andrechapelonBesides, you don’t have to live in a place to acquire an interest in an area’s railroads. I have more than a passing interest in (in descending order) the railways of the UK, South Africa, Germany, Australia (mostly New South Wales), New Zealand, and France.
I am surprised at how many model railroaders interest in trains stops at the border. I am working my way through a rather meaty book on the Middle East that includes the Hejaz/Hedjaz/Hijaz (pick your spelling) railway history. That's the one T.E. Lawrence liked to attack. That lead me to the Eritrean Railroad in Africa. The history behind those I find fascinating and given that there is often a connection to the West, either through engineering or equipment or a variety of other things, it only adds to the knowledge base of anyone interested in real or model railroading.
I started looking to see if anyone modeled the Hejaz line from Damascus to Medina and to my surprise there is. Coming up with the right equipment to use in modeling it was a bit of a challenge and involves a lot of scratch building for the rolling stock. The engines on the prototype were German and that only involves kitbashing already available models.
There are excellent videos on You-Tube on the Hedjaz, a lot of the wreckage created by Lawrence still lays where it fell to this very day.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMANI am surprised at how many model railroaders interest in trains stops at the border.
I am not surprised at all, Brent. People usually model what they find at their door step. The number of folks "going abroad" is small, even in model train crazy countries like the UK and Germany.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Tinplate Toddler BATMAN I am surprised at how many model railroaders interest in trains stops at the border. I am not surprised at all, Brent. People usually model what they find at their door step. The number of folks "going abroad" is small, even in model train crazy countries like the UK and Germany.
BATMAN I am surprised at how many model railroaders interest in trains stops at the border.
I guess your right, Ulrich. I have always been a guy that wants to see what's around the next corner on the road. I want to experience as much as I can, if not through travel, through books or videos.
Tinplate Toddler BATMAN I am surprised at how many model railroaders interest in trains stops at the border.
BATMAN
I am surprised at how many model railroaders interest in trains stops at the border.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Mark, if your suitcase feels particularly heavy, it is because I am in it. Have fun. I'm jealous.
BATMANI have always been a guy that wants to see what's around the next corner on the road.
The grass is always greener on the other side!
I have built layouts following Japanese prototype, Swiss standard and narrow gauge layouts, German standard and narrow gauge, British OO scale layouts and even a small HOn3 layout situated somewhere in Colorado.
If I want to watch "foreign" trains, all I have to do is walk the 50 yards to the mainline running from Bremen to Hamburg and I see locomotives from various German railroads, Swiss Federal Railway, Swedish Hector Rail, former Austrian Federal Railway locomotives now operated by a private railroad and all of that within 1 hour!
HMMMM. On a regular basis, I get to see Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, Southern Railway of British Columbia, BNSF and Amtrack. Always lots of borrowed power in the trains.
I would like to crawl over these and have a look.
There are some good articles/videos on maintaining trains in Saudi Arabia. The sand is a real problem for wheel and track wear and it gets into everything.
Check out the air filters.
Because I spent a lot of time in Israel a model of Israel Railways in the 70s would not be out of the question. Most of the locomotive power during that period was American built EMD or GE so aside from repainting locomotives would not be an issue, however rolling stock would probably have to be scratch built.
On the domestic side I think the western roads UP and Santa Fe are probably the most modeled simply because especially as kids there paint schemes were the most colorful. Even the freelanced Staten Island West sometimes will have a western, presumably leased locomotive make an appearance now and the.
Joe Staten Island West
Do I see a tunnel motor in that second vid?
OK not a real honest to goodness TM but it appears to have the T style radiator setup.
AND WHAT'S THAT BOX ON THE SD?
A turret for shooting nomad pirates?
I figure it's some sort of air cleaner assy.?
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!