An alternative to Thomas The Tank Engine layout

[Zomboid]

I seem to recall hearing something about she meant to write it as Euston as it was so in her mind but wrote Kings Cross.

Good job really as far as the film goes. Kings Cross is much more photogenic. At least she didn't use New Street...

Though if the engine was red, shouldn't it have been St Pancras?

[Clearwater]

I think we can probably judge our selves fortunate that the film director did not know about A4s and ask for one of the three in steam to be repainted Crimson...

[Black Sheep]

More than a couple - I read they destroyed 16 Anglias doing the Whomping Willow scene :-(

 

I'm reliably informed that they worked with the Anglia owners club and selected vehicles beyond repair, making them look good with fiberglass pannels cosmetically but of no real value to an enthusiast.

[Zomboid]

I think we can probably judge our selves fortunate that the film director did not know about A4s and ask for one of the three in steam to be repainted Crimson...

Maybe he initially asked about f***** s*******.

[Ozexpatriate]

Repainting in another livery seems controversial enough here, the last thing you want is such arguments amongst people who can start flinging magic at each other.

Colovaria! (Or this Disney version of the same.)

 

I presume some combination charm aguamenti and incendio would be required to make steam. (There is an un-named hot air charm.)

[Skinnylinny]

Exhibiting Newcastleton at a fairly small local show, I was shunting the yard at the front of the layout with a black class 08, and even though there were occasional mainline through trains, I ended up with a little crowd of about 5 or 6 5-7 year olds watching me shunting with "Diesel".

 

A comment from one of the viewers wondering if Thomas or Percy would come out to join him led to Diesel disappearing for a refuel off-scene and the Bachmann US Thomas model coming on stage to shunt (which, incidentally, the Bachmann models do beautifully, while also looking more like the TV series characters than their Hornby equivalent). Shortly after, Thomas was replaced by Percy for a while, before we went back to our grimy gronk, but we had that group of kids intently watching the shunting and asking questions for well over half an hour, with Thomas and Percy only out for 10 minutes.

 

With regards to letting visitors have a go, I am currently working on modifying an old Hornby class 25 to give it battery power and operation from a mobile phone via Bluetooth, so that we can offer an old phone or tablet to someone to allow them to drive unencumbered by our layout's somewhat fiddly control panel.

[Edwardian]

Good job really as far as the film goes. Kings Cross is much more photogenic. At least she didn't use New Street...

Though if the engine was red, shouldn't it have been St Pancras?

 

Well, as you know, much of it was in the film version!

[Edwardian]

Exhibiting Newcastleton at a fairly small local show, I was shunting the yard at the front of the layout with a black class 08, and even though there were occasional mainline through trains, I ended up with a little crowd of about 5 or 6 5-7 year olds watching me shunting with "Diesel".

 

A comment from one of the viewers wondering if Thomas or Percy would come out to join him led to Diesel disappearing for a refuel off-scene and the Bachmann US Thomas model coming on stage to shunt (which, incidentally, the Bachmann models do beautifully, while also looking more like the TV series characters than their Hornby equivalent). Shortly after, Thomas was replaced by Percy for a while, before we went back to our grimy gronk, but we had that group of kids intently watching the shunting and asking questions for well over half an hour, with Thomas and Percy only out for 10 minutes.

 

With regards to letting visitors have a go, I am currently working on modifying an old Hornby class 25 to give it battery power and operation from a mobile phone via Bluetooth, so that we can offer an old phone or tablet to someone to allow them to drive unencumbered by our layout's somewhat fiddly control panel.

 

Excellent.  Mind you, I'd keep those Really Useful Engines well hidden if you attend Railex.

[PaulRhB]

Railex is aimed at a different part of the market deliberately and attracts enthusiasts from long distances so it's not aimed at the local community as an introduction or for support

There are lots of events aimed at the higher end of any hobby so there's room for all types as you only need enough support from your target market.

[awoodford]

 At the IoWSR they have an excellent mock loco cab, where kids "fire" the loco with black wooden balls.

 

 

Brilliant. That opens up a whole host of possibilities... smokeboxes, ashpits, and oily rags come to mind.

 

For what its worth, the best interactive exhibit I ever saw (in the 70's), was of a hump marshalling yard. It consisted of a headshunt and a fan of 4 or 6 sidings. A set of buttons controlled the points. The object was to get the loco to push a string of wagons without couplings from the headshunt over the hump and let them roll down to end up with one wagon in each siding. Sounds simple, but even seasoned (and poe-faced) modelers would set off too fast on their first attempt, and all the wagons would run away into one siding. It was a hoot, as well as a sharp lesson in momentum and inertia, and it was not only the visitors but other exhibitors too that were queuing up to have a go. Even the onlookers were enjoying themselves watching the others 'losing it'. Cheering or jeering, as appropriate, were encouraged by those in charge of the game, and the kids soon learnt that if you're going to be a railway modeler you needed a thick skin. It was more like a visit to a pantomime or the Rocky Horror Show than a model railway exhibit. Sadly I've never come across anything like it again since, but I'm ever hopeful that someone might be encouraged to resurrect it. Though I suppose these days the raucous audience participation might be frowned upon, not only to protect the little darlings, but in case it drowned out those running serious DCC sounds. Anyhow, the kids lapped it up, and once they had cottoned onto the fact that they had to take it very slowly and remember to change the points between each wagon, they soon mastered it, and would return over and over to show off their new found skill. They're probably grown up and building Inglenook layouts nowadays.

