Tony Koester coined the phrase “Layout Design Elements” or LDE’s quite a few years ago in reference to recognizable locations on a prototype railroad that are re-created on a model railroad. Since the Wildcat Valley is a freelance layout that is created using prototype concepts but uses imaginary locations, there are no prototype locations on this layout. There are also some scenes that are interesting, but which are totally non-prototypical such as the waterfall on the Mistic River.
I have always liked Walt Disney’s term “Imagineering” for the process used by his engineers and artists to create the scenes at Disney theme parks. I would like to think that my model railroading efforts have much in common with developing a theme park. Though my layout is not to be compared with any of the great works created by the folks at Disney, I’d like to come up with a term to use for my imagined layout scenes.
Until I can come up with something really catchy, I’ll use Proto Imaginary Layout Scene (PILS) as the new term.
