Story Miles

Story Miles: The imagined distance between two locations on a layout as defined in the layout's backstory.  

Usage: The island test facility was 25 story miles from the locomotive factory.

Source: The phrase 'story miles' was first spotted in a photo caption associated with John Olson's article, The Mescal Lines RR, that appeared in the January 1984 issue of Model Railroader:

"Saline Valley is a desert water stop. It's just above the scene in photo 2 [JDL: Above an area of "red desert" scenery shown in photo 2] even though it is some 25 "story" miles further north, a good example of how John separates scenes with a camera-like eye."

As the editor hints at, Olson makes the Saline Valley seem farther away from its layout neighbours than it actually is by carefully orchestrated scenic transitions.

Story miles are not scale miles.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Black spray

Black spray: A technique for unifying the overall hue of a layout by over spraying with a mist of flat black spray paint. 

Usage: Hal decided to black spray his layout a few days before the magazine photographer arrived.

Source: Gil Mellé appears to be the original source of this technique, and described it in his September 1963 Railroad Model Craftsman article, Scenery to Improve Your Layout. Mellé notes:

Have you ever looked at your entire layout and noticed that some parts of it seem to stand out in an unsatisfactory way. After two years of work every individual component looked satisfactory but when the whole of my layout was viewed it was not [sic] anything but a harmonious integration……Here’s what I did to correct this. It took two minutes, a spray can of flat black and a track cleaner……I covered my entire layout with a mist of the stuff. I aimed above everything so that the minuscule particles of wet paint would fall on everything as soot issued from the fiery stack of an iron horse, is hurled sky high and deposited on everything around. Of course the walls around the pike were protected with newspapers taped in place……It worked!

The technique strikes this editor as a bold and unforgiving one with serious consequences if not properly executed.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Selective Compression [alternate #2]

Selective Compression [alternate #2]: The technique of shortening the length and width of a building, but not its height to make a building seem taller.

Use: Mona used selective compression to enhance the canyon-like feeling of her model of Toronto's downtown core.  

Source: This variation on the widely used term was introduced by Tom Bailey in the 2nd part of his series A Visit to the past that appeared in the April 1981 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman.

As well as defining his use of the term selective compression, Mr. Bailey notes some of the technique's pros and cons:

This sometimes means the aspect ratio of a prototype building gets severely distorted, but since my buildings are mostly impressions of real buildings rather than scaled representations, I don't suffer too badly. And I do reap one important benefit: The trains seem to fit better.

He also notes some philosophy on the visual impact caused by the height of objects on a layout:

Of all the dimensions, I think we respond more to the height of something than to any other dimension. A towering building is somehow more impressive than one that sprawls; a very tall tree gets more reaction than a hedgerow. With models, a tall building or tree (in believable surroundings, of course) does more to create a feeling of relative size than a ten-foot straightaway.

This use of selective compression is another in a series of entries on how to shape layout space to achieve certain visual effects and induce emotional impressions in viewers. We have discussed such things as other definitions of selective compression beyond the standard, and strategic placement of small buildings to enhance spaciousness. Future editions of the dictionary plan to include a special section on spatial manipulation techniques. 

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 3rd ed., 2019.

Optical Construction

Corrected* illustration that accompanied Dance's article

Optical Construction: A method of angling a layout's tablework to create the illusion of steeply graded track work.

Usage: Bob used optical construction in his layout's mountainous area so that he wasn't limited to using only his most powerful locomotives in that region.

Source: Sherman Dance described the concept in an article called Scenic Railroad Building that appeared in the February 1950 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman.

First, Mr. Dance describes the problem:

Building mountains, producing cuts and the like is not a big engineering problem. Real mountain scenery can easily be modeled, and without having steep grades. The entire scenery is laid out by construction of optical illusions - optical illusions of platform construction. Generally, the modeler will erect a platform that is level and on to which the mountains are made to rise from the platform. The result is, of course, steep grades over which only the largest motive power can be used and with a light train. Optically, it is done otherwise.

He then discusses using an optical illusion to solve the problem:

Optical construction calls for a platform that is anything but level - high where you want it and low any place that will fit the general plan of things. The mountainous area (let us say the North end) can be constructed on the low side of the platform. To the South end, the terrain is supposed to represent fairly level ground and this is erected on the high end of the platform. The trackage, on the other hand, is about level between these points - optical illusion of construction.

No example dimensions or implementation photographs accompanied the article to judge the effectiveness of this proposed method.

