Whenever we make a scale model of a real structure or scene, we take the dimensions of the real structure or scene, and convert them to scale inches, scale feet, scale meters, etc. Often, however, the resulting structures are still too large to place on our layouts. For example, the longest building we can model in scale across the back of a 4 x 8 foot HO layout is (8 X 87 =) 696 feet long… and even in N scale, is still less than a quarter scale mile long. To work around such limitations, we often make many changes or compromises to fit the buildings or scenes onto our layouts. When modeling a particular building, we will often reduce how many times some element is repeated, or we will shorten the dimensions of a building far more than the shortening which happens when converting into a particular scale. Instead of a 7-story building as wide as it is tall, we might make it only 3 or 4 stories high and as wide as it is tall. We preserve the important characteristics of the building that make it recognizable, but we are able to place the recognizable model in a smaller space than if we reproduced it without editing out some of the repetitive aspects of the original. Instead of a passenger platform being 160 N-scale feet long (12 inches) and 5 N-scale feet high (3/8ths inch), the passenger platform may only be 54 N-scale feet long (4 inches). Instead of 5 identical windows and 3 similar doors on a building wall, we may make the building wide enough to fit only 3 of the windows and 2 of the doors. We retain the signature features that make it recognizable, yet achieve our effect using less layout real estate. This is the process of selective compression—we select the signature features of a structure or scene and reduce the total number of times those features are represented, or we shorten certain dimensions more that the shortening needed to reduce to the correct scale. I am initiating The Selective Compression Modeling Challenge: Anyone who has picture(s) of real structures they have selectively compressed to fit on their layout is challenged to post those pictures along with pictures (or plans! or computer designs!) of the selectively compressed structure (building, bridge, hillside, river, mountain, industrial area) on your layout. In your posts, 1. Post a picture(s) of the actual structure or landscape feature you wish to model. 2. Describe the signature features of the actual structure, if they don’t show up well in the picture(s). 3. Post a pic that shows the modeled structure/landscape. 4. Please feel free to comment on why you selected certain features instead of others. 5. If possible, share the thought process you went through to arrive at your final choice of what to include and what to eliminate. Notes: 1. This Challenge is NOT a contest or competition against other modelers. It is an opportunity for all of us to learn by showing other modelers examples of the changes, compromises, or other adjustments that can be made when a straight reduction of the structure to the proper scale yielded something that was still too big to fit on the layout. 2. The model does NOT need to be finished to be posted—Pictures showing any selectively compressed building on your layout (or which you are in the process of adding to your layout) are welcome. The example I'll be posting is only an unpainted mock-up made of foamboard, but hopefully my description of the selective compression process I went through will help others in their selective compression efforts. 3. My hope is that your pictures of the modeled structures will provide examples that inspire others, and that your description of the process you went through will help others learn how they, too, may shrink life-sized structures into the (usually) very restricted real estate of a model RR layout.
The Keystone Steel and Wire Mill in Bartonville Illinois is one of the industries that was served by the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway in the 1970s. The Open Hearth Furnace Building was one of the signature features of the actual mill complex which I decided to model on my layout. Pictures and description of the actual building: This first picture shows an aerial view of a portion of the KSW Mill complex from the west. The Open Hearth Furnace (OHF) Building is the large building in the back and toward the right. The top of the Continuous Caster can be seen between the OHF and the Electric Arc Furnace Building in front. The Soaking Pits Bldg is to the left rear. The OHF has 2 taller smoke stacks toward the north end, 3 smaller stacks in the middle, and 2 medium height stacks toward the south end. In the 1970s, the era I am modeling, the OHF Building had tracks entering both ends of the building. From the south, a pair of tracks entered on the upper level after climbing a 3% grade; 2 other tracks entered on the lower level, one after passing in front of the refractory (kiln brick) shed and brick shed siding, and the other coming from the lead to the siding where recently stripped molds were prepared to receive their next heated pour of molten steel. From the north/left end, tracks crossed to the Cooling Track and the Soaking Pits Building where molds were stripped from the still warm ingots. Beside the north end of the OHF building was the continuous caster building. This next picture shows the OHF Bldg from the south. The brick shed is on the left and has 2 stalls of slightly different dimensions. The tracks to this building were removed a number of years ago when all steel production was moved over to the Electric Arc Furnace Bldg shown in the first picture above. In this second picture, the Mold Shed is outside the building on the right side, and is a roofed area where recently emptied molds were cleaned and prepared for their next trip through the OHF. The third picture shows the Continuous Caster that is located next to the north end of the OHF Bldg, but is not actually connected to it. In the 1970s, a track ran inside the Continuous Caster so a gon could be spotted inside the Continuous Caster to receive the 30 feet long billets produced by the caster.
