Freelance Layouts

[Iain Popplewell]

In the early days of the hobby it was common for 4mm layouts and indeed rolling stock and liveries to be freelance in nature.This may have been of necessity because of the scarcity of rtr. models and mechanisms/wheels etc.Narrowgauge modeling is largely still of this gendre and I bet they have a great deal of fun from the imaginative freedom this gives them.When was the last time you saw a 00 gauge freelance layout?.By freelance I mean a layout with fictitious company livery and history.The freelance 4mm loco is now almost unknown.
In 4mm modeling prototypical fidelity seems to be the name of the game.By pursuing fidelity at all costs the hobby has turned it's back on an earlier happier more imaginative age.I think it is high time the freelance layout was rediscovered.
The type of layout I have in mind is consistent in era of stock ie pregrouping etc. and accurately modeled but with the freedom to run loco/stock of different companies or even freelance stock.If a unifying style of livery and style of rolling stock is adopted a truly imaginative layout might be achieved.

Edited April 13, 2013 by iainp

[rodshaw]

I have lettered some of my 3mm scale kit-built locos and wagons with BYR for the Bradford-York Railway. To justify the continuous run of my first layout, I had it running round a fictitious double-track loop connecting various towns in Yorkshire.

 

My father has lettered some of his kit-built wagons WRU for West Riding Union.

 

The US magazine Model Railroader has its own fictitious MRT railroad - Milwaukee, Racine & Troy.

 

When I build a wagon, I usually letter it with a weight of, say, 50 Grams.

 

I know what you mean though, there is something of a compulsion to 'grow up' and do it proper.

[Barry Ten]

Who's Lance Layouts, and what has he done?

[Oldddudders]

I think the OP has a point, inasmuchas I can't recall a freelance layout in ages. Since most model railways tend to be loco-centric, this is where the problems start - what do the locos look like? Are they hand-me-downs from the real companies, or does the modeller take on the role of CM&EE and design from scratch? Would many of us be much good at that, even if we had the modelling skills to build what we had designed? Or perhaps we look at the commercial builders' catalogues, as represented in UK's many exports to overseas railways.

 

The small number of light railways in the UK has been well-documented, so many people know what their loco-fleets looked like. Perhaps this is another starting point, noting Col Stephens' approach and his cheerful re-use of Big 4 cast-offs.

 

Perhaps the preservation movement offers an easy half-way-house - the rag-tag-and-bobtail fleets of many lines must be easy to replicate, not exactly, but in spirit. Yet there was a thread not long back discussing just this, and agreeing that few such models seemed to be about. As the OP suggests, at least among layouts that are publicised, it seems the reality police have moved in and taken over.

[Iain Popplewell]

 

Who's Lance Layouts, and what has he done?

 Oh dear I am a silly billy.Error duly corrected thankyou for your help.

[Iain Popplewell]

I might  as well come clean at this point and admit I  am building a freelance layout.The layout is pregrouping heavily biased toward the north east in location and rolling stock/locomotives.The freelance nature of the layout does however allow the running of pregrouping rtr of other companies.The fiction being of an island of the North East coast with a substantial iron stone industry and railway system.Lord  Ravenbeck the owner of the island is rich and buys freely  from the Edwardian manufacturing companies.

  It might be thought such a layout might seem implausible,but I find pregroup era loco's have a family resemblance with  the possible exception of the GWR.I think with careful choice of suitable loco's etc and  consistent livery an imaginative layout that is distinctive and unique  might result.Only time will tell and the purists may still have the last laugh.

Edited April 13, 2013 by iainp

[Iain Popplewell]

I have lettered some of my 3mm scale kit-built locos and wagons with BYR for the Bradford-York Railway. To justify the continuous run of my first layout, I had it running round a fictitious double-track loop connecting various towns in Yorkshire.

 

My father has lettered some of his kit-built wagons WRU for West Riding Union.

