TAKE IT!!!
I have reached a point of indecision...
I still fully intend to successfully model my NWP-SWP System but for my first layout I think I'll be better suited to model what I know best and see everyday.
The old Gloster & Southern ROW runs about 2 or so miles from my house, and another railroad has resumed operations to Slaughter and to the paper mill, so I got to thinking that the scenery for my area would be less difficult than trying to replicate scenery I have never seen.
So my question is, would it be more feasible to try to model my area?
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Nike said it best...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Do_It
I had a "modeler" friend who was big on collecting brass. He had a closet-full of big UP, Rio Grande, Western Pacific and Santa Fe steam and some diesel, from all the top importers. I would estimate he had over 400 locomotives and just as many custom brass cars as well.
We would often have discussions about when he was going to build a layout to run all these beautiful locomotives and equipment on. For the cost of just one of these engines he could have picked up enough lumber and track to get a decent main line up and running.
He died without ever having run any of these engines on anything but a three-foot test track. His son bought a pretty nice house with the proceeds of the sale of the like-new brass engines.
So often people get bogged down by the usual excuses, fear of failure, maybe?
Your plan to model the G&S and the paper mill sounds like a great way to "get your feet wet". I would take it one step further and add a few "what-if" industries. How about a Tabasco Sauce plant? Tank cars of vinegar, Jack Daniel's wood barrels in, boxcars of hot sauce out! There once was a siding to the plant on Avery Island:
http://bayoutechedispatches.blogspot.com/2016/02/a-railroad-history-of-avery-island.html
Also the Avery Island Salt Works generated traffic.
I don't have to refer back to all the past threads here (but I will) where many well-meaning contributors have tried to encourage you to get SOMETHING going.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/267397.aspx
There are lots of plans out there for modular or segmented layouts so that you could disassemble the benchwork if needed so that part of it should not be a concern. Look into the TOMA* series.
Don't be afraid to make that first move. You might want to consider what fellows like Brakie do and make a switching module (ISL). I would go further and design it so it can be incorporated into a larger layout at a later date.
http://wgh.trains.com/-/media/Files/Worlds%20Greatest%20Hobby/2015/wgh_fullbooklet_2014.pdf
Your tendency seems to be to "dream big" but your ambition seems to be do nothing.
Yes, in the words of the ever-witty Yogi Berra, Take It.
The Nike advice is pretty good, too.
There used to be a term to describe people like my friend — Armchair Modelers.
I believe today that term would more aptly be served by the phrase "Web-Surfer Modelers"!
*The One Module Approach: Google it.
Regards, Ed
No question that replicating your immediate area is easier than relying on pictures or videos for a layout. You're so lucky to have a train nearby. Enjoy that rare asset and replicate accordingly. Good going!
NWP SWPSo my question is, would it be more feasible to try to model my area?
Just as long as you can see the forrest instead of just the trees..
What I'm talking about is the minor details we overlook because we pass by them every day in our commute like a small rail served feed and seed store that receives a boxcar of bagged feed once or twice a month-the rail is ground level thus you don't see it as you drive by until you happen to glance over and see a 50' boxcar.You never notice the switch before thus the forrest/tree thing..
Maybe the railroad crosses old Sunfish Creek by a large drain pipe instead of a small wooden trestle.
There are many such details we overlook in our daily commute because we can't see the forrest because of those trees..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I have always found that modeling a prototype that is close by and relatively easy to research, to be a very rewarding way to do the hobby. I built a model railroad based on the B&O though Morgantown WV when I lived in Morgantown and I now model the Tonopah and Tidewater since moving to Nevada. Picking an area to model that is actually doable in a reasonable space is a good idea. The current "one town" thinking about layouts is worth researching. If you like the Gloster & Southern and can find out information about it, then go for it. Knowing that there are models that can be kitbashed or modified into something that resembles your prototype is useful too. Good luck.
The Slaughter Paper ???
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
BroadwayLionThe Slaughter Paper
Okay, I'll bite. What does this mean???????????????
There's plenty of "industries" in the area that can be made to rail service.
maxman BroadwayLion The Slaughter Paper Okay, I'll bite. What does this mean???????????????
BroadwayLion The Slaughter Paper
I believe He is refferring to Slaughter Louisiana, which is a interchange, that is now owned by CN. There is a paper mill near there, but I don't know if it is called Slaughter Paper..........
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Southern_Railroad
Take the fork........OP..Steven..
BYE!
Frank
The paper mill is not in Slaughter it is out between Port Hudson and St. Francisville, across Thompson Creek.
