Backdrops are an important part of any model railroad. Whether you use drywall, tempered hardboard, or some other material, backdrops help operators and visitors focus on the layout and not other distractions in the room. If you’re looking for something beyond basic sky blue, and painting isn’t your game, then this backdrop round-up is for you.
In this article, we’ll look at nine manufacturers that offer ready-made and/or custom backdrops. Some of these companies are household names, while others may be new to you. And don’t feel that you have to stick with one brand. As we’ve shown in the pages of Model Railroader, modelers have successfully mixed and matched brands. For examples, see our June 2018 issue.
BackdropsOnly.com
The BackdropsOnly.com website features more than 490 backdrops that can be printed on presentation paper, polypropylene film (with and without peel-and-stick backing), and non-adhesive vinyl. The backdrops are offered in heights between 12” and 42” (6” intervals) and lengths from 4 to 16 feet. Sample scenes include airports, canyons, valleys, prairies, meadows, chemical and oil refineries, mines and quarries, and intermodal cargo and shipping.
Backdrop Junction
Backdrop Junction, runner up in the 2019 Model Railroader Readers Choice Awards, offers a line of backdrops in N, HO, and O scales. In addition, the company offers custom scenes featuring cities, farms, fields, hills, industries, and mountains, as well as locations in Maine.
The backdrops are available at 17 x 72 inches (HO), 14 x 72 inches (N), and 24 x 72 (O). Custom backdrops are $8 per square foot. Materials include adhesive fabric, adhesive vinyl, and vinyl.
Backdrop Warehouse
Backdrop Warehouse offers more than 500 backdrop scenes in 25 sizes for Z, N, HO, S, O, and G scales. Scene categories include agricultural, clouds, commercial cities, hills, residential, and mountains, among others. The company will also print backdrops from supplied digital photos sent in on a CD or DVD.
BPH Enterprises (SceniKing)
BPH Enterprises produces the SceniKing line of backdrops in N, HO, S, O scales. The N and HO scale backdrops are offered as Junior Roll Outs (72” x 8”) and Senior Roll Outs (72” x 16-1/2”). The S, O, and variable scale — designed to support more than one scale — backdrops measure 72” x 16-1/2”.
The company offers a variety of scenes, including urban, rural, wooded, mountain, and marine, just to name a few. Visit the manufacturer’s website to see the entire product range.
LARC Products
LARC Products has two options for backdrops. The first is custom-sized backdrops. Just pick the image, download the order worksheet from its website, indicate whether or not you want sky, provide the backdrop dimension, and select the material. Options include Image-Bright, a 4ml-thick self-adhesive vinyl; Fax-Tex, a 7ml-thick self-adhesive, cloth-based material; and Pro 10.5, a smooth, synthetic material without a peel-and-stick backing.
The second option is to order one of the company’s railroad graphics CDs. Currently, LARC Products offers seven volumes featuring more than 1,400 backdrop kits. The images can be printed on standard home printers.
RailroadBackdrops.com
RailroadBackdrops.com, a winner in the 2019 Model Railroader Readers Choice Awards, produces custom backdrops in N, HO, S, and O scales. When you select the Backdrop tab at the top of the page, you’re directed to a landing page that walks you through a multi-step process. Step one is to select a scale, size, and backdrop type. Materials include premium polypropylene and outdoor durable vinyl (both offered with and without peel-and-stick backing) and presentation paper.
Step two is Select Category, which range from specific locations like Cajon Pass to universal offerings like skies and clouds. Step three (Select Backdrop) shows the different offerings in that category. Step four is Select Sky, which includes variations of sky blue, deep sky blue, overcast, thunderstorm, and transitions. Step five is checkout, select additional backdrops, or add to wish list.
Realistic Backgrounds
Realistic Backgrounds offers a line of 22 backdrops that measure 13” high by 38” long. Scenes on the backdrops include coke, concrete, and power plants; city; desert; mountains; clouds; basic oxygen and open hearth furnaces; and an ore bridge/basic oxygen furnace. All of the backdrops, designed for use in multiple scales, are printed on 15 pt. coated, one-side cardboard.
Train Junkies
Train Junkies produces backdrops from Z through large scales. Offerings in the company’s product range include city/industrial, sky/clouds, desert, forest, rural, and rivers. HO (18 x 120 inches), N (12 x 80 inches), and O (24 x 144 inches) are offered in matte (plain coated 80-pound photographic paper) and semi-glossy, self-adhesive vinyl. Due to lower demand, ready-made backdrops aren’t offered in Z, S, and large scales. Contact the manufacturer if you’re interested in backdrops for those scales.
In addition, Train Junkies offers custom backdrops from 9” to 36” tall and up to 100 contiguous feet long. To help with that process, the website features a Planning tab that walks users through a list of things to consider when developing a backdrop.
Wm. K. Walthers Inc.
Instant Horizons backdrops, part of the SceneMaster product range, have been offered by Wm. K. Walthers Inc. for many years. The 24” x 36” backdrops, which were among the winners in the 2020 Model Railroader Readers Choice Awards, are scaled for use with HO models but can be used with larger scales. Offerings include city, mountain, rural, and transition scenes. Visit walthers.com or check out the Walthers 2024/2025 Model Railroad Reference Book to see photos of the backdrops.
You left out Trackside Scenery!
https://tracksidesceneryshop.com/index.php
Even though Joey Ricard is based in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, his Western Mountain series does the best job of looking like the Cascades of Washington, Oregon, and California compared to all alternatives.