setting the scene

Last weekend I learned some techniques for making scenery.

Trevor Marshall asked me to visit the TrainmastersTV studios with him so I could participate in his latest "Roadshow" episode. My job was to ask silly questions, and he would show me how easy it was to generate basic grasslands. It was far easier than I expected.

My forte has always been electrical and mechanical aspects of layouts. If you want a pair of .128" diameter holes drilled .750" apart, or you need a wiring harness connecting you control panel to the tracks, I'm your man. But high-school art classes were a long time ago, and I was much better at mechanical draughting than "sketching from life" even then.

Starting with a blank slate (a 12" square slab of extruded foam insulation in this case) Trevor showed me how to add gentle contours, foundation colour & texture, realistic ground cover, and even small shrubs to create a pleasing diorama in just a few hours. The results I achieved were satisfying and visually acceptable; I'm sure with more practise I could improve to the point where I would surprise myself with the finished product.

Trevor has a more complete write-up of the event. Please visit his site for more detailed description.

wow!

Blog reader Simon Dunkley from the UK pointed out that the wooden wagons I recently acquired through an estate sale were actually made by Roy Link for the 2nd version of his Crowsnest Tramway layout.

I'm even more pleased to own these items now!

everything old

Yesterday, I was able to make time to visit the workshop of one of the local hobby machinists. He has been obtaining and rebuilding old machine tools for some time now and has done a really great job of it. His shop is possibly the best I've seen in terms of layout and utility. Nothing fancy, but the tools are well lit and there is enough equipment to tackle just about anything you can think of without having the tools jammed on top of one another.

One of the most gratifying things about this workshop is that none of the tools are new. They are objects that some people would have simply sent to the scrap pile - not because they weren't good enough to do a job, but merely because they were old. The owner has taken the time to restore, repair & rebuild a number of vintage pieces (one dating from the 20's) into useful machines that perform real work.

The thoughtful effort and planning that has to go into even one such project is not insignificant. Most people are simply not willing to undertake a task of this magnitude just for their hobby. A great number of people no longer possess the practical knowledge or manual skills to undertake it even if they had the time. Ways of learning the skills to do so are disappearing (people & institutions) and there seems to be little perceived value in the skilled trades. Too much hard work and, after all, why make or build when you can simply buy?

The satisfaction obtained through the offspring of the combined forces of hand and mind cannot be overestimated. The owner is duly proud of his results, and his work is certainly inspiring to myself and others. I look forward to visiting him again.

day 2, part 1

The second day in Calgary dawned bright and clear. The clarity & cleanliness of the air out there is surely something worth experiencing.

My host (Dean) and I tore off on another visit, this time to Geoff Southwood's place to see his in-progress HO Boston & Maine layout. Geoff is very nicely integrating his layout into his beautiful home as he goes along; no forests of unfinished benchwork cluttering up the place endlessly for him. I can appreciate his desire not to be surrounded by visual chaos for ages, even at the expense of not being able to run op sessions by getting all the track down first.

The layout will be two levels, and will feature RDC's and many other recognisable staples of the B&M.

Keeping it real - a simple plan but an attainable goal.

Some modeller's licence in the harbour interior. Water still to be poured.

What is New England without antique shops?

Fine dining on the waterfront.

The harbour grow-out. The fascia treatment is very clean.

Two legs of the wye.

An overall shot of the primary portion of the layout,
with bookshelves neatly included in the design.

hitting the wall

I came across a well weathered wall while I was on holiday. Stood back about 20 feet and took a shot. This should represent looking at an O scale wall from about 4". Notice what isn't in the picture.

You guessed it; no nail holes. You can make out the odd nail head, and easily see indications of where the studs are. Lots of flaked paint down at the bottom, and lots of chalky (or dusty, the rain doesn't hit it up there) looking paint at the top. This illustrates the importance of modelling something by looking at real world references rather than based on impressions, memories, or word-of-mouth approaches. Find the actually item you want to model, or take a picture of it in good lighting conditions, and try to emulate what is really there. 

