Pelle Soeborg Book Comparison


jasonelki

jasonelki

Milwaukee Roader
Anybody have either of these Soeborg books-From Mountain to Desert or Scenery Techniques?

I'd like to purchase possibly both of these books but am not sure how much overlap there is between them. Scenery techniques was published in 2009 but Mountain to Desert was published in 2007.

Just wondering if there is a big difference between the 2 books.

I have Done in a Day by Soeborg and I really like it.

Thanks for any responses!
Jason
 
Depends on what you're going to use it for. The Mountains to Desert book covers just that - scenery techniques to use if you're modeling the transition from dry mountains to desert. The Scenery Techniques book is more general in terms of different ways to do scenery, especially along the right of way. My impression is that Soeburg is a much better photographer than a scenery maker. His pictures of finished scenery are beautiful but I can see it doesn't look all that good when it's just construction photos. He's not an amateur by any means, but I do think he has gained a celebrity status he doesn't deserve.
 
jasonelki said:
Anybody have either of these Soeborg books-From Mountain to Desert or Scenery Techniques?

I'd like to purchase possibly both of these books but am not sure how much overlap there is between them. Scenery techniques was published in 2009 but Mountain to Desert was published in 2007.

Just wondering if there is a big difference between the 2 books.

I have Done in a Day by Soeborg and I really like it.

Thanks for any responses!
Jason
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I personally have all 3 books, From Mountain to Desert, Scenery Techniquies, and Done In A Day. Great books! learned alot from them.
 
I don't own Essential Model Railroad Scenery Techniques, but a friend does and I had the pleasure of reading through it a few weeks ago. I found it to be very thorough at covering many of the contemporary techniques and the scenery in it is very well executed. I think it makes a great companion to some of the other well known scenery technique books published in the past. I can't speak to any of the other books listed, but if they're anything like this book, they will be helpful in guiding the reader through the techniques clearly.

As with any craft, much of what is described is what any scenery practitioner would discover with enough experimentation and perseverance. There are no shortcuts to mastering any craft. But, inspiration goes a long way in keeping someone focused on improving his or her skills and Essential Model Railroad Scenery Techniques provides just that. I found the in-progress photos to be helpful benchmarks to compare one's own progress when practicing the techniques described within and the finished products to be very inspirational targets to aim for during the scenery process.
 
UP2CSX said:
Depends on what you're going to use it for. The Mountains to Desert book covers just that - scenery techniques to use if you're modeling the transition from dry mountains to desert. The Scenery Techniques book is more general in terms of different ways to do scenery, especially along the right of way. My impression is that Soeburg is a much better photographer than a scenery maker. His pictures of finished scenery are beautiful but I can see it doesn't look all that good when it's just construction photos. He's not an amateur by any means, but I do think he has gained a celebrity status he doesn't deserve.
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Thanks for the imput fellas. I have yet to see either book in person, but it would make sense that Mountain to Desert covers just that. I was thinking it dealt with a wider range of scenery. I guess thats where the other book comes in.
I think Soeborg does really good work, anyone do you have any other book recommendations dealing with scenery?
 
How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery by Dave Frary was the gold standard for me when I was starting out. It's now in its third edition and still going strong.

Basic Scenery for Model Railroaders: The Complete Photo Guide by Lou Sassi is another worth learning from. The furnace filter pine tree technique is covered in this book in detail, so if you're not familiar with that method, it's at least worth a read for that reason.

More than these books though is where you are now: internet forums. I think you can learn just as much from the internet as you can from a book, to be honest with you. Having an actual book to place on or next to the part of the layout you're working on has it's advantages, but you could just as easily print out any of the many tips, techniques or how-to articles you find online. Generally, the books go into much more detail than online articles, but if you do a little searching, I think you'll find what you're looking for.
 
Book update

Ok, now Pelle Soeborg is coming out with another book, this one titled Detailing projects for freight cars and locomotives. Supposedly this will be published in feb 2014. I have Done in a Day and was wondering how much overlap will there be in these 2 books?

Another is Rebuilding a layout from A to Z, anyone have this one? How does it compare to the original Mountain to Desert volume?

Thanks for any imput!
Jason
 
jasonelki said:
Ok, now Pelle Soeborg is coming out with another book, this one titled Detailing projects for freight cars and locomotives. Supposedly this will be published in feb 2014. I have Done in a Day and was wondering how much overlap will there be in these 2 books?

Another is Rebuilding a layout from A to Z, anyone have this one? How does it compare to the original Mountain to Desert volume?

Thanks for any imput!
Jason
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You must mean Feb 2013 because it just came out last month. I just bought the book at a train show last weekend after flipping through it in a hobby shop and since it was a few bucks cheaper at the dealer at the show, I picked it up. There are some pretty neat articles in it that arent in MR. I flipped through Done in a Day that same day I was at the hobby shop and I can tell you, there isnt any articles in Done in a Day that are in this new book. I plan to get my hands on that Done in a Day book too.
 
ChevelleSSguy said:
You must mean Feb 2013 because it just came out last month. I just bought the book at a train show last weekend after flipping through it in a hobby shop and since it was a few bucks cheaper at the dealer at the show, I picked it up. There are some pretty neat articles in it that arent in MR. I flipped through Done in a Day that same day I was at the hobby shop and I can tell you, there isnt any articles in Done in a Day that are in this new book. I plan to get my hands on that Done in a Day book too.
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Hmm, amazon.com says publication date of Feb 2014. Oh we'll, either way sounds like a book I should get.
Thanks for the info!

Anyone with any insight to the rebuilding from A to Z book?
 
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