Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
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Winander
- Posts: 863
- Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2014 12:19 pm
Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
This thread is intended to provide a location for questions and answers associated with the rules, timings and procedures associated with the Scalefour Society's Jubilee Diorama Project.
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David B
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:30 pm
Re: Jubilee Challenge Diorama Project Q&A
Welcome to the Diorama Project being run for the Scalefour Society's Golden Jubilee in 2026. You may have come here after reading the article in Scalefour News 236 but you may not, so I will summarise matters below.
The aim is to involve more modellers in the Society's Jubilee, to get them away from the comfort of their armchairs and working at their modelling benches.
Layouts are not for everyone. Dioramas are more achievable, requiring less space, less time and less money. The scope is as wide as your imagination. There are very few requirements - a length of P4 track and, ideally, at least one item of P4 stock. The rest of the 'rules' are more guidelines.
Who can enter this Diorama Project?
Anyone, whether a member of the Scalefour Society or not. We hope the those who are not will consider joining in order to get the full benefits of the Society including access to out superb stores department.
What size does the diorama have to be?
This depends on what space you have but we are suggesting a maximum of 3' long and 18" deep (or for the metrically minded, 1m x 0.5m - I am not being too precise). What is important is that it should be transportable by a single person. Should you need to exceed these dimensions, then please ask and make your case.
Does it have to work?
No, it does not.
Must it be electrified?
No, it does not. That said, you can if you wish.
Does the diorama have to stand alone?
Yes and no. A diorama by definition is a scene so in that respect it should stand alone but, should you wish it to fit in to a larger layout, that is fine. For example, you might like to model a goods shed or piece of civil engineering. The scene could sit on a shelf on its own but also fit in to a larger layout once it has been made. It could be something on which you can display your models and be used as a photographic plank or even a small test track.
Can I include animation?
Of course you can, but it is not a requirement.
Is this supposed to be a solo effort?
No. It can be one person's work or that of a small group. See the next question.
What about professional help?
This is discouraged but we expect you to use your common sense. We would rather see your modelling which is why you can make the diorama with a friend or small group. It is more in the spirit of the Project to have a friend's help than a professional's. If you do use a professional for anything, please own up and say what they have been used for.
Can I make more than one diorama?
Of course you can. The more the merrier.
Are there prizes?
No. This is not a competition or challenge. We will be making space at exhibitions where it is sincerely hoped modellers will bring their dioramas to show.
Is there a time limit?
Yes although we hope that having got people modelling they will continue to do so. We are calling time officially at Scaleforum 2026 but will continue to show dioramas after that date if people wish to exhibit them.
What about registering?
We would like to know about dioramas being made for the project and ask you to let us know by registering. The entry form is available on the Forum here together with details of where to send it. You can also email me for a copy at dioramaproject@scalefour.org
Must I open a thread on the Forum?
No, but we encourage you to do so. It helps other people to see what is being done and stimulates discussion. It is also a place where advice is sought and help offered. We ask you to open a separate thread for each diorama.
There will be more questions, I am sure which is what this thread is for. Please contribute, ask your questions and let us know what you are thinking about making. You can email me at dioramaproject@scalefour.org
The aim is to involve more modellers in the Society's Jubilee, to get them away from the comfort of their armchairs and working at their modelling benches.
Layouts are not for everyone. Dioramas are more achievable, requiring less space, less time and less money. The scope is as wide as your imagination. There are very few requirements - a length of P4 track and, ideally, at least one item of P4 stock. The rest of the 'rules' are more guidelines.
Who can enter this Diorama Project?
Anyone, whether a member of the Scalefour Society or not. We hope the those who are not will consider joining in order to get the full benefits of the Society including access to out superb stores department.
What size does the diorama have to be?
This depends on what space you have but we are suggesting a maximum of 3' long and 18" deep (or for the metrically minded, 1m x 0.5m - I am not being too precise). What is important is that it should be transportable by a single person. Should you need to exceed these dimensions, then please ask and make your case.
Does it have to work?
No, it does not.
Must it be electrified?
No, it does not. That said, you can if you wish.
Does the diorama have to stand alone?
Yes and no. A diorama by definition is a scene so in that respect it should stand alone but, should you wish it to fit in to a larger layout, that is fine. For example, you might like to model a goods shed or piece of civil engineering. The scene could sit on a shelf on its own but also fit in to a larger layout once it has been made. It could be something on which you can display your models and be used as a photographic plank or even a small test track.