day 1, part 1

The primary reason to visit Gary Graham's place was to see the progress on his On2/On3/Proto48 layout. His track design and scenery crew are empowered to make changes deemed necessary to ensure smooth running and appropriate landscape appearance. The track plan is not written in stone, and has undergone many changes. Gary has stopped trying to paint the fascia as the frequent plasterwork by the crew stains the fresh coat almost as soon as he turns his back on it. The arrangement (for the moment) is point-to-loop, with On3 on the high-line and On2 on the lower alignment. I would really enjoy coming back and seeing this layout when it is nearer to completion.

day 1, part 1.5

The first visit on the evening of day one took us to Gary Graham's place. Bill Kerr and Gary have been building an entry for the newest feature of Supertrain, the diorama display. My host Dean and I got a good look at the diorama before the show itself. The track is handlaid for 2' gauge in O scale. The railcar is a model of a Maine prototype. Foliage is from Selkirk Scenery fall colours range.

Gee, those cows look familiar... Why, they are S Scale cows! All the way from Trevor's surplus stock yard in Ontario to the wilds of Calgary to populate an O scale diorama! 

can it

Well known British Columbia modeller Tom Beaton likes to build dioramas in unusual containers. Here are two examples that he had on display with the South Bank Short Line group at Supertrain. The first one is in a section of Sonotube normally used as a concrete form for posts. The second is in an old milk can that was partially rusted away. Nice conversation pieces for the living room...

A close-up of the Sonotube diorama.

Closer to the milk can...

And closer still...

day 1, part 2

I arrived in Calgary for Supertrain 2012 on the Wednesday afternoon before the show. I figured that day one would be used up getting sorted out and settled in. Local Calgarian Bill Kerr, owner of Selkirk Scenery and a talented modeller, had other ideas. Bill wanted to show my gracious host (Dean) and me some sights before the show. Our second visit of the night was to see Herbert Stroh's impressive 2-rail O scale Canadian Pacific layout. Herb's presentation and quality of work is excellent, as you can see from these snapshots...

Along the edge of town.

All the track is handlaid on wood ties.

A magnificent 6' trestle.

Down by the roundhouse.

Ready for a day on the lake.

Looking up at the mine buildings.

Herb scratchbuilt this Consolidation in 1971

Supertrain

A capitalised title to one of my blog posts; unusual for me. Capitalisation is formal and symbolises importance. Supertrain IS important, though. It is simply the best show of its kind in Canada. What kind? It's a model railway show. This is a big deal? Yes, because it's

a model railway show, 

not 

a toy train show.

True, I have not been to every single show in the Great White North to make this comparison irrefutable, but I can form an opinion based on experience and observation. The cities of Toronto, Ottawa, and Kingston are the major centres I've visited to take in their events - and a good number of smaller locales, of course. From hotel lobbies to trade-show complexes to agricultural barns, I've paced over hard concrete and drab carpet. Until Supertrain, I held firm in the belief that Canadian shows all shared the same damning descriptor - they were "average".

Of course there are always bright sparks - certain spectacular models on display, certain engaging and informative clinics presented, certain captivating layouts revealed. But the overall sense of each show remains somehow less than it could be.

Supertrain 2012 was a well organised, well presented, and well attended show. Four soccer fields worth of it. Was it as big as the Amherst show in Springfield, MA? No. Does it need to be? No. Supertrain was advertised on the radio, had 19 huge banner ads hanging from highway overpasses around the city, and sported a crew of dedicated friends-of-the-hobby working tirelessly to ensure its success. Modellers and/or displays came from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Washington state to my personal knowledge. There were probably others I missed meeting...

Free clinics introducing various aspects of the hobby to newcomers ran for several hours on both days. Many live demos of techniques were going on nearby, such as making trees, weathering, structure building, super-detailing rolling stock and so on. A large area was set aside for kids to play with trains, Lego and other appropriate amusements. Members of the South Bank Short Lines group assisted many children in assembling their own cardstock structures; a station and an engine shed.

A wide array of layouts were on display, ranging from efforts by young children and families to large clubs. A great selection of manufacturers and vendors from around Canada and the US were also present, with staples like Athearn, Soundtraxx, Bowser, and Badger showing their wares.

