Would this strategy to integrate a snowbound module appear realistic?

[BurlingtonNorthern]

I just finished work on a module depicting a BN engine refueling facility on one side of the two track main line and a series of row houses and light industry on the other.

Like all of the other module I’ve ever seen, the foliage present of this module (what little there was) was set either in spring bloom or summer.

However, during construction, I began to toy with the idea of building a module depicting one of BN northern lines with the scenery blanketed with snow and (reasonable) drifts pushed up along the sides of the track.

Since putting such a module in between “green” modules would appear silly, I’ve been thinking of a strategy to integrate a snowbound module into the club layout without appearing silly.

To accomplish this, I’ve been thinking about constructing a single track branch line off the main two track club layout which would climb about eight inches, bringing it from the height of an average mans upper belly to the height of his mid-chest, and slowly integrate snow and more evergreens into the modules as they climb. Once the modules reached their full height, there would be about a scale foot of snow.

Would such a change in weather look like the realistic result of a change I altitude or merely, in your opinions, look silly???

 

[NYW&B]

Well, it wouldn't "look silly" but would be in stark contrast to, and a bit odd in appearance, with all the other surrounding modules done in lush summer foilage. The propose senario would work far better if the surrounding modules were done as mid to late autumn or the first signs of greening in spring. Almost regardless of any real change in elevation one does not see a foot of snow in mid summer.

NYW&B

 

[jtudor]

That depends on what locale you are in. I know from my own experience that high in the Cascade mountains of Washington State you have very deep snow all summer long.

When I was between 7th and 8th grade My family spend the summer with relatives in Washington, and I was so surprised to find on a car trip to the mountains that I was able to have a snowball fight with my cousins. We could drive right to the edge of the snow, and further if we desired to. Snowball fighting in July? Not everywhere, but certainly in Washington's Cascades.

 

[UP2CSX]

Jtudor, true, I've seen the same thing in the Sierra's in June. However, the change from summer to winter is over many miles and gradual, not a branchline running off the mainline.

BN, how do you propose to climb eight inches above the mainline? Using the standard formula of Gradient(%) = Rise / Run and assuming you wanted to keep the grade to 3%, you'd need 267 inches of run to go up 8 inches. That's about 23 feet without easements. Do you have that kind of space available? If not, I don't think your idea is going to work.