richhotrain This is an interesting thread in the sense that it tries to categorize layouts based upon the extent to which the modeler adheres to the actual prototype railroads. So, if freelance is another category, side-by side with prototypical and protolance, what about the modeler who builds a layout with complete disregard for prototype and era, who mixes railroads that never ran on the same tracks or even within the same geographic area? I have been referring to those layouts as "freelance", but apparently, that is not how others think about those 'anything goes' layouts. Rich
This is an interesting thread in the sense that it tries to categorize layouts based upon the extent to which the modeler adheres to the actual prototype railroads.
So, if freelance is another category, side-by side with prototypical and protolance, what about the modeler who builds a layout with complete disregard for prototype and era, who mixes railroads that never ran on the same tracks or even within the same geographic area? I have been referring to those layouts as "freelance", but apparently, that is not how others think about those 'anything goes' layouts.
Rich
I think we are all freelancers to some degree. Nobody I know of has built a layout of any size tie-for-tie and rivet-for-rivet. Even selective compression is freelancing to some extent. At the other end of the spectrum is the anything-goes approach which you described. Most of us fall somewhere between those two extremes. We all have different preferences. Some like to model a real railroad as close as possible. That's fine for some but that would be too limiting for me. I don't want to have my choices dictated to me. I strive for plausibility as opposed to realism. IOW, I'm not out to model something that was but something that could have been.
SeeYou190 I am pretty sure I would not be a freelance modeller with today's availablility of products.
I am pretty sure I would not be a freelance modeller with today's availablility of products.
I'm not sure I would agree with that. In some ways its now easier than ever to be a freelancer. Inkjet printers and widely available decal paper allow any of us to letter our equipment as we choose. As I understand it, in the past freelancer modelers would have to order custom made decals from companies that offered that service. I don't need undecorated equipment because I can undecorate just about any piece of equipment I want with a can of spray paint, then decal it as I see fit. I did that recently with a pair of NYC Jade Green boxcars which I discovered weren't appropriate for my time frame. Since my layout is fictional, I could have rewritten history and said that livery appeared in 1956 but instead I just painted them boxcar read and am decaling them for my fictional home road. I am also coverting a set of Nickel Plate two bay hoppers with unique numbers for my home road. All I have to do is paint over the roadname and reporting marks with some flat black paint, slap my homemade decals on them and I have the coal hoppers I need to service the coaling tower at my main engine terminal. I've painted over locos as well.
I went back to your OP and reread your four requirements for being a freelancer:
1) Custom decals or lettering.
2) Undecorated models.
3) Appropriate paint.
4) An open mind towards fantasy.
I've discussed 1 and 2. As for appropriate paint, the freelancer is free to decide what the appropriate paint is. He doesn't have to match to anything. As for an open mind towards fantasy, I think I have that to some degree although in my case I do have a clear idea of the locale of my railroad and I interchange with real railroads in that area. I'm not specific as you are as far as the time goes. To me it's late summer of 1956. Not sure why I selected that time frame but looking back years after I made that decision, that would have been right before I started kindergarten. That was the last time in my life I was completely carefree with no responsibilities at all.
SeeYou190...I am pretty sure I would not be a freelance modeller with today's availablility of products....
Bowser, Tangent, Exactrail and Rapido all offer undecorated kits or undecorated r-t-r, and Bachmann offers undecorated steam locomotives. That may pretty-much cover the current in-production models of locos and rolling stock, but there still exists an enormous reserve of used or even NiB locomotives and rolling stock, available on-line, at train shows, and in estate auctions, most of those items at very affordable prices.
While I have purchased some new rolling stock and locomotives, I probably have much more used stuff on my layout than new. Much of that older stuff wasn't undecorated, but it was easy to make it undecorated, enjoyable to upgrade it, and enjoyable to paint and letter it, too.
If I had to model only prototype, I'm not sure that I'd even be in the hobby.
Wayne
SeeYou190I am pretty sure I would not be a freelance modeller with today's availablility of products.
Kevin, While I have NS,CSX and CR locomotives my main interest is Summerset Ry then SCR. I have been freelancing railroads for 50 years and probably 10 years of prototype well, more like protolancing then modeling a given area..My SCL locomotives is all that is left from my 78/79 modeling.
If I was returning to the hobby even with today's prototypical correct cars and locomotives I would still choose to freelance and that would more then likely be a terminal switching road like SSRy or SCR. I have always been a sucker for shortlines and terminal switching roads.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Does anyone know any data on the NMRA Private Roadname Special Interest Group (SIG)?
When was it formed, peak membership, and when it stopped?
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Kevin, On Facebook there is a freelance railroad group that has 3.6 K members.
Didn't know NMRA had a private road SIG.
BRAKIEOn Facebook there is a freelance railroad group
I just cannot do Facebook.
I have a page that my wife maintains, but I have only logged onto it a handful of times. The last time was in the Summer of 2016. I guess I do not care about it at all.
SeeYou190I just cannot do Facebook.
I was like that for years until I was told about three model railroad groups that I might be interested in, prototype operation, shelf layouts(lots of switching layouts) and Freelance..
Since these are private sigs I join all three groups.
I finally gave up on Facebook and Twitter. Seems like most of the messages I got were meant for someone else anyway - a guy with the same first and last name as me, a prominent child psychologist in the D.C. area. Oddly enough when he was a grad student I was an undergrad at the same university at the same time.