The big build the forums perspective.Our Weblog.

[Anonymous]

I think its a great inspiration for people just getting into the hobby!

[bcammack]

I think it was awefully nice of them to pull the completed layout over to where we can get a better look at it with the webcam.

[Anonymous]

I think we're getting two for the price of one here - just taken a look. We're getting both a layout build and a course in video production!

Seriously now, undertaking a layout build within a week is pretty impressive work. It looks pretty decent too from what I've seen.

[dknelson]

Based on what I saw this morning (David Popp doing some work; the film crew was not there yet) it looks like they will finish on schedule today. It looks like a nice litltle layout from this distance. Too bad they won't be taking it to the Madison WI train show next weekend (an excellent train show by the way).
By the way I have been re-reading some Model Railroaders from the early 1980s and I have come to the conclusion that Andy Sperandeo's Wa***a & Santa Fe is one of the nicest project layouts the magazine ever did, coming in second perhaps to the famous Clinchfield. If you never had a chance to see the N scale Clinchfield -- what a gorgeous layout it was, and big.
Dave Nelson

[fiatfan]

Personally, I am very much enjoying this for two reasons.

1. It's really nice to see other people work! I can watch that all day.

2. Having worked as a TV cameraman in the mid 60's (yeah, I'm that old), I find it interesting to see how much the technology has changed. The black and white cameras we had back then were about 4 times the size of what Kalmbach is using. It would have taked at least a half dozen lights to light the set. Microphones were the size of a coffee mug. None of this wireless, button size equipment available now.

What hasn't changed is the number of people it takes behind the scenes to put one or two people on camera.

Nice work, Kalmbach. Thank you for letting us look over your shoulder.

Tom

[Anonymous]

Terry,

Thank you for giving us your time this is yet another reason I visit this site and subcribe to your magizine. You and your staff should be commended for this new approach to letting us see what is going on in you world that has effects on ours. I know I was one of possible many that thought this would be a how to kind of thing but over all I am pleased. If you guys are open to suggestions we still want that online how to.

Terry are you still playing with that passenger train you mentioned in one of your articles?

[MRTerry]

Jim,
No, we won't have a layout there. Its first public appearance will probably be Trainfest.
Thanks,
Terry

[jrbernier]

Terry - Is the layout going to be at your booth at the MAD City Train Show in Madison in a couple weeks?

Jim Bernier

[MRTerry]

Guys,
I'm glad to hear that you're watching our progress, and thanks to those of you who have offered encouraging words about this project.
Please keep in mind that the webcast was not intended to be a substitute for the how-to articles, or any how-to video/DVD that we might do based on this layout. It's intended to let our readers get a look behind the scenes at all that goes into a project layout build, including the work being done at the workbenches and the photo shoot. For those of you who are looking for a magazine/DVD combination, Model Trains Step by Step is still available - just go to www.kalmbach.com or call 1-800-533-6644.
Personally, I think the guys are doing a great job, and that this layout is going to be one that MR's readers really enjoy.
Thanks for reading MR,
Terry

[simon1966]

How would you like to have a painting station like they have at MRR. All the paints lined up in order with color swatches so you can see what you are getting. Great idea. I think the Weblog is quite interesting.

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by polizi

just a little trick I learned today by accident I was watching the time lapsed video and I accidently right clicked on it and there was an option to zoom in. It may just be my browser but I zoomed in a little on the table and watched it instead of all the other action it a little fuzzy but gave me a better idea of what was happening......

Yes, polizi, I find I can also zoom-in on the scene in the time-lapse review by right clicking. But I feel the image breaks down so badly that you really gain nothing by doing so.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

just a little trick I learned today by accident I was watching the time lapsed video and I accidently right clicked on it and there was an option to zoom in. It may just be my browser but I zoomed in a little on the table and watched it instead of all the other action it a little fuzzy but gave me a better idea of what was happening......

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by simon1966

Watching this web feed is like watching paint dry.......you know, I think we are watching paint dry!

Letting paint dry is a very important part of the hobby.....

[dknelson]

In fairness I should add to my prior postings that today what looks like Carl Swanson was getting involved in the project. And yes, it does appear that having a big collection of Model Railroader bound volumes helps quite a bit in rapid layout construction. But the mystery of the attractive lady remains .......
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Still a neat idea, and I still applaud MR for doing this, but it would be MUCH more interesting if the Web camera were closer or could be zoomed in a bit. It doesn't bother me that this isn't streaming; aside from what that would be asking of MR's bandwidth, I doubt that they could effectively stream an image of the same size and resolution, and to even try to do so would shut out a lot of potential viewers with dial-up and/or older PCs. As it is, the weblog is more informative - but I still flip to the live feed two or three times a day to get a sense of the progress.

