Piedmont Blues - O scale 2 rail exhibition layout.

[DanielB]

Afternoon everyone!

 

With my HO Scale Exhibition layout now mostly finished (except for about a million jobs on my to-do list, but what layout is ever finished, right?), the attention of myself and my co-conspirator Ford has turned toward our next project, and the first truly 'joint' layout - this time making use of all that O scale stuff I've been hoarding for a few years.

 

The working title of the layout is West Box Street (please someone help me think of something better!), as a nod toward my previous layout, as well as the trackplan, which is a modified version of Shortliner's Box Street plan.

 

The idea is yet again a heavily industrialised urban area somewhere in the South East of the USA. Georgia or Alabama, maybe? That's still to be decided on.

 

As a departure from my usual slapdash approach to layout construction, every aspect of this new layout is going to be planned from the ground up from the start. Ford insisted on it, and I don't blame him, going on my track record!

 

This will need to be bulletproof before the first piece of wood is cut.

 

A trackplan has been settled on, and thrown together in SCARM to check clearances. All track is going to be handbuilt, and will follow the "FUnitMad" approach of tracklaying for that added realism.

 

Here's the trackplan:

 

 

The intention for the layout is to have full lighting, sound, and animated features, and Ford has even been kicking around the idea of an automated (or not) Day/Night cycle to make exhibitions even more interesting.

 

Whilst the actual construction of the layout is looking to be a while off yet, we've both started working on various other aspects of the build - I've begun work on rolling stock and structure projects, and Ford has been working on the lighting and using Arduino to animate doors, roller shutters, etc.

 

Photos and videos will follow of progress as and when there's something worth showing.

Edited May 9, 2017 by DanielB

[PaulRhB]

Alabama connection names? Van Zant, Collins, Rossington, Burns, Wilkeson, and Powell if you want a roundabout connection via Sweet Home Alabama

Mind you 'Georgia on my mind' has a nice sound as a slightly different layout name for Georgia.

Looking forward to seeing the fruits of this idea.

[bbishop]

Nothing stupid, please. 

 

Bill

[DanielB]

Nothing stupid, please. 

 

Bill

 

Sorry Bill, not sure what that was referring to?

[Zomboid]

"Hot Nights in Georgia". If you're into whatever genre Jason & The Scorchers could be pigeonholed into (alt-country?).

Just set it at night and it'll make perfect sense.

[DanielB]

I'm kind of leaning toward "Piedmont Blues" as a name, as it does have the musical reference there, but is a pretty interesting name as it stands.

 

Opinions?

[Mike Kieran]

There's always "Devil Went Down To Georgia" with Charlie Danels. Devilwendownta, GA would be a nice & eye rolling pun. (Ducking bricks being thrown at me.)

[Talltim]

Nothing stupid, please.

 

Bill

That's a good name for a town. In Please county Alabama I assume? Edited May 9, 2017 by Talltim

[Dava]

Lafayette Railroad, an instrumental by Little Feat, a touch of N'Orleans?

 

Dixie Blues?

 

Dava

[Talltim]

Lots of southern ones here http://thoughtcatalog.com/michael-koh/2014/01/52-weird-names-of-places-in-the-united-states-that-you-just-cant-believe-are-real/

[bbishop]

Sorry Bill, not sure what that was referring to?

 

Daniel,

 

You are in receipt of a few already.  At an exhibition, when I observe a layout with a stupid name, be it British or Continental or American, I will walk straight past.  And I would include "Devilwendownta, GA".

 

Bill

[PaulRhB]

Forced puns and words crammed together are rather obvious and tend to tire with time, but it's your layout so whatever captures the mood and feels right.

Ian J started the topic on unusual layout names thinking about the names like The Gresley Beat that are evocative without being direct names and somehow more 'romantic'. That rapidly descended into the usual forced puns

Gorre & Daphetid even became tiresome for John Allen but has become almost a real name because the concept overcame the name and it's held in warm affection these days.

I tried both ideas with names that sound like real towns and have a hidden connection that might appeal to those in the know without being forced or the song title that can evoke more of a feeling than a pure town name

You'll know what sounds right to you,

Dodgy quote warning

 

'trust the force'

Edited May 9, 2017 by PaulRhB

[F-UnitMad]

If your mate's name is Ford, then the Douglas Adams Fan in me says the obvious name should be "Prefect".... 

[Night Train]

Montgomery Yard

[Mike Kieran]

Paul and Bill. You do realize that I was making a joke, don't you?

