It seems every time I enter a room, I estimate its dimensions using floor or ceiling tiles if possible. Then I visualize what kind of track plan I could design for the room. I do this in waiting rooms, restaurants, even church (I prayed for forgiveness), and bathroom stalls! I must be ill!!!
Mike
Your brand of insanity might be a nice break from mine. For many months now I have not been able to drive or walk anywhere without taking hard looks at rock surfaces, bark, tree shapes, the colour of rails, the bluing of distant hills, clouds.
My wife says it is most disconcerting while we are at 60 mph in traffic. Then she says I never listen to her.
concretelackey wrote:So what is the desired radius curve for the average bathroom stall???
What scale? I can't walk through a store without looking for things that might work on my layout. I'm a sick, sick person...
"You show me a man with both feet on the ground and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants on." -anonymous
I wonder if we should have our own 12 step program...?
1. Admit we are powerless over our model trains--our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Believe that a Power greater than our layouts could restore us to sanity.
3....
BlueHillsCPR wrote: I wonder if we should have our own 12 step program...?1. Admit we are powerless over our model trains--our lives had become unmanageable.2. Believe that a Power greater than our layouts could restore us to sanity.3....
#4. I can put a helix over there.....
#5. Focus on a activity NOT related to modeling trains.....
#6. That old MRC power pack would look great on the wall for the ceiling fan control switch
loathar wrote: concretelackey wrote:So what is the desired radius curve for the average bathroom stall???What scale? I can't walk through a store without looking for things that might work on my layout. I'm a sick, sick person...
HEY!!! I think i can turn these spent t/p rolls into tank cars!!!!!!
Yeah, when I'm on a highway overpass, I find myself checking out the details on the building roofs by the road below. I have a recently-acquired interest in the colors of rocks by the roadside. Certain fine-structured plants in my wife's garden fascinate me.
Welcome to the club. You've got a case of Modeller's Eye. It's one of those things you can usually live with. However, if you find yourself on a beach full of thong-clad ladies, and you're staring at the sand and thinking of what a fine scenic material it would make, seek professional help immediately.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hey bluehills..... those first steps are eerily similar to the real ones, lol. i was kind of shocked to see that anyone here would have any knowledge about that area... Closing in on 1,000 days myself.....
MisterBeasley wrote: Welcome to the club. You've got a case of Modeller's Eye. It's one of those things you can usually live with. However, if you find yourself on a beach full of thong-clad ladies, and you're staring at the sand and thinking of what a fine scenic material it would make, seek professional help immediately.
What about looking at your mother's antique clothes horse and imagining how to rearrange the pieces into a mountain range??? (Nah. It would never work. Contours are too soft!)
OTOH, if you look at that beachfull of bikini-stuffers and start imagining them in railroaders' pinstripe overalls, you really are insane!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
The one truth that will make these all unnecessary:
"Sanity is overrated."
concretelackey wrote: BlueHillsCPR wrote: I wonder if we should have our own 12 step program...?1. Admit we are powerless over our model trains--our lives had become unmanageable.2. Believe that a Power greater than our layouts could restore us to sanity.3.... #4. I can put a helix over there.....#5. Focus on a activity NOT related to modeling trains.....#6. That old MRC power pack would look great on the wall for the ceiling fan control switch
DeadheadGreg wrote: hey bluehills..... those first steps are eerily similar to the real ones, lol. i was kind of shocked to see that anyone here would have any knowledge about that area... Closing in on 1,000 days myself.....
Little over a year for me! I feel like having a beer to celebrate!!(Did you get those pics I sent ya?)
aav-Tank cars?? That's just plain silly! You know TP rolls are used for grain silos!
MisterBeasley wrote: However, if you find yourself on a beach full of thong-clad ladies, and you're staring at the sand and thinking of what a fine scenic material it would make, seek professional help immediately.
However, if you find yourself on a beach full of thong-clad ladies, and you're staring at the sand and thinking of what a fine scenic material it would make, seek professional help immediately.
Hi. Want to come to my basement and play with my "Big Boy"?
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
selector wrote: Your brand of insanity might be a nice break from mine. For many months now I have not been able to drive or walk anywhere without taking hard looks at rock surfaces, bark, tree shapes, the colour of rails, the bluing of distant hills, clouds.My wife says it is most disconcerting while we are at 60 mph in traffic. Then she says I never listen to her.
