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The Thai layout

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The Thai layout
Posted by Penny Trains on Saturday, March 26, 2011 8:28 PM

A few pics of the summer version of my 4 by 6 foot bedroom layout.  It's constructed as a series of landscape modules that are lightweight and easy to store, with the largest fitting inside the O31 RealTrax oval.  The base is Luan plywood painted dark green which also looks good with the winter version of the layout which features all Plasticville buildings.  The palm trees, Wat (temple), train station and a few other buildings are cardstock creations of my own design, while the apartment building, hospital, small platform and pedestrian bridge are Plasticville.  There's also a K-Line 7-11 since 7-11's are proliferous in Thailand.

The big attraction in town ought to be the 2 steamers pulling into the Chonburi station, but they're not!  Instead, it's the 1966 Batmobile on display at the station platform!  The car is a Hotwheels 1:50 scale model while the American Flyer Atlantic is a 300AC and the just visible 8506 0-4-0 Pennsy switcher is a Lionel MPC product.

The gardens are filled with palms, plumeria trees and flowers of many varieties.  I kept the construction simple so it would compliment rather than contrast the bright and beautiful trains.  So mountain paper and Lychen are used extensively.  The flowers and flowering trees are silk and plastic "Picks" from craft stores.  The figures are 1:50 scale.

The postwar freights wend their way around the ovals while adventurous worshipers climb the path to visit the golden Buddha.

Mopeds may be a preffered method of transportation in Thailand, but I don't know about Hudsons!

Slightly blurry as it may be, this last pic gives you an idea of what the total layout looks like.  The Plasticville hospital is out of view behind the leg of the bed on the front right corner.  Also not seen is the 5 foot bamboo tree that stands above the layout.  However you can see the mountain at the center rear which acts as it's stand.  I constructed the mountain by first bending a sheet of galvanized flashing into a tunnel.  Then, I installed a heavy cardboard tube in the center of the top for the bamboo tree to slide into.  Next came tunnel portals cut from 1/16" styrene and hot glued directly to flanges I made in the steel.  The mountain itself, which looks more like a volcano, is newspaper, duct tape and finally mountain paper.  The bamboo tree is decorated with paper lanterns and the 2 dozen good luck charms I collected on various trips to Thailand.

Scattered about town are many of the things that remind me of my visits to the tropical paradise which is Thailand.  However it's important to note that not once did I ever knowingly catch sight of a train while I was there!  Buses, mopeds, motorcycles, cars and tuk-tuks were the only methods of transportation I ever saw!  Which is a pity because Thailand has some beautiful old steam locomotives!  Big Smile

So I'll say Sawasdeekha from my tropical paradise and try not to look out the window and see the snowflakes!Laugh

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by balidas on Saturday, March 26, 2011 8:50 PM

lol that is beautiful! Very colourful! The first thing I noticed tho was the Batmobile, my most favourite vehicle.

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Posted by Penny Trains on Saturday, March 26, 2011 9:00 PM

Coolest car ever built!  Big Smile  (chicks dig the car!) 

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by wallyworld on Saturday, March 26, 2011 9:25 PM

Wow..the colors make for some real eye candy, and the setting is so out of the ordinary..I think it's terrific. I especially like the lighting...

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Posted by arkady on Saturday, March 26, 2011 10:02 PM

Penny Trains

Mopeds may be a preffered method of transportation in Thailand, but I don't know about Hudsons!

That's a nice and very unique layout, Becky.  But the car is a Buick.

 

 

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Posted by Brutus on Saturday, March 26, 2011 10:06 PM

How cool!  I love it!

RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.

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Posted by Firesteel on Saturday, March 26, 2011 11:39 PM

Becky, your layout is very impressive. I always enjoy looking at layouts depicting other parts of the world as it adds variety to the layout themes we normally see. I also like the Batmobile.....but unfortunately I now have the Bat Music running through my head.

Karl

 

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Posted by ChiefEagles on Sunday, March 27, 2011 12:10 AM

COLORFUThumbs Up

 God bless TCA 05-58541   Benefactor Member of the NRA,  Member of the American Legion,   Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville Laugh,   KC&D QualifiedCowboy       

              

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Posted by vsmith on Sunday, March 27, 2011 12:29 AM

Very nice, I can almost feel the humidity and the mosquitos Smile, Wink & Grin

   Have fun with your trains

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Posted by fifedog on Sunday, March 27, 2011 6:48 AM

Ok, I really admire those palm trees! ParadisePirate You have created a true train garden.