Can I include animation?
Of course you can, but it is not a requirement.
Is this supposed to be a solo effort?
No. It can be one person's work or that of a small group. See the next question.
What about professional help?
This is discouraged but we expect you to use your common sense. We would rather see your modelling which is why you can make the diorama with a friend or small group. It is more in the spirit of the Project to have a friend's help than a professional's. If you do use a professional for anything, please own up and say what they have been used for.
Can I make more than one diorama?
Of course you can. The more the merrier.
Are there prizes?
No. This is not a competition or challenge. We will be making space at exhibitions where it is sincerely hoped modellers will bring their dioramas to show.
Is there a time limit?
Yes although we hope that having got people modelling they will continue to do so. We are calling time officially at Scaleforum 2026 but will continue to show dioramas after that date if people wish to exhibit them.
What about registering?
We would like to know about dioramas being made for the project and ask you to let us know by registering. The entry form is available on the Forum here together with details of where to send it. You can also email me for a copy at dioramaproject@scalefour.org
Must I open a thread on the Forum?
No, but we encourage you to do so. It helps other people to see what is being done and stimulates discussion. It is also a place where advice is sought and help offered. We ask you to open a separate thread for each diorama.
There will be more questions, I am sure which is what this thread is for. Please contribute, ask your questions and let us know what you are thinking about making. You can email me at dioramaproject@scalefour.org
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Terry Bendall
- Forum Team
- Posts: 2428
- Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2008 7:46 am
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
This is a very good idea and will hopefully encourage people to have a go. The Society did this back in 2010 but the response then was not great so hopefully this time round it will generate more interest.
A past effort of mine on this theme seems to to found its way into the relevant pages of the News. That one was build for a similar event run by Rail Express magazine around 15 years ago and in the past it has sometimes found its way onto the Society stand. This is another one built for the same competition.
This is a Lima model of an Irish Railways class 201 locomotive with the track gauge of course being 21mm. A simple base with two sides with the building modelled using Wills sheets of various types and detailing parts that were to hand.
A military theme for this one with scratch built buffer stops from offcuts of rail and a loading ramp from brass sections and sheets while the concrete paving sections are a laser-cut card kit from the Busch range. These paving sections are perhaps slightly on the small side for typical concrete sections but they offer a useful way of recreating such a surface. The sections were sprayed with Humbrol No.121 before being fixed in place using PVA glue. Strips of 10 thou black styrene were placed between the panels during this process to represent the joints found in such surfaces.
The diorama is designed to recreate a typical vehicle loading area at a military base and features Genesis Kits KFA ‘Warflat’ wagons with Appleby Model Engineering components added in. They are loaded with a selection of light armoured vehicles, namely the Airfix Scimitar and Cromwell Models Spartan and Sultan.
Passing by is a Scammell Commander tank transporter (Cromwell Models) loaded with a Challenger I main battle tank (Matchbox) and accompanied by a Land Rover escort (BW Models). The final element of the scene is the lighting gantry, which is a fiddly but nice etched kit once produced by Taylor Precision Models.
This diorama is built on a varnished wooden base and such things are available from a range of suppliers. Some come with clear plastic covers which are good for keeping the model free of dust.
This scene employs two VBA vans in the process of being loaded, which were modified some years ago from the Hornby VDA with A1 Models etched sides in the open position. The vehicles are from the now sadly no longer available whitemetal BW Models range and include an excavator modified into a heavy-duty forklift with scratchbuilt forks. The Leyland lorry is one of the versatile DROPS (Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System) vehicles, which could carry and unload/load a range of cargoes.
Construction of a diorama can be a good way of developing scenic modelling skills by allowing different techniques to be tried out, perhaps in preparation for the building of a layout. It can also allow the builder to explore the various methods of hand building trackwork as the first step towards working in the finer gauges. More simply, dioramas can indulge a desire to model something different from the era in which you normally work or provide a backdrop for a favourite item of rolling stock.
Terry Bendall
A past effort of mine on this theme seems to to found its way into the relevant pages of the News. That one was build for a similar event run by Rail Express magazine around 15 years ago and in the past it has sometimes found its way onto the Society stand. This is another one built for the same competition.
