After years of touring club and museum layouts, I'd be happy if:
-The owners dusted it before opening the doors
-Someone went around and repaired all the details that were broken or out of place (figures that have fallen over, etc.)
...and the like. I am constantly amazed at how sloppy layout are allowed to be when the public is invited to visit.
1) Out of scale vehicles:
HO, and a few of the other scales are blessed with high quality scale vehicles. So I don't understand why some HO displays allow Hotwheels or other way out of scale vehicles. Also different era vehicles on the same module really bugs me. It is perfectly fine for different modules to have different eras, but when one module has vastly different eras it just looks weird.
2) Circus/Carnival, and overly animated vignettes:
I know many people enjoy this side of model trains, but to me it never looks good and always a bit corny. Almost like you’re trying too hard to get attention from the crowd. This also applies to Lionel operating accessories. I sure hate those layouts with so many operating accessories you get lost in the noise and motion. Let your modeling skills do the talking. Less is always more.
3) Clashing eras running at the same time:
This is probably the hardest to control, but I tend to dislike seeing a long haul reefer pulled by a steamer alongside a modern double stack freight. The best option to avoid this would be set times to run different eras. But like I said, this is very hard to avoid since each club member has their preferences on what to run. And not all club members can be there at the same time.
4) Lack of consistent detailing:
So many times there are always a few stand out modules with well thought out scenery and designs. But then you'll have a module with no landscaping other then a green painted base, a few cheapish looking buildings, and seemingly no rhyme or reason as to what goes where. Again skill levels and resources come to mind, but there should be a minimum to what is allowed if your club is publicly displaying a layout.
5) Lack of knowledgeable people working the layout:
A surprising thing to me is that many times I'll have questions like who makes that ballast and where can I get that, and the representative will say they are new to trains and have no idea what I'm talking about. Worse, one time at a train show a man asked a rep what trainset they were running and the rep had no idea. I approached the man and told him they were running Athearn F units, with various makers freight cars. I even pointed him out to a Walthers catalog showing him the various components they were running. He thanked me a lot as he wanted to buy some trains to run with his son and he liked what he saw.
My experience with public displays:
I have volunteered many times to operate a club layout that gets displayed at a county fair. I like to bring my better equipment and pieces that go well together. So many times you’ll see the worst of the worst equipment and poorly mismatched consists. Thankfully the club I’m in tends to run quality equipment. I also like to use smoke fluid as it always gets oohs and ahhs. Many large scale locomotives have smoke units, but it’s rare to actually see them smoke.
When I publicly displayed my personal outdoor layout for the Narrow Gauge convention last summer, I spent a full day prepping. Some of the things I did was to ensure the locomotive batteries were fully charged, all figures and details were not tipped over or in the wrong place, sidings were open for full operation, nothing was broken or in disrepair, and the tracks were highly polished so I could run electrically powered equipment. But the most important thing to me was to be sure we had drinks and some food to offer to guests. We kept it simple with potato chips and cold water, but you want to at least have something to offer...especially if you are displaying outdoors.
Matt from Anaheim, CA and Bayfield, COClick Here for my model train photo website
Hi cruickshank
Turn on's
Neat well constructed reliable layouts that are well lit.
Most halls that would be hired for large model railway expo's are not necessarily well enough lit for the event so some well made over head layout lighting is a very good idea.
Layout true to type toy, model, nationality, out door trains etc.
Attention paid to presentation ie skirt to hide all the carp that does tend to end up under the layout, neat well presented operators a well done presentation board that gives a brief description of the layout.
The public relations operative on the out side of the layout where he or she is easy to access and must be knowledgeable about the layout and how it was built.
Operating accessories are fine but must work faultlessly and not just be there for the hell of it unless it is a toy train layout.
Trains must be running at all the time whether in continuous fashion or engaged in proper operations mode this will depend on the layout type.
Turn offs
Should not take a lot of imagination, but I do get wild with bad lighting my eye sight is bad enough with out having to contend with bad light.
Do make allowance for mobility challenged or other disabled people they get just as much of a blast out of a well presented and thoughtful expo as we do.
Children can be a problem area so make sure they can see but not touch the layouts particularly any layout that is running garden trains steam engines get hot.