*The illustration shown in the source material shows the North and South ends of the layout section labelled opposite to the description in the article. In the article's illustration, South should be North, and North should be South. The illustration has been corrected for the dictionary.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 1st ed.,1959.

Use small to seem large

Use small to seem large: Use small buildings and structures to make a layout's space seem large.

Usage: Use small to seem large was the guiding design principle on Brian's basement sized N-scale layout of the Canadian prairies.

Source: The 'Use small to seem large' design concept, first developed and articulated by John Allen on his Gorre & Daphetid RR, was reported by Earl Cochrane in the October 1955 Railroad Model Craftsman article, Sunset on the old G & D:

I was quite surprised to learn from John that he used small buildings and structures on his pike. He said that his structures were not underscaled, as I at first thought, but rather small in prototype size. By using small structures in this way, it made the layout look larger and gave a better perspective. Large buildings on a small pike look out of place.

Update to 2nd ed., 1999: For a contrasting design philosophy tailored more to urban and suburban settings refer to Art Curren's article, The BTR RR., in the September 1980 issue of Model Railroader. Mr. Curren discusses how to eliminate feelings of brief travel times and short distances on a small layout (in this article the layout measures 5' x 9') by using features like having tightly packed industrial areas separated by treed residential areas butted up against them, lots of non-railroad buildings, tall buildings that block views, a variety of levels, steep grades, and streets that twist and turn in many directions. The net effect being that the layout seems larger than its relatively diminutive footprint would suggest.

Update to 3rd ed., 2019: Selective Compression [alternate] is a variation on the 'Use small to seem large' concept in that the buildings and structures are neither compressed nor underscaled, and are used to manipulate the viewer's perception of the size of the layout's space.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 1st ed., 1959.

Pumpkinvine

Pumpkinvine: A relatively small, multi-level track plan that loops and twists and turns from plains to summits and back again.

Usage: Sally's 0-4-0 wasn't powerful enough to haul the four boxcars through Bob's Pumpkinvine layout.

Source: Bill Schopp, in his guise as The Layout Doctor, introduced the term in the May 1953 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman in an article called, naturally enough, Pumpkinvine Layouts:

When it comes to getting a lot of multi-level mountain railroading in a small space in HO gauge, I've yet to find a layout idea that works out better than what I call the Pumpkinvine, exemplified by the three designs here.

In essence, a classic Pumpkinvine track plan is based on a figure-8 with extended looping that climbs up and has at least three levels. The climbs are usually up through mountainous terrain. Mr. Schopp shows that a viable layout can be built in as little space as 4' x 10'. 

Even though multi-level mountain spectacles are easily created with the Pumpkinvine approach, there are drawbacks:

The one big disadvantage is that there is usually very little space for any sort of town, so you have to imagine that they are in that mystic geographic area just off your platform. It is quite difficult, too, to work in many industrial sidings yet have all switches accessible from the front.

The Pumpkinvine is not to be confused with either the omnivagant or spaghetti layout.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 1st ed.,1959.

Anti-layout

Anti-layout: A layout whose purpose is to display as many locomotives and cars as possible.

Usage: William's anti-layout held his entire 200 hopper collection.

Source: Bill Schopp first introduced the term in an article, Track Plans for Modelers who hate Layouts, in the October 1958 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman:

...we've departed from the usual and come up with some layouts and percepts with the "anti-layout" car and loco builder in mind. ...

These layouts have had one basic thought: to keep your equipment on the track and off the shelves and out of boxes.

An anti-layout is characterized by having the maximum amount of yard space (possibly including a roundhouse or two) either surrounded by or surrounding a simple loop of track in the smallest possible space that can be accommodated by the modeller's living quarters. 

A good anti-layout design is one that can display every piece of rolling stock in an owner's collection.

Anti-layouts are usually built by modellers whose main interest is building rolling stock.

Mr. Schopp notes these layouts are not necessarily dead-ends:

Most of these ideas can be scenicked and developed into complete railroads in themselves, or into parts of larger railroads.

The anti-layout should not be confused with either the omnivagant or spaghetti layout.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 1st ed., 1959.

Yclept [alternate; archaic]

Yclept: A railroad by the name of.

Usage: His beautiful woodland layout, yclept Havelock & Hastings RR, was displayed at the fall model railroad show.

Source: New discoveries being considered for the dictionary have to be reviewed for spelling or typographic mistakes; however, such errors are not always the cause of “new” finds. For example, omnivagant was suggested by a prominent editor to be simply a typographic error, but that proved not to be the case. 

