Have fun with your trains
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
-Dan
Builder of Bowser steam! Railimages Site
Like many others, I have a "model" layout, and may or may not ever run a "Thomas" on it. It does not change that fact that "Thomas" has generated a huge amount of interest in model (or toy) railroading. With the current trends in hobbies, ANYTHING that helps promote model railroading as a hobby is good . I have at least three grandchildren who are interested in having their own railroads, "Thomas" or otherwise, who probably wouldn't have given it a second thought without the influence of both "Thomas" and "Grandpa Choo-Choo's" layout.
At their ages, I put mixed freights out on the line with lots of flat cars so they can load them with things and run the trains around carrying their "freight." Of course this might be considered sacrilege by "serious" modelers, but I've noticed a trend in the RR hobby magazines that you must "model" a particular prototype railroad as it was in one particular week of history, if not a single day, and exactly the exact trains, and sometimes, exact consists the prototype did, in order to be a serious railroad modeler. Before we self-destruct of hobby, we should go back to "Model railroading is fun," even if MR and Kalbach publishing have abandoned th.ie idea. Well I better get off my .
Good luck with Sodor, and I would like to see how anyone's model of Sodor turns out. Hey why not do it in "S" gauge!
daschilling ------ CHICAGO AND NORTHWESTERN -------- in S Gauge!
I have followed this thread with interest as I have long thought it would be fun to build a Thomas layout. Not just for the kids, but for myself. Heresy? No. I'm 57 and I play with trains, just at a more advanced level than I could have when I was a little boy because I can now do all the things that I loved about grownup model railroads.
As can be seen from the responses, there are more than a few grownup model railroaders who like Thomas themselves. And why not? Let's face it; the "layout" built for the television series is really pretty nice and any layout is a fiction, no matter how beautifully rendered or how close to prototype it is. You are simply picking the world you want to create and, as long as it fulfills your dreams and makes you happy, one is as valid as another. A friend and I built a modular layout featuring a completely made-up Old West town preserved as a tourist trap. That layout also features a recreation of some of the scenery from "Jurassic Park" and the fishing village from the "Popeye" movie. We have a first place and third place award at the national level, a Con-Cor award and a fistful of blue ribbons from GATS, so I guess it was okay.
The Railway series locomotives are based on real English locomotives and the author of the original series was a lifelong railfan with friends who worked for the railroads. There are plenty of opportunities for operation, as Thomas and his friends fulfill a variety of roles, from yard switching to pulling mixed consists and extras. And they run on a schedule and obey (most of the time) signals.
Of course, the Sodor Railway does have more accidents than any prototype railroad could have without being bankrupted by lawsuits (even in England) and replicating all those might prove a bit hard on the motive power and rolling stock, not to mention various structures, but one needn't follow everything seen on the shows.
So go for it. Whether you build your own Island of Sodor or just run Thomas on your existing trackage, more power to you.
As for those guys at the hobby shop, if they're not proud enough of the hobby to welcome all comers, maybe they're in the wrong hobby. And if they don't welcome all customers, they're definitely in the wrong business.
And don't forget the most popular "load" of all. During the holiday season, I add an HO HO HO Santa Claus somewhere on the layout. I move him around and the kids love to look for him ...
30 years from now the kids may not remember your perfect model of that 2-8-0 but they will remember Thomas and Santa ...
www.oakhurstrailroad.com
"Oakhurst Railroad" on Facebook
Thomas is very serious stuff.
If you don't believe me take a Thomas layout to a MRR Expo if you get it wrong the Kids will soon let you know all about it you can hear the knives being sharpened believe me.
As an aside Hornby now do a very nice range of "PROPPER" Thomas buildings that would look good on any UK model railway never mind a Thomas layout.
We are talking the new ones not the previous definitely toy ones.
Have fun and remember the kids will let you have it if you get it wrong
regards John
rghammill wrote:It's all about having fun. One of the most common 'loads' on my railroad is my daughter's Fisher Price Little People. Randy
Some "loads" that may be seen on my layout may include (but not limited to):
Hoppers filled with "gold" loads (actually iron pyrite, or "fools gold")
Hoppers or gons filled with various crystals, such as quartz
Hoppers filled with various colors of tiny "jewels", such as may be found in costume jewelry
Gons filled with candy (especially around the holidays)
Gons or flatcars hauling tools or supplies around the layout
Flatcars hauling my son's Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars (and tractor trailers)
And, on the G scale side, my daughter's Barbie dolls have been seen sightseeing in gons.
Canned soft drinks have been part of the "revenue tonnage" as have the empty cans
My model mining company ships various precious stone and metals, and they also handle a fair amount of coal, copper, silver and gold ores, granite (both slabs and gravel), and marble (including marble dust, which is used, at least on my RR, in the manufacture of cultured marble goods.) I do run live loads of real coal in my hoppers for operating sessions, as well as real marble dust (more like a sand). Sure, it weighs down the hoppers, as it does in real life, and the marble is quite dense, so one must load the cars short to prevent overloading, and care must be taken handling the loaded hoppers to avoid spillage, just as in real life. I'm looking for some sort of stones or something with a coppery and silvery sheen or coloration to them, so I can load them as "smelted and processed ores". I've seen silvery/greyish looking rounded stones, but I'm thinking more of a gravelly or nugget type texture. Having various types and colors of loads in the hoppers may not be realistic, but it sure brightens up the yard.
