Dear all, Do you feel a desire to continually ‘improve’ the modelling work and simulation (train running) practices you do and the layout itself? And by ‘improve’ I mean what kinds of things you feel you need to improve on and/or do to the layout. Following on from that would you say that you a ‘striver’ for realism, what is realism for you and when is that point where you say right that's enough I am happy with that'. ----- PS. I would like to better formally introduce myself, I am undertaking an academic research project that partly explores the hobby of model railways. I am based in the UK and I am actually interviewing UK-based railway modellers (about 20 so far and won't do any more for a while I think) but am posting questions on forums like this so as to get some more ideas, besides actually looking through previous forum threads for any interesting stuff. You are very very welcome to enquire more about the research project from me where I can give you some more info and most welcome to PM me if you want to discuss issues not on public forums. I can be contacted at rjm11@aber.ac.uk and have a website or two, just type 'Robert MacKinnon Aberystwyth' into Google. On a side note I have done some railway modelling in the past and actually doing the project has enthused me to take it up again!
I am always watching for tips and ideas, which I can then incorporate into my future efforts. I don't strive so much for realism, as I do to capture the feel of a memory into a scene.
I am always on the lookout for improving techniques. And I dont always look to the "old dogs" for tips either. I have read and/or seen some amazing tips from some much younger modelers too.
Yes. I am constantly trying to improve my skills. I do a lot of experimentation to make things more realistic. Most of the experiments are failures. I usually cannot move forward until my research and experimentation has yielded something acceptable. I do like to see a little bit of what people are doing. High quality graphics and videos are the most helpful. I also find it helpful to blog about what I am doing, it provides motivation to keep things moving along and to get things right.
I'm constantly trying to "push my own envelope" so to speak, through mine and others trial and error,experimentation, tips picked up from various resources, etc. It's getting to the point where models I built as little as a few years ago don't measure up to current self imposed standards. I suppose it comes down to an inner drive to always try improving ones self. Bob
I am always striving to "improve" things from a personal modeling standpoint. I love to push the envelope and do things in N-scale that are seldom done in even the larger scales. I also really enjoy finding out how prototype railroads were run in the 50's during the transition era, so I can eventually run my little section of the UP in a prototype manner when it's done. These are the things I do: (1) I model in N-scale because of the wonderful scenery-to-track ratio that can be achieved with 1/160th scale (2) I model specific LDE's (Layout Design Elements) of the UP in 1951 between Ogden, Utah and Wahsatch, Utah in the early Summer (3) I model specific engines as closely as I can using photos of the time period as references from 1950 through 1956 (4) I also model specific cabooses and passenger trains between those dates (5) some areas, after I've done my research, I'll model on a specific day, such as March 1st, 1952 at the Echo Station and Coaling facility...going so far as to modify N-scale figures to represent the Station Master, his wife (hanging clothes in their large flower garden next to the station), the foreman at the Fairbanks & Morse coaling tower and his new employee Frank, who is only 17 years old on this day. I get this information by talking to the few residents of Echo or Henefer or Devils Slide who still remember those days, such as Frank, the retired owner of Frank's Diner and Echo Historian. (5) I research specific daily trains that ran both East and West through Weber and Echo Canyons, such as the Evanston Local, the Park City Local, the morning eastbound mail train, City of San Francisco, City of Los Angeles etc., etc., then I give them consists which are accurate with the time period, some cars being detailed from photos of made-up trains in the Ogden and Riverdale yards between 1950 through 1956. I go so far as to dig real dirt from the areas I model and sift it down to various grades, which I use as ground cover on my LDE's. I also document and measure such things as ballast color and size, type D signal heads and U.P. cantilever signal bridges (now gone), telegraph and power poles alongside the track, railings on the Lincoln Highway next to the mainline in Echo and Weber Canyons as well as road surface and centerline paint color, where the Lincoln Highway was located before the freeway was built, what color the weeds and water are in the Echo and Weber rivers and the color and structure of the numerous Warren Truss Bridges that span the Weber River in this area. I've thoroughly researched the types of stations at Morgan, Henefer, Devils Slide, Echo and Wahsatch as well as the outbuildings and colors which include such esoteric items as the his/hers outdoor restrooms/coal storage at the Echo Station and the small, red shed that housed the firefighting equipment and canvas hose near the concrete coaling tower at Echo. I've even got plans for the three different types of section houses that were arranged alongside the Park City Yard at Echo, and a valuation map of Echo town and yard that shows the precise location and measurements of every building, hydrant, signal, utility pole, drainage ditch, fence, rail centerline, turnout type and size, bridge and road in Echo