Booraan diorama
A couple of years ago I sold my West Merredin layout to a mate and subsequently found myself without a suitable place to photograph my models. At the same time, I was in the early planning stages of a new layout based on Southern Cross, on the fringe of the WA wheatbelt, and was considering the use of finer-scale trackwork along with a number of new techniques. These two circumstances led to the concept of a photographic diorama that could also serve as a test bed for the new layout.
Booraan was selected as the subject for the diorama as it is a simple passing loop with minimal structures and attractive wheatbelt vegetation. The scene also includes an embankment and a large culvert, providing an ideal location for below–track-level photography. To enable this, the large trees in front of the culvert are removable. The effectiveness of the diorama is illustrated in the accompanying photographs.
The diorama proved to be a very successful test bed for a range of new techniques, including:
The use and modification of code 55 trackwork
Ringlock farm fencing
A more visually appealing layout height of 1330 mm
Native vegetation, including mallees and salmon gums endemic to the WA wheatbelt
LED layout lighting
Prototypically accurate signals
Effective use of a photographic backscene (from Haskell and Co)
The production of homemade static grass tufts
Originally published in the Victorian N Scale Collective Newsletter