Mod3 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Humour is often difficult to convey on typed medium such as a foum reply. I guess this is why people tend to use smiles or winks to underline their humourous intent, of course some try to do this to get away with less than humourous comments Even a lowly mod can manage to use them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 And if a mod can use them with those itteh bitteh* paws then it must be easy! Cheers Jim * see lolcats 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
br-nse-fan Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) You should avoid the topographical errors which are often the result of copying features from other layouts or lack of thought/observation of the prototype, and hopefully won't have the 'humorous' business names, but you can still park the bus on the bridge, have the frozen running man on the platform etc, and still run that 12 coach express into the country branch line terminus... Not all that out of place if your layout is based on something like Swanage... prototypical branch line layout, but still had the weekend specials with a Southern light pacific such as a West Country, Merchant Navy or even a 9F hauling 8-12 coaches... I think if you really want to run / model something, there will (almost) always be a prototype to point to. I will agree.. the humorous business names tend to detract from otherwise quality modelling. Personally, I would go more the route of subtle 'jokes' such as humorous product in the shop window. I have a plan for my layout that would fall under the humorous line of thought... but... with the provision to make it look 'natural' Seeing as my layout is still in the construction phase, it'll be a while before my idea comes to fruition.. but to give an idea of my plan is this: - Rail served factory loading dock... fairly normal and expected. After all, can not have a freight yard with no means to load / unload the wagons. - A mix of vans and bolsters will serve the factory... vans bring the 'material' to the factory, and the finished product leaves on the bolsters - The finished product can be anything of my choosing that can be realistically expected to be moved in this fashion... and this is where the 'humor' comes into play... at any given time, I could have the factory producing Dalek's.. hence the cliche... but I could just as easily have some form of non-descript machinery being loaded on the bolsters too. Edit: I once saw / read about someone who was putting a time machine factory on his layout. the loading facility was lined with telephone booths (Bill & Ted), Delorians (Back to the Future), Police Phone Boxes (Doctor Who) and even a couple scratch built Time Machines (HG Wells 'Time Machine). Humorous, but if setup in a believable fashion, can be quite effective. Edited December 15, 2011 by br-nse-fan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted December 15, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 15, 2011 Is this a cliche? Cheers, Mick 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted December 15, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 15, 2011 Is this a cliche? Cheers, Mick No, it's a Scotrail fare dodger 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed a/c Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 It looks out of scale if nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heruss Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Saw on a layout about... four-five years ago was a little squat grey van on the very edge of the layout complete with rotating radar bar. Complete with "Rivet Counter Detector Van". Friend of mine decided to take the mick a bit and walked up to the owner and said (In a Top Gear Adanoids voice) "That's the wrong kind of grey for a detector van." and run off. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium figworthy Posted December 15, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 15, 2011 Saw on a layout about... four-five years ago was a little squat grey van on the very edge of the layout complete with rotating radar bar. Complete with "Rivet Counter Detector Van". Friend of mine decided to take the mick a bit and walked up to the owner and said (In a Top Gear Adanoids voice) "That's the wrong kind of grey for a detector van." and run off. The Kirby Stephen layout at Warley this year had one. Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catweasel Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Road vehicles that ALWAYS have the front wheels straight! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted December 15, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 15, 2011 (edited) Road vehicles that ALWAYS have the front wheels straight! The vehicles behind are on a car sales lot - they usually have their wheels straight....... Another cliche - the white van is parked on the pavement. Mick Edited December 15, 2011 by newbryford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Road vehicles that ALWAYS have the front wheels straight! The wheels at an angle thing IS a cliche! Unless a vehicle is in a curve the wheels usually are straight. People tend to straighten them up when parking and most road curves are gentle enough that they don't look angled. Next time you go to the supermarket have a look for yourself, wheels at an angle are very much the exception not the norm Cheers Jim 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 (edited) Is this a cliche? Badly parked 4x4s? Yeah Edited December 16, 2011 by Pennine MC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 The wheels at an angle thing IS a cliche! Unless a vehicle is in a curve the wheels usually are straight. People tend to straighten them up when parking and most road curves are gentle enough that they don't look angled. Next time you go to the supermarket have a look for yourself, wheels at an angle are very much the exception not the norm Cheers Jim Maybe for post 70s, but when my father was learning to drive in the late 60s (we came late to automobilia) he was taught to park with his front wheels angled so that if the hand brake failed