Well, it's fair to say that summer is definitely here with temperatures reaching an incredible 38 degrees Centigrade in Kew Gardens this week (that is 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and what better place to go in such glorious weather than the great British countryside.

Most model railways feature the countryside at least somewhere on the layout, modelling it is easy enough, all you need is some sheep, hills, trees, more sheep, a few fences or hedges and maybe even more sheep! But what about the finishing touches and finer details. If you are lucky enough to live in the countryside then you will be only too aware of what kind of the street furniture and interesting abandoned, parked or stored objects you are likely to encounter around every corner, but, if you live in the city then it might be a little harder to decide what to feature on your layout.

The countryside may not be as wild and free as one might imagine, it is all owned by someone. Whether it be a private estate, farm or government-owned property, it all belongs to somebody and therefore has boundaries to separate one plot of land from another. The boundaries usually have fences, walls or hedges to mark them and keep animals in or humans out, this we all know, but what happens inside the boundaries and do we ever really think about a back story for something as humble as a plot of land?

This could well be the secret for creating a successful countryside scene: you could give consideration to what activities are likely to be undertaken on a particular piece of land as well as how affluent the landowner is likely to be. These two questions alone will lead you to consider things like how well kept the land and buildings are, and if there would likely be anything abandoned on the land or what kind of vehicles would be parked there. All of these things will help you to build a picture of an interesting scene, just don't forget the sheep!

Here are just a few ideas for things on an N gauge layout that you may not have considered incorporating into a countryside scene before such as skips which can be found on most farms, bus stops that are a common feature in villages and along country lanes, straw bales or sweetcorn crops that make a field much more interesting and some sacks stacked on a pallet to help indicate an activity.

     

     

 

And here are a few countryside-themed ideas for 00 gauge too. Ditches are a common feature at the side of many railways in the countryside, they also provide drainage for the fields, however, they are often overlooked on a lot of model railways. Javis produces a magnificent portrayal of a ditch, modelled on a stiff card they would also make for a very convincing country lane. If you are already considering modelling a ditch on your railway then you may also want to add a little water in the bottom for effect, this is easy enough to do with some easy pour water such as the one produced by Busch.

Other great easy to model ideas that you could use to add interest to a countryside scene include some ready-made ploughed fields, hay-stacks or hay bales and how about finishing off your scene with some activity indicating models such as a horse-drawn hay wain?

The countryside is jam-packed with detail and activity, we just need to recognise it!

     

 

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