I was wondering at the beginning of the project how they were doing to get the ballasting done in a week, for a track plan that is somewhat more complicated than their usual 4x8 project layout. Answer, of course - they're NOT going to ballast, they're using KATO Unitrack. Be interesting next year to see what they think of the Unitrack. I've used it myself and would say that it has pluses and minuses. Given the time constraint, they probably won't be weathering the track either.

Also interesting to see them using the new grass mat product from Woodland Scenics. This is a classic example of camera eye versus human eye. I've seen the stuff in the hobby shop and was quite disappointed. I didn't expect it to look as good as spreading traditional flock prodcuts, etc., but it isn't nearly as nice as alternatives from Busch or Noch. I believe that the camera makes it look much nicer than in person (sometimes the result is the reverse). Be interesting to see if they also use a ready-made product for roads ...

[selector]

Ernie, I agree with your view that the DVD should be made available to non-subscribers. I have no interest in it, but it might have the potential to be a huge marketing tool for Kalmbach and the hobby.

The DVD that was included in the How-to that came out in 2004 was instrumental in my belief that I could "do it", despite never having done anything like that, or developed any of the required skill sets in my life.

-Crandell

[loathar]

Where can I find this? I'm looking for the previous days downloads.
Thanks

[CNJ831]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dwRavenstar

CNJ,

That's exactly my point. What was being accomplished today was of a scale that distance was required. These folks are professionals and I'd have to accept that they understand how to put scenes in proper perspective and give the viewers proper access to what they're doing on the layout.

Well, dw, here we are in the middle of day three and the view from a distance hasn't changed...nor does it seem likely too. Obviously, the camera is wall-mounted in some manner and its location fixed. As it stands, this location is decidedly too far from the action to show anything of value to modelers.

In spite of MR heralding this presentation as great and ground breaking, it has turned out to be, as others have already stated, a "watch us make a video" and not a "view the building of a layout in 7 days" that is of any worth to hobbyists. While I'll grant your statement that the folks at MR are indeed professionals, their ability is clearly as journalists and not videographers, at least when it comes to the live webcam imaging of a project that requires close-up inspection and varying camera angles. It was a good concept but it needs a great deal of improvement to ever prove worthwhile.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

The concept is cool - but you just can't see much from the web cam.

As mentioned above, so far this is a "watch us tape a video" video

[cwclark]

I think MR is doing a good job so far and building a layout in one week is an awesome task!....I figure my pike is going to take at least ten years to build!...chuck

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dknelson
It still looks like David Popp and Jim Hediger are doing most of the work so far.

no surprise there , those 2 guys are great . an article from either of them is always worth reading , even if the subject matter isn't something i have a huge interest in

QUOTE:
I doubt if many of us would want to be filmed at our workbenches or layouts! The audience would be screaming -- "put that Walthers catalog down and fini***he (^%$# boxcar!" or "make up your mind pal -- are you here to eat cookies or lay cork roadbed?"
Dave Nelson

oh man you hit that nail right on the head . i haven't laughed this hard for a while . thanks [:D]

[ereimer]

QUOTE: Originally posted by polizi

You dont have to be a magizine subcriber you can get signed up for the videos and buy the ones you like I have signed up just waiting for the first to arrive. I think the camera position should be changed so we can actually see I dont care a lick about that camera guy. Oh well I guess like bergie said you cant make everyone happy!

i didn't know that and i don't think it was ever mentioned on the thread where we discused the videos . thanks for the info !

[Anonymous]

They are taking the books of the layout now.

[dknelson]

Heh heh another thread has been wondering who the attractive woman is who seems to be watching the proceedings. From time to time she helps out a bit. It still looks like David Popp and Jim Hediger are doing most of the work so far. I saw Hediger doing some heavy lifting on the Monday replay. I know he has a bad back so I hope some of the younger guys are going to help him out.
It looks like Hediger and Popp are talking to the camera regularly so I assume this is eventually going to be an action- narrated DVD.
I think this is an interesting concept because as I suspect most of us know only too well, one of the hardest things to do in this hobby is to select a project and just keep plugging away at it until it is done. I doubt if many of us would want to be filmed at our workbenches or layouts! The audience would be screaming -- "put that Walthers catalog down and fini***he (^%$# boxcar!" or "make up your mind pal -- are you here to eat cookies or lay cork roadbed?"
Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

tooooons you hit it right on the nose !!
Thats exactly the reason I decided to watch in the first place. This is like being at the TV studio while they do the news. Also even if this was just a tease the least they could do is give us a better camera angle, maybe a little closer for those of us with older eyes !!

