F&SM Gallery 2
ANOTHER VISIT TO GEORGE SELLIOS' FRANKLIN & SOUTH MANCHESTER
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
Bedford Falls
Across the aisle from Dovertown is Bedford Falls, where you'll find lots of great structures
Always improving
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
Perfect
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.
Max's Auto repairs
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
All the Up and Downs
Again, I love the elevation changes. Go left and you go down a street - right and you go up hill.
Signs and more signs
George has a LOT of painted on signs all over the layout. Perhaps that's why he's so good at it!
Dovertown
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).
Dovertown Elevated Line
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
Mini Scene
Lots of elevation changes for an urban area, which adds interest and breaks up scenes. Love the fixing the water main scene
South Manchester Station
The other end of the station. Lots of detail on the Honey Bee diner and the station platform
South Manchester Station
White Rose is a cool building with a lot of little additions. I love how the track disappears between buildings
Flash!
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
South Manchester REA
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
Trackwork!
Allen Keller had 2 F&SM tapes and on one George explained how he weathers track. Here's a look before ballast
Swamp
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
Franklin Watchworkd finds a home
You can see how the kit diorama gets placed and then blended into the existing layout
Trackwork
Lots of variation in the track weathering. Check out the construction pics to see how he paints ties
Scenic Vistas!
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
Look familiar?
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!
Dovertown Elevated
I love that the base for this elevated line is structures. This is a great FSM Brick casting from Chippy's
FSM ice platform at Colbert yard
The yard was called Colbert for awhile if I recall correctly, before becoming Fellsburg Yard
Into the woods
George proves he can model more than structures. I was really impressed with the mountain scenery
Elevation changes make for interesting scenes
I like the elevation change between the tracks - it gives a perfect spot for some great rockwork
View to the mountains
This is a great view past Chesterville. The FSM sawmill and engine house look right at home here
Texture!
Lots of different textures make things interesting, as do the small details like the honk sign on the tunnel
Chesterville overhead
A good overhead shot showing the parking area near the previous scenes. Notice the concrete coloring and the fluid leaks form cars
Chesterville Platform
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
Passing frieght at Chesterville
Heads up on the Chesterville platform! A freight loops its way around on its way to Mayfield
Franklin Watchworks
The Watchworks diorama is all set in place, but the scenery hasn't been finished yet
Easy come - easy go!
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.
Don't detail what wont be seen
After the mountain range came down George had to add detail to some building backs that he didn't originally bother with
Church
I love the church with its fancy windows and also how it sits lower than the road (from this view)
Cross at your own risk
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