You can not stop children being children so be prepared for this they can and will catch you out if you miss something meant to keep them out of trouble, and make sure there is a layout meant and designed with them in mind nothing beats the smile on a child's face when they see a well done meant for children's layout.
all out of sensible order but never mind.
regards John
I've been to shows all around the country and these turn ons/offs are based on the typical modular layouts you see there (NTrak, HO, etc.)
Turn-ons:
Large industries that look like they can generate lots of traffic (coal mines, steel mills, etc.).
Roads that are actually wide enough to accomodate traffic.
Cohesiveness in theme (i.e., no Wild West town next to a modern intermodal facility)
Cohesiveness in era (if even just in a train). Specifically, all the cars n the same train look like they go together.
Gradual transitions in scenery.
A well-ballasted main (where appropriate).
Turn-offs:
The big floor-to-ceiling wooden trestle that's there just because.
Giant dustbunnies, cobwebs, globs of glue.
Unpainted plastic buildings (one NTrack module I remember seeing had a whole town of unpainted DPM buildings, so they were all that uniform tan color with no signs or paint).
Stacks of tools and garbage on unfinished sections.
Layouts that run very poorly (each train operator spends more time re-railing cars than operating his/her train).
"Cute" modules like where a giant dinosaur is attacking the city or an alien has crashed.
Summary:
I think all my turn-ons would apply to the general public, but the first and last of my turn-offs are because I'm more of a prototype modeler; they might still be OK for the general public. But, I think as a general rule, if you model what people see (or would have seen), they're going to take it more seriously than if it's just a random collection of rail-related fantasy.
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
My experience in public MRR displays is mainly with N-trak, but I have toured some club layouts.
TURN ONS:
A Nicely Detailed Layout. I've always found that the general public will linger longer on a layout if there is more to see than just the trains. From an N-trak perspective, I've noticed that variety of scenery helps hold everyone's interest too.
Plenty of Space and Good Egress. Most fixed clubs seem to want to cram as much of a layout into a space as they can, which usually comes at the expense of elbow room. This might work fine when it's just a few club members running trains, but it's a real issue when it's open to the public and they can't move around without bumping into one another.
A Neat and Clean Premises. This means that all the clutter needs to be put away and the floors swept. There should be plenty of storage space and workshop areas away from the layout. Make sure the outside of the building is neat and inviting.
Warm and Friendly Members. This has always been a weakness, mainly because I feel our hobby is loaded with introverts. If the club has open houses, make sure the more outgoing members (who dress well and bathe) are mixing it up with the public. Leave the crotchety nit pickers out of sight.
Lots of Activity In the N-trak world that means lots of LONG trains running. It doesn't mean they have to be prototypical. The general public is not likely going to appreciate someone's painstakingly detailed MOW train, but they always love a 60 plus car coal drag with a quartet of locos in the lead (and even some helpers in the middle).
TURN-OFFS
An unfinished layout. In the N-trak world this would mean an unfinished module in the mix. If it's a fixed layout, there shouldn't be too many bare areas under construction.
Keep the Food and Drinks out of Sight For a fixed club, keep the refreshments in a separate room and don't eat/drink in front of the public.
Fragile Displays If your layout is going to be on public display, you need to build it for public display. Don't make it so fragile that it won't withstand a little abuse, because it will receive some.
Eccentric Behavior Maybe wearing a strange cap is fine for club nights, and using in RR jargon is fun, but give it a rest on public display days. These are people who are not into the hobby and will not appreciate such things - and it often come off as weird behavior.
I like well-detailed scenery, particularly industrial areas where real railroad action usually takes place. Generally, the most pleasing layouts are the "mature" ones where the modules are mostly complete and well-integrated. I like to see a layout which features both some continuous running and some active switching.
At the same time, I like to see a "work in progress" once in a while. There was a small Free-Mo setup at the last show I attended, just a couple of modules. Half was well-finished with a fully-detailed street scene that I could spend a lot of time studying and still not see everything. The other half was only partially complete, but that kind of thing lets non-modellers see and appreciate the steps that go into a "finished" module. Since this was the recurring Greenberg show, I hope that I'll be able to watch this "young" display grow through the years.
There is also a Young Model Railroaders group that has started exhibiting. Again, the first time I saw their layout, it was mostly a mismatched set of plywood praries. The most recent show, though, showed the growth of the group as they added scenery to individual modules. Yeah, there were the inevitable modules with oversized military equipment and dinosaurs, but one young lady had done some high-quality farm and town scenery, and a number of the others were coming along nicely, too. Just seeing this many kids joining the hobby was encouraging.