Nicely done, Ms B.

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Posted by Monsieur on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:32 AM

Hi Becky,

My wife and I love your layout! We both enjoy different and colorful themes. This layout is wonderfully unique and fun. The paper buildings are just great. Love the rail road crossing signs in Thai, so cool!  We are just starting the scenery stage on our living room layout and most of the buildings will be paper. My wife is using the Model Builder software to create the unique buildings we need. Our layout is based in the alternate Lord Darcy World as created by the late Randall Garratt. Everything is steam powered or horse drawn and the year in 1986.

ps: love the Batmobile but I think I need to go get the Batman music as a mp3. It's running in my head now.

Patrick

Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono

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Posted by scrambler81 on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:37 AM

 Very cool, I love all that color. Can I ask - why Thailand? Just curious.

 

As for the Batmobile....I attend a horror movie convention here in Jersey twice a year, and there is a guy who parks his 1:1 scale Batmobile out front at every show. Always have to fight the urge to steal it so I can go out and fight some crime. Cool

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Posted by Seayakbill on Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:22 AM

WOW, a very nice small layout and very, very colorful. You have done a terrific job in building your seasonal layout.

Bill T.

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Posted by bogaziddy on Sunday, March 27, 2011 1:45 PM

Sheesh! ... Where are my sunglasses?

Seriously, great job with a toy train layout featuring a foreign accent. It's got me thinking about dropping down to a local Thai restaurant for dinner tonight. Hot Thai chili peppers anyone?

The High Bogaziddy Mahesh Maserati - Top Ramen  I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kinda' guy I'm preaching to.
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Posted by jwse30 on Sunday, March 27, 2011 4:49 PM

That is a really beautiful layout! Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

J White

 

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 6:51 PM

Thanks everybody!

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:01 PM

Thanks!

That's what you see all over Thailand, islands of incredible beauty surrounded by irrepressable urban blight and poverty.  The Buddhist monks keep the gardens around the Wats so meticulously tended while on the streets food vendors dump their cooking grease right out on the concrete.  The whole country is absolutely alive with some of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet.  So that's what I tried to reproduce here, an island of beauty in the center of the mundane.  And I say mundane because there's nothing particularly spectacular about my train collection.  Wink

As for the lighting, I took advantage of a perk that comes from having a layout at ground level: natural sunlight.  The layout is under a westward facing window and all I had to do was wait for sunset before I snapped the pics.  Otherwise the only lighting in the room comes from the two CF bulbs in the frosted glass light fixture on the ceiling.

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:06 PM

arkady

 Penny Trains:

Mopeds may be a preffered method of transportation in Thailand, but I don't know about Hudsons!

 

That's a nice and very unique layout, Becky.  But the car is a Buick.

 

 

Hey, you're right!  I was going back and forth between the Hudson and the Buick and I ended up going with the Skylark because it was a convertible!  Smile

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:13 PM

Firesteel

Becky, your layout is very impressive. I always enjoy looking at layouts depicting other parts of the world as it adds variety to the layout themes we normally see. I also like the Batmobile.....but unfortunately I now have the Bat Music running through my head.

Karl

 

Come visit us at the 1966 Batman message board:

http://www.66batman.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

We'll get your Bat-mojo working!  Laugh

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:27 PM

fifedog

Ok, I really admire those palm trees! ParadisePirate You have created a true train garden.

Nicely done, Ms B.

Thanks!

Well, if you want to try your hand at them, they're not hard to build.  All you need is a printer, some 65lb cardstock, scissors and Elmer's glue.  Here are the parts:

 

I originally designed these to go with a model of Sleeping Beauty's Castle which is closest to S scale in size, but not exactly.  (That model can be downloaded for free at  DisneyExperience.com.)  The original plan used pennies as base weights, but since then I've been using irregularly shaped bases made of foamcore.  I also now recomend using hot glue for final assembly since it sets a lot faster than Elmer's.  But you'll still need a thin layer of Elemer's for glueing the leaves front and back.

