What gauge,era,country?

[60B]

Lets see:

 

7mm light railway either freelance or set period.

 

4mm BR Blue freight only branch

 

4 or 7mm private internal system with exchange sidings (I probably could build the Balmenach system round my room).

 

7mm garden railway with some proper heavy engineering.

 

Probably will have to do something North Cornwall-ish to justify the BWT.

 

A large terminus with a working ferry (yes I said, working).

 

009 logging line with a overhead cableway (not dangerous at all).

 

Something with British designed locos not seen on our own shores.

[DaveF]

In the late 1950's I lived within sight and sound of the Great Central at East Leake, south of Nottingham and for a time travelled to school in Nottingham on the train. I have the relevant working timetable for summer 1959 and the special traffic notice for 25 - 31 July, so all I need is the space, then I could swop pre group Midland for BR 1959 - V2s, B1s, 9Fs, 04s etc..

 

Very tempting at times.

 

David

 

 

[Russ (mines a pint)]

the trains aren't just as important to me as the surroundings I like modelling rural uplands, tend to spot a prototype then run with it. I prefer the 'north country' (as in the whole Uk) to the south though can grudgingly admit there are some nice places in the South West & Wales. I'm more familiar with the places north of humber-mersey divide tho, so I think I can make them look more convincing.

 

Schemes which I work best with are those where I can 'fill in' for a while with RTR, and make look reasonable, diesels are good for me cos I can remember them, and after re-reading 1st para there is ###### all option!

 

The thing thats out in front at the moment IS to try something different!

space: it'll have to be N

steam: why the hell not?

GWR? hang on a minute !!

[signalmaintainer]

Me too..!!, although i'd have to extend the western end to include Maple Valley (having stood on the tiles of the old Depot), and Renton (to include Houser St). Avery is also appealing and would allow me to run Little Joe's, but i'll worry about that when I win the lottery.

 

Yes, Avery and the Bitterrroot Mountains are very appealing as well. And yes, the lottery is what it would take for me as well, or more overtime than I really care for!

 

Was just at Hauser Street not too long back, performing some grade crossing inspections in downtown Renton. The Renton Rocket still runs on Hauser on its way to Boeing's 737 plant north of town.

[Bloodnok]

I think we've had this kind of thread before, but hey, it's nice to dream.

 

I think last time we had it, it was "What would you do if space wasn't an issue".

 

This is a little different

 

A project I'd love to do, but don't have planning permission for is a version of Blackfriars in P4. The bridge (basically uncompressed) with all the station throat on it, plus a short fiddleyard hidden behind the office block and about half the station would fit within the length of my garage. Just. Though I'd be tempted to throw in a tight curve, some junctions to nowhere (and maybe a track maintenance cameo - complete with an excuse for ballast wagons to be shunted...) and incurr some points on my modellers license about the significant length of missing line that should be between the two scenes . Fiddleyard would then be located in the London Bridge direction - and would be significantly larger than I could achieve without the curve.

I'd model this in the early 1990s - with VEPs, CEPs and Notworkers terminating, and NSE 319s "heading north" by disappearing under the overall roof, and using a sneaky single line traverser to return on the southbound line having not actually got beyond the platforms.

 

I'd also love to do a 'railway in the landscape' style layout in N. Something to stand back and watch as trains went past at speed. The ultimate would be to do this with a lump of HS1 - just plain track, no station or points or anything. Well, probably a bridge, as I love the clean architectural style. There's something achingly beautiful about the wide, wide curves of a really fast line - how it, on a small scale, appears to pay no attention at all to what the ground is doing, but seen on a larger scale that the 'railway in the landscape' model could begin to hint at, it follows it oh so closely. And all the modern bridges and tunnels too.

If I do this, it'll be set some time in the near future (and by then that will be the past...), with Eurostars sharing the tracks not only with 395s, but also with some other equipment from other sources...

[Ozexpatriate]

The other is much closer to home: Milwaukee Road circa late 1970s from Beverly, Washington, to Cedar Falls, Washington, over the Saddle Mountains and Cascade Mountains across Snoqualmie Pass. Lots of helpers (bankers), long trains, slow speeds, tall steel viaducts, and awesome mountain railroading. HO scale more than likely.

