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BEIJIAO - a large Chinese HO exhibition layout set in the 21st century


TEAMYAKIMA
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23 minutes ago, Al. said:

Another video of Beijiao from Warley. This time with authentic exhibition soundtrack. 

 

 

 

This (like most videos taken at Warley) was taken on the Saturday when we had serious operating issues - that is why you see the same train time and time again. By Sunday we had sorted the problem and there was a lot more variety on the second day and there will even more variety at our next showing at Aly Paly in March.

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5 hours ago, ianmianmianm said:

One other suggestion from me - are you aware of these buildings? Not sure if they quite fit your grey and grim theme, but the contrast between your brutalistic apartment blocks with a cluster of something else might work?http://www.80mbusmodel.com/eshop/ - click "Model Acessories".

 

 

Many thanks - amazing stuff!  TBH nothing there for my current layout …………… but the next one??????????????????

 

Will order a few random items for evaluation ………….. many thanks for your interest.

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To do your layout justice in video would require proper lighting, tripod camera, train movements on demand, and several hours - none of which are really feasible in the limited time available before or after exhibition opening times.

 

I do have the lights and an HD camera, but it requires firewire to download to a PC, and the motherboard of my last remaining PC with firewire capability gave up a while ago, so I am a bit stuck. I could try with my new OnePlus 7T phone, which has some amazing video capability, but I have not had time to explore how to take manual control of it.

 

I'll see you at Alley Palley as I will be there with 'Freshwater'.

 

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2 hours ago, Ian Morgan said:

To do your layout justice in video would require proper lighting, tripod camera, train movements on demand, and several hours - none of which are really feasible in the limited time available before or after exhibition opening times.

 

I do have the lights and an HD camera, but it requires firewire to download to a PC, and the motherboard of my last remaining PC with firewire capability gave up a while ago, so I am a bit stuck. I could try with my new OnePlus 7T phone, which has some amazing video capability, but I have not had time to explore how to take manual control of it.

 

 

Hello Ian

 

Thanks for that offer. 

 

As regards lights I must say that I have deliberately not put lighting on the layout and I won't be in the future. I went to China to photograph steam about 13 times (I wish it had been more!) and I rarely saw the sun in cities - I remember dull, overcast and pollution. Also I want our lit buildings to jump out of the dull and dreary backdrop.

 

As regards action on the layout the German YOUTUBE video which I uploaded into this thread on Dec 20th missed three 'features' that we can quickly set up.

 

1. Freights 'snaking' across the two crossovers - he missed it, because we never did it.

 

2. The opening sequence was supposed to be a real close up of the double banked coal train departing which is a real USP of the layout, He did actually film it but the shot was cut short at about 1.04 on my request before the two bankers come into view as it went slightly wrong with the bankers having become detached from the train and then catching up again - the only time that happened at Warley and he captured it on video!!!

 

3. The passenger train departing was a good shot at about 4.59 was ruined by the freight suddenly appearing and sending the autofocus into meltdown.

 

Looking forward to meeting you at AP and if you're free lets see what we can sort out together.

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When I referred to lighting, I meant video lighting on tripods that I have to fill in the deep shadows and show more details. It also avoids the moving shadows from people viewing the layout, which are evident in the german video.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Ian Morgan said:

When I referred to lighting, I meant video lighting on tripods that I have to fill in the deep shadows and show more details. It also avoids the moving shadows from people viewing the layout, which are evident in the german video.

 

Ok, no problem, you obviously know more about this sort of thing than I do!:D

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10 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

Many thanks - amazing stuff!  TBH nothing there for my current layout …………… but the next one??????????????????

 

Will order a few random items for evaluation ………….. many thanks for your interest.

Microlayout. Just saying.

 

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11 hours ago, TEAMYAKIMA said:

As regards lights I must say that I have deliberately not put lighting on the layout and I won't be in the future.

Paul, this might be a significant reason why the layout seemed not to have enough "street appeal". Layouts without lighting are very much in the minority these days and when surrounded by such a layout without will look dim (particularly with the dark backscene), dreary (I know that's the idea!) and, dare I say, less interesting.