Yclept, as used in this sentence found in the September 1961 article called, Toronto, Lake Shore & St. Lawrence in Railroad Model Craftsman by The Layout Doctor, Bill Schopp,

In a ten by twelve foot room, one side open, on a solid plywood tabletop already in place, a model HO railroad with room for running plenty of trains over alternate routes, plus terminal operation: such was the prescription which lead to my designing the Toronto, Lake Shore, & St. Lawrence R.R. (which was almost yclept Toronto, North Shore, & Atlantic).

is the correct spelling and usage of the now archaic term.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Sunroof [alternate]

Military Modelling, September 1976

Sunroof: A clear roof above a layout or diorama that lets the sun shine in. 

Useage: Linda's new building for her layout is to include a sunroof over the prairie section.

Source: The photo-gallery section of the September 1976 issue of Military Modelling notes that:

Modeller Buettner [Mr. W. G. Buettner, ed] with part of his impressive diorama depicting German infantry and armour in a Russian village; the model is situated in a 12' x 9' clear plastic roofed shed which this modeller has constructed in his garden in Ndola, Zambia.

Special precautions need to be taken for rain, snow, and wind dependent upon geographic location.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Start with Geography

 Start with Geography: A layout design approach that begins with developing a realistic geographical plan, and then proceeds to the creation of a track plan to fit the geography, not vice versa.

Usage: Mary was in the first stage of designing her layout using the Start with Geography technique.

Source: Paul Garrison outlines the basic principles in his February 1975 Railroad Modeler article, Start with a River:

The fact is that many a layout, though beautifully constructed and landscaped, suffers from the lack of logic that results when the builder starts by designing the desired routing of his track and then superimposes the landscaping as little more than an afterthought. While it is admittedly impractical to start with the landscaping, a procedure that would make track laying difficult if not impossible, one might consider designing a piece of countryside with paper and pencil, and then find ways to adjust the routing of track to its topography.  

In the article Mr. Garrison walks the reader through the process using the design of his 2.5' x 15' N-scale layout based on the terrain near a portion of the upper Rio Grande river as an example.

Model Trains ran a series in the Dec '57, Jan '58, and Mar '58 issues where the authors, Andy Anderson and Katie McMullen, came close to doing just what Mr. Garrison advised against: they built the scenery first on their project layout the Hither, Thither & Yonder. More accurately, they did have a track plan from the outset of construction, so the scenery was built with placing the track in mind. They didn't hack out a right-of-way from the completed landscape, they just didn't install the track until the scenery was complete. However, it does appear from the track plan that it was designed first, and then the geography was designed to accommodate the route.

See also, Three Ws, Full Observation.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Three Ws

Three Ws: The Where, Which, and When that are central to creating a layout's atmosphere.

Usage: Bob spent a lot of time attempting to understand the Three Ws of the backwoods switching yard layout he was planning.

Source: The Three Ws is a concept developed by David Jenkinson and laid out in his article, In Search of Atmosphere in Railway Modelling, that appeared in the October 1973 issue of Model Railways. He defines the Three Ws as follows:

It is possible to isolate three basic ingredients which are central to the theme [Ed, the layout's theme] and I have for some years referred to these as the 'Three Ws', standing for Where, Which and When. 'Where ?' concerns itself with the setting of the railway in geographical terms; 'Which ?' establishes the identity of the railway company being modelled and 'When ?' deals with the period in time which our model represents.

In the same article Mr. Jenkinson also discusses his belief that it's easier to capture atmosphere in the smaller scales than the larger ones:

... 4mm and smaller scales offer to the average modeller a better chance of capturing atmosphere than do the large scales. It follows that I believe smaller scales are much more for the artist than for the engineer....it is high time that modellers in the smaller scales ... accepted the limitations of their chosen scale and concentrated on the advantages that the miniature gauges possess over their larger equivalents, one of which is the capacity to create atmosphere.

See also, Full Observation.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

“Under the cellophane wrapper, the parts!”: The Secret History of Kitbashing*

Dodge AT-AT Kit-bash

From chapter 13 of Lew Voltz’s Gluestick Traces, the definitive history of model railroading’s punk era*:

The term ‘kitbash’ first appeared in print in the 1967 book, The Society of Spectacular Models, by French Groucho Marxist theorist, Polystyrene philosopher, and model railroading expressionist Guy Dekit. In the book Dekit argued that capitalist production of polystyrene model kits that began in the 1950s and skyrocketed in popularity throughout the 1960s was a debasement of the centuries old folk art of making miniatures of beloved, iconic, and worshipful objects of personal interest. Dekit considered the once creative activity was being steamrollered by a mass-market simulacra of true model making.