The real question is why aren't you modeling it?
If you have a real world example that's readily available, USE IT!
As stated before, having an actual location to go to instead of relying on pictures is the best way to go. You can get much more accurate mesurements for scaling.
My city used to have a spur the the SP used up until the 1967, and the tracks weren't torn out until the mid to late 80's (maybe even later), so I know that I'll model that as soon as I get around to it. While I haven't found good pictures of it yet, a recreational trail was put in place of the tracks, so I can get a rough idea of where everything was.
Also, what kind of scenery is this? If it's like a plain or lightly wooded, it should be easy enough to recreate.
NWP SWP TAKE IT!!! I have reached a point of indecision... I still fully intend to successfully model my NWP-SWP System but for my first layout I think I'll be better suited to model what I know best and see everyday. So my question is, would it be more feasible to try to model my area?
A lot of us do model local railroads that we know well, often since childhood. It has sentimental value to us. And the benefit of being able to go rail fanning on them, or about them, and finding structures and rolling stock that we can photograph and then model.
It's not really a question of feasible. Plenty of people have modeled favorite railroads that are thousands of miles away. It's a matter of enjoyment. It's a hobby. Do what you find most enjoyable.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Why; Do you feel you MUST model a prototype????
I and I'm sure a few thousand other MRer just built a layout and ran trains. After all the NWP SWP is makebelieve,never exested.
By limiting youself to a single prototype road/area your putting your self in a very small box
UNCLEBUTCHWhy; Do you feel you MUST model a prototype????
Now this is just my opinion, but to me this new path is just more analysis paralysis that prevents him from actually starting anything.
maxmanNow this is just my opinion, but to me this new path is just more analysis paralysis that prevents him from actually starting anything
Your not the only one.
Just another line on the ''I'm gona'' list
gmpullman Nike said it best... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Do_It
I don't know, Shia gave a good shot at saying it too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXsQAXx_ao0
When your parents don't give you a place to put a layout and they don't exactly understand the requirements for a layout. It is a bit hard to get started, I am however in a position to start construction on a building to put a layout in. I'm trying to figure out what size building I need to build a decent size layout. That's why I started this thread.
I was a Pennsy modeler for years, from my earliest days in HO, building and buying kits, gathering books and information, but not building a layout even when I had my own condo, and then a house, because I was unable to decide what part to model (I was an undisciplined collector of all eras and of locomotives that ran only in particular and incompatible areas).
Then Life Like P2k released the VERY locomotive that my best friend and I would watch nearly every summer day when we went down to the depot as boys. In an instant I became a C&NW modeler, modeling my old home town in the 1960s. That eliminated the paralysis by analysis that had been holding me back.
Now all the holds me back is an utter lack of talent.
Dave Nelson
NWP SWPWhen your parents don't give you a place to put a layout and they don't exactly understand the requirements for a layout. It is a bit hard to get started, I am however in a position to start construction on a building to put a layout in. I'm trying to figure out what size building I need to build a decent size layout. That's why I started this thread.
That's pretty mutch ''bull'' and you and I both know it.
A 4X8 sheet of plywood or foam will slide under the bed when not needed. A 2x8. or hollow core door will lean again the wall,out of the way. A 2x4 will sit on a desk or dresser. Where there a will one can find ways.
Besides your good looks, how do you plan on paying for this building.?
If I recall, you talked about some kind of cabin or such,way back when.
Seams we came full circle
I happen to live in a small house! Space is not surplus! So the Bulloney you look for does not exist!
My mom is very OCD and a layout leaned up against the wall any were would NOT fly!
I happen to have a very well paying pool cleaning job now that summer is here.
dstarrA lot of us do model local railroads that we know well, often since childhood. It has sentimental value to us. And the benefit of being able to go rail fanning on them, or about them, and finding structures and rolling stock that we can photograph and then model. It's not really a question of feasible. Plenty of people have modeled favorite railroads that are thousands of miles away. It's a matter of enjoyment. It's a hobby. Do what you find most enjoyable.
David. has some good points here, pretty much where I wanted to go with my comment
Model what you know, what matters to you for whatever reason.
Often it is close to home. Makes it easier, but still requires effort to be convincing.
People move around, travel and form memories. What I model is mostly Colorado, specifically in and near the San Juans. It just never worked out for me to live there, but I've taken lots of pics, some video and there's the internet and books, too. My layout has the "look" needed to be reasonably convincing. There things I want to eventually improve, but it'll do for now.
