diff --git a/include/osgViewer/Scene b/include/osgViewer/Scene
index e4b6d79f0..485baaecb 100644
--- a/include/osgViewer/Scene
+++ b/include/osgViewer/Scene
@@ -29,9 +29,6 @@ class OSGVIEWER_EXPORT Scene : public osg::Referenced
 {
     public:
 
-        Scene();
-        virtual ~Scene();
-
         void setSceneData(osg::Node* node);
         osg::Node* getSceneData();
         const osg::Node* getSceneData() const;
@@ -44,8 +41,16 @@ class OSGVIEWER_EXPORT Scene : public osg::Referenced
           * return 0 if no Scene has yet been assigned the specified node.*/
         static Scene* getScene(osg::Node* node);
 
-
     protected:
+
+        Scene();
+        virtual ~Scene();
+
+        /** Get the Scene object that has the specified node assigned to it.
+          * or return a new Scene if no Scene has yet been assigned the specified node.*/
+        static Scene* getOrCreateScene(osg::Node* node);
+        
+        friend class View;
     
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node>             _sceneData;
 
diff --git a/src/osgViewer/Scene.cpp b/src/osgViewer/Scene.cpp
index 40de79636..6ae8a5fa6 100644
--- a/src/osgViewer/Scene.cpp
+++ b/src/osgViewer/Scene.cpp
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ void Scene::setSceneData(osg::Node* node)
     if (_databasePager.valid())
     {    
         // register any PagedLOD that need to be tracked in the scene graph
-        _databasePager->registerPagedLODs(node);
+        if (node) _databasePager->registerPagedLODs(node);
     }
 }
 
@@ -85,3 +85,16 @@ Scene* Scene::getScene(osg::Node* node)
     return 0;
 }
 
+Scene* Scene::getOrCreateScene(osg::Node* node)
+{
+    if (!node) return 0; 
+
+    osgViewer::Scene* scene = getScene(node);
+    if (!scene) 
+    {
+        scene = new Scene;
+        scene->setSceneData(node);
+    }
+
+    return scene;
+}