The book was the culmination of many years work by Dekit and a number of other plastic radicals who formed the group Polystyrenist International in 1959 (the same year the first edition of The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroading Terms was published), whose purpose was to critique, divert, and subvert the tidal wave of polystyrene-based model construction. 

Dekit developed a détournement, which he referred to as ‘bashing’, whereby the components of several commercial polystyrene models were used to construct miniatures that held no resemblance to the objects that could be constructed by following official instruction sheets. Bashing was often an act of performance, undertaken in a party like atmosphere (aka a ‘bash’, or using the term of the time, Le Bash), and commonly began with a shout of, “Under the cellophane wrapper, the parts!” The bashing of polystyrene components became so strongly associated with Dekit that the activity was colloquially known as ‘bashing de kit’, which quickly became today’s plain, old 'kitbashing'.

But for every radical intervention is an associated mainstream recuperation, and kitbashing’s started with none other than Dekit’s closest colleague and PI co-founder, Au Courant. 

In the mid-1970s Courant broke with the PI and formed Craft Light And Magic (CLAM**) for the purpose of building kitbashed miniatures for the movie War in the Stars. The movie was a monumental success, but not necessarily for Courant, who lost control of CLAM through some complicated legal maneuvering by his investors. Fed up with movies, and ostracized by his old PI colleagues, he took a job offer from an American model railroading magazine and left France forever.

Courant went on to global acclaim with his innovative kitbashing techniques and educational programs; however, he and Dekit were never to speak again. That didn’t stop Dekit from commenting on Courant and his work in just about every interview he ever gave. It was clear Dekit had mixed feelings for Courant, who Dekit would often flippantly refer to as The Dark Lord of Kitbashing. 

On the one hand Dekit’s comments towards Courant could be spiteful and derogatory***, but were just as often admiring and praiseful***. He admired Courant’s ability to help show a powerful way forward to restore creativity and authenticity to the ancient art in the face of overwhelming kitization, but frequently condemned Courant’s success as simply a way for the companies to further increase sales of their plastic kits, thereby continuing to help degrade the art.

Dekit and Courant never reconciled.

Hot Rod Falcon Kit-bash

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

*It should go without saying that this ‘history’ is completely fictional, and has no relation to any person, place, or thing either living or dead.

---------------------------------------------------------------

**Urban legend has it that within CLAM an entire CLAM-based insider speak developed that included such terms as: CLAMity, meaning a kitbash that had gone seriously wrong; CLAMbaked, meaning a CLAM employee was exhibiting symptoms of breathing too much plastic solvent; CLAMedup, meaning someone had signed a non-disclosure agreement with CLAM; and so on.

***When Dekit was being spiteful and derogatory towards Courant he’d refer to CLAM as Courant’s Lazy American Modellers, and when he was admiring and praiseful CLAM became Courant’s Legendary American Modellers. It’s not known what Dekit was thinking when he said these things as Courant and CLAM had parted ways several years prior to Courant’s great success.

Live sawdust location

Live sawdust location: A small area on a layout where structures and details are not glued down so they can be changed out for others to allow different scenes to be created.

Usage: Linda's layout included three live sawdust locations near the front edge.

Source: The term first appeared in the third instalment of Dave Frary and Bob Hayden's Thatcher's Inlet series that appeared in the Feb to May 1972 issues of Railroad Model Craftsman. They define a live sawdust location as:

These areas - usually about the size of a structure and in no case bigger than 3-1/4" x 4" - are set aside so that the structures and detail on them can occasionally be changed so as to provide a fresh look to the town.

They go on to note that these areas are usually flat and level, and are painted brown.

Why use the term "sawdust"? Likely because in the early 1970's dyed sawdust was often used as ground scatter material to give the illusion of grass, weeds, or soil. So, keeping it unbonded, that is, loose or live, made it easier to change the scene when the mood struck.

The live sawdust location is something of a variation on the changeable railroad idea described by Robert E. Gilbert in his June 1962 Model Railroader article called, A changeable railroad.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Christmas garden

Christmas garden: A layout-like display set up at Christmas that contains at least a creche and an electric train. A Christmas garden is often simply referred to as a ‘garden’.

Usage: It was a Smith family tradition to set up a Christmas garden in their living room every December.