How can a city of 1M people put on a show that attracts nearly 15,000 visitors while a city with nearly 2.6M at the core and another 4M in close proximity can only manage 20% of that attendance? How is it that there are nearly 3,500 active model railroaders in that same small city? I'll put it down to the efforts of the Calgary Model Railway Society. The people from the CMRS, local operating crews, and associated club members that I met before, during, and after the show were all enthusiastic and willing to share their time and knowledge. Despite many of them having home layouts and regular operating sessions that demand their time and attention, they understand the value of positively presented public events and the associated efforts necessary to make them happen.

Thanks, Supertrain, for changing my mind.

a traumatic idea...

...for a portable exhibition layout.

It's always a bother to drag legs, skirting, and the boxed-up sections of your exhibition layout out, using a hand cart or simply lugging the dead weight of it all. Often you have to make two trips back and forth to the vehicle.

How about using an ambulance gurney frame as the basis of the layout? The rolling chassis would fold up as you shoved it into the back of your van or pickup, and unfold as you dragged it out. Then it would be easy to roll it from the parking lot up to the venue and into your assigned spot. Just lock the wheels and drop some skirting around the edge of the frame to cover the chassis.

The frame would support an approximately 24" x 72" layout. Plenty for an HO or OO shunting plan, or an N terminus or single industrial complex. You should even be able to make a nice O14 or O16.5 scene in this footprint.

But where would you buy a used gurney?

Lake Erie Aggregates

Here's a shot of my talented friend Jim Martin's On30 "Lake Erie Aggregates" micro layout. It won a top prize at last year's Schomberg Narrow Gauge show. The overall layout only measures about 2'x4', and is a point-to-point arrangement, in a "U" around the central backdrop. The careful thought Jim put into the planning and execution translated into a layout that looks bigger than it actually is, and successfully conveys a sense of place.

Jim is currently co-hosting The Model Railway Show podcast, and was a veteran radio broadcaster in his previous life. He's also building an S scale layout in his basement, incorporating the Port Dover module set which formerly accompanied our modular group to local shows.

tick the boxes

In an effort to focus, pare down, and lighten up I've been considering what I like most in the hobby; a process brought on by having too much to think about, too much to choose from, and too much to complete. There is a primary pattern to the result, and it's narrow gauge. The themes include logging, mining, and industrial topics. There is little desire for a basement-filling empire, but a strong inclination to start the garden railway as soon as next Spring rears its head (and the ground dries up).

I'm much more interested in individual models than complete systems, and more inclined towards the critter than the Challenger. There are plenty of opportunities to work on other people's layouts, so not having anything more substantial than a micro or a few modules will be fine. Electrical, benchwork, and tracklaying tasks will all present themselves in sufficient quantity regardless of the scope of any one project. The decision to build kits rather than buying RTR has also allowed me to decide what stays and what goes.

Scale is not important on an individual level, as the large layout scenario is unlikely. Being able to dabble in 16mm or 7mm, 3/16" or 1:76 as the mood strikes has very broad appeal. I suspect that a display cabinet (or two) for finished items, coupled with a portable micro, a pair of modules, and a garden patch will be the end result of the soul searching...

hack 'n slash

It must be that time again. An end of days for Trevor Marshall's On2 S&PCR model railway (rev 2) was marked by the destruction of the original piece of the first On2 layout. While I did my best to carefully unscrew the various electrical fittings, Tortoise machines, and pattern-makers alignment pins from the layout's shadow box frames, Trevor bashed mightily on the upper surfaces with hammer and cold chisel to release the signature structures so laboriously built and blended into the scene.

While this incident ends one saga, it begins another. I have been priviledged to work on several projects with Trevor, and the latest one will prove as rewarding as the preceding. Our involvement with the S Scale Workshop has exposed us to the wonderful modelling that is possible in 3/16" scale. Coincident with the acquisition of suitable motive power, Trevor has decided to assay a CN themed point-to-point and has begun to assemble a fleet of cars. You can follow this latest adventure at Port Rowan in 1:64

.

podcast premier pending

The Model Railway Show launches November 1st
Free podcast engages model railroading enthusiasts in thought-provoking, fun-filled journey

(Toronto, Canada) – November is National Model Railroad Month, and we’re celebrating with the launch of The Model Railway Show. The first episode will be available November 1, 2010.

This free podcast follows the classic radio newsmagazine format, featuring the hobby’s best-known enthusiasts, along with the hard workers and innovators that keep this exciting hobby moving ahead.

