What is the difference between a diorama and a cameo?

Diorama derives from the greek dia (which means through) and horama (which means view).

Diorama is one of those modelling terms that we use so interchangeably that its definition has almost been lost amongst the noise.

The definition of diorama in the dictionary is as follows: "miniature three-dimensional scene in which models of figures are seen against a background". Another example is "a museum display, as of a specimen in its natural setting". In American English the definition is "a miniature scene, wholly or partially three-dimensional depicting figures in a naturalistic setting".

It's almost as if the word was invented just for us modellers because diorama is what we do, but if it is still unclear, it would appear that the word diorama would be a good word to use to describe a scene on your layout.

Another word we often use when describing our scenes is cameo. This word would usually be used to describe what is happening in the scene opposed to the scene itself. The official definition of cameo is "a cameo is a short description or piece of acting which expresses cleverly and neatly the nature of a situation, event, or person's character".

So there we have it, add some scenery to your track and you have a diorama, add some figures/props to your diorama that effectively describe what is happening in the scene and you have a cameo.

But as a cameo would usually be used in acting scenarios, it leaves us wondering who the star actor would be in a railway cameo, the answer is the trains of course!