Kelly Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 There was talk of Discworld layouts (and even a layout design competition) on the Small Layout Design group a few years back. I've thought about it, but have too many other projects I want to complete. At least a Discworld layout wouldn't need to build bridges the river ankh would keep just sit there and let the trains roll on. An Uberweld Metro would be amusing, competing Werewolf and Vampire companies. Models of the Clacks would also be interesting to. Would be interesting to see what Sir Terry would think of such ideas, maybe I'll ask him next time I see him at the next Discworld Convention! kelly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForestPines Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 An Uberweld Metro would be amusing, competing Werewolf and Vampire companies. Models of the Clacks would also be interesting to. Would be interesting to see what Sir Terry would think of such ideas, maybe I'll ask him next time I see him at the next Discworld Convention! There are hints in the recent books that something like that might be on the way in A-M - there is a dwarf mining symbol in the shape of the LU symbol, and some sort of organisation called The Undertaking. I've gone off the recent books, but I might read one with something like *that* in it! As for aircraft: you could have a theme: EE planes alongside EE locos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 There are hints in the recent books that something like that might be on the way in A-M - there is a dwarf mining symbol in the shape of the LU symbol, and some sort of organisation called The Undertaking. I've gone off the recent books, but I might read one with something like *that* in it! As for aircraft: you could have a theme: EE planes alongside EE locos. Yes, there is certainly scope for it. The only recent book I've not much cared for was Unseen Academicals, from what I heard at last years Convention of the next Watch book, it should be back to form There are also plans for a Discworld TV series sometime in the near future. As for your idea of an EE theme, sadly it only really gives two options for planes (Lightning & Canberra), but a lot of choice for EE locos, so not sure how viable it might be as that isn't really my prime interest, although I know of someone who is... so it could work somehow. kelly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForestPines Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Unseen Academicals is the only Discworld book I've started and not finished, although Making Money came close. I am biased towards the EE theme idea, largely because I have a soft spot for Lightnings. I grew up fairly near a Lightning base, and regularly saw and heard them: they were the only plane I could recognise by sight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nightstar.train Posted March 21, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 21, 2011 I think realistically unless you have a lot of room or are intending to work in N (1/144 for aircraft), Anything bigger than an F-86 Sabre/EE Lightning or Spitfire/Mustang would simply overwhelm the entire layout due to their imposing size. I'd love to feature an Avro Vulcan bomber, but at nearly 450mm long, it'd just not fit, hence I'm more likely to go with the idea of an EE Lightning/EE Canberra/Spitfire/Hunter/Buccaneer/Harrier base/aircraft as they'd be small enough to not overwhelm, but still give an interesting feature to a layout. Just a matter of working out which bases were near to or supplied by rail so I can work out what Squadrons and aircraft would fit for a given period (anywhere between '39 and '89 really). kelly True planes are fairly big, but i suppose it depends what your main interest is. I think of plane and train modelling equally, so a layout acting as a display of my planes works well for me. Although suspending planes from the ceiling takes less room and is more traditional ;-) My aircraft factory idea would be based around De Haviland in the 1940s, 1950s so the factory would be making Herons and Doves, nice and small planes and fantastic looking. I like the idea of a Harrier base though, fantastic idea. The Harrier was designed to operate out of woods and roads in a time of war, and did once fly out of St Pancras goods yard, so perhaps you could have a training exercise scenario, with Harriers deployed next to a railway somewhere. Or again you could have a factory with Harrier wings and bodies coming in by rail on well wagons, and a line of completed jets out the front waiting test flights and delivery. Have someway of unloading the wagons too through a hole in the back scene. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 That is a very interesting idea with regards the Harrier, I'll have to consult my books on the Harrier and see what I might be able to come up with. One of my uncles worked on Harriers in the RAF and helped develop their fuel systems, so I have a bit of a soft spot for them (he also worked on tornado, typhoon, airbus and currently the f35). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Assuming a Shire-world format, with low technology, wouldn't airships, perhaps fitted with Masts and sails be a logical form of aeriel transport? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Assuming a Shire-world format, with low technology, wouldn't airships, perhaps fitted with Masts and sails be a logical form of aeriel transport? Middle Earth already has Elven ships that depart from the Grey Havens and sail west in the "straight passage" to the undying lands on a path that existed before the seas were "bent". See also Eärendil the Mariner. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 But do the Elven ships not sail on the surface rather than in the air? - Don't shout at me, please - I haven't read the books! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 But do the Elven ships not sail on the surface rather than in the air? - Don't shout at me, please - I haven't read the books! The cosmology is not exactly clear on this point. They start in the water at the Grey Havens, somehow then go in the 'air' on the straight passage then end up in the water again in the undying lands in the west. The non-physicality of the undying lands is never really addressed. Eärendil is specifically the morning star. So the voyage of his ship is the path Venus appears to traverse through the sky. There is a part of the canon (at the end of the second age), overloaded with religious overtones, where creation (Arda) goes from flat to spherical. Aman (the undying lands, loosely an allegory for heaven) is removed from Arda, out of the reach of mortals. For flying over Middle Earth itself, there are eagles, dragons and the Nazgûl's flying creatures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridgiesimon Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 And round doors for the Hobbits? Oh yes, I am playing around with scratchbuilding some horse drawn coach style bodies on simple railway chassis with round doors. Also thinking that maybe some of the coaches would be open topped. The thought is basing the styles on early railway practice and designs. I will start a thread when I get going to show what I am doing Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridgiesimon Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Further to my last note, I have set up a topic to discuss my layout ideas for Hobbiton End. I will be adding piccies etc as and when they are taken. It is under layout topics and is called Hobbiton End. Best wishes Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
70022Tornado Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 "I'd love to have a go. With all the Dwarf activity under Ankh, I keep wondering how long it will be before 'his Lordship' sanctions the first Underground line serving the city." Its known as the undertaking qv "making money" Iam toying with the Idea of P O wagons of the disc world -Rhys Rhys coll. Lareggub, Llamedos.C MOT DIBBLER Trading, Sator Square Anhk Mor-pork,abd a toad with a toad on the verander as an awful warning not to inspect Granny WEatherwaxes ticket. 70022 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted May 7, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 7, 2011 I can't see Dibbler ever reaching wagonload quantities. He'd be more likely to be found on the platform selling his pig products to unsuspecting new arrivals from the usual tray. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 I'd forgotten I'd posted in here... When the DW competition was first run on Small Layout Design, I brought it up on alt.fan.pratchett, and Sir Terry's reaction then was: The reason I'm holding off on railways is that they change a lot of things, all at once. The whole a.f.p. thread is here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted May 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 8, 2011 I can't see Dibbler ever reaching wagonload quantities. You could imagine him doing the on train catering though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Flying Pig Posted May 8, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 8, 2011 True, but not officially. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scots region Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Hello all, I had some spare time at college today and had taken out a copy of '1984', I love the book and the film's just as good, but what really got me thinking on this was the scene were Winston journeys out of Airstrip One a.k.a London for the clandestine meeting with Julia. The scene breifly showed a serverly worn out War Department dock tank, complete with 'INGSOC' logo imprinted on its tanks, halling a rake of encreiably battered chocolate and custard MK1s and celesterorys. This instantly fired the imagination, I could have a medium MPD, hosting a delapidated ensemplage of 9Fs, ST4s, ST2s, 57XXs and ST4Ts. Their canblised bretheren on siding somewere. Tenteded to by proles and blue boiler suit clad outter party members, all underthreat of interoagation in MiniLov should the telescreens find signs of slacking, Presumabley one of the locos could be clad in party slogans. Please disscus, and remember comrades "lateness is treason" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 This instantly fired the