Most of the time I use some sort of shadow line when I need the look of distant mountains, those without detai, in order to create that perception of distance. Here's an example behind Rockwood on my line up from Durango.
In the case of Animas Forks, I'd been there enough I could do it in my head from memory, so I did. I had a pic I wanted to use for color and texture matching, but which I ended up no being able to find. Eventually it surfaced and darn if it wasn't close, very close.
In this case, you'll notice the sharp visible line to the right end of the area in the montage photo I made, mainly because the high angle I took this pic from needed adjustment to hide what is normally not seen . It's the area that looks like a mountain valley to the left of the Gold Prince Mill, reprresenting the American Gulch area to the northwest of Animas Forks where the tramway brought down to the terminal ore for processing and loading onto the Silverton Northern. Here's a close-up, above the coal shed and behind the cabins.
The match was rather uncanny and that told me I had it right. Took a lot of vacation time to do that, but I enoyed every minute of my research.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Steven you didn't mention the bed idea. This is an N Scale story.
After years of planning and forced not to build one because of space. 5 years ago I finally got tired of the excuses to not run my trains. 3 years ago I bought a new twin size bed, but I still had space limitations. No more than 5 inches high. So buildings would be removable.
In 2016 I researched, measured, designing the perfect train layout. Unfortunately all that time was will spent. But my bed was to short because it won't fit completely but it would fit if I had a car jack and slide it from the side.
Late last year I began to cut it 10" to slide it under the bed. It's a small disappointing desert layout with a circle of track with a blue backdrop down the middle.
I miss my town scene design in which I bought for the layout, specifically street lights and parking meters.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
1 under my bed is used a storage
2 if under the bed was clear there's just not the clearance to slide it under the bed.
NWP SWP 1 under my bed is used a storage 2 if under the bed was clear there's just not the clearance to slide it under the bed.
Clearance vertically is not a problem but horizontally is the problem. I'd have to do something like a 1x4/6 that's it not enough room and on top of that I don't have a place to really work on it.
If I move some stuff around I might be able to get 2x4 maybe. But I sleep with a squirrel wheel type fan that would probably take the shingles and siding off any structures on the layout!
I could build a 8x8/16 building cheap enough and save the hassel.
I think I might do that I'll go to HD and start buying lumber.
When I was 8 yrs. old I built My first layout, by Myself and I also had a small bedroom....the heck with sliding it under the bed....I built mine right over the bed. Just exactly like a bunkbed.....as a matter of fact it was a bunkbed with the springs from the steel frame removed. A 4x8 sheet of plywood, fit right on top of the steel frame. I could get at it from three sides. When I was 15 yrs. old, I had a two level 6x12 layout in My Parents newer home....again all built by Myself...even had handlaid brass track. So when I hear a 17 yr. old make all kinds of excuses of what & why........I have to wonder about where this new generation is going.....not very far, IMHO. Don't talk....You have done enough of that already! DO something, even if it's wrong........You'll learn.....hopefully!
Take Care!
Perhaps you could build a shelf layout modelling just the paper mill, with enough track to do some switching. Even 10-12" by 36-48" could work. Later you might be able to incorporate it to your future, larger layout.
Man Frank, I thought of that idea too. But my parents wondered where he was going to sleep.
I never had excuses to build my layout. I was getting tired of my mom making excuses for me. My dad was happy to help me but he's all talk no action.
Sure I can blame myself or them that doesn't solve the problem.
angelob6660Man Frank, I thought of that idea too. But my parents wondered where he was going to sleep.
LOL.....SIMPLE....You sleep on the bottom bunk.......with Your ''widdo'' head on the pillow, staring at the bottom of Your layout. When You want to work on it.....You cover Your sleeping area with an old sheet, when finished working, you fold up the sheet, take it outside and shake it out. A little tip.....learn how to make Your own bed everytime You get out of it and You will score many points with Your parents, along with keeping Your room clean............Action will always be wiser than words....the old saying..''Talk is Cheap''.....most people get tired of hearing it and get to a point where they don't even listen anymore....
Couldn't agree with Frank more..........
My first layouts were Lionel in the basement and built entirely by me at age 12/13. It was a wonderful learning experience and the result (8x20) was not too bad - especially considering that money was tight and the benchwork and other materials were "begged, borrowed, and sort of borrowed".
The constant mantra of "I'm gonnas" really gets old. And at some point, the cries of "guess what, I'm gonna do this" become meaningless.
The thing is, "where there is a will, there is a way.............
Ha, on the other hand, some folks actually do start this and start that project, but guess what? They never actually finish any of them.
Just my thought on the subject.......
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central