Black Sheep Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 On my way to work this morning I spotted a couple of things I've not seen modelled before and thought we could compile things we've noticed in our daily life as suggestions / inspiration for adding a bit of character / realism to our modelling. I'll start Motorbikes, while seen on the occasional pre 70's layout where they were a popular cheap mode of transport, especially in large cities I don't think I've seen a modern bike on a modern layout. Odd socks in laybys - every layby I've pulled into recently has a soggy odd sock either on the kerb or on near the exit, not sure how or why Horse poo, if there are horse drawn vehicles, there'll be some horse poo somewhere near by... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0rris Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Rail replacement buses, everyone loves the engineering trains milling around their stations but we never see the oft accompanying buses. There's a fair bit of railway practice that goes missed, such as gangs of workers working on or near the line but no look out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 I'm not aware (apart from HO) of any modern motorcycle kits etc in 2,4 or 7 mil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Are you sure they're socks, and not one-fingered gloves... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 As an alternative to DCC or any controller you could model a picket line at the depot entrance.... No trains today! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 The problem is scaling down a sock to 4mm scale, or a turd (horse, dog, cat, etc) Would they be noticed? Bangers and mash in the four foot of a terminus station would be pretty convincing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennyboy Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 How about wheel trims by the side of the road? Every urban street seems to have at least one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Modelling the horse manure is fairly easy, getting the gently rising cloud of steam is somewhat more difficult. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black5f Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Scale toilet paper. "Do not flush while train is in station". Steam era or modern thingy which has now even reached ministerial level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 Take it a step further DCC controlled working scale toilets in coaching stock Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 Pole mounted electricity transformers Double glazing/garage door vans A carriage on a road low-loader A rugby ground/ council owned sports fields The Fell... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 I've modeled a pole mount transformer in 60s green 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold teaky Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 Rainy days I cannot remember which railway modelling magazine it was in but I recall seeing a feature entitled A Rainy Day In Leeds (or similar) that had "wet" streets and trams. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium The White Rabbit Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 5, 2015 The problem is scaling down a sock to 4mm scale, or a turd (horse, dog, cat, etc) Would they be noticed? Bangers and mash in the four foot of a terminus station would be pretty convincing. http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=PR10442&style=main&strType=&Mcode=Preiser+10442 - the bloke in the centre has his [walking] socks and boots off, these are supplied loose as part of the pack and are small but visible and possible to handle. Turds, well, those from horses and cows would be visible (and I have modelled them), dogs and cats probably not... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Considering the many inner-city models that are about today, I am surprised I have yet to see one with a mattress in the front or back garden, and the other detritus emanating from some rented terraces or flats. No social comment, just a fact of life. Also, the striped, small tents you used to see when PO Telephones / BT were working on underground cables. Not a common sight now with fibre optics. Finally, a common sight along railway embankments was/is old prams, shopping trolleys, traffic cones and so on. I have seen only one or two layouts show this, but also equally, from the 70's onwards, piles or lengths of "spent" ballast, along the cess, spewed out during ballast cleaning or replacement, and often piling higher than the formation! Quite common on clay areas particularly, where "wet spots" are often dug out manually, piled to one side, and new ballast inserted (as a stop gap until renewal, when an impermeable, or breathing sheet would be installed prior to new ballast, sloped to drain off to the sides). Very tricky to make these things look "right", but I shall keep trying. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 5, 2015 A homeless chap with dog and sleeping bag in the station forecourt? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) The Ratio cattle dock comes complete with several moulded cow pats! Seen several mattress's, the last layout I saw one it was made of several layers of card, wetted and moulded to shape then painted.......yes I asked! Edited January 5, 2015 by BlackRat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 Finally, a common sight along railway embankments was/is old prams, shopping trolleys, traffic cones and so on. Traffic cone on a statue's head like a hat. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted January 5, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 5, 2015 Rail replacement buses, everyone loves the engineering trains milling around their stations but we never see the oft accompanying buses. But that would often invoke the cliche "bus on a bridge", so that's why it isn't modelled................. Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandwich station Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 (edited) Modelling the horse manure is fairly easy, getting the gently rising cloud of steam is somewhat more difficult. Maybe a small seuthe smoke unit suitably placed. Edited January 5, 2015 by sandwich station Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatofludham Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 The pink Cadillac with steamed up windows and rocking from side to side I once saw (and have on film somewhere) in a backstreet garage court next to the Ffestiniog Railway in Blaenau. That isn't the first time such a thing has been witnessed by me from a train, I once saw a Ford Cortina similarly rocking alongside the Lickey as our arthritic Met-Cam dmu crawled uphill, giving everyone on board more than ample time to clock the action, a sort of inadvertent dogging session by dmu... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Jackson Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 skallywags nicking the cables Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Rainy days I have often thought of modelling a severe downpour and flooding - everything weathered with gloss, pedestrians with umbrellas etc. I would introduce new and never before seen variants of cliches - flooded road underbridge with stranded car, and people pushing, instead of fire engine putting out fire it is pumping out a cellar, queuing traffic all with lights and working windscreen wipers - indeed the trains would have working windscreen wipers too - very dark grey sky backscene - no layout lighting to further simulate the darkness of heavy cloud. Thunder sound effects to occur a second or two after lightning simulated by hidden camera flash, along with a the constant background sound of heavy rain fall.You could have the trains terminating at the station with a Faller rail replacement bus service. Get the timing right and the buses depart just before the train arrives, and the trains depart just before the buses get back... An excuse for a high number of unusual train movements to cope with the disruption and reversal of trains, I think if someone put their mind to it a very convincing fun and novel layout would result!! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porcy Mane Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) The problem is scaling down a sock to 4mm scale, or a turd (horse, dog, cat, etc) Would they be noticed? Bangers and mash in the four foot of a terminus station would be pretty convincing. I know of one 4mm exhibition layout that has scale dog logs deposited around. Their appearance (Or the pointing out of their existence) is dependant on the type of exhibition it is. Looking for them has provided non railway interested kids plenty of entertainment! And then there are some railway related thing's that you would never consider modelling. http://news.sky.com/story/85759/disgusting-goat-sex-man-jailed P Edited January 6, 2015 by Porcy Mane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted January 6, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2015 A 'Fathers for Justice' protestor A pro-UKIP march A Chelsea v Millwall supporters 'gathering' An ostrich/llama farm 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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