Tom’s been in touch with an update on his HO scale farm layout:

“Alastair, Thanks for running this very valuable blog. Such a great variety from so many users is awesome.

I am in my third year of my current layout with lots of work yet to be done.

I have added an unusual scene to my layout that I want to share. I had a corner of the layout to fill and decided to do something that comes from my roots sort of.

I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, Lancaster County to be specific. That area is known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country due to the prevalence of the Amish culture.

They are predominantly farmers but also are involved in many areas of skill. So I decided to incorporate an Amish farm on my layout to have a bit of 'home' from my past. I live in Colorado but have a lot of family in Pennsylvania.

Two very unique things about the Amish culture is a ban on any vehicles, including tractors, and a ban on using electricity. Their method of transportation is primarily the horse and buggy. Their farm equipment is horse-powered as well.

So the farm on my layout reflects their culture and honors them in this way. I am including the back story I wrote for each scene. The names are authentic to their bible-based culture. Enlarging the pictures will enable the viewer to see more detail.

Backstory for a day on the Stolzfus Amish Family Farm, on the outskirts of Castle Rock, Colorado..circa fall 1955. First Amish farm community in Colorado (not really)!

Today is a special day for the Stoltzfus family, Mr. & Mrs. Stoltzfus, Daniel and Sarah, are having a baby. So since it is harvest time and much to do on the farm, Amish neighbors have
come to the Stoltzfus farm to help out for the day.

The Yoder family just arrived, Mrs. Yoder and the Yoder children are waving goodbye to her husband, who is going to the store, in the buggy, for some much needed supplies. Mrs. Yoder is a mid wife and is expecting to be delivering a baby in about three hours. Daniel and Sarah have two names picked, Abigail if it's a girl, and Samuel if it's a boy.

The Stoltzfus grandparents are calmly sitting on the porch as all the excitement goes on around them. The expecting mother's grandfather is sitting on the back porch where it is nicely quiet.

Mrs. Lapp, whose farm is next to the Stoltzfus farm, has helped the daughters do the family's laundry and is now hanging it up on the wash lines. The young Stoltzfus son Abel is playing catch with their dog which seems to be having more fun tugging on the bed sheet hanging on the wash line!

Mr. Lapp is taking a look at a railing on the white fence that came loose, he will go back to the
tool shed to get what he needs to do the repair.

The unseen oldest Stoltzfus daughter, Martha, is busy putting the braided oval rugs back in rooms she took them from. She had them on the wash lines early in this morning, beating the dust and dirt from them.

About two years ago the barn, the milking shed and tool shed burned severely enough that the remaining standing structure parts had to be torn down. Fortunately the local fire department had kept the fire from spreading to the house, and interesting enough, the corn crib!

A week later there were two days of “Barn Raising” in which many in the Amish community came to the Stolzfus farm and put up a new barn, and a new milking shed and tool shed. On those two days seventy four able bodied men did the construction, the boys did the painting, and the women and girls handled the food to feed everyone.

Mr. Hochstetler is pushing the barn door open further so the oldest Stoltzfus son Abraham, who was recently married to his wife Hanna, can move the wagon and horse team out of the barn. The Amish community was worried for a few years about Abraham, wondering if he would join the church or choose a worldly life.

His Rumspringa ((meaning 'running around') time was pretty wild, indulging in such non-Amish things like drugs, alcohol, television, dancing and cars. But once he found Hanna, who did not stray during her Rumspringa time, and fell in love with her, he came back to the Amish way of life.

HO scale farm layout:

The Stallion horse has run to the fencing gate envious of the draft horse pulling the buggy, who gets to leave the farm! And the goat is taking notice!

In front of the milking shed, Rebekah Stoltzfus is hand feeding a young calf fresh milk that came from the calf's mother this morning. The young pony is inquisitive about the feeding,while the mare feeds on the delicious long grass, and the sheep like eating the short grass down to the roots. The high stone wall needs no fencing as it's height acts as a formidable barrier against livestock entertaining thoughts of escape!

Azariah, Daniel's oldest brother, is plowing the small field next to the drying corn field. The field he is plowing had grown potatoes which were recently harvested and stored in the cool basement of the barn. Those potatoes will feed the Stoltzfus family all winter, spring and early summer until the next potato crop begins producing.

The pumpkins in the pumpkin patch next to the corn crib will soon be ready for harvesting in time for Halloween.

Some neighbors are in the garden picking some vegetables for dinner, and some flowers for on the table.

Tomorrow most things on the Stoltzfus farm will be back to normal, except for mom and their new baby, both of whom will be taking it easy for awhile.

Tom”

A big thanks to Tom for sharing his HO scale farm layout update.

You can see his first post and track plan here: Kato unitrack HO scale.

Tom’s farm scene reminded me a lot of Peter’s layout:

HO scale farmhouse

That’s all for this time folks.

Please do keep ’em coming.

And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.

Best

Al

PS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.

Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the Silly Discount bundle.