Interesting comments made by the contributors on this subject and I am sure we are going to get many more interesting comments.
In South Africa we do not have many exhibitions and must rely mainly on what we see on the internet and in magazines which obviously limit our ability to comment on exhibition layouts.
The question was raised what is meant by "exhibition standards" and as far as I know there are no hard and fast rules. Locally I have found that when layouts are displayed and entered into the Model Railways Convention or exhibition competitions there are no real guidelines aivailable to the
entrant(s) to prepare their exhibits for the competition. The judges decide before starting their judging what criteria they are going to use. So there is no continuity to the following competition and I think this situation sometimes confuse and even scare off would be exhibitors.
I believe that a modeller who is prepared to enter his masterpiece into an exhibit/competition has reached a certain level of modelling skills and selfconfidence and that he would like to compare his work against those of the other entrants.
We must also remember that we can not all reach those high levels of modelling simply because we do not all have the same talents. The fact that one does not want to weather your locomotives and rolling stock and even the structures on your layout has justification as well as the other way around.
I for one do not like to weather my locos and rolling stock. I do however paint all my structures before assembly which may allow for some very light weathering especially on the brick and stone work. Just by painting the structures can be regarded as a light form of weathering as it eliminates that shiny plastic toylike look. Painting and ballasting track can also be regarded as a form of weathering. Doing landscapes, rockfaces, rivers and streams can also be regarded as a form of weathering.
I have seen layouts where the weathering idea has gone totally overboard and I hate to think what effort it is going to take to make it at least presentable again. Then again I have seen layouts with very subtle weathering that really looks nice and presentable as well as layouts with no weathering at all. From my experience the last two kinds of exhibition layouts have drawn much more interest from the visitors and spectators.
The "Hansel and Gretel" look was mentioned and I think when you speak to the ordinary spectator at exhibitions you will find that it is this look that "drew" them to the exhibition and also that an interest in the hobby was created by this "Hansel and Gretel" look. I think what we as model train fanatics are trying to do is to create a perfect little world to relax in and to escape every now and then from the real and cruel world we have to navigate every day. Someone on another topic on this forum has even gone a bit further and said he wants to create his own Utopia. Isn't that exactly what our model train layouts are to us - our own little Utopia where we are the station masters, bosses, managers etc?
I agree with Goedel. At the end of the day you have created your layout so why will you not create something you can enjoy? And I am sure that when you enjoy your layout others will enjoy it with you.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Every layout irrespective of its size must tell a story. This story is made up of one or more smaller stories within the bigger story. Some examples of smaller stories: a scene at the station, bus stop or taxi rank, people playing in a park, workers repairing the road or track workers working on the railroad, children on their way to school, a soccer match in progress, people at a local flea market, a construction site, an accident scene, a village scene, people working on a farm. Put all those unique little stories together and you will get the bigger picture. But the big secret about this is that the layout must tell the story without its creator speaking a word. We as modellers must not forget to take that spoonfull of healthy imagination every now and then and share that imagination with the visitors to our layout.
Kids as well as the adult kids just stand amazed when they see our layouts and it makes one feel good to see their appreciation. When one challenge some of the onlookers to try and find a certain scene telling a story on the layout it is sometimes quite funny to see them trying to find that scene and hearing their comments. And at the end of the day I believe that we as modellers have created an interest in our hobby that is so important for the survival of our hobby.
Weathering or no weathering, prototypical or modellers licence, as long as you create a layout you are happy with and can enjoy and others with you, you have achieved what you have set out to do.
Appreciate the work of your fellow modellers even if you do not agree with what they have done and be very diplomatic when you deem it necessary to critisize. One is never to old to learn.
Keep on enjoying this lifetime fascinating and rewarding hobby
Kind regards.
Johan
