While I spent all my time at the cash register, Tom helped greet people and pass out flyers and keep watch for shoplifters. (Not so much intentional, but with little kids picking up toys and wandering, it is always possible for something to find its way into little pockets by accident.) He had some time to wander around the show a little -- I didn't get to do much of that -- and took some shots with Flat Matthew. He also, as I discovered this morning, bought himself another little train -- N scale.
Here are some pictures of the new train running around and warming up on the table in his office.
Sundance thought the train was a new cat toy and kept trying to swat it off or crunch it. To give you an idea of the scale, here is the engine from his downstairs layout beside a tape measure.
About this time last year, after seeing the snazzy layouts some folks had at the Show, Tom decided he wanted to recreate a scene of downtown Kilbourn City (as Wisconsin Dells was then called) from the late 19th century. Here is what he has done as of now. He has carved out rocks (from styrofam insulation) to look like the dells and other formations that made the place a famous tourist spot even then, showing the Wisconsin River flowing through town(eventually it can be made to look like river water, not just black), under railroad bridges. He has been making trees for the hillsides and trying to get a realistic looking ground cover. He has some buildings put together, but hasn't really done the town layout yet.
This is a project very much still in progress, but it actually looks impressive. Tom is an artist, having inherited that from both his parents. The tricky part is that this is all on a big piece of plywood in the basement, and I don't think it can easily be brought upstairs. So hardly anyone ever gets invited to the dirty basement corner to see it.
1 comment:
I'm so sorry you didn't have time to wander about and see everything. ): That sounds like something that would happen to me! Cool idea with the train layout!
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