 

Me too..!!, although i'd have to extend the western end to include Maple Valley (having stood on the tiles of the old Depot), and Renton (to include Houser St). Avery is also appealing and would allow me to run Little Joe's, but i'll worry about that when I win the lottery.

 

Yes, Avery and the Bitterrroot Mountains are very appealing as well. And yes, the lottery is what it would take for me as well, or more overtime than I really care for!

 

Was just at Hauser Street not too long back, performing some grade crossing inspections in downtown Renton. The Renton Rocket still runs on Hauser on its way to Boeing's 737 plant north of town.

The MILW Pacific Division is a really nice choice with lots of great scenic opportunities - curved steel viaducts entering tunnels, etc. (I bet you'd get tired of inserting poles for the overhead though!) MTH has very nice 0-Gauge models of the MILW EP-2 bipolars and the Little Joes. The Bipolars were amazing technology for their time.

[Tricky-CRS]

GWR Broad gauge in N, could include some atmosheric line. Already planing a narrow gauge line in Nn3.

Regards

Richard

[Kris]

GWR Broad gauge in N, could include some atmosheric line. Already planing a narrow gauge line in Nn3.

Regards

Richard

 

I like the idea of the broad gauge in N with the atmospheric line, could be great.

[jamieb]

Given the space, I'd like to model the South Wales valleys in pre-grouping days,from coal mine to docks.Lots of different railway companies,all kinds of traffic,varied scenery.Maybe in S gauge too so everything would be hand built.Can't see it happening though!

 

Something else which has always appealed is a fictitious 3ft gauge system on the Isle of Skye as proposed by the Highland Railway , complete with freelance, HR style locos and stock.

 

Jamie

[MarkSG]

If you weren't modelling what you do now what would you go for as an alternative or flight of fancy if you had the time/space/money?Myself personally I model BR Large Logo through to Sectorisation but if had the chance I'd love to model US HO 70's/80's era.

 

I've always modelled British outline standard gauge steam in OO, but every now and then I think it might be fun to try something different. In particular, those that I've often felt drawn towards are:

 

Fictional narrow gauge, along the lines of PD Hancock's Craig and Mertonford or Dave Rowe's Under Milk Wood.

US "Wild west" theme

Dutch modern image, with canals and flat landscape

Alpine mountains - yes, I know it's cliched, but I spent some time working in Switzerland and have fond memories of it

British modern image in N - plenty of space to run scale length trains

[Andy M]

In my teens I had a brief dabble with modelling the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch in 12mm. It never got beyond a length of ballasted test track, two scratch built coaches and a butchered Hornby A3 made to look something like Green Goddess. I always thought it would have made an unusual layout though, with one of those rare opportunities to assemble a railways entire fleet.

 

Andy.

[signalmaintainer]

GWR Broad gauge in N, could include some atmosheric line. Already planing a narrow gauge line in Nn3.

Regards

Richard

 

That would truly be one of the more unique model railways. What, if anything, is available in N scale for GWR broad gauge? Could you use a TT chassis for a locomotive?

[Kris]

That would truly be one of the more unique model railways. What, if anything, is available in N scale for GWR broad gauge? Could you use a TT chassis for a locomotive?

 

I can't think of anything that is available. It truly would be an adventure in scratch building.

 

 

 

[Allegheny1600]

Well,

After many years of contemplation, false starts, broken promises and so on - i think i've finally got my plan!

 

1: I need a big layout so i can run my big trains and they don't look too overwhelming on the layout.

2: I like the detail and sheer mass of 0 gauge.

3: I need to be able to do plenty of shunting.

4: I want something 'bang-up-to-date' American!

5: I'm very into P4 and 'scale' British outline modelling.

 

1: is answered by what is probably my all-time dream layout - a US basement style round the walls multi-deck type of layout based upon the Chesapeake & Ohio RR in the coal fields of W. Virginia / Kentucky. Set mainly in the transition era so i can use diesel sets and the giants of steam; 2-6-6-6's, 2-10-4's, 2-8-4's, 2-6-6-2's etc

 

2: is to be in my attic, mainly for security (& space!) reasons and one side BR late 60's eastern regions (got my name on a Heljan Deltic already!) and on t'other will be German era three (Lenz stuff!)

 

3: answered by designing both 1 & 2 properly!