Town, Echo Yard and the Park City Yard. I have the same thing for the Ogden Yard and engine facilities in 1951, when the SP engine facilities and roundhouse were still operational just north of the UP facilities. I've also collected the same sort of information for the huge Ideal Concrete Plant at Devil's Slide, including the company town just east of the station there. Eventually, my portable layout will run just like the U.P. ran from Ogden to Wahsatch, including a couple of places where there was CTC, but everything else was ABS, which means I will have to manufacture my own D-type signal heads and possibly cantilever signal bridges if I decide modifying the Traincat etched brass UP cantilevers is too much work. On top of all of it, I hand-lay all of my turnouts, and some of my code 40 trackage. Most mainline curves are superelevated also, and branchlines get special attention so that tie spacing is further apart and more random than mainline, heavily trafficked trackage is...just like the prototype does it. I'm shooting for a slice of the past that is a accurate in operation, color and form as I can possibly do it, and I immensely enjoy the research and work that goes into it. Of course, it's not everybody's cup of tea and I don't expect it to be. However, it's what turns my crank and keeps me interested in the hobby. I am totally fascinated by everything to do with running the largest and most innovative and powerful locomotives through some of the most spectacular scenery in the world when Big Boys and Turbines ran together, FEF's and E units pulled passenger trains in both Streamliner and two tone gray paint schemes, 3700 Class oil-fired Challengers were pushing on the rear of nearly every non-Big Boy powered freight from Riverdale to the wye at Wahsatch, then running light back down Echo and Weber Canyons, being turned on the 135' turntable in Ogden, to get on the back of another east-bound freight out of Riverdale again, with both the Evanston and Park City Locals picking up and dropping off coal, stock, machinery, lubricants, hardware and passengers in between the 20+ passenger/mail trains and 40+ freights that ran east and west through the Wasatch Grade every day. Passenger trains were being pulled by FEF's and Challengers in two-tone gray or shiny black, Armour Yellow E's, F's, PA's and Erie Builts. Freights were pulled by Big Boys, Challengers, GP7's and new GP9/GP9-B's, Baby and Veranda Turbines, F3's, F7's, FP7's, F9's, and Alco FA/B's. Locals were pulled by Consolidateds and Light Mikes and helpers were the oil fired 3700 Class Challengers and the occasional 2-10-2. Cabooses were almost all Armour Yellow by this time (with a couple of freight car red hold-outs), and the vast majority of cabooses assigned to the rails between Ogden and Green River were the wooden CA and CA-1 cars with the occasional steel riveted CA-3/CA-4 and CA-5 being seen. I've been hard at work for years detailing, kit-bashing plastic MT and old Golden West kits as well as collecting, superdetailing and painting brass models of the appropriate cabooses for my era and area. Over the years, I've been able to accumulate most of the engines, cabooses and cars used on the UP in my time period, with the exception of Baby Turbines, quality Veranda Turbines and 2-10-2's. Fortunately, with rapid prototyping and 3D printers, I'm expecting to have several models of Turbines designed and running within a couple of years, and a few excellent resin 2-10-2 kitbashed engines as helpers also. DCC and sound add a whole new dimension to model railroading, and luckily for me, my engines are big enough to accommodate speakers so that I am able to install sound in almost all of them! I also design and build my modular layout to my own modular standards, which took me nearly four years to finally get socked down to what I like and to what fits my needs and desires. So, yep...I am constantly upping the ante for myself...which I enjoy. After all, model railroading is to have FUN, right? You do it your way, and I'll do it mine. Cheers! Bob Gilmore Since this is for a research project, thought I'd post two photos of one LDE (Layout Design Element) of a specific prototype scene that represents an accumulation of most of the things I stated above...research of the prototype, selective compression of the scenery to effectively represent the scene in miniature (after all, a scale mile in N-scale...1/160th scale...is still 33 feet!), build the trackage and track furniture (signals, relay boxes, telegraph poles, switch stands, etc.) as closely to prototype practice as I can, paint and weather everything appropriately, then do the same things for the engines and cars running on the scene! This is of the 1000 Mile Tree Monument that exists alongside the UP mainline trackage in Wilhemina Pass, just East of Devils Slide, in 1973 (not the '50's). Here's another view of the same place, set in 1949...when Freight Car Red cabooses had not yet all been painted Armour Yellow, and F-Units were new and clean. When I took these photos 15 years ago or so, I thought I had researched them thoroughly, but there are a couple of anachronisms in them which I have since discovered. The top photo is the most accurate, except for the barely visible 1000 Mile Tree Monument which would not have been there. The second photo has several major, glaring inaccuracies, such as the trucks on the F's should be gray instead of silver, and the cantilever signal bridge would have been painted black at this time. Also, the 1000 Mile Tree Monument would also not have been there as when the original pine tree died in the 1890's, it was cut down and the monument removed in 1900. A new tree was planted in 1982 and the monument replaced...so...in 1949, it wouldn't have been there.