imagination, I could have a medium MPD, hosting a delapidated ensemplage of 9Fs, ST4s, ST2s, 57XXs and ST4Ts. Their canblised bretheren on siding somewere. Tenteded to by proles and blue boiler suit clad outter party members, all underthreat of interoagation in MiniLov should the telescreens find signs of slacking, Presumabley one of the locos could be clad in party slogans. Please disscus, and remember comrades "lateness is treason" It's a great idea! I would focus on a station - something suitably ironic like "Victory Road" - a very dirty urban station, preferably below street level with lots of heavlly weathered ancient brick retaining wall and some crumbling art deco influence in concrete and steel - no evidence of the Victorian railway other than platforms and walls/overbridges in sight. Some post-atomic war piles of rubble. Vegetation growing in the *wrong* places - like weeds in the platform - crud everywhere, broken, burned equipment like rocket bomb tail fins or helicopters. A station is where the ubiquitous presence of telescreens and slogans like "WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH and BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" and advertising for "Victory Gin is doubleplus good" makes the most sense. A key element would be files of proles and outer party members marching up the stairs to the street with their shoulders slumped down (the lifts need to be visibly out of order) and similar ranks of dejected looking passengers waiting to commute to their jobs at Minipax, Miniplenty, Minitrue etc. From a rolling stock standpoint I would focus on the most ungainly locomotives. Battered and filthy Q1s, Ivatt 4MTs (true 'mucky ducks'), etc. No thought should be given to established regions. Perhaps a random mix of BR Mk1 coaches with broken windows and missing doors in a mix of every conveivable colour - Blue&Grey, Maroon, Green, etc all heavily black-washed and weathered with the original crests obviously obscured by an INGSOC device on a clean(er) patch. Recorded sound could be a key element. Working telescreen pronouncements about the war with Eurasia, the 'two minute hate' with Goldstein, visions of Big Brother would be really compelling. Sound could also include frequent station announcements regarding cancelled or delayed services. Thoughtcrime IS death. Let us know when you're done! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scots region Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Some more ideas, Julia and Winston in a seculeded spot, just enjoying each others company but not without fear. A pilar with a faded 2+2=4 on it, and a cameo underground station for inner party members which of course would be bright, airy, clean and warm, with shining tube stock holding razor sharp timekeeping skills. "MiniRail today reported that intsances of overwork amongst engineers have fallen by 94%" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 A few years ago I remember seeing an N Gauge layout based, if I remember correctly, on Area 51. It had the 'secret sheds' system and at least one UFO. steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Natalie Graham Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 As an unusual layout location, I remember a childhood trip to York in the late'60s/early 70s when the Minster was being restored. There was an extensive narrow gauge railway laid all over the inside of the Minster for moving materials around. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
station cat Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 There was a narrow gauge railway on Hoy (Orkneys) during World War One - modelling the railway wouldn't be too bad but the Grand Fleet is a bit more daunting... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 How about a wine railway The Gratien & Meyer winery just outside Saumur on the Loire stores its wine in several kilometres of tunnels that were once limestone mines. Most of these tunnels still have narrow gauge tracks inset into the floor and these were used for moving the bottles around. the railway has now been replaced by battery powered electric trolleys running on rubber tyres and probably only used hand propelled wagons but a powered version could be interesting. For obvious reasons IC or steam would be right out but battery powered locos could have been used. Because the local sparkling wine is made using the same method as for champagne quite a lot of movement of bottles is required to move them to the various processes and then to take them to and from the storage areas. In Germany there is still at least one winery that uses a narrow gauge railway to carry grapes from the fields to the works. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMal Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 A few years ago I remember seeing an N Gauge layout based, if I remember correctly, on Area 51. It had the 'secret sheds' system and at least one UFO. steve Quite right Steve. It was called "Area 51 - Groom Lake" by Stephen Carr (son of librarian Stuart), shown at Hull Model Railway Show 2006. Mal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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