I must be coming down with the same thing. I'm on the verge of starting some scenery and prepping myself and I've caught myself look at rock cut outs and out croppings, the shapes, size and color of trees, and just plain contours of the land around me.......etc. Ahhhhhhhh!!!! Please don't help me, I'm crazy!!
One of the water towers in the VA at Little Rock is replicated on the boiler house in terms of paint and rust patterns on the support beams. Not necessarily the entire tower.
Ive had this sickness for a very long time. I realized it when I was evaluating the UP rail and ballast for weathering patterns last year and taking note of the various nuts, welds and nikpicking doo dads.
loathar wrote: DeadheadGreg wrote: hey bluehills..... those first steps are eerily similar to the real ones, lol. i was kind of shocked to see that anyone here would have any knowledge about that area... Closing in on 1,000 days myself..... Little over a year for me! I feel like having a beer to celebrate!!(Did you get those pics I sent ya?)aav-Tank cars?? That's just plain silly! You know TP rolls are used for grain silos!
You guys!
I googled them.
So far I have not gone beyond step one in my personal program. I have admitted I am the problem.
Does cruising the back roads looking for likely tree weeds count me in as crazy?
BlueHillsCPR wrote: loathar wrote: DeadheadGreg wrote: hey bluehills..... those first steps are eerily similar to the real ones, lol. i was kind of shocked to see that anyone here would have any knowledge about that area... Closing in on 1,000 days myself..... Little over a year for me! I feel like having a beer to celebrate!!(Did you get those pics I sent ya?)aav-Tank cars?? That's just plain silly! You know TP rolls are used for grain silos!You guys! I googled them. So far I have not gone beyond step one in my personal program. I have admitted I am the problem. Does cruising the back roads looking for likely tree weeds count me in as crazy?
No Bluehills that doens't make you crazy, now wondering around out in the woods trying to find the perfect little tree branches to make model trees out of is crazy, I haven't made it that far yet, but my wife keeps pushing me. LOL
BlueHillsCPR wrote:We live on a double lot and plan to build a new house on the vacant one "someday"...the other day I told the wife I was going to keep the existing house where it was rather than removing it. " Can't you see it honey?! Layouts on three floors, all interconnected...
That's going to be one heck of a helix system.
E-L man tom wrote:PhoebeVet, as a fellolw EL fan, I have been suffering for years; I look at individual structures, freight cars, locomotives how they're weathered, how many windows in cabooses, even what the doors look like on such things as stations and other structures, even on cabooses - - Man, that dirt would sure look good on my layout - - I'm gone!
The Erie Lackawanna went to Boise?
LOL It never came here to Charlotte, either.
I grew up close enough to watch, but far enough away to not hear, both the Lackawanna, later Erie Lackawanna, and the Delaware and Hudson from my bedroom window. Their tracks ran about 100 yards apart past the Binghamton Brick Yard. My telescope and I had a clear view of both sets of tracks. I used to ride my bicycle to Bevier Street, and watch them humping cars.
My wife's grandfather worked on the Lackawanna, as did the father of a close friend.
The Phoebe Snow on my layout is pulled by F3s, as she was originally on the Lackawanna but when I was riding her, she was owned by the Erie Lackawanna and was pulled by E-8s.
You don't by any chance work at Boise Locomotive, to you?
TomDiehl wrote: BlueHillsCPR wrote:We live on a double lot and plan to build a new house on the vacant one "someday"...the other day I told the wife I was going to keep the existing house where it was rather than removing it. " Can't you see it honey?! Layouts on three floors, all interconnected... That's going to be one heck of a helix system.
Just think though. You could have a bunch of trains running and never see the same one passing through a scene more than once or twice a month. If that.
Blue Flamer.
I used to have a 3 story helix for humans.
Well, OK other people called it a spiral staircase, but it's the same principle.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
shayfan84325 wrote:I find myself casually dividing the size of EVERYTHING by 87.
CASUALLY?????
MY FRIEND, YOU HAVE ISSUES!!!!!!
concretelackey wrote: shayfan84325 wrote:I find myself casually dividing the size of EVERYTHING by 87.CASUALLY?????MY FRIEND, YOU HAVE ISSUES!!!!!!
Ken,
It gets worse! I also have been known to divide prototype weight by 658,000 to determine the HO scale weight (658,000 is roughly 87 cubed).
Interestingly, many brass locos come pretty close to scale weight.
-Phil