I'd have to say that my number 1 turnoff is the oversized cars. There's just no reason for that on an adult layout. I've seen a number of layouts with engine-cams lately. I've got one myself at home, but the track arrangement on modular layouts really turns the video screen into a "crowd watching" exercise, with all the kids trying to get a glimpse of themselves on TV as the engine passes by.
And when I see the smiles on the little kids' faces, I can even appreciate Thomas rounding the bend.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
While the suggestions mentioned so far are all good ones for established model railroaders, lets not forget one of the primary purposes of the show is to induce new people into the hobby/club.
The average non model railroad person is not going to notice the 1965 model car sitting at a grade crossing as a steamer passes. By all means, it should be clean, I think a lot of action on the tracks is important. If a younger person, even a preteen, shows an interest talk to the kid not his parents. Of course get permission from the parents before handing him a throttle or helping him do anything but look. And I do believe it is important to have either a section of the large layout or a small layout where it is safe to hand a throttle to visitors and let them get their feet wet. Especially children, they will go home and bug their parents no end to get them a train set. Even adults not in the hobby get a kick out being able to run at train on a nice layout.
All of the above!
The all-time bad guy is trains with sound! Ban them! They may be great when you walk in but after not many minutes it's like being stuck in a metal box with a mosquito. If the punters can put up with it other exhibitors are stuck with it for a day or two. I've seen only one fight so far... the sound lost!
Plus... in no particular order...
Bad things
Still labeling myself as a Novice, I would have these things to say.RUN the Trains! Most newbie’s in this Hobby just want to run the trains. After 20 some odd years in the hobby, that is still what I enjoy. Thankfully having a 3-year-old Grand Son that LOVES Trains helps me to keep this enjoyment level for the two of us. Of course now that I am up and running DCC, just insuring that all the DCC Units are up and running and I've remembered how to get them and address them to get them to run! Last year I took my Grandson to three open houses in this area. Two were set up to be Operational style layouts and those running these Open Houses were doing the session as an Operational Session. This bored my Grandson very quickly, and I saw other people just as bored.The other Open House, they were just running trains to do so. They had 4 different style trains running with different eras, and then a small loop with some Thomas Engines running. This kept both of our interests up and we had a much more enjoyable time.It is hard to figure out how to appeal to the General Public, while also trying to catch the eye of possible new members. I KNOW I need to get with a Club and sharpen, re-new and add to my modeling skill set. But I've not found the right grouping of people that I feel comfortable with yet.
I have some engines that I would like to donate to a good Club. Some of these are little used units that I bought because I thought I needed them. These would make great display or running units for these Open Houses.
Chris
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
I try not to be a fussy visitor and am not too troubled by strange mixes of equipment, out of scale vehicles etc. But I do think alot of people and some clubs get so accustomed to problems -- places where trains stall or derail or cars uncouple due to height changes -- that they do nothing about the problems before a public show. I know a guy who has a curve on his layout where trains derail EVERY time -- not often, but every time. Yet when he has a public show he expresses surprise or anger at the derailments. It is as if he doesn't even notice them at regular operating sessions. It is too late to maintain the layout once the show starts.
This is a bit of a pet peeve but I have seen beautiful modular layouts where obviously care was expended in having each module match the ones next to it in terms of scenery and backdrop colors etc -- yet the track connecting them is out of the box snap track. It isn't the snap track that bothers me, it is that there are no weathered rails or ties even though the rest of the layout is weathered. This would be so easy to address and is so distracting to me for some reason to see the solid black ties and shiny sides of rails.
One thing I do like to see is a very clear location for signing the guest book where you are not in other people's way. And I also appreciate some way of alerting me to a feature that I might otherwise overlook, whether that is a novel way of super elevating curves or a detection circuit for signals
Dave Nelson
Fellers,
What I expect to see is neatness. I've been to many shows, and, sadly, there's just some things that clubs do that drives me nuts. The show is about presenting the hobby. Showing interested (hopefully) parties what it is we do and what we are all about. One would think that, since that is the case, that lot's of care would be taken to put our best face forward, but often that's not true.