This is a Lima model of an Irish Railways class 201 locomotive with the track gauge of course being 21mm. A simple base with two sides with the building modelled using Wills sheets of various types and detailing parts that were to hand.
A military theme for this one with scratch built buffer stops from offcuts of rail and a loading ramp from brass sections and sheets while the concrete paving sections are a laser-cut card kit from the Busch range. These paving sections are perhaps slightly on the small side for typical concrete sections but they offer a useful way of recreating such a surface. The sections were sprayed with Humbrol No.121 before being fixed in place using PVA glue. Strips of 10 thou black styrene were placed between the panels during this process to represent the joints found in such surfaces.
The diorama is designed to recreate a typical vehicle loading area at a military base and features Genesis Kits KFA ‘Warflat’ wagons with Appleby Model Engineering components added in. They are loaded with a selection of light armoured vehicles, namely the Airfix Scimitar and Cromwell Models Spartan and Sultan.
Passing by is a Scammell Commander tank transporter (Cromwell Models) loaded with a Challenger I main battle tank (Matchbox) and accompanied by a Land Rover escort (BW Models). The final element of the scene is the lighting gantry, which is a fiddly but nice etched kit once produced by Taylor Precision Models.
This diorama is built on a varnished wooden base and such things are available from a range of suppliers. Some come with clear plastic covers which are good for keeping the model free of dust.
This scene employs two VBA vans in the process of being loaded, which were modified some years ago from the Hornby VDA with A1 Models etched sides in the open position. The vehicles are from the now sadly no longer available whitemetal BW Models range and include an excavator modified into a heavy-duty forklift with scratchbuilt forks. The Leyland lorry is one of the versatile DROPS (Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System) vehicles, which could carry and unload/load a range of cargoes.
Construction of a diorama can be a good way of developing scenic modelling skills by allowing different techniques to be tried out, perhaps in preparation for the building of a layout. It can also allow the builder to explore the various methods of hand building trackwork as the first step towards working in the finer gauges. More simply, dioramas can indulge a desire to model something different from the era in which you normally work or provide a backdrop for a favourite item of rolling stock.
Terry Bendall
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David B
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:30 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
Thank you, Terry. Lovely examples of how simple a diorama can be, not so much simple in construction but simple in terms of the composition. I do hope these will get people thinking and then doing something.
I have a part-built signal box I am thinking of using as well as a couple of other part-made and long ago cast aside things that can be resurrected.
I have a part-built signal box I am thinking of using as well as a couple of other part-made and long ago cast aside things that can be resurrected.
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charliemiller77
- Posts: 57
- Joined: Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:58 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
I read the Jubilee Diorama article with more than a little interest as it had a photo of Lowburn Park which will be at Railex in May, and I’m helping to operate it. .
It has struck me that a diorama is a great way to show the sort of scene that can’t be shown by modelling a layout as such.
As Terry shows in his previous post , the inside maybe of a loco shed. That view which is captured in a photograph but would just be lost in the larger setting of a whole layout.
A carefully illuminated scene?
Hopefully something may spring to mind and I may consider an entry.
Looking forward to seeing what others are working on.
It has struck me that a diorama is a great way to show the sort of scene that can’t be shown by modelling a layout as such.
As Terry shows in his previous post , the inside maybe of a loco shed. That view which is captured in a photograph but would just be lost in the larger setting of a whole layout.
A carefully illuminated scene?
Hopefully something may spring to mind and I may consider an entry.
Looking forward to seeing what others are working on.
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kelly
- Posts: 529
- Joined: Mon May 30, 2016 1:59 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
Terry Bendall wrote:This is a very good idea and will hopefully encourage people to have a go. The Society did this back in 2010 but the response then was not great so hopefully this time round it will generate more interest.
A past effort of mine on this theme seems to to found its way into the relevant pages of the News. That one was build for a similar event run by Rail Express magazine around 15 years ago and in the past it has sometimes found its way onto the Society stand. This is another one built for the same competition.
Diorama 2.jpg
This is a Lima model of an Irish Railways class 201 locomotive with the track gauge of course being 21mm. A simple base with two sides with the building modelled using Wills sheets of various types and detailing parts that were to hand.