 

I would think about some overall lighting at a level that doesn't suggest a hot sunny day but would lift the appearance enough to draw people in.

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First of all I want to say I really like this layout - in fact I'm a big fan of non-UK (or overseas) layouts & would really like to see more at exhibitions. To go one step further I would actually like to see an exhibition with no UK based layouts - but thats a topic for another day.

 

With regard to your layout Paul I'm going to be honest in where I personally think you could make it even better.

 

The layout needs more lighting - a lot more. I know you want to show a dull day in a polluted environment but the models need to be seen - just making the layout dark doesn't evoke a dull day IMHO. How you do that isn't going to be easy but what about using diffrent coloured lights to replicate sunsets/sunrise?..give it a bit of theatre.

The models need weathering & sound - again, just my opionion but I think it would make a big difference.

The backscene doesn't work. I'd be very temepted to find somebody who could maybe paint a typical Chinese landscape (or cityscape)....and the current one is also too low.

The foreground needs a bit more - a few cameos - not quite sure what but there isn't enough to look at when there is no trains running.

 

Having said all that I'm certainly going to seek the layout out when it appears at shows near me and I hope you view my criticisms as constructive - which they're intended to be.

 

Finally, where & how do you buy the stock? - I ask because I buy Australian stock from (surprisingly enough) Australia and know it can be a bit of a headache - not to mention expensive at times.

 

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Hello Ross34

 

Firstly I do consider your critique as constructive - very few of us improve if we're constantly being told we're (already) perfect. In fact on thread I've invited comments from those who don't find the layout to their taste and asked 'why?' in a genuine attempt to find a way to appeal to a wider audience.

 

Secondly stock - Hong Kong

 

Thirdly - all steam locos are fully sound equipped and professionally weathered. The diesels are mainly not sound equipped yet - the jury is still out on that issue. Likewise weathering the diesels, I want to do that myself and it's a bit down the line yet, All freight cars are weathered and all coaches have weathered bogies and blackened wheels. The class 22 green coaches which are steam hauled all have heavily weathered rooves. The ones on the industrial line are heavily weathered all over.

 

More later - dinner now!

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Paul,  almost all layouts need lighting.  However, you and I agree the lighting need not be above the layout.  My lighting is in buildings, on platforms and especially in the beer garden.  You have the lights coming on and off in the flats, maybe a bit of a cliché - but I like it!  I find that pools of lights does work, maybe spotlights over the fruit and veg market, construction works etc, then park the pusher steam locomotives under the lights.

Bill

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On 01/12/2019 at 13:53, TEAMYAKIMA said:

 

That backscene concept has been the subject of quite a bit of discussion and some criticism - not least from my own operating team.

 

There was no way that I could make a convincing conventional backscene - impossible . And so I thought of a totally different approach - the backscene represents 'the void' , the nothingness - it is purely the frame of the scene - a picture frame if you will.

 

It has been accused of making the layout dark and depressing - well I can assure you that many/most industrial parts of 'old' China are dark and depressing. I have visited parts of China 2/3 times for several days at a time - and never seen the sun! 

 

 

At the risk of clogging your thread up with pictures not of your layout; have you considered a more 'impressionist' type backscene? The example below is an early version of the backscene fitted to our club's German layout. More a collection of shapes and impressions of the Berlin skyline, than anything too technical. Nothing too innovative, I took the inspiration from a French layout on the forum.

 

Backscene.jpg.b892f0bbccf332503a328318daa1bad8.jpg

 

A grey/blue wash for the sky would give the layout a bit of a lift - along with impressions of towers, factories and perhaps mountains - may do the trick for you.

 

Just a suggestion, but it may give a little more 'lift' to the overall impression of the layout.

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6 hours ago, woodenhead said:

The irony, another show that Beijiao won't get an invite to, as it's European modelling that techically could include any UK representative layout but not a Chinese one.

Why not? For example, Australia has been in the Eurovision Song Contest for several years now...