Others have hit the turnoffs. Clutter and dust. if you aren't willing to take the time to maintain your layout, what does that say about you and/or your club's layouts and functions? Members who haven't bathed (I AM SERIOUS) or have food stains on their clothes. Folks standing around looking bored, empty food containers, drink cans, coffee cups, etc, even on the layout! Folks who can't seem to dress appropriately,
Ideally, the hall should be set up into defined areas for vendors, club layouts, presentations, food/catering, family room, etc.
One of the best things I ever saw was a play area at a show for younger kids. They had this roped-off area with several adults to keep an eye on the kids, and each kid had a name tag (simple sticky paper tag with name written on. The parents could sign the child in for a little while to go look at something or decompress. the kids had a TV set up with Thomas videos on it, and a couple of large areas with wooden brio-type trains and plastic thomas and other stuff to do. Seemed to work like a champ.
Again, neat and clean presentations, friendly and clean greeters and assistants, easy access, well lit, and interesting. I don't mind an unfinished layout, if it's presented as such and perhaps even have some folks working on it to show what's what.
A good display I made up has a length of flex track mounted on a 1X4 board that shows how track is mounted and finished. Starts with bare wood, cork and plain track, and ends up ballasted, weathered, and textured. Shows each step easily and plainly.
Another good display is one where the same locomotive is displayed in each of the scales. Say a SF Warbonnett scheme. Goes from Z to N to HO to S to O, etc. gives folks a good idea about what the various scales are when others talk about them.
Circus Displays. Personally, I can't stand them. it's either a love or hate thing, I guess. I'm not taking a swipe at those who like them, but for heaven's sake, if you are going to use them, at least PAINT them and assemble them without large seams, glue trails, etc. Again, most I have seen are usually poorly presented, dusty and not fully functioning. In virtually every case, they were just so darned busy that it hurt the eyes to try and watch them. Again, that's MY personal bias, and nothing more. Others like them and that's great. Part of the dame family, etc.
Remember we are playing with toys. No matter the skill level, the work and research put into it, or any other personal bias and/or preference, it's still playing with toys. I don't mind that. I'm growing older, not up, especially since my wife refers to meas her "oldest child".
Many folks think we are a bit nerdy or worse. Don't try and reenforce that perception. Keep it clean, well lit, organised and functioning, and folks will take away a positive view.
Respects,
Turn off's:
* The same two or three mainline tracks running straight and rigid around the perimeter of the layout.
* Broken poles, buildings, scenery, or modules.
* Not being able to identify an approachable member of the club. This may be due to a lack of name tags, vests or identifying club paraphernalia.
* Members who don't look for opportunities to interact with the public.
* Asking a simple question and getting an enthusiastic thirty minute lecture. This happen a lot! I know you are excited to show off the layout, but I just want the question answered. If it's not enough info, I'll ask more.
* Trains which sit while the engineer finds the right buttons on the throttle or plays with the cars.
* Constant derailments or uncoupling.
* Half done, boring scenery.
* Trains flying around the layout at breakneck speed.
Turn on's:
* Smiling, friendly club members.
* A sense of humor, whether it be shown in the layout (yes, the UFO or dinosaur scenes) and by club members able to poke gentle fun or crack jokes about the layout.
* Well detailed scenes with many things to ponder. The fellow milking the cow behind the barn, the shotgun wedding (with guns), the poor stranded motorist staring at the motor under the open hood, the cows breaking through the fence, etc.
* Scenes showing realistic geographical contours with a railroad that looks like it just happens to be there.
* Slow trains with sound traversing said geology.
* Small, well detailed industries.
* Continuously moving trains with a small dose of operations thrown in. Holding a train on a siding, dropping a couple of cars at an industry, etc.
* Some animation is OK.
A club layout which reflects the spirit and enthusiasm of its members is always a plus.
The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!
After reading most of the responses here, I feel I am somewhat lacking in "sophistication".
I usually only have one request of the host of a club open house or a public model railroad display... run trains.
You see, when I visit a layout at an open house or trainshow I realize that the people who built and operate it are not professionals. It is a hobby!
As the saying goes, its their layout.
They are chosing to share their chosen hobby with me (usually for free or just a token donation) who am I to say, "You're not doing it right!"?
Bowl of spagetti, or linear walk around? They (and everthing in between) have their own special charm.
