Vol. 06: Dick Elwell's Hoosac Valley Railroad
Dick Elwell's Hoosac Valley is a bridge route that interchanges with the Boston & Albany, the Delaware & Hudson, the New Haven and the New York Central. The HO railroad features magnificent New England scenery with lots of rivers and forested mountains. Dick will show you his method for making super-detailed foreground trees. That skill at detailing carries over to the layout's many mini-scenes. These are life-like vignettes that tell a story of a slower era. You'll be inspired as Dick recounts some of his early pitfalls as a beginner in 1959. And you'll enjoy knowing that this layout evolved from an idea on a piece of paper into a Great Model Railroad.
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7:52For an example of highly detailed landscapes and realistic scenery, look no further than the Hoosac Valley model railroad designed and constructed by Dick Elwell. His display showcases his precision, thoroughness, and dedication to the craft of railroad modeling. Around every corner is an impressive display of craftsmanship. A layout such as this inspires the
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10:01Close your eyes at the Hoosac Valley model railroad and you will be transported to New England. The realism of the sights and sounds are unparalleled. Modeler Dick Elwell is a genious when it comes to model railroad operations. He has an unmistakable talent for bringing layouts to life through narrative. Dick designed Hoosac Valley
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8:24Dick Elwell claims he didn’t know much about model railroads when he started his journey, but he knew he loved trains. That passion drove him to become the modeling expert he is today. He describes himself as someone who doesn’t plan, but rather credits his layout to luck. He began building Hoosac Valley in 1959
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2:47Allen Keller describes Dick Elwell’s scenery as “state of the art.” Unlike most modelers, Dick doesn’t use sawdust, zip texturing, ground foam, or poly-fiber to create model railway trees. He has advanced from these techniques and uses 90% wild oregano for the foliage on his Hoosac Valley model railroad layout. Creating Realistic Model Railway Trees
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7:02Dick Elwell is a prodigy when it comes to wiring and scenery. It’s rare for a modeler to be carefully skilled in both areas of modeling since they are contrastingly different from one another. Allen Keller describes wiring as regimented and linear, whereas he describes scenery as free form. Dick essentially engineered both the wiring
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4:47There are multiple ways to create model scenery, but Dick Elwell swears by Hydrocal for his Hoosac Valley layout. Hydrocal is a mixture of plaster that hardens to create molds. It can be handy for making mountainous formations and other various model scenery. Dick believes it is a great product to use, but many people
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2:29The Hoosac Valley Railroad was built in 1959 and is now several decades old yet is still an advanced example of fine modeling. Although the main track line has stayed fairly consistent, Dick Elwell is constantly thinking of ways to update the layout. He continues to incorporate new technology and new techniques into Hoosac Valley
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4:10All the scenic material used on the Hoosac Valley Railroad comes from Dick Elwell’s backyard. Using natural materials such as soil from the earth on your model railway roads enhances your layout and bring the realism to new levels. You can purchase materials from a craft store to create model railway roads, but why not
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1:52Dick Elwell’s childhood memories fuel his inspiration for scenes on the Hoosac Valley model railroad. Model railroad train inspiration can be extremely diverse. For example, some modelers find inspiration from traveling, others from dreams and some from other modelers. It’s clear that influence can come from an unlimited array of possibilities. Adding the Details to
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