Diorama3.jpg
A military theme for this one with scratch built buffer stops from offcuts of rail and a loading ramp from brass sections and sheets while the concrete paving sections are a laser-cut card kit from the Busch range. These paving sections are perhaps slightly on the small side for typical concrete sections but they offer a useful way of recreating such a surface. The sections were sprayed with Humbrol No.121 before being fixed in place using PVA glue. Strips of 10 thou black styrene were placed between the panels during this process to represent the joints found in such surfaces.
The diorama is designed to recreate a typical vehicle loading area at a military base and features Genesis Kits KFA ‘Warflat’ wagons with Appleby Model Engineering components added in. They are loaded with a selection of light armoured vehicles, namely the Airfix Scimitar and Cromwell Models Spartan and Sultan.
Passing by is a Scammell Commander tank transporter (Cromwell Models) loaded with a Challenger I main battle tank (Matchbox) and accompanied by a Land Rover escort (BW Models). The final element of the scene is the lighting gantry, which is a fiddly but nice etched kit once produced by Taylor Precision Models.
This diorama is built on a varnished wooden base and such things are available from a range of suppliers. Some come with clear plastic covers which are good for keeping the model free of dust.
Diorama4.jpg
This scene employs two VBA vans in the process of being loaded, which were modified some years ago from the Hornby VDA with A1 Models etched sides in the open position. The vehicles are from the now sadly no longer available whitemetal BW Models range and include an excavator modified into a heavy-duty forklift with scratchbuilt forks. The Leyland lorry is one of the versatile DROPS (Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System) vehicles, which could carry and unload/load a range of cargoes.
Construction of a diorama can be a good way of developing scenic modelling skills by allowing different techniques to be tried out, perhaps in preparation for the building of a layout. It can also allow the builder to explore the various methods of hand building trackwork as the first step towards working in the finer gauges. More simply, dioramas can indulge a desire to model something different from the era in which you normally work or provide a backdrop for a favourite item of rolling stock.
Terry Bendall
These are great and inspirational.
I wonder if Trains4U would be interested in expanding their range of vehicles to include the road transport vehicles, such as the HETS Oshkosh 1070F for tank transportation (replaced the Scammells), Oshkosh tankers, , and the Logistics Support Vehicles MAN trucks along with the MAN based Enhanced Pallet Load System (EPLS). They've already released quite a number of vehicles and are looking to expand upon it.
Kelly
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hughesp87
- Posts: 138
- Joined: Tue Aug 05, 2008 8:25 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
A little late, for which I apologise, but I just wanted to congratulate the committee for coming up with the idea of the Diorama Project. For someone like me who has a completed layout on the circuit, but has realised that the next and probably last layout will be a permanent installation at home, dioramas could provide a useful way of getting ones work 'seen' and keeping up the social interaction with other modellers at shows.
There are however other advantages to this type of model. Having spent some time of the last few years slowly dismantling my longstanding exhibition layout "Middlepeak", I'm left with a collection of buildings which could form the focus of individual dioramas in their own right. The engine house for Middlepeak, a copy of the surviving example at Middleton Top, is a case in point. It will fit on a diorama board about 400mm x 300mm, for which I already have an acrylic cover to hand. It will also serve as a testing ground for one or two scenic ideas that I want to try out before applying them to the home layout on a much larger scale.
Taking things a stage further, it occurred to me that there are several important railway anniversaries in the offing, with the 200th anniversary of the opening of the world's first public railway (Stockton & Darlington) in 2025, the Liverpool & Manchester 200 in 2030, and in the same year the same anniversary of the opening of the first section of the Cromford & High Peak Railway. Maybe dioramas would have a part to play in exhibitions as part of any celebrations that might be planned?
I've therefore started to make a list of potential CHPR diorama topics that would be suitable, to commemorate locations or events across the line's history. Plenty to think about in the months ahead! Perhaps a shadowbox diorama to replicate this wonderful image of the inside of the works at Cromford Wharf in the late 19th century?
Food for thought indeed!
There are however other advantages to this type of model. Having spent some time of the last few years slowly dismantling my longstanding exhibition layout "Middlepeak", I'm left with a collection of buildings which could form the focus of individual dioramas in their own right. The engine house for Middlepeak, a copy of the surviving example at Middleton Top, is a case in point. It will fit on a diorama board about 400mm x 300mm, for which I already have an acrylic cover to hand. It will also serve as a testing ground for one or two scenic ideas that I want to try out before applying them to the home layout on a much larger scale.