Source: Jim Williams, in his December 1949 Railroad Model Craftsman article, A Rail Is Born, starts off his story about how he got into model railroading with a rather detailed description of the Christmas gardens of Baltimore, Maryland in the 1920s:

An old German custom, transplanted to Baltimore [1], made a model railroader of me. It happened 22 years ago [2] when Jimmie was only 2 years old. The old Yuletide custom is that of having elaborate “Christmas gardens” around the Christmas tree. For the benefit of those not familiar with the customs, perhaps it would be better at this point to explain just what a “garden” is.

Christmas gardens reproduce in miniature, any scene from an amusement park or farm but the absolute sine qua non of every garden is the Holy Stable and the electric railroad. Many gardens comprise only a circle of track, the Stable and a few cardboard houses - but the train has GOT to be there, let the anachronisms fall where they may. We haven’t lived in Baltimore for 15 years but I certainly hope that Father Time has not trodden such a delightful custom into the mire of disuse.

In the Maryland metropolis, everyone has some kind of Christmas garden; fire and police stations compete with each other for the approval of gaping crowds of youngsters and even greater crowds of oldsters. I remember the time a drunk fell into the garden at the Southern Police Station - but that’s another story except to mention that he really got the business in police court next morning.

But to get back to my muttons; nor is the garden custom confined to large institutions. Neighbors vie with each other in the production of super-detail buildings and scenery and in dreaming up ingenious mechanical effects.[3] During the holidays many sitting rooms and / or dining rooms are completely filled with the Christmas garden for the edification of all youngsters no matter how many snows have found lodgement in their hair. Dime stores are raided for miniature holy and lay figures and wheeled equipment. A regular rite of the Yule season in many families consists of a day or night devoted to a tour of the best gardens and among the super-detailers plagiarism of garden ideas sometimes leads to bitter passages.

To a great degree the yardstick of comparison is the amount of action presented in the garden. Ferris wheels revolve realistically, waterfalls splash merrily over little mill wheels, fountains fount and autos and boats sail majestically along their appointed courses in the grip of hidden magnets and belts. But always there is the ubiquitous electric train.

A Christmas garden in similar to the archaic form of Yard, and is more-or-less identical with Adolph F. Frank’s “Christmas tree yard” -  refer to the entry for Yard.

One will also note the further connection between the modern hobby of model railroading and the older folk activities of building Christmas tree yards, yards, Christmas gardens, and gardens in Mr. William's article.

Notes:

[1] Baltimore, Maryland

[2] Given the story was published in 1949, this would anchor the Christmas garden description in 1927.

[3] Adolph F. Frank describes how to build your own mechanical effects based on his experiences with Christmas gardens.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Omnitangle

Omnitangle: A streetcar track plan arranged in a ladder-like configuration.

Usage: The planning commission thought the grid of streets in the downtown core lent themselves well to an omnitangle track configuration.

Source: Omnitangle is a crude, misinformed portmanteau of omnivagant and rectangle. Arguments could be made for the more Latinly, but anatomically sounding, 'omnirectus', or its relative, the mathematically inclined 'omnirectangulum', but the odd slice of 'tangle' in omnitangle captures the essence of layouts based on these plans usually being on the verge of becoming a tangled mass of spaghetti.  

Omnitangle is a specific form of omnivagancy where the track plan geometry is restricted to a narrow set of ladder-like rectangular forms.

from the electronic files for the 2029 4th edition of The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms.

Scrap-building

Archie's garage built from styrene scraps & leftover mouldings

Scrap-building: Scale modelling with common household materials that would normally be put in the garbage.

Usage: Gluing together Archie's garage was a pleasant evening of scrap-building.

Source: A term attributed to Kaustav Chatterjee in the March / April 2015 issue of N-Scale Magazine article, Scrap-Building: Container Handler / Gantry Crane, by Mouli and Kaustav Chatterjee:

Except for a few, all structures on this layout are scratch-built, or 'scrap-built' as Kaustav likes to call them, because all of these structures are built primarily with various types of cardboard and other household materials that generally would find their way to the waste paper bin.

Scrap-building is not synonymous with scratch-building because scrap specifically refers to the main type of materials used, and scratch suggests any 'raw' material could be used. Although, scrap-building and scratch-building both imply the model in question is not being built from kits. 

Scrap-building is a modern term that harkens back to the venerable history of making miniature buildings and structures from cast-off materials. The L. T. Gieringer quote from 1938 presented in Yard [archaic] lists some of the common materials he used to build structures in the days before specialized hobby materials were available. The times change, and what constitutes common household materials does too, but their use to build models continues on.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 3rd ed., 2019.

