As I seriously consider removing and selling off all my G scale and relaying with Atlas O 3 rail track, enjoy my one UK engine with onboard battery power stuffed in its tender. I really wonder how well a 2 rail track powered locomotive would do? I have not fed power to the rails in years, but the newer UK stuff is 3 rail/2 rail switchable. But it would be nice to be able to run 3 rail powered stuff out there! Enjoy!
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
I like that last shot, with the train coming on between the buildings! Very cinematic!
Same me, different spelling!
Thank you. Buildings that will tollerate being outside all the time is my one remaining challenge if I rebuild to run just O scale.
Beautiful train! And it looks like a good runner too!
Buildings that will tolerate being outside 24/7/365? I'd say you've got to go plastic. Wood's going to rot eventually (unless it's built like a bridge) and sheet metal's going to rust.
I've got some AmeriTowne buildings on the layout, they're easy to build kits and the plastic's nice and heavy, not thin like Plasticville which I don't think I'd trust for outdoor use.
Here's one for you. I ran accross this layout at Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in Pattaya Thailand:
G Scale obviously. Sadly no trains were running and the track looked to be in disrepair.
That could have something to do with these guys:
Notice the palms the layout runs through:
They climb the trees and pick coconuts for the tourists.
Probably drop one or two on the trains too.
The problem with plastic buildings in O scale is the UV rays of the sun. Most are made for indoor use and are not UV resistant. Even track choices are limited, Atlas O, Gargraves or from the UK one can get Maldon or souce the vintage Bassett Lowke track. I have seen tinplate signals used outdoors ok, with a yearly removal to the workbench for a cleaning and repaint as needed. But lithographed buildings could only come out for train time, then have to get stored away indoors. Most looking for a nice UK style station with platforms on both sides of the track(s), signal box, maybe a couple houses or a group of row houses and an industry or two. I have posted the same question in a mostly UK O gauge forum where there are several guys in the UK with outdoor layouts, and they have very wet weather. Just not the hot summer and brutal cold winters we get in north central Indiana. Mikie
It's too bad there's no roof just because I know of a place with just about every kind of UK style building you could ever want! They're downloadable kits to print on cardstock and build: scalescenes.com. Still, worth a look for getting ideas.
I have seen some great tinplate and card stock buildings in O gauge that would be awsome if they were a resin or outdoor plastic kit such as offered by Pola or Piko in G.
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