I have been pondering this question for a while.
If one wanted to create a "classic" postwar looking layout, what elements would one need to include in the layout?
Here are a few I am including:
I would include Renwal, Marx, or other toy vehicles from the period to the list. Of course it's nice to have figures too. Too Bachmann doesn't seem to be making its figures anymore, and I don't know if Lionel plans to reissue the K-Line figures, which were made from old Marx molds and were very nice. Vehicles and figures add a lot of life to a layout.
As far as the scenery, while there were people making detailed layouts back then, the classical layout everyone had (or everyone's neighbor had) in the basement often had the roads and grass painted on.
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Dave Farquhar wrote: I don't know if Lionel plans to reissue the K-Line figures, which were made from old Marx molds and were very nice. Vehicles and figures add a lot of life to a layout.
I don't know if Lionel plans to reissue the K-Line figures, which were made from old Marx molds and were very nice. Vehicles and figures add a lot of life to a layout.
There is a large assortment of K-Line figures in the latest catalog.
Chris
When I was planning my layout my goal was to have a layout that would look like a snapshot from the 50's, using all American Flyer. The layout is even a design from a advertising flyer. See the picture below. I have stayed very close to that goal. Granted there are things that do not look "real" i.e. a cow on the track that is half as tall as a loco, but I want the nastalgia effect so I am OK with it. My personal guides have been original equipment, (many redone), plasticville buildings, and people, and structures I build. Vehicles are my departure from vintage. I use vehicles for the era made by modern manufacturers.
Simple answer, vintage accesories, equipment, track. To stay affordable, I use less than perfect and restore to original. At the same time, my layout is not a museum piece, I enjoy it with my grandkids.
Jim
Tubular track, painted roads and green saw dust for grass. Plasticville structures, die cast vehicles and figures, and working accessories. Semi-scale locos and rolling stock.
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Tubular track and Plasticville buildings. Multi-Colored sawdust (green for grass, brown for dirt, tan for "sand") or the green "carpet" stuff LifeLike used to make. Bright green lichen for trees/foliage. Oversized people and light fixtures/crossing gates/signals. Mirrors for skating rings, maybe with magnets underneath to move the skaters.
Hello Chris,
I fully agree with the tubular track, plasticville buildings, the bright colors, the non-scale cars and buildings, etc. I just would like to add a few operating cars to finish a "classic" lay out. You can pick from many like: the Bronx zoo car with the giraffe, milk car with platform, cattle car with platform, etc.
Perhaps also "classic" is the train composition: I believe they are called the horizontal rules. Classic is in my perception also having a engine and a caboose from one railroad company and a few cars in between from different companies. That gives it a colorful classic appearance.
Good luck with the layout and send us some pictures when you are finished!
Egbert
Well, while I'm going to go a little beyond green sawdust when I'm up to scenic work, my track plan is all postwar. It's as stated above, tubular with more oval, geometric track shapes. Also, a fair amount of switches and a lot of track verse scenic open areas. Lots of accessories and a flagrant disregard for scale too.
Sort of like my plan based on Bantam's & Lionel's MOdel Railroading Postwar Book:
Plasticville? Bah!
Skyline!
To MSACCO
JIm,
Email me offline for more specifics but here's a video of two train operation on my layout. I did make a couple of mods from the original layout in MOdel Railroading. Added two spurs and shifted two switches' positions.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7560649863011664165&q=lionel+train+in+action&hl=en
Mike S.
King size matchbox trucks from the 60's goes well with a postwar layout. They are approx 1/64 scale but don't overwhelm the scene either. They are something I would put next to an oversize Xing gate or O scale figure but they do look good on background settings.
If you scratchbuild structures, consider bright water colors and strathmore bristol board for that "Skyline" look.
Plastic trucks.
Hyuck, hyuck, hyuck, hyuck.
Thank you all for the responses.
I see a lot of elevated track sections in some of the old display adds. I haven't had great success with elevated sections.
Another feature that stands out to me is that often time buildings seem to be placed as an accent piece for the track, rather than trying to be a realistic placement of the building as a building (such as next to a road wide enough for a car, on a slope that a car could climb, etc.)
Chris,
Personally I think the elevated section is a big part of it. I just had to have this even on my small layout. Trains crisscrossing over and under is just so cool to watch. I gave up a realistic grade just to get this kind of look and to me it's well worth it.
I have about the entire 1949 catalog worth of trains and accessories. Of course I have since aquired a number of new items as well, but if you are going for the classic look, I would also suggest getting a copy of a catalog from the 40's or 50's. You may also want to get the two tone blue book on operations. These have classic layouts and show several ideas for layout design and accessories. I echo the classics like the log car, the milk car, cattle car, and perhaps accessories like the gateman, crossing gates, flood lights, revolving light, log loader, coal loader, etc. One idea that I have seen that works real well, is that you have a separate track set up for the operating cars. They were hard to get adjusted "just right" and if you could park the cars on a siding, with fixed power, you could enjoy the operation and just run the trains around the rest of the layout. The operating cars don't get into the consist.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
msacco wrote: JIm,Email me offline for more specifics but here's a video of two train operation on my layout. I did make a couple of mods from the original layout in MOdel Railroading. Added two spurs and shifted two switches' positions.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7560649863011664165&q=lionel+train+in+action&hl=enMike S.
I love that layout Mike, that was a nice touch cutting the corner on your trestle bridge instead of just following the wall. One question, how careful do you have to be to keep your trains on the track on that long down hill run; looks like that could be an accident waiting to happen. Very nice, and good use of space.
Great video, Mike! Nice layout!
To: MSACCO
I Tried the email link at the bottom of the post but I have no way to tell if it went through. My email has changed and I can't find a place in the update profile to change it. Thanks,
Jim: email me at: occasm@aol.com.
Guys thanks for checking my layout out.I'm a little further than that now, with a lot of accessories wired. As far as the grade I have had no problems. Of course I don't run a ton of cars down it and I have the descending voltage set lower on it's own block and output on my new zw. I don't run postwar steam down it although I have on occasion run a 681 with magnetraction but it can get away easily. Can motored locos with traction tires and postwar twin motors seem to do best.A spur drive postwar steamer like a 2056 sans magnetraction would be a no-no for sure unless your manning the throttle and even then I would be nervous. I calculated the grade to a hair over 4%.
My aerotrain with cruise creeps up and down beautifully of course.
Birds wrote: I have been pondering this question for a while.If one wanted to create a "classic" postwar looking layout, what elements would one need to include in the layout?Here are a few I am including:Tubular trackPlasticville buildings"Traditional" sized engines and carsChris
My dream layout would use many different elements:
Now if I had about another 800 sq.ft. I could put this all together
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