|
|
![]()
| |
|
A Message From The President: July 2005
New Club President Jim Jansen
|
Greetings from the new President of the GCMRC. I thought that I should introduce myself before I
start injecting ideas and concepts over this website.
Name: Jim Jansen, legally known by the US Government as Alexander James Jansen, born in Chicago as part of
the baby boomers.
Grew up on Chicago's Northwest Side, graduated from
Steinmetz High School June '61 and the University of
Illinois Champaign/Urbana June '67 with a Bachelor of
Architecture (Design Major).
Licensed Architect in State of ILL since 1971,
licensed in State of ILL in 1990 as Licensed Real
Estate Appraiser, Certified Residential Appraiser in
state of ILL 1998.
Served 6 years in USMC Reserves at Glenview Naval
Station with Marine Attack Squadron VMA 543 -
servicing A4 Skyhawk aircraft.
Worked 30 years at various architectural firms such as
Holibird & Root, Murphy-Jahn, Chicago Park District,
|
US Postal Service, and currently, Certified Life
Safety Code Surveyor for State of Illinois Field
Architect Long Term Care Division.
I modeled trains most of my childhood until high
school began to require most of my time, and resumed
the hobby again for the past 18 years with the advent
of my sons. I came to the GCMRC with my sons' Cub Scout
troop about 5 years ago, and joined with the thoughts
of assisting with scenery and landscaping. I had no
intention of being President, but will accept and
perform the responsibilities and duties to the best of
my abilities with the available time and resources.
Enough about me, now for the the concepts.
Concept I - It's about scale.
SCALE - "The proportion used in determining the
relationship of a representation to that which it
represents."
It's not about watching a toy circulate under a tree
once a year. It's about creating a space, a time, a
feeling through the use of scale. One could experience
a piece of country splendor with a river and trees, or
an urban environment with its bustle and commerce, or
even a small neighborhood similar to one in which they
grew up.
A trip down a scale track could be during the current
time with familiar traffic of trucks and cars, or a
track could wind back in time from various parts of
the layout from current, to mid century, to early 20th
century - all with the feel of scale - space - time.
Landscaping and foliage treatment could create a feel
of seasons. Summer, fall and even winter scenes can be
created. The layout is one's canvas, the scene becomes
the subject, the modeled parts become the palette. The
model railroad is a model of a time, place, past
experience, or current conditions.
A generic store-bought plastic model of a brick
building (although some are quite detailed now) can
gain greater life with small adjustments that take the
structure a step further into realistic scenes by
adding a dull finish to the new plastic, some earth
tones to show the effects of weather, and wind driven
dust and rain. Mortar joints at brick coursing bring
out a human dimension that relates to the human scale
- one brick - one hand full. And of course the use of
scale figures of the given period being portrayed
induce action in addition to scale.
Various levels of foliage from grass, shrubs, small
bushes, fruit trees and up to great oaks trees repeat
the micro to macro ascent of the human scale
experience.
The combination of scaled materials and as the artist
calls it, the vanishing vista (forced perspective) can
bring a feel of distance into an otherwise small
static space. An effective way to force a perspective
is to reduce the background objects to smaller than
the operating scale. For example, an HO scale forced
perspective could diminish in a short space to N scale
objects and to an even smaller scale scene painted on
to a back drop enhancing the the illusion of distance
to the scene.
The Garfield Central Railroad at first glance upon
entering the door can be likened to a forest. When
going to the various scenes, one can experiences the
separate trees of this forest and can get drawn down
into the scale of each scene, of what is going on at
that spot, at that time. Less developed and detailed configurations of
railroading cannot persuade and induce the Mind's Eye
to drop into a scene that, like the artist's paintings,
instill an emotional response.
However, 'Scale' molded into the fabric of a site
makes the experience not as a toy but as a vignette in
time and space. A Norman Rockwell Vignette, if you
please.
An added incentive for me on a personal level to
relate the previously mentioned ideas of scale was
brought about by observing my oldest son Chris and
friend Steve (Trekies to the core).
Chris had purchased a three foot long plastic kit
model of the Star Trek space ship USS Enterprise
NCC-170-A.
A toy? Their procedure in building it has included repainting
of the hull and interior, interior lights, space
shuttle craft and shuttle landing bay, and a study of
scale drawings of the model included with the kit and
acquired from a web site and about one months work
testing lights, paints, soldering, gluing etc.
The bottom line of this - the kit from the box has
gone beyond a nice space ship model to a highly
detailed and precise replica of a time and a place
(although it could exist in the future) using the
same techniques and desire to achieve scale. The
additional cognitive sensitive input has actuated the
leap out of and above the toy configuration.
GARFIELD CENTRAL R.R. CAN TAKE YOU THERE.
Sincerely,
Jim Jansen
President, Garfield-Clarendon Model Railroad Club
July 17, 2005
P.S.
Don't clog station sidings with waiting passenger cars.
|
|