Dust? John Allen once said he didn't care if there was an inch of dust on the top of his GD cars - as long as no one put a fingerprint in it.
To paraphrase an old saying, the worst model railroad club open house I've been to was good!
-George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
dknelson wrote: This is a bit of a pet peeve but I have seen beautiful modular layouts where obviously care was expended in having each module match the ones next to it in terms of scenery and backdrop colors etc -- yet the track connecting them is out of the box snap track. It isn't the snap track that bothers me, it is that there are no weathered rails or ties even though the rest of the layout is weathered. This would be so easy to address and is so distracting to me for some reason to see the solid black ties and shiny sides of rails.
Good point Dave! I've seen this too many times as well. I've also seen matching modules right down to the joining track. I had to look hard to find the joining sections. But that is usually only the case when it's modules from the same owner.
Most of the public displays I've seen were modulars so the track schemes were pretty basic. What I really like are well detailed scenes. Urban or industrial areas with convincing structures are really eye catching. For some reason, some of the corner modules seem to show a lot of imagination. Prototypical length trains are impressive as well, especially in HO. Also, prototypical consists, particularly with passenger trains. I like seeing passenger trains with a mix of car types rather than homogenous consists. For example, lightweight and heavyweight equipment on the same train or both smoothsided and fluted stainless steel cars. Also, passenger cars interchanged from other roads is a good effect.
Poor scenery is the biggest turn off for me. On the same modular layout, you will see a lot of disparity in the quality of the various modules. You can tell who just slapped on structures and scenery and who gave a lot of though and time to detail their scenes well. I've also seen some pretty poor effects. Maybe the worst was a module that had a track along the backdrop with a bridge over the creek. Under the bridge was a mirror intend to make it look like the stream continued beyond the backdrop. What it looked like was the stream was running through a hole in the wall.
For me, it's simple:
I enjoy consistancy in design and attention to detail - It does NOT mean it has to perfect; nor does it mean that the personality of each club member is not allowed to come out in their own module. The design of the "loop" should make sense going from one scene to the next. (Not an easy thing to accomplish.)
Operate trains at prototypical speed! - This probably bugs me the most. However, I don't lose sleep over it.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Have fun with your trains
Jim
Well for me a nice layout that is a joy to look at and friendly club members..
What I HATE is seeing train races-that is every train running in the same direction! That is the stupidest thing I see at train shows..While I have no quarrel with bib overalls,engineer hat and and all I think the wooden choo choo whistle should be left at home.
I fully agree with friendly members that isn't afraid to talk to the public..Not doing so not only shows bad manners but,makes the club appear to be stuck up or worst they think they are better then the public.
As far as eating in public..Ok..I can see that IF there isn't a relief man to relieve you for a break or lunch.If there is a relief man then you should chow down in private.
As far as equipment..Guys SHOW DAY IS NOT the day to test new engines or cars in fact ALL engines and cars should be inspected at home and again before being place on the layout.
Operations..
Again NO train races have trains running each way..Work your yard-I have found visitors love seeing cars being switch in a yard as well as seeing a locomotive being turned on a turntable.
Watch your SPEED! Keep your trains running at scale speeds and not at mach 5.
I have no problems with trains of all eras being ran as long as they are pulling the correct era cars..Nothing looks as silly as a SD50 pulling a string of steam era cars or a steamer pulling stacks.
Guys,unlesss you have overhead wire keep your GG1s and other electric locomotives at home doing open house or display at a train show.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
You all have some great answers, and I think some of these answers can be put to any layout. I have seen a few layouts and they were so so and then you had your great ones. These are good pointers and I might use some in my layout as well.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
You know, my past 2 layouts have been set in July 1956 (an era I did not experience), and I've displayed them at shows to crowds that seemed to enjoy them. But I can't help but wonder if the fact that the trains I run (steam and first generation diesels, passenger trains that don't say Amtrak, 40 and 50 foot boxcars, etc.) are less effective in connecting to folks my age and younger than would be more modern equipment. I could always grab up an Amtrak Genesis and some Superliners and an SD70MAC to pull some autoracks, but that would look strange in the 1956 setting I've created (maunal crossing gates, yellow stop signs, a coal dealer, and freight depot, etc.).
One complement I have received even from folks in my generation (the 30-somethings) is that they like how everything fits together on my layout. Is the overall committment to theme more important in grabbing someone's attention than running modern equipment? I don't know.
