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What is a backscene?

A backscene is a proportionately sized photograph or painting that sits upright at the back of a model railway layout depicting the landscape that you would typically see in the distance in real life.
The function of a backscene is to add realism to a layout. There are many things we all do to make our layouts as realistic as possible like installing hills, buildings, stations, roads and lovingly created tunnels, not to mention the time and expense we are more than happy to spend on our locomotives, rolling stock and tracks.
So after all that devotion it can be quite disheartening to gaze across your layout only to be met with the loft wall, the builders of my house didn't even have the courtesy to use the correct scale bricks, my bricks are 1:1 scale!
A good backscene solves this problem and gives incredible depth to your layout.
There is a lot of choice out there too with depictions of just about anywhere form a mountain or countryside scene to a city or seaside one.
If you plan when constructing your baseboard, it is even possible to create a layout with interchangeable back scenes. It is quite exciting to see how with the aid of a neutral foreground your layout can be transformed from a Scottish branch-line to a Cornish seaside resort in just a few minutes!
Then there is the best news of all for modellers, and that is: backscenes are great for layouts with limited space available, after all even a small village can devour at least a foot of baseboard. With a backscene you can have your village and the three miles worth of countryside beyond.
So are there any disadvantages to a backscene? Well, no because the range of different backscenes out there is so diverse that no matter what you are trying to achieve with your layout you can.
Even if you would rather be the sole architect of your layouts scenery, you are still going to need sky and you can even get backscenes that depict just that.
There are however a few decisions you will need to make if you are to get the most from your backscene.
The main choice is whether to use a backscene created from a real photograph or a generic watercolour. Most would believe it is purely a matter for the wallet however your decision in this matter will affect your layouts appearance.
The general rule is, if the foreground on your layout is intended to emulate a real location with high levels of detail then you should opt for a photographic backscene. However, if your layout is generic and not especially detailed then the watercolour would be best for you. In both instances the correct choice will help complement what you do have and avoid highlighting what you don't.
The other consideration you should give to your backscene is where you are going to be viewing your layout from: if you generally view your layout from up high then your backscene should provide viewing continuity from that perspective, likewise if you view your railway from eye level. 
Whichever you choose there is one thing that most modellers will agree on and that is: backscenes bring your layout to life.
Posted in: Model Railway, Scenery

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