Signature features to model: I wanted to model the buildings, rolling stock, and rail car movements showing the various steps of the steel making process at Keystone, so I set up the buildings, track configurations, and types of loaded and empty cars necessary to complete that process. Signature features of the OHF Building or related actions to be modeled are underlined. 1. At the OHF Bldg, a pair of charging cars with loaded pans of the raw materials used to make steel are pushed up a 3% hill to the upper level of OHF Bldg where their loads are dumped into the furnace to be melted. All charging cars with empty pans are taken back down the hill to the Charging Yard where a long rail crane re-loads them with more ingredients. 2. On the lower level, cars with cleaned and prepared molds are brought into the OHF Bldg from the adjacent Mold Prep Shed. As these cars are brought in, they go past the Brick Shed rail siding and a lean-to type of shed (Brick Shed) in which kiln bricks and other materials for furnace maintenance are stored after off-loading by a forklift from boxcars. 3. At the north end of the building, mold cars containing red hot ingots are pushed to the Cooling Track until the molten ingots start to gel and shrink so it is easier to remove the molds. 4. Close beside the north end of the OHF Bldg, the Continuous Caster produces a gon load of 50 foot long billets which must be pulled by the Keystone switcher to the Billets Storage area and replaced with an empty gon pushed from somewhere else in the mill. 1. On the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway in N-Scale, I have made a foamboard mock-up of the OHF Building. Although the actual building is 525 feet long and about 200 feet wide (in N-Scale, 39 inches by 15 inches), my mock-up is selectively compressed to be about 325 feet long by 120 feet wide (in N, about 25 inches by 9 inches). 2. On the layout, the charging cars are pushed up a 2% grade instead of a 3% grade. 3. The continuous caster is selectively compressed to form a smaller footprint and is positioned next to the Electric Arc Furnace Building (as the prototype is located), but it is in front of the north end of the OHF Building instead of along the west side of the north end. This adjustment permitted nestling the large buildings housing the OHF and the EAF in a narrower shelf than would be needed for an accurately scaled representation of the buildings. Notice how the OHF, Continuous Caster, and EAF are spread apart in this view showing the actual buildings from the south, but how closely they nestle together on the layout in this view from the north.
Wayne, William: Thank you. The plant manager is a fellow model RRer who arranged for the tour and got me copies of old blue prints showing the buildings and their relationship to each other and where all the track went. The pics and blue prints were extremely helpful in the selective compression process. All: Let me clarify my intent in issuing the Selective Compression Modeling Challenge: It is NOT limited to only current selective compression activities...Examples of selective compression from months or even years ago are welcome! The purpose of the Challenge is to make examples of selective compression available to TB viewers, regardless of whether that selective compression activity was in the past or is currently "in progress". All modelers have been or will be doing selective compression...I want us to talk about and show the process so we can all get better at it. My hope is that: 1. modelers who have been through the process will post pics that show the actual structure/feature and the model of the structure/feature as it appears on their layout, and tell why they made their choices; 2. modelers who are currently going through the process will post pics and talk about what they are doing and why. 3. viewers will learn new ways to fit the 1:1 world onto their scale layouts.
With my yard and station "Naumburg" I followed the prototype. This is the track plan from the prototype: and from the model: For the station I took pictures and made made my drawing after them. But then I've got a prototype plan! And even in 1 : 87 !!! I built the station according to this plan:
The engine house is a mix from different times. I build the signature part, the water tower and a shortended version of the engine house. Wolfgang
Very nicely done. Hmm. Interesting. I have been sketching the local commuter rail station Roslindale with the intent to compress it. Of course. it is just a long strip with a simple shelter, parking lot and signs. Hmmm. Can be done
Compressed Peanut Butter Haven't built it yet, except in the computer... "Peanut Butter Warehouse" in Galveston, Texas, built 1895, photographed by me 2nd week of July on a "research trip". Currently has lofts being built in converted 3rd floor, and additional 4th floor. Shown in a 1921 valuation photo at Russell Crump’s Eastern Archives site, http://www.atsfry.com/EasternArchive/Photo/database/000414.htm I compared this building with a DPM Goodnight Mattress kit and found I could approximate it using parts from an additional kit so I ordered one. I scanned the DPM kit, colorized it, and bashed it in Photoshop to plan the model.