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:46 PM

scrambler81

 Very cool, I love all that color. Can I ask - why Thailand? Just curious.

Thanks!

I've been there twice, for medical reasons.  (But of course, I can't discuss the specifics.)  Needless to say those 2, 30 day trips made quite an impression on me.  I spent all but maybe 4 of the 60 days in the small city of Chonburi, which is about halfway between the megatropolis of Bangkok and the resort city of Pataya on Thailand's southeastern coast.  (The country is "U" shaped)  I lived in a 4 star hotel for 30 dollars a day and only spent 10 bucks a day for excellent steak dinners!  Laugh  Can't beat that!

Anyhoo, this layout is a tribute to the friends I made along the way and all the people and places I'm just dieing to visit again.  (Without the medical piece! Laugh)  But most importantly, I fell in love with Thai culture and Thai architecture.  The whole Buddhist/Hindi lexicon that's developed there over the centuries is fascinating and many mythological creatures have been spawned by it.  In short, I left my preconceptions at the gate and immersed myself in the culture and walked away with a greater understanding of how people on the opposite side of the planet live.  The layout is supposed to be up by Chinese New Year, which Thais celebrate, but I haven't made it yet!  Laugh

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:50 PM

bogaziddy

Sheesh! ... Where are my sunglasses?

Seriously, great job with a toy train layout featuring a foreign accent. It's got me thinking about dropping down to a local Thai restaurant for dinner tonight. Hot Thai chili peppers anyone?

Mmmmm...chicken satay....Dinner....(Homer Simpson drooling noises)

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by balidas on Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:12 PM

India is the same. Beautiful open country, a deep ancient culture with what we would call squalor. I was just outside the city of Bangalore for 4 months studying Ayurveda.

Penny Trains

Thanks!

That's what you see all over Thailand, islands of incredible beauty surrounded by irrepressable urban blight and poverty.  The Buddhist monks keep the gardens around the Wats so meticulously tended while on the streets food vendors dump their cooking grease right out on the concrete.  The whole country is absolutely alive with some of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet.  So that's what I tried to reproduce here, an island of beauty in the center of the mundane.  And I say mundane because there's nothing particularly spectacular about my train collection.  Wink

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Posted by tailpipe62 on Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:55 PM

This is beautiful!  The temple in the middle takes me back to the main temple in Bangkok.  You did an outstanding job.

 

Patrick

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Posted by tailpipe62 on Sunday, March 27, 2011 10:01 PM

From the land of Drew Carey to the Garden of Eden!  Yes I do love the Thai Culture, spent a lot of time there in the 80's.  Still have friends that are there.  They and others still use their hospitals...can't beat the care.

Thank you so much for the layout, you brought back a flood of fond memories.

 

Patrick

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Posted by fifedog on Monday, March 28, 2011 9:25 AM

Just favorited it, thanks Ms B.

Heh-hem; Bob Keller are you out there....?

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Posted by Penny Trains on Monday, March 28, 2011 6:03 PM

tailpipe62

This is beautiful!  The temple in the middle takes me back to the main temple in Bangkok.  You did an outstanding job.

 

Patrick

Ah yes, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.  Or as it's known in Thai, Wat Phra Kew, which is a name many westerners can't pronounce properly!  Laugh  Kinda like that island down south whose name (Phuket) sounds suspiciously like a swear word when many of us try to read it for the first time?  Laugh

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Firesteel on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 6:42 PM

Becky, I just took a look at the 1966 Batman website that you provided a link to above. It sure looks like those folks enjoyed seeing your layout too. Who knows, maybe some of them will become interested in our toy train hobby.

Karl

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Posted by Penny Trains on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 7:18 PM

Firesteel

Becky, I just took a look at the 1966 Batman website that you provided a link to above. It sure looks like those folks enjoyed seeing your layout too. Who knows, maybe some of them will become interested in our toy train hobby.

Karl

We've talked about it here and there, and the boomers especially remember their childhood trains.  But one of our members deserves to be singled out since he's a professional layout builder!  Big Smile  He goes by the handle of hobbybuilder01 and his work is outstanding!  Bow

Becky

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 7:04 PM

Becky,

             I really like what you've done.Thumbs Up 

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