Taking things a stage further, it occurred to me that there are several important railway anniversaries in the offing, with the 200th anniversary of the opening of the world's first public railway (Stockton & Darlington) in 2025, the Liverpool & Manchester 200 in 2030, and in the same year the same anniversary of the opening of the first section of the Cromford & High Peak Railway. Maybe dioramas would have a part to play in exhibitions as part of any celebrations that might be planned?
I've therefore started to make a list of potential CHPR diorama topics that would be suitable, to commemorate locations or events across the line's history. Plenty to think about in the months ahead! Perhaps a shadowbox diorama to replicate this wonderful image of the inside of the works at Cromford Wharf in the late 19th century?
Food for thought indeed!
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Geraint Hughes
Cromford & High Peak in P4
Danish Railways in P87
Cromford & High Peak in P4
Danish Railways in P87
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Mark Tatlow
- Posts: 899
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:24 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
David,
With regard to the dimensions, can the width and the depth be rotated?
The idea I have kicking about in my mind needs depth a lot more than width.
Mark
With regard to the dimensions, can the width and the depth be rotated?
The idea I have kicking about in my mind needs depth a lot more than width.
Mark
Mark Tatlow
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David B
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:30 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
Mark Tatlow wrote:With regard to the dimensions, can the width and the depth be rotated?
Of course, Mark.
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petermeyer
- Posts: 313
- Joined: Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:06 am
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
Mine too might be 2 foot deep. Can I squeeze it in?
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David B
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:30 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
petermeyer wrote:Mine too might be 2 foot deep. Can I squeeze it in?
I don't see why not. The size guide is just that - a guide. The important bit is for one person to carry it.
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Neil Smith
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:53 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
David B wrote:The size guide is just that - a guide. The important bit is for one person to carry it.
Would that mean something a bit less than 0.9m x 0.6 m would be OK? Still carryable, and the area is only just over the 0.5 m2 suggested...
All the best
Neil
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David B
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:30 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
Neil Smith wrote:Would that mean something a bit less than 0.9m x 0.6 m would be OK? Still carryable, and the area is only just over the 0.5 m2 suggested...
You are talking to a Luddite here, so I have just converted this to 3' x 2'. Yes, why not? I had not considered area in the guide, only dimensions.
The reasoning behind the 'rules' being a 'guide' (please note the terms competition and challenge have deliberately not been used as well) is to make this project as open as possible - to get people to participate without feeling encumbered with too many limitations. Off-forum, I have been talking to someone who is thinking about a project 12" x 9". Size isn't everything.
Although not competitive, if participants in the Diorama Project would show on the Forum what they are making, I am sure others will enjoy telling you what they like. As we don't have a 'like' button, do feel free to use the emojis (labelled as Smilies on the right of the comment box).
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Neil Smith
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:53 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
David B wrote:You are talking to a Luddite here, so I have just converted this to 3' x 2'. Yes, why not? I had not considered area in the guide, only dimensions.
Thank you David, I will go away and play with some mock ups and see if the false perspective I have in mind will actually work in practice!
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David B
- Posts: 1519
- Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2008 5:30 pm
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
The Mid Devon AG spent a very pleasant day modelling, chatting and eating at Yeoford Village Hall today where, for once, it wasn't raining! There were 16 modellers and several brought a variety of things along they are working on, mostly models but Nick Salzman brought this diorama in 3mm scale, destined for the 3mm Society's Diamond Jubilee next year. It measures 18" wide and 12" deep but shows how something quite simple can be made in to an interesting diorama. If it had been in P4 . . .
If you see any ideas, please photograph them and post on here. So far, although I have only received one formal entry, I know quite a few modellers have expressed an interest if taking part in this project. Let's hear some more of your thoughts, please.
Click on the image for a larger version.
If you see any ideas, please photograph them and post on here. So far, although I have only received one formal entry, I know quite a few modellers have expressed an interest if taking part in this project. Let's hear some more of your thoughts, please.
Click on the image for a larger version.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Worzels Works
- Posts: 74
- Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2023 4:04 am
Re: Jubilee Diorama Project Q&A
David, my thanks to you and the committee for being so active on challenges and projects, this really is a great time to step into the world of finescale modelling. I'll throw my hat in the ring, it's good to have more motivation!
Yours aye,
James
James
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