[Talltim]

I'm in agreement on the forced pun names (although I never twigged that Gorre and Daphetid was a pun) and I wouldn't actually use one of the real but silly names either, unless I was actually modelling one of them.

However I do like the layout names that are about the feel of the layout, such as the 'Gresley Beat' and 'Brooklyn 3am' and I think it's a pity that that thread went off the rails. As such I like Paul's suggestion of 'Georgia on my mind' and 'Piedmont Blues'

[DanielB]

Eh, to each their own I guess.

 

I'm not a fan of pun names, tbh. They are kind of overdone these days.

 

I'm still liking the idea of Piedmont Blues, and Ford quite likes it, so there's a strong contender there I reckon.

 

On to something a bit more interesting, I've got some wooden freight car kits coming from eBay. We'll see how they turn out when they get here.

 

Where does everyone get their ruling stock from these days, btw, cos eBay seems a little thin on the ground lately.

[PaulRhB]

Paul and Bill. You do realize that I was making a joke, don't you?

To be honest I hadn't read yours Mike

I was referring to Bills comment about silly names and how the most famous American one became a classic because it became the evocative in its own right. My second post was meant to infer even the apparently silly can actually work

As I said it's Dan's layout so whatever feels right to him IS right no matter because it captures what he wants.

[PaulRhB]

Eh, to each their own I guess..

 

I'm still liking the idea of Piedmont Blues, and Ford quite likes it, so there's a strong contender there I reckon.

 

Yep and that sounds like it's hit the spot so go with it, if something better comes along you can always change again

[Mike Kieran]

Piedmont Blues does have a nice ring to it. It actually has an artsy name which fits well with Daniel's typically artistic modeling.

[298]

Where does everyone get their ruling stock from these days, btw, cos eBay seems a little thin on the ground lately.

TVNAM, and/or Anoraks Anonymous.

 

There's nowt wrong with having a working title until you come up with a permanent one. That's why my Blue Heron project is called "The Blue Heron Project".

[PaulRhB]

Just have some blues playing faintly in a window where there's a blues club. Real low so you only get it when a foot away

[F-UnitMad]

Just have some blues playing faintly in a window where there's a blues club. Real low so you only get it when a foot away

Peter North did that on at least one of his layouts ("Hope, Illinois" IIRC) & commented in Continental Modeller how much atmosphere music could add to a layout. Back then he did it with an under-board speaker (under the Diner/Cafe) & a cassette player - remember those? - with a cheap tape "Hits of 1959" or suchlike.

"Hope" is one of those layouts I wish I'd seen for real.

[Prof Klyzlr]

Dear "Sound evokes" modellers,

 

 

 

 Back then he did it with an under-board speaker (under the Diner/Cafe) & a cassette player - remember those? - with a cheap tape "Hits of 1959" or suchlike.

 

Thankfully we now know a lot more about the nature of Layout and Scale Sound, and have hardware playback options which open up a load more possibilities while being cheaper than the "cassette player" of yore...

 

For more info, consider the LayoutSound Yahoogroup (leading thinktank on such matters),
or shout-out here onlist for assistance...
("Brooklyn : 3AM" would not have been half as effective without the scratchbuilt soundtrack,
including the scale abandoned-warehouse rave party which was all-but-inaudible from 2' away from the layout footprint,
but up-close sounded about a half-mile wide...)

 

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

 

PS Andy, "Blue Heron" has my attention (I'm assuming we're talking Oregon City, Ore?)
Any other info or a thread to reference?

[DanielB]

I don't understand why 2 rail is so unpopular in the USA? I mean, over here we have Hornby Dublo and the like (essentially Lionel type trains but in OO/HO scale), but that is mostly a forgotten medium outside of serious collectors. I don't see the appeal of the unrealistic looking trains you get in 3 rail O scale.

 

Previously I mentioned I'd been working on structures and rolling stock projects, well - here they are:

 

My first ever O scale structure kit build - Clevermodels Small Brick Machine Shop. Well it's certainly not small in O scale!!!

 

 

 

Now, seeing as it's hard to find O scale 2 rail in the UK, and considering how expensive it tends to be because of it (£90 for a 3 bay covered hopper? Jog on!), I broke out the artist mounting board and balsa wood, and - working from official Southern Railway freight car diagrams - came up with this:

 

 

 

The car sides are artwork made from actual photographs of Southern boxcars, skewed in Photoshop and printed to scale. I've got the doors, roof and end walls ready to cut out and apply.