One of the great aspects of model railroading is the opportunity to turn our scenes into something genuinely life-like.
While you might spend weeks perfecting and painting your landscape, the addition of model scenery to your layout is often the final touch that’ll bring it to life.
And when it comes to choosing scenery, there’s lots to choose from!
Today, we’re looking at our favorite scenery from Atlas.
1. Passenger Station
If you’re a railroader who loves to make your central station the focal point of your layout, this stunning piece of scenery is a must-buy.
Its cream, brown, and green color scheme means it’ll fit seamlessly into your landscape whether you’re modeling a countryside or a more urban area for your model train. But it’s the level of detail on both inside and out that brings this beautiful station to life.
Outside, you get wooden paneling and window detail. Meanwhile, the inside of the station features benches, staircases, and a ticket desk. This model scenery product also comes with pre-printed water transfers for you to choose your favorite sign, or you can create your own.
2. Operating Oil Pump
We’ve chosen the black model of this product to feature here, so you have a blank canvas for creating your own design to coordinate with your railroad layout if you wish. If you’d prefer a more colorful oil pump for your model train layout, check out the full range here.
Back to the product.
Whether you’re modeling a specific era or region of the United States, you might well want to tip your hat to our country’s oil-producing regions. Depending on where you live or have traveled, these “nodding donkeys” might well be a familiar sight in real-life.
With realistic operation and appearance, this is a fantastic addition to any train layout.
3. Cantilever Signal Bridge
What’s better than realistic-looking model railroad scenery?
Realistic-looking model railroad scenery that can play a part in the operation and running of your toy train’s layout!
That’s what you get with this signal bridge, which you can use to control your model trains or simply have it enhance your train’s layout through its appearance.
4. Operating Crossing Gate
Continuing with the theme of realistic-looking pieces that work as part of your railroad layout, we move on to this operating crossing gate.
A fantastic-looking piece for your model train layout that you can either operate manually or pair with a trackside activator, the warning lights look amazing as your gate closes. This is an ideal effect aesthetically, and if your kids are pushing toy cars around your layout while your toy trains are running.
This gate is designed to be mounted through a permanent train table, so you can enjoy the realistic-looking product and operation with no wires visible at all.
5. Wheeler’s Auto Dealers Kit
This Wheeler’s Auto Dealers Kit is a versatile piece of scenery that will fit in various era-themed layouts as well as in small-down or bigger city settings.
It’s easy to put together thanks to its snap-together walls. These also mean it’s easy to take to pieces and re-site elsewhere if you add other model buildings or simply wish to change your model train layout in the future. You get loads of space inside, too, so you can even include your own model cars if you want to. Depending on the season and how busy the showroom is, you can choose to have the door open or closed, too.
As with the passenger station we highlighted earlier, this model kit comes with ready-made decal signs, but nothing is stopping you from creating your own car dealership brand.
6. Truss Bridge Kit
You can undoubtedly have an incredible-looking train layout set on a single level.
However, it’s equally unarguable that when you start to add elevation to your model landscape that it takes on a whole new energy.
While that might mean creating slight elevation changes or building full-on mountains to scale, it could also mean building new working areas of your railroad layout and adding landscaping effects like model valleys and canyons. If you go down this route, you’re going to need a bridge!
Of course, building a do-it-yourself model bridge is one of the best railroading projects you’ll ever do. Still, this bridge kit is a fantastic choice if you prefer a ready-made version.
Get ready to elevate your layout to another level!
This Over and Under Pier Set is an excellent alternative if you want to include a bridge in your model train layout without any fully-fledged elevation changes.
7. Station Platform Kit
If you’re modeling a more extensive railroad network or a remote location, then a smaller station – maybe only a platform – can be an excellent addition or alternative to a larger passenger station building or feature.
This budget-friendly piece looks great and gives your passengers somewhere to disembark to wander the countryside or get the bus into town.
8. Telephone Poles
True realism in your railroad’s layout comes from the things we take for granted in our day-to-day lives, be that electric towers or, in this case, telephone poles.
This set is a fantastic addition to any 20th-century era train layout, and the poles look equally incredible in urban layouts or standing tall in growing bushes in the countryside.