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With lighting I use warm LED strips fixed to aluminium angle, maybe rather than direct light you could use a similar mount but bounce the light off the aluminium to diffuse it or with the lack of heat simply put filters over the strip to diffuse and colour the light precisely. The grey is quite ‘cold’ maybe adding a bit of yellow / brown to the lighting would maintain the polluted feel you want and warm up the overall light?

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The German Railway Society 'Globalrail' exhibition in Didcot sometimes has a token UK layout, but mostly includes Japan, Australia, the US and the rest of Europe.

 

No date posted for this year's show yet though. I did hear that the hall hire costs had sky-rocketed, so I hope it has not been abandoned.

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Ian Morgan said:

The German Railway Society 'Globalrail' exhibition in Didcot sometimes has a token UK layout, but mostly includes Japan, Australia, the US and the rest of Europe.

 

No date posted for this year's show yet though. I did hear that the hall hire costs had sky-rocketed, so I hope it has not been abandoned.

 

 

 

It is difficult to make an all overseas model exhibition viable. I first tried more than 30 years ago with a low-cost venue in Central London.

 

Most exhibitions rely financially on pulling in a big crowd of "Joe Public" who will mostly not attend a specialist show. They also rely on income from traders/manufacturers and there are not so many of those here in the UK for overseas prototype.

 

So less potential income but all the same costs to cover. It needs the specialist societies, and perhaps Continental Modeller and an importer or two, to take this on as a PR exercise rather than a money-making exercise.

 

Didcot is quite a good location for access from much of the country. But any decent-sized venue between there and Birmingham area would be good. The GRS show used to be at Sutton Coldfield.

 

There are some very nice village halls these days at reasonable rents.

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18 minutes ago, Ian Morgan said:

The German Railway Society 'Globalrail' exhibition in Didcot sometimes has a token UK layout, but mostly includes Japan, Australia, the US and the rest of Europe.

 

No date posted for this year's show yet though. I did hear that the hall hire costs had sky-rocketed, so I hope it has not been abandoned.

 

 

 

30th May 2020 ;)  The hall got double booked last year and halved the space available for the show, Alan has triple checked them so its back to normal this year. 

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It has been often mentioned that modellers of overseas subjects need to go that extra mile to be considered at the same level of UK models. It seems that overseas layouts need to be full of 'crowd pleasers' (i.e, gimmicks) or be set in spectacular - and obviously foreign - landscapes in order to be considered for many shows. Where a UK layout can get away with being set somewhere ordinary, overseas layouts don't seem to have that luxury (unless they are small). A sad fact of life for many of us I'm afraid!

 

Whilst I understand the exhibition booker's view, I respectfully disagree. Too many gimmicks belittle a model, especially if you are depicting a country not widely represent on the circuit. I like subtle cameos and a bit of humour; but too much of that loses the integrity of the layout. 

 

Our club's old N gauge layout was set in Japan. It had no temples, no pagodas, no Mount Fuji; no Shinkansen even. To me, and to many viewers who had been to Japan, it was still unmistakably Japanese; but there were still plenty who overlooked the massive flag on the front and told us it was French, or American or even German... There just weren't those tell-tale giveaways - which were nice, but would have made the layout just like any other Japanese layout on the circuit...not that there were many.

 

I too have been to China, and yes, your layout certainly captures the essence of how the vast majority of urban, industrial, China looks. I was lucky, I did see the sun for a bit, but most of the time in the cities we were under a pall of smog. 

 

I would say, however, modelling large expanses of waste land is tricky, and to me the scenery lacks that spark. Oddly enough, I think it is too clean. There is not enough clutter; especially in the foreground. Not enough weeds and greenery (or in this case 'brownery'). I think you need puddles and potholes. That is not to say you need to fill the layout with this, but I think these, along with the usual detritus beside the railway - piles of used ballast, rails, litter - will just add that extra dimension it needs. I have already mentioned the backscene, which with some tweaks could really give the layout some depth, without being too fussy, and help blend with the high rise buildings (these certainly give the layout presence.

 

Just my two-penneth worth really. I don't think it needs wholesale changes, and certainly doesn't need any more cameos. Good luck with the layout, and hope to see it at Ally Pally.

