# Dilemma with Background Scenery



## DoctorZ (Jul 26, 2013)

Okay, here's the situation.....I've got a small indoor ceiling G-scale loop around my basement. It sits about a foot below the ceiling and 6 inches away from the wall, and runs on custom built shelving. My dilemma is the best way to add background scenery to the walls? Some say to go with G-scale scenery so you stay true to scale, but then there are those that say no, go with HO Scale scenery so that you will have more depth to your layout. I'm totally new to this background scenery thing, so I'm a bit worried that if I go with HO, I will end up with giant trains overpowering the scenery, but I also worry that if I go with true scale that since my trains are running so close to the wall, it won't look very good. Any advice would be welcome!


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

How about splitting the difference and using O-scale? Depending on how close you are and the viewing angle you might consider using just sky, forest and mountains that appear in the distance. If buildings are used then they will probably look out of scale since they will be so close to the the train which can be used as a reference as it passes by.


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## hunteman (Dec 27, 2007)

You might consider the forced perspective approach. Use a small amount of scale scenery close to (perhaps on either side of) the track with the O scale, or the HO, scenery behind the track and close to the wall. My experience is that it doesn't take a lot of scale scenery to encourage the viewer's eye and mind to see the effect.


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## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Doc... Being that you are only 12 inches from the ceiling and 6 inches from the wall I'd say got G scale... it will look better and be able to be seen. HO would be too small to be seen behind the trains.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

You know any starving artist? Have them paint you landscape on vinyl. Then attach that to the wall behind the RR. Also get some front only buildings and attach them to the wall behind the RR. 


Add some signal towers to the front of the RR 

JJ


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

O-guage - wood cut & plaster castings from "Cutesy" store.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Seems like you don't have enough depth for forced perspective (as HO scenery would try to encourage). But maybe, in a corner or two, you could make a vignette with an HO building / etc. in the back where you have more room.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

In a recent post, "Bill C", posted a picture of his new engine on what looks like a shelf with very nice looking background. You might try contacting him to see what he uses.

Bill C's picture

Chuck


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

My shelf railway is only about 12 feet long and shuttles back and forth with an LGB reversing unit. The background is made from a wallpaper border featuring a countryside scene. Every few feet I have some building flats made from pictures I printed out to about 1:24 scale mounted on black foamboard. Any figures and other details are chosen so that they allow the trains to pass by freely. Once in a while I change the building fronts to suit my mood.


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