 

The US magazine Model Railroader has its own fictitious MRT railroad - Milwaukee, Racine & Troy.

 

When I build a wagon, I usually letter it with a weight of, say, 50 Grams.

 

I know what you mean though, there is something of a compulsion to 'grow up' and do it proper.

Good on ya both.By all means do it proper but don't grow up too much it spoils the fun.

[Barry Ten]

  Oh dear I am a silly billy.Error duly corrected thankyou for your help.

 

Not my most constructive comment so thanks for that.

 

As Rod says, the freelance approach - with varying degrees of freelance - is still very much part of the US scene, where it can be taken to great extremes. Tony Koester's Alleghany Midland was freelanced, for instance, but it was located in "real" geography, had a plausible reason for being there, and connected with real railroads as well as other fictitious ones. The choice of motive power was carefully thought out given the presumed historical context. Even the lettering and design took their cues from real prototypes.

 

Then there is Eric Broomah's Utah Belt layout which is scrupulously modelled on a modern class 1 railroad which just happens not to exist ... but when the real railroads start phasing out equipment, the equivalent models get phased out on the Utah belt.

 

There are also far more fanciful approaches to freelancing, although usually with a specific geographic focus (unlike a lot of British-built US layouts which seem to be set in some kind of generic "America".)

 

My feeling is that pure freelancing is a bit on the decline, though.

[Jol Wilkinson]

If freelance means it doesn't resemble the real thing, then it is very much alive and well.  

 

Ian P's idea (post #6) seems to me like the proper concept of a freelance layout, not actually based on an actual railway, but reflecting on what could actual happen with an appropriate infrastructure, etc.

 

Layouts that are just a collection of disconnected models, buildings, etc. also freelance, but somewhat unreal.

 

 

 

[rob D2]

I think freelance has more potential for narrow gauge and the US , where I understand they have massive amounts of short lines......

As Railway modelling normally involves a large dose of nostalgia, an imaginary company would defeat half of the point.

 

My HKD cement company provides imaginary traffic to the best bidder on my plank , at present that is EWS.This is the way I like to do it - imaginary freight, based on real freight flows but real companies..

[pointstaken]

The trouble is with so many freelance layouts is the unrealistic size of the yard compared with the number of sidings - e.g. why would a railroad with (say) 3 sidings have (say) an 8 track yard. This alone destroys the credibility of many designs. A real railroad would endeavour to minimise the number of sidings, and likewise points, to minimise the maintenance costs.

 

Dennis

[mjcampbell]

My name is Michael ... and ... I'm a freelancer 

 

Rob may well have a point - I have no nostalgia for particular railway companies or era. My interests are narrow gauge and light railways, and the more "obscure" lines, and I enjoy the atmosphere and challenge of building interesting layouts far more than reproducing any particular prototype. My recent layouts have all been NG and freelance, although I bring into their design aspects from prototype railways - sometimes mixing ideas from different prototypes - which I hope gives a basis in reality. Most of my locos and stock are based on real prototypes though, selected for their likely suitability for the freelance line (or occasionally because I just liked them!).

 

The OP excluded NG, but the same is surely possible with SG. I guess the main cases are:

 

1) Industrial systems - perhaps the most common freelance SG model, there is the potential for visiting "main-line" railway company locos as well as second-hand locos and products of the well-known (and less well-known) loco builders.

 

2) Light railways (and independents) - there were far more than most people realise, and there is potential for good freelancing here, including unique loco designs if you like (best based on a particular builder's style) as well as second-hand locos from railway companies

 

3) Pre-grouping - there were hundreds of railway companies so if done well most of us could be fooled into believing it really existed! This must be the hardest category though

 

4) Preserved line - not sure that counts?

 

5) A separate island - Sodor anyone? 

[Iain Popplewell]

I agree freelance modeling is not an easy option without discipline it's all too easy to end up with a train set.What I envisage is a layout fixed in time and geography that appears to be credible.Not an easy option but allowing freedom of imagination something lacking from much of the current modeling scene.