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Realism working too well possibly, that’s the problem with encompassing our vision into something others like. 
I’m not sure it is the grey that makes it not ‘pop’ for show managers, my Harz only gets a few invites and that’s about as green and European as you can get. I just think it’s the taste of the show managers and scouts.
It certainly seems easier to get offers from shows I’ve already done with other layouts and with Warley I just pop them an email as they asked me a few years ago to forward details of any layouts of a similar standard from friends. Never a guarantee but they’ve had each one I’ve suggested over the next two to three years. 

I’d always fancied the Jitong loops but the scale meant it wasn’t viable in HO. Now if they’d done the QJ’s in N is probably have had a go but I was also wary of how to make the fairly desolate landscape work as an attractive display. I’d probably go for it in winter with the snow setting off the trains as contrast. 
I’ve seen Beijiao twice now and enjoyed it so I don’t think it needs more than you’re already working on to make the details obvious.
I think the size restricts it a bit as it can get expensive to take many layouts from further afield for medium and smaller shows. I know our manager tries to have 2 or 3 only to keep the budget in check. 

Probably worth taking a load of nice pics and making up a 2 page pdf, with one of photos and the layout details on the second, you can send to the shows you’d like to do? 

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There has been a lot of soul searching after the Warley show - a lot of it taking place here on RMweb. However decisions have now been made and action taken.

 

1. Layout height - layout lowered 2 inches from 48 inches to 46 inches. This doesn't sound much but it will allow a far wider range of operators to operate the industrial line as the additional 12 inch backscene did prevent two of my team from seeing over the backscene. It will also help children and wheelchair users appreciate the layout more.

 

2. The industrial sequence has been abandoned as it was felt that reading it slowed down operation. Operation will now be on a simple one up, one down basis.

 

3. All anti-clockwise industrial  trains will now be banked - and the passenger will now run as a mixed with the addition of four loaded coal cars justifying it now being banked. Also the mixed will only run anti-clockwise and will not return downhill tender first and this will save time and speed up operation. So banked uphill trains will now double in frequency from 25% to 50% of train movements.

 

4. Video cameras and screens have been bought and installed at both ends of the scenic section so that the mainline operators who operate from outside the layout at the back can view progress of their trains on the layout

 

5. The Faller roadway system which has been installed since 2016 but never used at exhibitions due to being untested and unreliable has now been simplified and will feature at Aly Paly albeit not yet computer controlled.

 

6. Operation at shows will now feature freights entering and leaving the (off-scene) freight yard via the two crossovers on the scenic section - this will be far more visually interesting than just through running. All passenger trains will continue to run straight through to the (off-scene) interchange passenger station.

 

7. The 17 car grey/red class 26G passenger train will now be lit to show the fully detailed interiors more easily. At the moment there are still five cars to have passengers added - one coach, one diner, one soft class sleeper and two hard class sleepers - hopefully that will be completed by Aly Paly.

 

8. We will experiment with variations on the backscene colour - currently B&Q Ashfelt Matt which is now a discontinued colour anyway - but the backscene will remain as 'the void' whatever colour is finally chosen.

 

9. We have confirmed that the layout will not have overhead lighting, but more flats will have lights and we will experiment with turning the shop interior lighting up slightly to make them stand out more

 

10. We will electrify the street lights but try to set them so that they are noticeable without them glaring out unrealistically.

 

IMG_20200101_170804.jpg.51fe62af1a46d4cabaa5e8f9ea003276.jpg

 

11. We will site a signal cabin to the industrial line and illuminate the interior. The cabin will now sit at the lefthand end of the depot pointwork…...

 

IMG_20191231_095446.jpg.431800a367fb791e99b78cebd5be1fcc.jpg

 

12 We will add a cycle rack to the industrial line platform to fill the empty space originally allocated to the signal cabin.

 

13. We have considered various 'upgrades' to the scenery at the front of the layout. For the moment at least we will concentrate on the left hand end of the layout which is the least developed scenically at the moment. We will develop a truck stop which will allow more cameos which will hopefully draw viewers into the scenery and then they will see more of the cameos which already exist.

 

PHEW! A lot to do before Aly Paly!

 

 

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