By: Paul Matarese
Like most of us today, work demands a lot of our time. The result is less time to spend enjoying one of the greatest hobbies in the world, Model Railroading. I helped to remedy this situation by taking a small part of my hobby to work. I constructed a diorama modeling the famous Pennsylvania Railroad Broadway Limited. I created this 1960’s era fictitious stop in my home town of Middletown, DE. Modeled in N Gauge this display measures approximately 16” Long x 7” Wide and 7” High. This display utilizes both the KATO GG1 and Kato Pennsylvania NW2 switcher along with two passenger cars from the Kato Broadway Limited add on set. The stop represents the end of the “electrified run” for the GG1 locomotive. An NW 2 switcher is moving cars into place for the rest of the journey westward under diesel power. Woodland Scenics figures and landscaping materials are used to make the scene come alive. With a little imagination it’s fun to make some scenic details from everyday stuff. The culvert is fashioned from stick matches and part of an old ball point pen. I added a transformer to the telephone poles using a capacitor from a junk electronic board. Strip off the plastic jacket and give it a coat of gray paint and viola! The centenary wire detail and on the telephone poles is magnet wire from an old electric motor. The stones and boulders are real, courtesy of my drive way. The dead, downed trees and stumps are branches carefully selected for a realistic look from the hedge row behind the house. You can really pack a lot of detail into a small display like this one. It is really an eye catcher sitting on my desk and I find coworkers marvel at the detail and enjoy it as well. Who says, “You can’t take it with you?”