We've done this many times. But most of the original stuff has been filed under names like "005759.jpg." Let me see what I can find. The original Jordan Marsh and Filene's buildings were done under this concept, as was the Statler building.
Fellas, I just wanted to get in the act here a tad. Unless I missed a prior thread/discussion about selective compression, I was under the belief that S/C was when we place ,say, an N scale building far in the rear of an HO layout to form the illusion of same as being even further away than it is , thus creating an impression of more distance than really is. Is just changing measurements of ,say ,a foot print of a stucture really S/C or just making it smaller to fit scene ?
Mark, what you have just described is a technique called forced perspective, fooling the eye into thinking that things are further away than they really are. Selective compression, however is more about shoehorning large structures/scenes into a smaller area. An accurate scale model of an existing protoype would likely occupy an area too big for your layout. Making it neccessary to say, half the size of a yard or reduce the footprint of a building and still capture the essential elements of the protoype.
Ah,yes !! Forced perspective.... You are right sir !! I stand corrected !! The two are so close (in my perspective) that I forgot one along the way. Mea culpa..
Both have been used on one HO layout. No photos exist today, but some buildings were built at HO scale with buildings on the 'block' behind only a few inches were built to a smaller scale, with a smaller scale yet, used for buildings behind those. Way up on the side of a mountain in the 'distance' was a closed loop with an N scale train moving around the mountain. The mountain was just in front of the 'purple mountain majesty' distance and the train was dakened equally as it would have been seen from that real distance. A distant whistle blew just before the train came around to make a slow pass in view, disapearing around the bend out of sight behind the mountain, where it made four loops inside before coming out again later. By having some space between the front and succeeding buildings mountains etc, there was a bit of paralax if a viewer moved about while looking in the distance. The effect gained some approval from the few visitors that saw it. The whole layout was 15 by 22 feet in a horse shoe shape.
Yes, I have used "selecive compression" as my layout room is way too small for the whole of Tacoma... So I try to get a number of signature elements fairly correct, but even then they need to be compressed to made them fit. One exampe is the Building of F.S. Harmon Manufacturing, 1983 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA. Description of the "real" building: In March of 1947, the F.S. Harmon Manufacturing Company was finalizing plans to modernize and expand their furniture manufacturing facility and showroom at 1938 Pacific Avenue. F.S. Harmon was the sole northwest concern holding a franchise to manufacture "Serta" mattresses and springs. They employed over 500 woodworkers and upholsterers who built dinette sets, bedroom suites, desks, tables, bed divans and upholstered chairs. The company closed their plant and showroom on Pacific Avenue in 1960. In the late 1990s the first floor of this building was converted to commercial space, including the Harmon Brewing Co., and the upper floors were converted into loft apartments. And here is my version, details and advertising still missing: It is a kitbash, starting with a Walthers kit (but I forgot which one...) to which I have added custom build ground floors. Mopst building along my version of Pacific Avenue are slightly smaller than they should be: As you can see they are right at the background and I did not want them to "overpower" the scene... Cheers Dirk
Good idea Dirk. Nothing spoils a good photo than a shadow showing on the 'sky' behind a building! It can be corrected with lighting, but with the buildings at the backdrop, you effectively get rid of those pesky shadows. You certainly captured the building alright! Wolfgang, you never cease to amaze me of your skill at constructing museum quality 'anything' you put your mind to!
BUMP!! It's been almost a year since I started this thread. Let's see some other examples of the selective compression process.
Thanks for the bump. I wasn't here a year ago and this is fascinating. I can't find the reference at the moment, but I remember reading that Disneyland's Main Street USA is built with the ground floors of the buildings in 7/8ths scale and the second floors in 5/8ths. Interesting use of selective compression in real life, I think. Best!
I would like to submit a couple links to my blog. Rather than retype it all, I'll be lazy, and just link it.... http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=937 http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?b=938 Current photos... Skirting the edge of Old Tunnel 9: Just how compressed it really is: The real thing is about a 1/3 mile from Tunnel 8's west portal to Tunnel 10's east portal.
