Steve's Swamp in HO Scale

There is nothing quite like a vacation spot in the Adirondack's to drum up inspiration for a module project. February's Module Spotlight was designed by Steve Brown and his dad, Bill, based on scenes from the Adirondack Scenic Railroad in upstate New York. The module features lots of mini-scenes to capture the feel of the area as well as a photo backdrop from a summer vacation to Saranac Lake in the region. The module was constructed in 2006 over span of about 6 months following standards developed by the Central New York Modelers club. The mainline tracks stand at 51" off the floor and the module is supported with folding legs. The mainline tracks are all code 83 and at just six feet in length, a lot of details have been packed in. There are fishermen, beaver dams, campfires, and an animated crossing. The buildings are combination of kit, kitbashed, and scratchbuilt structures. One of the more interesting features is the working fireflies. Steve and Bill managed to add this animation using fiber optics and a single light source. The simple design produced effective results and when viewers are up close to the module can see this detail. It's no surprise with all this detail that the module was awarded third place in the individual module contest at the 2006 National Train Show in Philadelphia, PA.-Modular Railroading Staff