Modeling the 1920s and frieght cars

Many modelers are rediscovering one of the earlier eras of trains when their were large amounts of trains everywhere and the railroads were the glue that held together the nation.  The real challenge for those in this era is finding appropriate cars.  A blog post at this link give a list of Westerfield models that are appropriate for the era. 

Cobblestone Streets for Scenery or Display

When we present our contest level models at a meeting or show it is common to just place them on a table.  Military modelers place their models on  a wooden base with scenery on top to place the model in context.  Cobblestone streets are not common in most of the US now but were more so earlier in the last century particularly in port areas.  Vallejo (my favorite paints) has a clinic on their Facebook page that teaches you step by step how to make the streets.  Add some rail and you have an excellent place to place that resin or wood kit.

Simplification in Planning

Though I have many friends who want to build the basement empire and it has been my dream it is time to realize that the dream must end.  Something between the one lead and a couple sidings of the recent past and the empire is probably closer to a satisfying reality. 

Even with the issues of wanting a longer run I have come to realize that I will never have in my current a long enough run to implement Timetable and Train Order operation.  The general rule of thumb is that it takes 8 plus scale miles of track with 10 -12 be optimal by my reckoning to give enough distance without introducing boredom of the endless run.

Where does that leave me?  I need to settle on a design that gives more in a smaller space.  This typically means a switching operation using a nodal design.  A nodal design is one main yard where all on layout traffic originates and terminates for all jobs.

Settling this design parameter should make the next step simplify the next step. 

Trends influencing my thinking

There are several friends who via email are gently nudging me, well OK they are pushing me, to make a reality check and start building a layout  As with most of us I have O Scale tastes with an N Scale space.  O Scale is like a drug in that you go to a large layout and it just feels so good, operates so well, and is impressive but the reality is the real estate for most is beyond their means unless they are willing to do a switching layout.

This is why most folks end up in HO which is the not too big not too small scale for most folks.  It is just right and why it is the dominant scale today even with it ceding some of its lead to N Scale in recent years.  The HO market is suffering from the dual hit that the seniors in the hobby can no longer see well enough and the younger crowd wants more prototype length trains which require a lot of real estate.

The older crowd is either simplifying their HO layouts, stepping into On30 or even rediscovering O Scale.  This has appeal as I am at the bottom edge of that age range though the real estate beast rears its ugly head again. 

S Scale is really the ultimate solution as the best balance of size and space. It only takes up 33 percent more space than HO but it currently lacks the product depth of HO, N or O.  The demise of S Helper Service as it was absorbed by MTH is a strong point of concern with MTHs real focus on the toy train in S and not scale market even as they venture into HO.

The Sn3 niche includes one major manufacturer which is PBL.  They make some of the nicest locomotives in any scale but the price tag is just more than my budget will allow.  Their car kits make some of the most beautiful recreations of cars in any scale as I will attest from a caboose kit that I have mostly finished before setting it aside.

The N direction has appeal for what one can fit into the space but the ability to see the product and to detail and operate it raises concerns for many and particularly for my self as my vision and motor dexterity should decline over the next 20 years as it does with most as they enter senior status.  Even with these concerns seeing layouts like Mark Dance's Columbia & Western attest to the ability to operate in a prototype manner in N Scale.

What ties all these sections together for is finding the balance to operate as I want with available models in the constraint of space along with availability of models.  Which scale gives me the balance?  Some of that will be answered once the prototype is picked in the near future. 

To use the analogy from the computer world in that you buy the hardware that runs your software in the model train world you buy the scale equipment that allows you to run the trains you want the way you want.

Point Worth Pondering

As I work through this process of deciding what to do next I keep reading various blogs about layouts.  Lance Mindheim wrote recently some advice in his blog that a smaller layout in closet in a smaller scale is better than no layout at all.  In addition building something sooner is better than waiting for the perfect plan and combination.  Take a read by following this link

New Layout - Same Room

For the last 10 plus years I have been collecting trains that interest me in several scales but mostly I have been in O Scale with a minimalist blueboard layout of a lead and a couple of tracks that I would shift with my trusty Atlas 0-6-0 switcher.  The old is now gone and I want to reduce the hobby shop in the basement and at the same time build something more than a very bare minimalist layout.  The next layout can be of any scale or gauge with no prototype yet chosen.   As I work through this process I will commit to this forum the process to help myself focus my thoughts and hopefully help another poor soul out of their paralysis.  The starting point is usually the room.

The room is shown below.  There is a non load bearing wall between the two parallel is shown between the wall and the air handler.  The post is the circle is the support pole 5 feet from the wall.  All squares are one foot.  There is a PDF of the plan here  Future posts will deal with prototype or freelance choice and the given and druthers of the layout.

The Underserved in the Hobby

As the centralized structure of the hobby has been taken apart little by little and the new structure has yet to be built we are at a loss many times to know how the hobby is going.  Lance Mindheim who builds layouts and has written several books about the hobby has hit upon a point where a missing group of the hobby sits which can be easily overlooked today.  Those of us who enjoy the social aspects of the hobby in sharing what we work on, operating a layout, or just a meal talking about our favorite subject need to find ways to reach these advanced beginners.  In this group are the future of the hobby, our future operators and hopefully future friends.  Please take a look at his blog post