Alan.

[Philip Jackson]

back in the day Hornby had layout planning software which let you build a virtual railway and then run virtual model trains on, perhaps a few pc's set up with similar software then the kids can build their own train sets and run trains as fast as they like without any unexpected crashes (unless running windows vista)

[Black Sheep]

back in the day Hornby had layout planning software which let you build a virtual railway and then run virtual model trains on, perhaps a few pc's set up with similar software then the kids can build their own train sets and run trains as fast as they like without any unexpected crashes (unless running windows vista)

 

I've seen both Microsoft trainsim and Trainz set up at exhibitions for people to have a go at driving. Problem is, once it gets popular and a crowd around it's hard for anyone to manage to get a go leading to people getting frustrated unless there is some way of booking your turn.

 

MERG were having a similar issue at one show I went to with letting the kids have a go at driving the trains on their demonstrator, it took them a while to free it up to demonstrate something to me as some kids were happy to step aside a moment in the hope of being allowed back on, others just ignored the stand operators. 

 

But thats the problem with anything hands on

 

I do recall one exhibition layout when I was much younger where the goods yard had a separate controller and was simply an inglenook puzzle, the layout operator would bring a train in and then a visitor had to shunt the wagons to where a plan said they should be, the next visitor had to shunt them into the correct order to leave and then they were collected and a new set brought in

[Steven B]

I've helped to exhibit a model railway at a primary school summer fair. We found that Eurostars and Bullet trains were just as, if not more popular than Thomas and his friends. Long trains of wagons & coaches to count are also fun (even more so if you change the length as it passes though the fiddle yard!).

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[B-Wagen]

At this year's Intermodellbau in Dortmund, the Team 750 showed a very different approach to the ones listed.
Their layout was an about 5 scale kilometer long modular HOe single line with 5 stations, a fiddle yard and "serious" timetabled running.
Each operator had a duty roaster and there was one simple DCC controller for each item of motive power.
In additon, there was one dispatcher, who controlled the train movements on the single line sections via a telephone network.
Yet, they allowed members of the public to have a go forming a proper train crew with an operator.
The member of the public took the role of the driver and the operator performed the duties of an instructor, guard and shunter and operating the telephone equipmet according to the skills and experience of the member of public.
With a full shift taking more than two hours, he also could relieve the member of public if required.
While the whole thing was lots of fun for all ages, it was very educational aswell as it gave a good and very hands-on insight into the operation of the real thing.
(Un-)fortunately, the whole thing was pretty much an insider, as it was mostly advertised on their website.

My idea would be a large modular layout (as it can be adapted to various spaces) equipped with proper S&T with the public being encouraged to work trains or signal boxes under expert instruction.

[pointstaken]

I seem to remember the NMRA in the States having an Iinglenook for shunting. The kids I believe beat the adults, and was quite popular. Small prizes could be given for (say) the lowest number of moves.

 

Dennis

[brightspark]

At this year's Intermodellbau in Dortmund, the Team 750 showed a very different approach to the ones listed.

Their layout was an about 5 scale kilometer long modular HOe single line with 5 stations, a fiddle yard and "serious" timetabled running.

Each operator had a duty roaster and there was one simple DCC controller for each item of motive power.

In additon, there was one dispatcher, who controlled the train movements on the single line sections via a telephone network.

Yet, they allowed members of the public to have a go forming a proper train crew with an operator.

The member of the public took the role of the driver and the operator performed the duties of an instructor, guard and shunter and operating the telephone equipmet according to the skills and experience of the member of public.

With a full shift taking more than two hours, he also could relieve the member of public if required.

While the whole thing was lots of fun for all ages, it was very educational aswell as it gave a good and very hands-on insight into the operation of the real thing.

(Un-)fortunately, the whole thing was pretty much an insider, as it was mostly advertised on their website.

 

My idea would be a large modular layout (as it can be adapted to various spaces) equipped with proper S&T with the public being encouraged to work trains or signal boxes under expert instruction.

 

Oh I like this. I have had similar ideas myself (but not the facilities do anything about it).

Keep the ideas coming.

 

Andy

[5050]

I allow small children to 'have a go' on my HO 'Peforia Narrows' shunting puzzle layout.  Sometime, if they're a bit older, they actually try to do the puzzle (with a bit of adult help occasionally) but generally they're just happy to be allowed a chance to drive something.  US stock is pretty well indestructible so no damage ensues.  If I have 'Enigma Engineering' (P4) at a show I will sometimes allow young children to drive it but only with parental supervision although older ones can drive it well and complete the puzzle.