the car would "roll into the curb" (I also dimly recall he had to put the car into first when turning off the ignition - but I'm probably wrong). I vaguely recall reading that driving practices in the 60s had not changed much since the 30s and are (were?) very different to today's practices. Someone once said that a stereotype (and by extension the cliche [the overused stereotype]) is a convenient communications shorthand for quickly and effectively describing something the reader/viewer/audience is familiar with (whether or not that familiarity is with a real, imagined or ideal something). So, sometimes just describing (or modeling) what IS actually there can seem a cliche - simply because people are so familiar with it. Cliches can work very well in the right hands (think of Ridley Scott's "Bladerunner" a private eye cliche coupled with sci-fi dystopian cliches created a masterpiece). I think that what we often see is a copying of cliches 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Theres so many things that have changed over the years, modern drivers don't seem to switch their main headlights off when waiting on the wrong side of the road at night any more. My nephew is learning to dive and even only a few years ago when I learnt crossing hands while turning was a huge no no yet he is taught to do it. There seems to be a drop off in young drivers using seat belts too which I don't really get. Funny you mention bladerunner as it has all the ingredients I like and yet I just don't like it at all. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Maybe for post 70s, but when my father was learning to drive in the late 60s (we came late to automobilia) he was taught to park with his front wheels angled so that if the hand brake failed the car would "roll into the curb" (I also dimly recall he had to put the car into first when turning off the ignition - but I'm probably wrong). I vaguely recall reading that driving practices in the 60s had not changed much since the 30s and are (were?) very different to today's practices. I always do this when I'm parked on a hill! And always leave the car in gear too - common sense surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Maybe for post 70s, but when my father was learning to drive in the late 60s (we came late to automobilia) he was taught to park with his front wheels angled so that if the hand brake failed the car would "roll into the curb" (I also dimly recall he had to put the car into first when turning off the ignition - but I'm probably wrong). I vaguely recall reading that driving practices in the 60s had not changed much since the 30s and are (were?) very different to today's practices. iD may well have a point here, those to me look like practices (like slowing down on the gears) that were born of a time when car brakes weren't as reliable. Nowadays with power steering, it's much easier to straighten up as Jim suggests, once settled into a space and if your manouevring doesnt do it for you. I'd say the majority of cars that do exhibit turned wheels these days are ones that have been driven forwards into a car park space with nothing on one side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Lamb Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 Theres so many things that have changed over the years, modern drivers don't seem to switch their main headlights off when waiting on the wrong side of the road at night any more. Jim In parts of Germany these days you do not stop on the wrong side of the road. It's almost as serious an offence as growing the wrong flowers in your window box. Cliche on a modern German layout. Car with UK registration parked on the wrong side of the road? Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 One of the interesting things about the USA too is that it is ingrained into drivers to park on the right side of the road. The other, and I've mentioned this before, is that Police treat edging through a Stop sign (without coming to a complete halt) on a junction gets the same wrath as passing through a red light. Best, Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZ Posted December 17, 2011 Share Posted December 17, 2011 (edited) And always leave the car in gear too - common sense surely? I have no choice, see my sig'. Going back to business names. I avoid the puns and go for names of real businesses that have had my trade over the years, or take them from favourite TV series, ie; Black Books, Greybridge School(Ripping Yarns:Tompkinson's Schooldays) The National Cheese Emporium (Monty Python) Edited December 17, 2011 by JZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 busses on bridges http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/5700482041/in/photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/5565492924/in/photostream 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 (edited) Hi All Something I see a lot on MI layouts is pairs of 20's with one of each type - Headcode box + Headcode disk. Just as likely to see both the same as a mix but not (it seems) on model railways Cheers Jim Edited December 18, 2011 by jim s-w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Whether its a hot summer or a snowy winter, the backscenes always depict a bright day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted December 18, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2011 Funny you mention bladerunner as it has all the ingredients I like and yet I just don't like it at all. Cheers Jim Ah, but did you get the twist? One rather subtle clue but when you know it and spot it, it changes the film somewhat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Yes I did, in fact I didn't realise it was a twist until much later though Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Jason T Posted December 18, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2011 I completely missed it; read about it in Q magazine years ago and ended up having to watch it twice more until I got the clue. Anyway, sorry for the off-topic conversation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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