3D Miniatures: For the Superstition mountain museum railroad

Making miniature 3D scenes realistic is a challenge that makes for a lot of fun. Modifying existing buildings, people and animal figures for the SMMRR calls upon most of my photography skills to help this railroad layout look realistic. I make many of the signs, cactuses and trees as well as helping to build new structures and adapting new items in historically correct styles and colors. Images at the bottom are recently referbished buildings due mainly to the relentless Arizona sun.
Here the mayor of Saint Amaro sits at the edge of town greeting newcomers. Original work includes the welcoming sign, platform, cacti, and the pots that hold them.
A local business group put up this sign welcoming passengers on the Superstition Mountain Museum Railroad.
The town RR station's bulletin board provides train arrival times.
These two figures became snake wranglers, earning money by ridding businesses and homes of rattlesnakes. Rumor has it that they sell the snakes to Mazzoli's Diner.
The town mayor was a cook in the Navy. He opened this diner supplying a full lunch for 80 cents. I transformed an old passenger car into a diner and added signage, platform, and tables, chairs, and menus for the tables. Open the top and you see customers at lunch inside.
Desert Tree, cacti, rr whistle sign.
The town well and props in Saint Amaro setting
Overland Stage station building, signs, props.
Magma Mine building, signs, dynamite props.
Rob's Lumber site, building, signs, props.
The mayor's house, plants, props.
Town Newspaper office: building, signs, props.
Gold Mine Hiring Office: building, signs, props.
KDGU Radio station building, signs, props. A hidden speaker broadcasts local programming of period musice, local commercials for town businesses plus news and gossip.
Auto salvage yard, signs, props.
Rodeo fairgrounds bleachers, signs, clown
Rodeo clown and barrel
Rodeo ticket office and signs
Twisting wire in a vise makes a realistic desert tree structure.
The latest batch of prickly pear cacti and saguaros.
Refurbished diner with cacti
Refurbished mayors residence -- Saint Amaro
Refurbished Golden Lady Hiring Office
Refurbished Overland Stagecoach Station
Signage appropriate to the rr layout's time period is essential to realism. This often means building them from scratch with period photographs as references.
Before and after attaching foliage (steel wool spray-painted)
Rail crew bunk house on wheels. A conversion of an old gondola car with raised roof, windows, stairs, and beds inside.
Refurbished radio station -- Dutchman's Gulch
Refurbished Mill Station -- Between Dutchman's Gulch and Saint Amaro
Refurbished Dutchman's Gulch Newspaper Office