 

4: Poor 'Flixborough Wharf' is to be re-done as very very modern KCS industrial in H0. (see 6!).

 

5: Is resolved by a joint project with a friend!

 

6: 'Flixborough Wharf' is (i think!) such a good concept that in the space i have, a new pair of boards can take turn & turn about with the US H0 KCS layout and i can do 'F-W' in very modern British N!

 

Cheers!

John E.

 

Edit: Oops! Forgot a rather important point: P4!

[LH&JC]

I would like to add a HO gauge Chinese line (Jinpeng?) at the end of steam and a large scale narrow gauge logging line in America

[Tricky-CRS]

Track gauges may well be available to do broad gauge in N the rest would need building from scratch. Not done any research. I am currently working on an N gauge and Nn3 layouts. I also run my own N gauge business, so not alot of time for modelling. But who knows what the future holds.

[peach james]

This one is a great topic, and a simple answer from me:

 

Algoma Central, ~1980's. When they had the first of the big engines, the passenger service was OK, and the choice would be to model either winter (whole line) or summer (to Michipocoten harbour) service with the iron.

 

I could do it in terms of space. (N scale, not HO). But, I would be appearing in a court for a divorce if I brought home another big layout plan, at least without a lotto win to back it up.

 

James

[shortliner]

The FCdeX - a shelf-style shortline in Mexico using one (or maybe two) Geeps, and some VERY weathered and battered rolling stock - the FERROCARRIL De Xipas, (X pronounced as "CH"), using a similar paint scheme to this http://www.modelrail....php?photo=4311 Dry, dusty and scrubland, shipping cattle and silver from the mines(shades of Sergio Leone movies), or Southern Mexico/Yucatan Peninsula /Guatemala/Belize area jungle, runing between Xipli, Xiparan Xipa, and Evunxipa and on to the port at Xipas Xet. and "Yes" the names have been carefully Xosen!

[Bristol_Rich]

I model 4mm British Rail early to late 80's WR and whilst I will continue to model this era, I've taken a sabbatical(?!) and diverted my attention to 1950's Swedish 3' gauge in 1/35 scale...

 

This image alone was the image that inspired me to make a go of it...

 

I don't really have the space for what would be considered a "large layout", however the intention is to have a small minimum space modular layout running for future exhibitions and to provide something a bit leftfield than the usual UK based layouts...

[grahame]

1) Farringdon/Holborn cross London dual voltage electrics - current era

 

2) EMCL/London terminii - 60s/70s

 

3) South London Line overhead electrics - 1910 era

 

4) London underground - 1990s

 

Scales; 7mm (or larger) if I had the space and time. N/2mm if I didn't (OO just doesn't appeal enough - it's an inbetweenie toy scale AFAIC).

 

G.

[ste234]

If I had the space, I would love a model In N of the ECML with four running tracks, and a proper ECML type station like York or Newcastle.

Alternatively if I had even more space or a bigger garden, O gauge BR blue would be very,very tempting indeed, with full sound fitted diesels of course

 

 

"Dream mode off. "

[Jon Fitness]

Although I'm firmly in the 7mm scale camp now, helping a friend with a steam era LM/WR roundy roundy layout, I am a fan of the IOW pre-1966 steam era system. I even have a 7mm scale 02 and a couple of wagons.

As Kernow are introducing a 4mm scale 02, if they do some suitable IOW coaches I may be tempted to go back to 00.......

Only question then would be whether to do an actual chunk of the IOW system or add a ficticious branch to the island..

 

 

[Poggy1165]

'World enough and time...'

 

There are so many fabulous options. Although I may come across as a steam/pre-group bigot - and fair enough - I do like railways in general and there is so much choice.

 

The Furness - wouldn't that be lovely? In S7 I think. Lakeside Branch including Greenodd Station.

Leek and Manifold - old favourite of mine. 7mm on 18mm track.

Welsh Highland 7mm, 14 mm gauge.

LNWR - just for a change I'm going to choose P4 for this one. And have a NSR branch.

The Glasgow and South Western - who could resist the Ayr, Dunure and Maidens Light Railway? As it will all have to be scratched anyway, S Gauge.

Woodhead Electrics in 2mm scale. A rare dash to modernity, say circa 1962.

 

Ah well, perhaps it will happen in the Spirit World, as it certainly won't happen in this one.