I'm thinking about eventually having certain details on my layout interchangable so I can slide the timeframe from 1956 to, say, 1976. Much byond 1980, though, and very little of my layout would translate well. That way, at a show, I could do 1956 (PRR) in the morning and 1976 (Penn Central/Conrail/Amtrak) in the afternoon.
Dave said:Is the overall committment to theme more important in grabbing someone's attention than running modern equipment?=======================================================================
Dave,That is a good question..At open house I have found most non modeling visitors likes to see things they recall seeing as a child-a steam engine pulling a passenger train,perhaps the PRR-I use to live by the PRR,my daddy,uncle,grandfather worked on the PRR,of course that can apply to any local fallen flag.Now I suppose in 30-40 years those that are kids today will say one day my daddy,uncle,grandfather worked on CR.So yeah,I think theme and era plays a roll in the eyes of the public as far as brining back childhood memories.
You see, when I visit a layout at an open house or trainshow I realize that the people who built and operate it are not professionals. It is a hobby! As the saying goes, its their layout.
If they charge the public to see the layout, then the person shelling out the money has the right to expect the sorts of things listed above. Some would say that's true even if they DON'T charge, if they're going to invite an audience.
Speaking from a somewhat rivet counters point of view, I think a train-show should have a little bit of everything, one club used a UFO and aliens in one corner and a well detailed industrial scene in the next a little whimsy is fine. You're showing the public model trains not the NMRA here. Steam and diesels look fine also. People like steam locomotives, the show action, more folks would rather watch an out of the box steamer then a trio of super detailed diesels. Colorful cars catch the eye also, reefers and different colored boxcars have more appeal then a string of oxide brown boxcars or a coal drag. Passenger trains also catch the eye. If it's a club that does a specific theme, era and road, that's different, but the public will get bored, it's like watching a train sit in the hole for two hours because of a delay elsewhere.
Members should look clean and neat, I think they should be around to answer questions, nobody likes to be ignored, I've seen shows where everyone sat in back and just ignored the public, like we were a bother. You put on a show, expect questions and comments, and save the arrogance for club members not uninformed public.
I don't mind unfinished modules, it shows a layout in progress, bare wood, foam. etc to scenery, it gives public an idea how things go together, again it's apublic show, not a competition.
Clean it up, I'd rather see bare foam and unballasted tracks, then see a finished, detailed scene with dust and cobwebs. As for unscaled vehicles, until the recent addition of walmarts' 1/87 low buck line, many guys don't like putting out 10/20 dollar cars and trucks and have them disappear, it happens.
cruikshank wrote:Gathering infomation for this new club. When you go to a public display layout what items, attractions make you glad you came, saw, possibly paid or donated. And what makes you think, boy that was lame. Do you like to see operations? Do you need to see many trains running? Are you more excited about realistic modeling and operation or do you like to see the Carnival stuff, many motorized accesories etc. I'd like to here your feedback to pass on to the club members when we meet. Thanks, Dave
To answer the actual post on a more personnal level...
"Glad I came..."
Finding it easy, good quality trains being run well with a bit of switching but mostly trains going by (that's what they do), good food, friendly people and maybe come away with a couple of new models.
I DO like bring-and-buy stalls. They recycle stuff that the trade no longer has.
"Lame..."
Well, if the owner is yawning what does he/she expect me to make of it?
None of us should expect Disneyworld in a village hall... but sometimes we get lucky.
Trains running? What else? Certainly that's what the public want/expect. If you want static displays you go to a museum or model armour and stuff like that.
A layout doesn't have to be complete... it does help the ordnary public... but one club years ago (Crawley in the 70s) started their layout at their forst show and the public saw it develop every two years... a lot of people liked that. Kind of trains-by-instalments/episodes.
Working on a layout is surprisingly appealing to the public but there are a lot of safety issues now. When it can be done you need at least as many people to answer questions as to work... saves on busted thumbs, burns and parents covering children's ears...
A lot of shows and meets have demonstrations... either in hall or in a classroom. I think that the latter is better. Quality varies enormously.
Generally I find that European layouts visiting usually do the best in running trains often enough. this may be because only the really TOP layouts are worth the expense of transport and accomodation. They also have the benefit of being something different and frequently have a new quirk that hasn't been thought of here.
