A small model train display board can be a great project for modelers in any experience level. These simple dioramas are a great way to display your models at home, the office or on public display. You can use them to photograph models in good light for publication or for your inventory. They are also a great way to practice some new skills before trying them on your layout, experiment with a different scale, or introduce children to the hobby.
Keep It Simple
You want the model to be the focus of attention, so keep the scenery on the board simple and basic. This is a fun project that can be built in a few hours and makes for a relaxing afternoon with a child who wants to help with your trains or express their own creativity.
The exact dimensions of the display aren't critical. The board pictured here is 18 x 20 inches. Why? Because that was the size of the piece of scrap drywall available! This size will work well for most scales. It can easily be stored in a drawer or hung on the workshop wall.
Bigger isn't necessarily better. The display should be lightweight and portable. If you plan to use the display for photography, you'll want to have 2 to 6 inches of scenery in front of the track to help frame the picture and hide the edge.
For most displays, a flat board will work fine. Depending on your goal, you may want to add some more dramatic vertical scenery or just elevate the track slightly above the terrain on roadbed.
Track
You can put as much or as little track on the display as you'd like. Less is usually more. Laying the track on a diagonal will allow a longer, more distinctive display and set up more natural photo angles.
Since you're only building a small display, there's no excuse not to spend a little bit of time making the track look its best. At the very least, you'll want to paint and ballast prefab track. If you've never tried laying track by hand, this would be a great opportunity. Make the track appropriate for the models you plan to display… a modern mainline, a backwoods logging road, a street-running trolley line, etc.
Be Resourceful
You may have everything you need for this project in your modeling supplies already. If you've started a model railroad you probably have a suitable scrap of lumber, spare section of track, and half-filled bags of ballast and scenery supplies.
Maybe you haven't put scenery on your layout yet. Buy small bags of supplies in the colors you think you'll use for the layout and use this display board to test your palette and hone your skills.
Try Something New
Never modeled water before? Roads? Trees? Maybe you've always loved desert scenery but couldn't figure out how to make it fit in your Pacific Northwest -themed layout. Simple display boards are a great way to try something new without the fear of leaving a permanent scar on your layout. A simple board, like the one pictured here, is still an open slate for further experimentation and additions down the road if desired.
Displays can also be a fun diversion into parts of the hobby you wouldn't otherwise get to enjoy. In fact, there are many modelers who never build a permanent layout but dozens of beautiful mini-scenes.
One Display at a Time
Once complete, a display board can stand alone or it could be incorporated into a larger railroad. The boards don't have to only display trains. A large industry, town, lake, or similar scenic feature can be built on its own display board and then attached to the railroad.
Working on individual displays allows you to focus your attention on a smaller project and work from all sides much more easily than if it is attached to a larger platform. The mini-displays can also be kept removable for travel to public displays or just for cleaning and maintenance.
