Most of my time for these types of activity is invested in the digital areas… grinding away through video game stories or solving puzzles on mobile apps.

What’s even more amazing…

After I took notice and was fascinated by these train models, I began to see connections and stories related to train models. Coincidence? Maybe.

Photo I took of the train expo diorama in December 2015

Or it was the time of year where trains are most popular… December. Places like the Dari King serving as symbols of real chains (Dairy Queen, in case you missed it), began to reveal themselves throughout my news feeds.

Perception and awareness, I’m sure, but perhaps a little by design to honor such detail, thoughtfulness, and craftsmanship… or maybe a lost art that needs to be remembered.

The biggest story that spread the most on this topic was the Google-related story where a small, streetview-like camera was attached to a model train set. Not just any model train set diorama… the biggest, most intricate set in the world… Wunderland.

Here’s a story showing the camera on the train… Google’s Streetview camera articles of Wunderland from Jan 13, 2016:

Google Uses Tiny Camera Cars to Shoot Tiny Street View of Tiny World

Here’s the video… pretty incredible:

The Lesson

Little worlds created as a hobby. There must be some kind of human nature that inspires us to want to create something that we’d like to experience but can’t, so we opt for using our imaginations in the form of models.

What can we learn from a train set diorama?

This house took 3 weeks to build, according to the guy who built it by hand.

• Patience is a skill that is hard to master.
• Authenticity is appreciated more than trying to fake it.
• Where there’s passion, there is likely a niche of people that share it. Find them.
• Speak highly of other people’s work, especially if it’s something you know they put a lot of time into putting together.

Find a way to explore your creative side that doesn’t involve a computer or mobile screen. You’ll feel a different sense of satisfaction or fulfillment, like the folks who built these train set dioramas. Whatever drives you, be persistent in your efforts to see it through… at least give it a try before giving up, like I did with bonsai trees last summer, ha! — now there’s story for another day.

Next to the logging town was a train repair shop with a working welder. See the green light? It was flickering.

Written by Shaun Holloway.