An all switching layout is a waste of space to me... and usually the one where the operator is yawning... (Yup! I'm biased)!
I've never seen a circus, dockside, fleet revue (hundreds of tiny ships0 or anything like that that seemed worth the space given to it. I have seen bus collections... lines and lines of model buses of all shapes and sizes... great for the collector... nobody was stopping to look much (can be useful opposite a busy layout with a crowd... the collector usually looks fed-up).
One group (S7) put on a really well detailed, accurate layout... and ran to timetable... by the clock... so nothing moved for half hours at a time... this was an insult... i don't think that they got invited anywhere again but don't know.
Lifting bridges and car float ramps are fun but MUST be reliable... and mustn't leak. I've seen both. they are better when they are part of something bigger... I've even seen a drw bridge and a swing bridge work... I think the former was on a Broad Gauge layout.
Small layouts are okay but they need to be different and or have something going on to hold the attention that isn't repetative.
Years ago when 00n9 was new someone built a sort-of Himalayan mountain railway with lots of loops going in and out of tunnels in the mountains and across bridges. even though the trains always followed the one route up or down it was fascinating to see them popping in and out, trundling over the bridges and whizzing their small rods round (steam of course). that layout was only about 3'x3'. The kids (including me) loved it.
Two different layouts that really held the crowds fr ages were just lay-by stracks beside two track mainline. All that really happened was that trains ran through either way or went into/out of the loops... BUT there was always something on scene... rolling or waiting the road. very little scenery so the time frame wasn't specific. They did run within era(s) at different times of day so that you got like trains together.
The trouble I've always experienced with big layouts and, especially big junctions, is that they take so much time to build and maintain that no-one is up to show standard to work them properly... so most of the thing goes to waste.
There does seem to be a huge problem that enthusiasts spend ages on detail but don't have a clue how to run the thing even reasonably.
Our signalling practices are very specific which means that (if you're a grumpy old git like me) layouts can be very easily spoiled by poor/bad signalling.
Speed can always wreck a good scene. leave whiz-around to thomas and hogwarts in a corner for the kids.
I have seen a Thomas switching layout for kids with the controls at the front, challenges for the kids to achieve and prizes. Loads of kids loved this. sensibly they wouldn't let the big kids (like me) play with it when the little ones were around.
"Spot the seagulls/bunnies/tigers/dinosaurs etc" keeps children happy for a layout or two. I often think that parents should put more thought into providing a good visit for their kids... if you are taking kids take the kids... if you are going to watch trains/learn techniques/buy models/bits do that... DON'T inflict it on the kids...
Kids love layout bits that are at their level that the adults have to bend down to have pointed out to them. There is one layout of a station in the Pennines where the track is at adult level and the town is below (crossed by bridges)... kids spend ages spotting all the things going on in town. This could be a great set up for a logging layout with the short trains climbing between levels and parts of the camp/worksite.
Gimmicks wear off very fast.
if it's technical and "clever" it MUST keep working...
It is almost essential for any size of layout to have set it up and got used to running it 9and ironed out the faults) a number of times before exhibiting it.
Something I should have put in the last post... always take more board joining bolts, electrical jumpers and such stuff than you actually need. When you only have enough you can garuantee that you will lose/bend/break at least one... It's also best to number code them to location and have a practiced setting up/knocking down. (It makes doing the show more relaxed and better which means a better show...
Loading/unloading coal/stone/logs is a flop 98% of the time. It also has practical problems... often dust. That said I have seen one logging layout that had a working cable loading system. The guy had really thought it out and had invisible magnets in the logs so that they picked up every single time... not sure how he dropped them off??? I only saw that layout once and it has to be said that the operators were having to keep it down to half hour sessions and were still knackered at the end of the day. (2/3 operators on at a time 9-12 operators a day...WOW! Hard work! They achieved it though.... but I knew one of them and his muscles ached for days aft
Midnight Railroader wrote:[quote user="PA&ERR"] You see, when I visit a layout at an open house or trainshow I realize that the people who built and operate it are not professionals. It is a hobby! As the saying goes, its their layout.If they charge the public to see the layout, then the person shelling out the money has the right to expect the sorts of things listed above. Some would say that's true even if they DON'T charge, if they're going to invite an audience.
"And with the birth of the Artist came the inevitable afterbirth - the Critic!"
-History of the World, Part 1