After 20 Years of Z, I'm playing a bit with H0. I've bought the little switching Layout from my Friend Alexander Loesch in Germany (http://www.frankenmodell.de). I'm going to make some minor modification in the near future so the Layout will become "Diorama quality". I'll post also the building process soon on my website. In the meantime I'll show some pictures. Of course I need more modern Switchers for the Graffiti Cars and some older Boxcars for the old Switchers but wait just some more weeks Here is the overview over the little switching Layout. The "Transfertable" is hidden on the right side. There is also a hidden track in the back to store 3-4 Boxcars. some more Graffiti photos:
Wow! I really like the weathering you've done on the engines and cars. They just popped out at me in the second picture. I think you're very much on the way to creating your diorama quality display. Good job! Pat
Weathering Wonderful weathering! Is it easier than Z scale? I'm normally in N scale and I think H0 scale gives more opportunity for weathering detail (as well as other type of detail, obviously)..
A small word of caution, JR59, in regard to future modification and additions to your very nice operating diorama. Given the era suggested by your diorama's motive power, American railroading was not then heavily composed of defaced and unmaintained, rusted-out, equipment. Even the semi truck shown in the diorama is, at least in my opinion, unusually filthy looking for the era. Unfortunately, many American hobbyists like to model "caricatures of reality" for some reason, dramatically exaggerating the degree of weathering and deterioration shown in their scenes, to the point that they are more of a cartoon image than something honestly representing the real world. While there certainly are plentiful examples of graffiti-covered cars around today, this is still far from universal with regard to today's rollingstock on most railroads, and would have been far less common in the era when say your NYC switcher was in operation. A piece of advice I picked up long ago from a RR photographer was that, even in regard to supposed reference photographs of railroading in most eras, to remember that in most cases there was propably a reason that the photographer snapped the picture. More often than not, it was because what he saw was something highly unusual and out of character, rather than the commonplace. NYW&B
Nice modeling right there. Good luck with the modifications you mentioned. The weathering is outstanding.
Are you kidding me?This is one of the nicest and more realistic models I have seen in sometime.Can we not just say good job to the guy especially since he has moved from Z scale to HO scale and not start the conversation of what is wrong with his modeling. I do not think he is exaggerating the degree of weathering at all and by no means does it look "cartoonish".
JR59 I thought those wre real photos for a few seconds they look great. As far as the era and weathering the jeep is a much more recent car like the 90s seems to me there is a place that has a lot of old cars and engins that thay use and keep them up instead of getting newer cars and engins and trucks and if that is the case the weathering is perfect for old stock and locos. And maybe the company just dosent take good care of there equipment. Man you do a great job. kepp it up.
Tom, I suggest that you go back and re-read my post. All I was doing was offering a word of caution to a foreign modeler who obviously has an interest in modeling U.S. prototypes and is attempting to model it from afar. I'm pointing out the dangers of judging reality at a distance from secondary sources (hobby magazine photos and pictures on the Internet). Nowhere did I criticize the quality of his diorama, nor do I call it cartoonish. That term I reserved for the over-weathered and often caricaturish modeling exhibited by far too many U.S. hobbyists in recent years, and which many have come to believe is an actual reflection of past reality. NYW&B
Thanks for the kind words and the warm welcome! I'm open for all critics so don't worry. I know I've just a couple of Cars and Engines and they don't match proper but there are some Engines on the way to Switzerland that looks a lot more prototypical (Athearn MP 15 and a Trackmobile from FDT). Stay tuned
BTW Wolfgang, I think Alexander showed his Fat City Terminal in Rodgau last year but he showed the NYC Harbor Belt in Adliswil. Did you visited Adliswil last October?
JR59 I think you did an outstanding job on your layout Diorama. And I grew up in NYC and from what I remember Subway trains were covered with graffiti as far back as the early 60's. And that's just to the best of my memory. Or maybe it was just in my Hood. And I too thought that was a real picture till I realized you placed it inside of a door. ingenious. And by the way welcome to the easy to see scale
Personally, those weathered boxcars look quite real, and much like what I see at trackside. The locomotives may not match the era, but they look well-used and well-worn. Now, not all rolling stock is weathered as much- there are varying degrees of grime and graffiti, from fresh-from-the-carshops to well-worn. I personally like what I see here, as it shows the real world as it really is- not all shiny and sparkly clean. The pictures have nailed the gritty underside we normally don't see on a regular basis in our day-to-day living. Well done!
You're right, it was his Fat City Terminal, I saw. I was only one time in Adliswil, Oct 1998. We had a great time then. But it was too expensive for me, never again, hotel and driving. Wolfgang
Are you kidding us? Making minor modifications so the layout will be more "diorama quality" What on earth are you going to do to make perfection better? I have been looking at these photos for what seems like hours. Its incredible. Can`t wait to see more.