The Modern Village fits an era from 1940 until the present. Three shops stand to the left, while nearest the track is a stone bridge.
Looking over the passing train. Way in back you can see the house and lighthouse.
To deal with scale differences in shops and loose figures, there was an added problem. The shops had figures about 1 1/4" tall, scaled for them. Loose figures were 2 1/4" tall. Placing them outside the village helped. The bridge served as a line, separating the smaller figures from the larger.
The shopkeeper is 1 1/4" tall. Boys are about 2". The boys are to the left and forward of the bridge, which separates the two scales of figures nicely.
The Diner scene is across the tracks form the Modern Village. The building is of a larger scale than the shops. Here we have modern figures kitted out for winter sports. Skiers relax in front of the diner, while in foreground a man and boy build a snowman.
The "Wilds" is way in back. There is a house on a hill to the right, a lighthouse to the left, and a wooden bridge in the right foreground. The brightest colors are the man in yellow rain gear. He and the lights draw attention to the sparsely-populated Wilds.
A small corner across the tracks was used for the nautical Village. Space did not allow for much spacing of figures to enhance the idea of distance.