I made it back to George's in August 2002 for a visit and, of course, had to take a bunch of pictures. This visit was unfortunately cut short thanks to the incompetence of a certain car (Thrifty) rental (Thrifty) agency but I managed to get to George's at 11:00 or so and enjoyed the time I had. There have been a lot of changes in a year! The big mountain divider is mostly gone, new scenery is starting to fill its place, and Mayfield popped up. Enjoy!! .~MCG
Across the aisle from Dovertown is Bedford Falls, where you'll find lots of great structures
Here's an example of where George has gone back and added some lighting. I can't wait to see George add more lighting. There are also streetlights and a hobo fire in this area
Though George is known best for his detailing and structures, he does a masterful job at scenery. This overhead shot shows the different textures and the car ruts that make for a great scene.
Notice all the mini-scenes in this shot. The building is a favorite of mine and I believe is based on an IHC kit. Signs add a lot to liven things up and George is a master of signage
Again, I love the elevation changes. Go left and you go down a street - right and you go up hill.
George has a LOT of painted on signs all over the layout. Perhaps that's why he's so good at it!
You could look over this scene for a looong time. At least I could. Notice the differences in lighting here (you can see both the fluorescents and the floods).
See! he does run trains! A freight rumbles over the elevated line. The station in the bottom of the pic is a new addition- replacing the old burned down Fine Scale Miniatures small station
Lots of elevation changes for an urban area, which adds interest and breaks up scenes. Love the fixing the water main scene
The other end of the station. Lots of detail on the Honey Bee diner and the station platform
White Rose is a cool building with a lot of little additions. I love how the track disappears between buildings
While not great for the mood, a flash shot reveals a lot. D. Rupp Inc. is a Magnuson building. I like the roof addition though
Love this whole scene. Its hard to beat the red brick/green trim color scheme. You can see the concrete also has a light rust colored tint
Allen Keller had 2 F&SM tapes and on one George explained how he weathers track. Here's a look before ballast
This looks great - much better when viewed from a normal angle, but i wanted to get a good shot of the lily-pads and details
You can see how the kit diorama gets placed and then blended into the existing layout
Lots of variation in the track weathering. Check out the construction pics to see how he paints ties
Remove the plexi and you'd have an amazingly deep scenic vista. This is probably what George was thinking when he started removing buildings from Manchester
This is close to the shot on the cover of George's book "The Fabulous Franklin & South Manchester". If you don;t have it; get it!
I love that the base for this elevated line is structures. This is a great FSM Brick casting from Chippy's
The yard was called Colbert for awhile if I recall correctly, before becoming Fellsburg Yard
George proves he can model more than structures. I was really impressed with the mountain scenery
I like the elevation change between the tracks - it gives a perfect spot for some great rockwork
This is a great view past Chesterville. The FSM sawmill and engine house look right at home here
Lots of different textures make things interesting, as do the small details like the honk sign on the tunnel
A good overhead shot showing the parking area near the previous scenes. Notice the concrete coloring and the fluid leaks form cars
I love the heck out of this scene. Great stone work and stairs, the sparse platform and shelter and the figures all tie it together
Heads up on the Chesterville platform! A freight loops its way around on its way to Mayfield
The Watchworks diorama is all set in place, but the scenery hasn't been finished yet
Here's what's left of the scenic divider that used to run the middle of the peninsula. A cool look at George's construction.
After the mountain range came down George had to add detail to some building backs that he didn't originally bother with
I love the church with its fancy windows and also how it sits lower than the road (from this view)
Outside Mayfield there's a delicate old bridge that should definitely not be driven over. I might risk walking it for a railfan photo of a passing freight though