  To say that modeling a fictitious railway reduces the nostalgia element I feel is not  true.The whole concept of my layout is a tribute to the vanished world of north eastern railways and industry.I actually believe the high watermark of progress was achieved circa 1910 and in my dreams at least I hope my layout might reflect a little of that.

Edited April 13, 2013 by iainp

[Iain Popplewell]

Michael you seem a man of my own heart I could not agree with you more.I'm confident you are a happy modeller.Perhaps you might try your hand at a SG line one day.

My name is Michael ... and ... I'm a freelancer 

 

Rob may well have a point - I have no nostalgia for particular railway companies or era. My interests are narrow gauge and light railways, and the more "obscure" lines, and I enjoy the atmosphere and challenge of building interesting layouts far more than reproducing any particular prototype. My recent layouts have all been NG and freelance, although I bring into their design aspects from prototype railways - sometimes mixing ideas from different prototypes - which I hope gives a basis in reality. Most of my locos and stock are based on real prototypes though, selected for their likely suitability for the freelance line (or occasionally because I just liked them!).

 

The OP excluded NG, but the same is surely possible with SG. I guess the main cases are:

 

1) Industrial systems - perhaps the most common freelance SG model, there is the potential for visiting "main-line" railway company locos as well as second-hand locos and products of the well-known (and less well-known) loco builders.

 

2) Light railways (and independents) - there were far more than most people realise, and there is potential for good freelancing here, including unique loco designs if you like (best based on a particular builder's style) as well as second-hand locos from railway companies

 

3) Pre-grouping - there were hundreds of railway companies so if done well most of us could be fooled into believing it really existed! This must be the hardest category though

 

4) Preserved line - not sure that counts?

 

5) A separate island - Sodor anyone? 

[Edge]

Well, i'm currently planning a layout that is a factual company (NCB) and has the occasional factual engine (a couple of panniers in NCB and Stephenson Clarke livery) I've got a lot of freelance stuff on there as well

 

At the moment, we have NCB black Ivatt 2-6-2T 'Sans Pareil', NCB Terrier 'Propsero', NCB Class 17, and NCB 'Austerity' (J94) 'Caliban', as well as a large number of wagons including 'Toad' Brake vans liveried with NCB letters.

 

Planned are: an NCB black 'USA' tank, NCB workers coaches, a bunch of other Austerities/J94s, vivid yellow 08, and a bunch of totally fictional industrial engines based upon the Bachmann Junior and Thomas Ranges.

 

And if you think that that is bad, wait until you see whats going to be passing through on the mainline P2 with blue/grey carriages (well, obviously they've rebuilt one) SECR Grey 689 on birdcage stock (well, obviously its a preseved railway having an industrial Gala), BR liveried Garrett (well, bit of a squeeze, but sort of the right time) Class 50 (well, i like them) and the Flying Scotsman in USA guise with two tenders and the 'Devon belle' observation car (well, shut up)

 

So with my good self at least, I hope that the freelance layout is not dead

[scots region]

One sub-genre of freelancing that might solve the loco-centric issue is 'Never were' projects, over the years there have be a multitude of proposed but never built Locomotives. In reflection some were frankly missed opportunities, for example the enlarged Midland 4-6-0 compound (1924), which could have improved dramatically on the 4-4-0s and potentially removed the need for the Royal Scots, and the Gresley proposal for a 2-6-4 design (1927), which could have been much more useful than the L1s. Some we're probably better for avoiding like the Caledonian Pacific (1913) and Lemons proposed 4-6-0 and Some were just to rare to live, for example the LMSR 'Steam Turbine' Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo and the North British locomotive Company's 1A1A-A1A1 Coal-Air Turbine.    