Selective Compression [alternate]

Selective Compression: [alternate] The placement of uncompressed objects into a compressed landscape to create the illusion of great distance in a small area.

Usage: I used selective compression to model the scene along Ocean Boulevard.

Source: John Ostler proposes this alternative definition in his article, In defense of freelancing, that appeared in the December 2002 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman. Mr Ostler states:

Selective compression is mentioned frequently by model railroad writers; however, it is rarely defined. Here is my definition for it: selective compression is the placement of uncompressed objects into a compressed landscape to create the illusion of great distance in a small area. This definition is different from the usual one, as you can see.

The usual definition is something like this: a technique to remove redundant visual and spatial elements from a building to distill it down in size to just the features that make it useful on a layout [refer to the main entry on Selective Compression for a fuller explanation].

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 3rd ed., 2019.

Yard [archaic]

Yard: [archaic] A layout-like display that may or may not include a model train.

Usage: My yard includes a model of the town where I grew-up.

Source: ‘Yard’ is an archaic word that predates electric model railroad layouts, but whose roots are not yet well established. Adolph F. Frank, in his 1981 book, Animated Scale Models Handbook, implies that ‘yard’ might derive from the term ‘Christmas tree yard’:

When I was a small boy, it was customary for families to have a "Putz" or Nativity scene as part of their Christmas decorations, which were usually found under the Christmas tree. Many of these families were descendants of old European craftsmen who made ornate and elaborate displays. I'm speaking of a time in our industrial history when a large portion of the labor force was extremely skilled with their hands. They were artistic types - machinists, pattern makers, finish carpenters and other artisans - who being fine craftsmen, seemed to delight in outdoing one another in making these displays. As a result, the Nativity scene slowly became just one part of a much larger display, commonly called the Christmas tree yard. In this yard was found anything from a model of the family home to a model of the entire village in which they lived.

As I grew older, in the late '20s and early '30s, the electric train came into prominence and was added to the display or yard. Automobile dealers took their entire display rooms and built large villages with waterfalls, as well as working trains and automobiles. I was immensely intrigued by these elaborate displays.

Mr. Frank might be the Adolph F. Frank who was born in Pennsylvania in 1918, and enlisted in the US Army on 15 Oct 1942, and if so, the dates stated in the quote, along with the date of birth and enlistment, suggest the term ‘yard’ was in use in the 1920s, and maybe the 1910s. Further research and citations are required.

Laurence T. Gieringer in his article 35-Year Old Model City, that appeared in the January / February 1938 issue of Lionel’s The Model Builder, uses ‘yard’ in a casual manner which suggests it might have been a well-known term to the magazine’s readers, although since it’s bracketed by ‘’ it might have been verging on archaic by that time:

“Ninety percent of the material that has gone into my little ‘yard’ has been discarded by someone and includes old tin cans, worn-out sunscreens, old bed sheets, old doors, cheese boxes and cigar boxes,” Gieringer explained.

Mr. Frank concludes his book by noting that by 1981 a model train is more-or-less a given for any layout:

Undoubtedly, you have noticed that I have not discussed the field of model railroading. I did this on purpose, for there have been volumes written on the subject, and anything I could write would be anticlimactic. There is, however, one thing certain: no layout or display would be complete without a model train.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Overplus Interior

Barbecue interior from scraps.

Overplus interior: A miniature building interior that is built more-or-less exclusively from scrapbox items.  

Usage: All buildings along the front edge of the layout were outfitted with overplus interiors.

Source: Jackie Hole's article, Overplus Interiors, in the June 1998 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman, is the first known use of the term. The article explains how to detail the ground floor interior of an HO scale hotel.  

The caption on one of the article's photos succinctly captures the essence of the overplus interior: Overplus equals leftovers.

from The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms, 2nd ed., 1999.

Mechanical fish tank

Mechanical fish tank: A layout capable of running trains in lazy, never ending loops to provide background ambience in a room.

Usage: Jane turned on the mechanical fish tank and dimmed the room lights before the guests arrived.

Source: Discussed at around the 15:35 mark in the accompanying video. John Kit notes it's a common practice with model railroaders, and wonders how something similar could be adopted by slot car track owners. Mr. Kit also states that the mechanical fish tank concept wasn't unheard of in slot cars' earlier days of model motoring.

from the electronic files for the 2029 4th edition of The Dictionary of Non-Existent Model Railroad Terms.