Brad
EMD - Every Model Different
ALCO - Always Leaking Coolant and Oil
CSX - Coal Spilling eXperts
Trevor,
I seriously model logging in the 20's in the Sierras in my Oakhurst Railroad. However, I hide my Thomas the Tank Engine and Annie Coach in the engine house. Kids usually let out a "wow" when they enter the room, but they do it again and usually say "Thomas!" when I roll him out for a quick spin.
I thoroughly enjoy watching the PBS show. It is on in my area at 7 AM and 8 AM on Saturday. Only the College Gameday show will make me miss Thomas on Saturday morning!
Keep on modeling Thomas and Friends ...
Marty
I got my grandson his first electric Thomas when he was about 5, a Hornby. He has ADD and a few motorskill problems but LOVES trains. He had no problems operating him (Thomas) and could put him on the tracks easier than my then 59 y/o hands could! He's 10 now & I'm in the process of putting DCC chips in Thomas, James, & Percy - he loves the sound my other DCC units have. You're right about the Atlas turntable, but the roundhouse is not a 1 hour assembly, and operational doors on it are problematic. Bachmann makes Cranky and there are many other HO models that can be used with Thomas. Toot Toot!!
Nothing on walthers.com for O scale, but a bunch for HO scale.
http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?manu=&item=&split=30&category=&scale=&instock=Y&keywords=thomas&start=0
cruikshank wrote:I'm glad I came upon this thread. I was pondering building some small layouts based on Thomas, to try and sell for the holidays. My Wife and I owned a portrait studio for 15 years and specialized in kids. All of the little ones were crazy for Thomas. I had to retire due to 4 back surgeries, so I'm in need of a project and income. Her concern was that the little kids need the wooden Thomas because they would break the HO one. What has been your experience on this ? At what age can a kid play with an electrical train ? Besides 45 which is my age. :) Are the Bachmann's pretty reliable. I'm an "N" scaler so I would love to build it in "N", but the Tomix "N" Thomas are about double a Bachmann in cost. also I guess the little "N" would be hard for the tikes to play with. I read on line that the center piece of the Island of Sodor is the Turntable and Roundhouse. Do you all have those on your layouts. I know the Atlas one is easy enough to use, but easy enough for a 5 year old ? At what age does Thomas become Uncool to a kid ? I know alot of questions, but this seems to be the place for answers. Thanks alot in Advance. Dave in Reading, PA
More suitable for the younger kids would be the Lionel-size Thomas. And it would fit on the same size table as the HO. But I don't know if it's still in production? I know I bought mine (for the kids of course) about 5-6 years ago.
my thoughts, your choices
Fred W
Chuck,
You must remember that "Once there was a train that was afraid of a few drops of rain..." So Henry has to work hard to be a useful engine.
Actually the last time we ran Henry he was pulling seven cars and a brake van up the grades and all with no problems. Now that's useful.
The really important thing is, it's fun for the kids and hopefully an interest that will grow and they will enjoy the rest of their lives.
Tilden
TGG wrote:I have converted Henry to DCC. I had to do exactly as you noted here. I used my Dremmel to carve out a small hollow for the motor and pickup wires to feed through. I had to add extensions to the motor wires and made the connection to the decoder which sits inside the cab. Henry works great, is a good fast puller, and very useful engine.Trevor
"A very useful engine," eh? Isn't that the Fat Director's line? (Or Sir Topham Hatt's, if you are a tubeophile.)
How to tell that you're fully "Sodorized;" you change into a cutaway and top hat to operate your layout.
My take - Go for it!!!
Chuck
We have Thomas, Percy and James under the tree at Christmas. We are just big kids.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
You know how it is, opinions are like noses. Everybody has one. Not all are positive. If they were, what a boring world this would be.
Most train shop owners drive people out of the hobby with behavior like this
The good news is most are going out of business.
The two problems I've had with the Bachmann series locos are: 1) keeping the wiper pick-ups clean and adjusted, make sure the pick-ups make contact with the wheel at all times especially at the extremes of the side to side wheel play and alcohol wipes for dirt and lint. 2) Slowing Gordon and Henry down (limit the Top Voltage CV) so the little ones don't "fly" them off the layout.
Tilden wrote:Brian, If it's the Bachmann loco there are no DCC plugs, you have to hardwire the decoder. The motor is isolated from the frame though so that's a help. Also, you don't need the circuit board that's in there, remove it. I think you'll find the color of the motor wires are the exact opposite of NMRA standard for DCC plugs. In an overly energetic moment I replaced them, for looks. Also, if you convert Henry, you might want to drill a hole through the metal frame to allow direct routing of the motor wires into the cab area. This will avoid the wires being pinched when you slide the body back on. Don't know the layout of the Hornby loco's. Tilden
Brian,
If it's the Bachmann loco there are no DCC plugs, you have to hardwire the decoder. The motor is isolated from the frame though so that's a help. Also, you don't need the circuit board that's in there, remove it. I think you'll find the color of the motor wires are the exact opposite of NMRA standard for DCC plugs. In an overly energetic moment I replaced them, for looks. Also, if you convert Henry, you might want to drill a hole through the metal frame to allow direct routing of the motor wires into the cab area. This will avoid the wires being pinched when you slide the body back on.
Don't know the layout of the Hornby loco's.
The "Avitar" speaks for itself.
Thomas is very popular with the grandkids (Girls, yet.)
Of course I don't care anything about the little DCC guy.
Jim Murray The San Juan Southern RR