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Made by Magic: The Hogwarts Railway


cgraham
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Just made a hefty deposit to have a 6'X 10' enclosed cargo trailer made to my specifications to tote my railway modules around the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.

When I take posession and begin installing the module racks, I'll post photos. I expect I'll also use it for module storage to free up some room in by basement.

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" Nick able",.....= Good for an easy heist!

Sounds like you're going on a fun tour with the layout Clay! Was thinking of getting a trailer after borrowing my father-in-laws when we moved. It would make life much easier when it comes to hauling cabinets and machines about!

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With help from Jaz's topic page, I just ordered a set of schoolboys and schoolgirls to modify into Hogwarts students"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mcy-Ef09KY8/TnNzHcb6vjI/AAAAAAAAADg/Z9f1-S13jf4/s1600/qth2ehzei1z3z1z.jpg" 'http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mcy-Ef09KY8/TnNzHcb6vjI/AAAAAAAAADg/Z9f1-S13jf4/s1600/qth2ehzei1z3z1z.jpg" That one to the right of the teacher has Tom Riddle about him and far right Ronald Weasley!

Edited by Sasquatch
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As you may recall, I model with the Meade Area Railroad Society (MARRS). "Meade" means Fort Meade, Maryland - home to the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). The guys assure me that they never read the Royal Family's e-mail or texts.

NSA_zpsebafff11.jpg

This is one of the club's N-gauge modules. I model with the HO scale guys, but I am making an N-gauge module now. Here are a few shots taken at a local church today at the N-gauge guys' set-up.

The train passing through this Y module is pushing a 900Mhz video camera:

Y_zps2b975b83.jpg

Here's the display on the other side of the room:

CamDisplay_zpsc798280a.jpg

Here are a few more shots...

Bridge_zps20b7bf55.jpg

Bridgelow_zps2e0d4f04.jpg

Roundhouse_zpse69ff157.jpg

Yard_zpsbb8a0f86.jpg


BritStation_zpsc88969ab.jpg

Station1_zps305cb0c9.jpg

Edited by cgraham
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No, the agency attracts all kinds of nerds, including blokes (no offense Jon, we're all nerds - didn't you know?) I'm working on an N-gauge Bavarian Alpine scene module that has a continuous running independent folded dogbone behind the mainlines. The center of the top loop features a Bavarian castle (styrene kit) and the lower has a small Tudor village in its center - also styrene kits. The track work is almost done and I'll post photos soon.

 

bahn_zpsf36a9c3c.jpg

Edited by cgraham
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Clay 

That's some interesting stuff you have at your club. Would be happy to see more pictures, especially close ups when you have the time.

 

Clay, Sasquatch

Thank you both for the plug, although C&WR was the person who kindly sourced them. I am considering the same for our Harry Potter younger figures. 

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Although I live next to Fort Meade, Maryland, I no longer work there. Instead, I am working on Fort Belvoir, Virginia about 50 miles to the south on the other side of Washington, DC. I go in early to avoid the worst traffic. Here is a shot I took from the George Washington Parkway looking over the Potomac River from Virginia into Maryland the other morning.

 

ducks_zps62a62b96.jpg

 

While I was visiting the MARRS N-gauge layout set up at a local church, I was handed a flyer announcing "Capitol Limited N Scale East" - a convention of N scale modular clubs in the mid-Atlantic US area scheduled for August 2014. The idea is to connect up dozens of clubs' n scale modules into a gigantic layout (or layouts) made up of hundreds of modules. MARRS plans to participate so I have a target for completion of my N scale module. Anyone ever done truly convincing alpine snow?

 

http://www.bigtrainlayout.org

Edited by cgraham
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From white I have seen it looks best when you do an area that has the wind part blow it away again, Los you get drifts and areas of green as well, stopping it from looking like a black and white movie, adding snow to the wagons etc also makes it loom more convincing. presier does a snowman and active snow children. Beckmann has seriously reduced its snow trees in the uk instead of 20 pounds 5 pounds is not unusual for 20 trees that goes a long way. some whee I saw someone successfully use cotton wool as the basis to which they added their snow! and don't forget on the roads it's slushy and grey! angels in the snow where the kids lie down look cool! and icicles on buildings, and a Xmas house with lights would be cool

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You can use betula pendular and  betula papyrifera seeds, which you can dye with red food colouring. Which can be made in copious quantities and made fairly cheaply,

soak the seeds and dry them on a non absorbent surface, i.e. don't use tissue or paper cos they will still the colour, on glass is good

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In addition to MARRS N Gauge layout at the local church this past weekend, the Northern Virginia "TTrak" guys were also set up in the same room. They're also a modular N-gauge club, but their standard module size is the same as a sheet of standard printer paper - 8 1/2' X 11" (!) Their modules don't have spindly legs like ours, but rather sit on tables with small levelers. The modules connect to each other directly by rail joiners - the permanently mounted track extends over the edge of each module by 1mm.

Here's a link to a bunch of photos they took over the weekend - plus one I stole below showing MARRS member Rob's 900Mhz video camera being pushed across a standard TTrak module. Rob has promised to post a video and I will link to it in this topic.

 

http://ttrak.wikidot.com/20131213-south-columbia-baptist-church-christmas-show

 

IMG_2933.jpg

Edited by cgraham
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...it looks best when you do an area that has the wind part blow it away again, Los you get drifts and areas of green as well, stopping it from looking like a black and white movie...

 

I beginning to think that I may be most effective depicting a late October - early November setting - a few days after the first significant snowfall of the season - lots of bare patches, amber grasses poking up through northern hillsides, still some leaves hanging on hardwood trees, orange, gold and burgundy leaves on the ground... areas where snow has been blown away and drifted, melted on southern-facings - especially sides of rooftops; could be very interesting and convincing in craggy rock structures... 

I'm seeing it; I can almost taste the gluhwein.

Edited by cgraham
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It would be fairly unique though, most model railways that do snow go for the deep winter look, so I think people would have a serious wow factor if they see colour and snow. 

Having seen your work, I am sure what ever way you decide to go - considering you have time constraints and may need to stay more traditional to meet them - I am sure you will produce something to be envied. 

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