[RJL]

My name is Michael ... and ... I'm a freelancer 

 

Rob may well have a point - I have no nostalgia for particular railway companies or era. My interests are narrow gauge and light railways, and the more "obscure" lines, and I enjoy the atmosphere and challenge of building interesting layouts far more than reproducing any particular prototype. My recent layouts have all been NG and freelance, although I bring into their design aspects from prototype railways - sometimes mixing ideas from different prototypes - which I hope gives a basis in reality. Most of my locos and stock are based on real prototypes though, selected for their likely suitability for the freelance line (or occasionally because I just liked them!).

 

The OP excluded NG, but the same is surely possible with SG. I guess the main cases are:

 

1) Industrial systems - perhaps the most common freelance SG model, there is the potential for visiting "main-line" railway company locos as well as second-hand locos and products of the well-known (and less well-known) loco builders.

 

2) Light railways (and independents) - there were far more than most people realise, and there is potential for good freelancing here, including unique loco designs if you like (best based on a particular builder's style) as well as second-hand locos from railway companies

 

3) Pre-grouping - there were hundreds of railway companies so if done well most of us could be fooled into believing it really existed! This must be the hardest category though

 

4) Preserved line - not sure that counts?

 

5) A separate island - Sodor anyone? 

 

"Weston Terminus" is one of my favourite models of a light railway. The best thing about modelling light railways is the variety of unusual rolling stock can be modelled.

[SNCF stephen]

Current day preserved lines in France operate in a Freelance Manor with their own logos and colour schemes on their stock:

 

 

I have to say that I do like the idea of Freelancing the design and working back stories to get the stock you like operating in the area you want. It would be relatively easy to do a Freelance design on a modern image UK based railway with the advent of the community based railway (look at the Wensleydale Railway as a good example of this). It does offer the modeller some scope for a wide variety of stock types (in fact almost anything goes...). 

[HSB]

I think there is a lot to be said for freelancing as long as it doesn't just mean "anything goes". My proposed narrow gauge layout will be freelance but the route has been carefully out in the real world. As has previously been said, the pre-grouping era offers a lot of possibilities with the many lines proposed but never built. Most locos tend to have characteristics peculiar to particular railways so simply repainting them in a fictitious livery will never be totally convincing but it should be possible to change their appearance with new boiler fittings or modifying the cabs. Another approach would be seek out the locomotive manufacturers standard designs.

Something which I haven't seen yet is modern image freelancing. One thing that makes American freelancing fairly easy is the use of standard diesel designs by most railroads.

With many of today's TOCs and freight companies using the same classes of locos and stock such an approach would now be fairly straightforward for the UK. 

[mjcampbell]

Michael you seem a man of my own heart I could not agree with you more.I'm confident you are a happy modeller.Perhaps you might try your hand at a SG line one day.

 

I certainly am! 

 

I do have a few SG bits tucked away, including a Sentinel and a Terrier, I'm thinking of a freelance Hospital railway like Wittingham or Whalley. I once started a light-railway layout based on the idea of a dam-building line in Wales, but sadly couldn't finish it. 

 

I don't think freelance reduces the nostalgia particularly, but it is perhaps less driven by it. I took Rob's point to mean that many modellers are inspired by nostalgia, and model the railways they remember being interested in when they were young. This is reflected in the most common layouts around, and a large proportion of the RTR market being late Steam era. 25 years ago it was pre-WWII or early BR, more recently '70's blue has increased in popularity. However younger modellers (<40!) without particular memories may be more open to any era or concept - I see a surprisingly high proportion of younger modellers in NG. 

[BG John]

It seems to be something that has been popular with 19th century modellers (or at least modellers of the 19th century!). Mike Sharman must be the best example, with his totally unrealistic mixed gauge layouts, with locos and stock from all over Britain, that would never have been seen together. But who cares, it was nice anyway!

 

I've been kind of guilty of it too, with my mixed gauge Hinton Burtle. It was partly inspired by the West Somerset Mineral Railway, but most of the trains were GWR broad gauge, that as far as I know never ran on anything like it. Then there's the broad gauge 0-4-0ST converted from a Hornby one, that definitely never existed! Plus a few narrow gauge wagons backdated from kits that probably belonged to the owners of the mineral railway.