[Tooooons]

Good point Vern. But honestly, the reasons I bookmarked this event and earmarked time for viewing this is because this has been advertised as "building a model railroad in a week," not "the making of a video of..."

If the webcam point of view does not change, there's not much left to view going forward as far as the building of the railroad. You simply cannot see anything. The event's weblog is more interesting at this point. The webcam should be turned off, as it offers no real value anymore (Ok, yes, MR is offering it free online, whereas people will be forking over $20 for the DVD later on and $5.50/month x 4 to see the project series in the print rag, but this should be beside the point, as the free weblog offers something of value).

This is a great endeavor by MR, yes... I was thrilled to see something like this proposed. However, like all first times, this one should be a learning experience for MR as well. Next time, multiple web cams should be placed throughout the project (one checking on the decoder installation, weathering, kitbuilding; another bird's eye view directly over the center of the benchwork; another from 2 to 3 ft away on a movable tripod next to the guys so they can position it on the section they are working on... get a wireless webcam for that one if there's concern over "that many more wires" in the way), and users should be able to select which feed they want to view. This kind of presentation would be great, and not too much more of a hassle.

Of course, this is most like a "broadcast," so it's in no one's interest to make it really interactive where we can ask question and whatnot. It would be neat, but no railroad could be completed in a week!

[Berwyn]

I think it’s great that Model Railroader ran the risk of putting their project railroad construction on the web. With DSL, the picture refreshes often enough on my screen to keep me informed of where they are in the work to complete the project.

Some of the comments here seem to imply that the webcast should be the finished video.

We’re watching the videotaping of the project railroad. We’re really not watching the building of the project railroad.

Seeing a professional film or video being shot is usually very boring, with lots of people standing around while camera angles and lighting and sound levels are checked, etc.

I checked the webcast site last Saturday just to see if I had my URL bookmark set correctly for the Monday morning start and was surprised to see workers setting lights and measuring levels to make sure the video production would be professionally done. It appeared to me that the small railroad was brought in to help check for lighting. The lights visible in the webcast were adjusted and a third light that is now obscured was added to the far right ceiling corner of the room. (At least that’s the way it looked to me as I checked the activity intermittently while I was doing other things!)

It seems to me that if we remember we’re seeing “The Making of the Video” instead of the “Making of the Railroad,” we’ll understand better the activities we see on the webcast.

Vern

[cwclark]

the camera guy needs to quit chatt'in with the layout builder or it's not going to get done in a week...[:D]...chuck

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ereimer

QUOTE: Originally posted by polizi

As my earlier post said this is for us to dicuss what we see and what we think of this project. I dont believe anyone is short changing ModelRailroader on this wonderful idea and project my concern is I simple can not see that much we are too far away. I would like to see the video after completion. Since this is Model related and my post I feel we can critsize as long as we are all nice in how we do it. Letting MRR know what we think and wont might help them understand us the consumer.....

i would like to see the video as well , but it's a "dream it plan it build it" video which will only be available to subscribers . i see this as a mistake , this video should sell for $9.95 at bookstores , magazine stands , at hobby shows (even non-railroad shows) , at hobby shops etc. so people who don't subscribe to MR get a chance to see what building a layout is like . selling this video only to subscribers is preaching to the faithful , some may get some useful techniques out of it , but anyone who subscribes has read about everything they're going to do in this video already , and many have done it themselves (and much more!)

i see the online version of this as a 'trailer' or sneak preview of what the video is going to be . maybe MR thinks i'm going to subscribe so i can buy this video . in my case they're wrong , i've been buying MR for 20 years and never had the desire to subscribe

MR advertised this as live video . it's not . it's a still shot every 12 seconds or so (that's what i'm getting right now anyway)

and the camera position ... too far away , bad angle , and the real camera and cameraman get in the way of what's happening


so far i'd say
A+ for concept
D for execution

You dont have to be a magizine subcriber you can get signed up for the videos and buy the ones you like I have signed up just waiting for the first to arrive. I think the camera position should be changed so we can actually see I dont care a lick about that camera guy. Oh well I guess like bergie said you cant make everyone happy!