The image above is a photograph from an iPhone of an HO switching layout by Lance Mindheim . It’s an image of nothing in particular, and that for me makes it all the more noteworthy and inspiring, motivational etc etc! It’s the sort of thing we might see the world over, a simple road crossing and a set of tracks into an industrial area, and with no train visible we’d pass it by without a second glance, carrying on to the hardware supplier or car mechanic that brought us into this area of town. Meh!

Where this really ‘pops’ for me though is Lance’s ability to capture ‘nothing to see here’ so well. Now realising it’s a model, it makes us look at it with fresh eyes, asking how is this a model? In the link above Lance talks a little about the image and thoughts behind it so I won’t throw any spoilers in here, but please do take the time to read it!

The big thing for me is it ooze’s atmosphere, I’ve seen similar locations in the States and Canada, once very closely (arguably too closely), from a Z28 at high speed in the early hours on opposite lock. Yes Patches, I’m looking at you!, but we can immediately place ourselves there. You can easily imagine the heat and perhaps the smells, a nearby industry with foodstuffs or engineering and one or two crickets chirping away in the long grass.

This image just ‘gets’ me. The simplicity of the scene, it’s just ordinary, but the subtle levels of modelling and observational complexity to successfully achieve it, are extraordinary. That’s my inspiration this week, nothing much at all!