 

 

Wills based station building, inspired by the West Somerset Mineral Rly, a GWR broad gauge wagon, and the mineral railway's narrow gauge ones in the foreground:

 

 

A proper GWR broad gauge train (all borrowed stock!) arrives at the same time as the freelance Hornby BG saddle tank. It has big dumb buffers for narrow gauge wagons:

[Pacific231G]

Freelancing a complete railway with its own loco and carriage designs, architecture and even signals would be a real challenge but a potentially fascinating one. I think the difference that makes it more popular with American modellers is that railroads, especially the smaller ones,  were far more likely to buy their locomotives and other rolling stock off the shelf from the manufacturers. That enables modellers to do the same.rather than designing locos from stock and the same tends to apply to British ng railways.

 

In modern British railways though I assume that a freelance passenger of freight TOC would be fairly easy, and you wouldn't have to get involved in all that messy bidding. 

 

The classic British proponent of realistic and self consistent freelancing was Edward Beal with his West Midland Railway. I've just been looking at a couple of his books and he did design his own locos, often to fit available commercial chassis and often fairly simple modifications of actual locos but they did seem to have a definite West Midland feel. 

[Iain Popplewell]

Picking up on HSB's point about the specificity of locomotives to certain companies of course he's right.Like he suggests I intend to "North Easternise" foreign company loco,s by the substitution of Worsdell boiler fittings etc.The fiction being that Lord Ravenbeck being a large shareholder in the NER often has his loco's pass through Darlington works on route to South Farne his island of the East Coast.
One of the attractions of freelance modelling is the escapism into just this sort of historical fantasy and at the end of the day you end up with rolling stock etc which is unique to your layout and imaginary world.The purist might argue that this is just as well and the abomination should never have seen the light of day in the first place,but if it's convincing to you who cares.Should you ruin a loco and produce an abomination I suppose in extremise you can always cut it up and use it for spares in a more successful future attempt.
I notice Edward Beal has been mentioned,I used to devour his books from the local library as a spotty youth and it's probably from him that I picked up the freelance bug.
When I started this thread I didn't think there were many freelance modellers out there, but of course the light railway and industrial modellers have been doing it for years.If some modellers of slightly larger systems take the freelance path it can only be good for the hobby.

Edited April 18, 2013 by iainp

[Joseph_Pestell]

OP recounts reasons why freelancing was more popular in the past (50s/60s). I would add another. These days so many railway books have been published that the average enthusiast knows more about the real thing and has to suspend belief more for a totally freelance project.

 

I don't consider "might-have-beens" to be completely freelance as there are constraints linked to the history of the rest of the rail network. But then history would have evolved differently. What if the GC had been included with the LMS rather than the LNER? Or if we had a "Big Five" rather than a "Big Four"?

 

Perhaps it is easier to build freelance layouts based in places that we know less about? Imaginary islands (Sodor does not count as we know so much about the railways there), Europe, US or other far-flung parts of the world do not test the viewer's credibility so much. Ruritania (the Anthony Hope version) which is on the borders of Germany and the Czech Republic offers lots of interesting opportunities at any era including the present. I have also designed a layout for Andorra but there are many questions to answer there about gauge, electrification, etc. (probably should be metre-gauge with transporter wagons for both standard and Iberian gauges but that precludes through running of passenger trains from Barcelona and Toulouse).

[Iain Popplewell]

Joseph I love your idea of a big five I think it's a big idea.How do you divide up the big four,who merges with who,perhaps the grouping never happened with many smaller mergers instead,the possibilities are endless.I think the idea has more possibilities to a modeler of the "just supposing" school of thought rather than a true freelance layout.Wait a minute though perhaps the NER merged with the Midland my god! what would have run over Stainmore then.The idea's so good I might scrap my layout and start again!

Edited April 13, 2013 by iainp