Diorama Done! - Merry Christmas!!

I "broke ground" on this project back on November 15th. Now, after a month-and-almost-10-days, it's finally All Done!

After completing the backdrop, legs, lights and trees, stringing the lights, placing the structures and adding the people went pretty fast. The funnest part of all was creating all the little mini-scenes with the people doing their thing on Christmas Eve - shopping, going to church, making a snowman, buying a Christmas tree, having a snowball fight, and - of course - visiting Santa.

The final step was moving the diorama to its place in the corner of the upstairs hallway, near the entrance to the Photo Library/RR room. Since part of this project was to experiment with new construction materials, I'd built this diorama on 2" foam for lightness. Yeah right. With the masonite base and backdrop, 1x3 benchwork, and all that "snow goop" it's still pretty darn heavy and required the Missus' help to get it up the stairs. But once it was placed on the sawhorses legs, it looked as wonderful as I'd hoped it would and fit the space perfectly.

So, as my little Christmas present to all of you that have been following along, I'm posting a little "photo tour" of "Bedford Falls, CT" - it's Christmas Eve and the late afternoon local passenger train is just crossing the Pocatapaug Creek and going past the ice skaters and Mrs. Rech's house where the Christmas tree farm is. Everybody's in a festive mood, trying to get their shopping and Santa visits done before heading to evening service at the church . . .

Overview of the diorama in position, taken from the same perspective of all the progress pics for comparison. Left to right: Rix overpass, skating pond w/ice skaters, trestle, Christmas tree farm, town park w/Santa, RR station. Town and church in the background.

 

Late afternoon passenger train crossing Pocatapaug Creek on its way to its final stop at Bedford Falls, CT

Mrs. Rech's Christmas tree farm

Snowman building and playing with the dog

Town park with a snowball fight and family waiting for their turn to visit Santa

Shoppers along Main Street - could it be that the man is trying to explain to his wife his huge purchase at the hobby shop?

Folks heading to church early to get a good seat

 

The local mailman, his work all done for the holidays, hangs out waiting for the afternoon train.

Visiting Santa at the gazebo in the park

As dusk begins to fall over Bedford Falls . . .

Mr. Rech is selling the last of this year's Christmas trees . . .

. . . . which becomes even more magical after the sun goes down...

Meanwhle, the ice skaters are trying to stay upright

As we leave Bedford Falls, for now, I know I speak for all the townspeople when I wish to you and your family the most joyful holiday imaginable, good health, and great memories with your family.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!