Each episode of The Model Railway Show will run approximately 20 minutes, with quick yet informative interviews with a pair of guests. Topics will cover the full spectrum of the model railroad hobby – ranging from interviews with authors, editors and publishers, to chats with officials at the various organizations that keep the hobby growing, in North America and around the globe.

The Model Railway Show will broadcast twice a month over the Internet as a podcast. Listeners can subscribe at no cost via iTunes and have shows automatically delivered for listening on their computer, iPod or other digital music device. Alternately, listeners can monitor the show’s web site and RSS feed for new episodes, which can be download directly from the show’s servers in mp3 or m4a/AAC formats.

Details on how to listen by either method are provided on The Model Railway Show web site:

www.themodelrailwayshow.com

The Model Railway Show is hosted by Trevor Marshall and Jim Martin. In addition to being lifelong model railway enthusiasts who have worked in a wide variety of scales and gauges, Trevor and Jim both bring professional journalism, writing and radio backgrounds to the show.

yakkity yak

I've been very lucky to be able to participate in a great number of Model Rail Radio podcasts over the last couple of months. The audio police have yet to come banging on my door in the wee small hours demanding that I stop hemming & hawing while I talk.

Topics vary widely, from benchwork to DCC to planning to updates of various ongoing projects. Content is largely generated from listener feedback; I'm never quite sure what will be discussed.

and, speaking of print...

Peter Jones' book, Building Small Steam Locomotives, has a title that means what it says. The book reviews the nomenclature, planning, and process of building your own steam loco, either from commercial components or from raw materials. While no specific plans are printed within the covers, you are given just enough information to help locate all the bits & pieces (including drawings) to begin construction.

eMedia

It's difficult to accurately categorise the newest generation of online "publications" as direct replacements or even competition for traditional magazines. They exceed the capabilities and features that mere paper can offer. As such, they may not replace the old ways very quickly or completely.

Both Model Railroad Hobbyist and The Modeler's Guild (sic) offer a familiar format of articles, reviews and photos but also provide streaming video, user conversation/interaction, and reader feedback options not possible following the print paradigm.

one corner of the promised land

That is to say, land that I was promised. Finally, the workspace begins to take shape. A little more elbow room and a little less worry about dropping pointed, heavy, or glue-covered stuff on the floor.

More bins will have to be added to hold detail parts, and a rack will be made to hold both wood & styrene strip. Currently envisioned is a set of 12" long plastic tubes (2.5" or 3" diameter) arranged in a "wine-bottle" style matrix.

One issue that needed immediate resolution was that of humidity. Having noted rust on several steel surfaces, purchase of a decent humidifier with a continuous drain occurred forthwith.

Still outstanding are a powered vent for solder/paint fumes, and flat storage for sheet goods & drawings. Existing ceiling lights really need to be replaced with something that actually illuminates; the camera flash is deceptive.

to thine own self...

Solid reference material like this article on Byron Henderson's blog, will get most people moving down the right track in terms of their own layout planning. Note: make sure you follow along to the subsequent parts of the article series to get full benefit of the material; it's well worth the time invested in reading it.

Having spoken to a number of people (of various experience levels) about their layout plans, I've noticed one very important factor. The more honest you are with yourself with respect to an analysis of your own abilities, disposable cash, and overall goals, the more likely you are to build a satisfying layout. This seems like a "duh" point at first but, having now seen the results of the planning and execution of several layouts - and getting the back-story of a few more layouts during operating sessions, a definite pattern is emerging.

Those people who ignored finances (I never have enough money for gas, but I'll need 33 extremely rare brass locomotives for this plan to work) skill level (despite the fact I can't tie my own shoes, I'm sure I'll be able to cut my own offset mitre gears for an N scale Climax one day) or goals (I'm a confirmed and grumpy loner but my design requires 7 to 9 tightly-knit operators to make the sessions work) have generally built layouts that make them unhappy to own and operate.

Notice I've used the qualifier "satisfying" instead of "good". A good layout is not necessarily one that receives critical acclaim for its clever use of materials or 100% adherence to prototype track arrangement, but it certainly is one that brings you joy to use and is not a unbearable burden on your time, a regrettable use of your space, or an onerous money-pit that can't be finished without depriving yourself of food & clothing.