F-UnitMad Posted September 5, 2022 Author Share Posted September 5, 2022 Anyone who thinks I went a bit over the top with my 'bad' track should watch the first 10 minutes or so of this video... 😁😉 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted September 5, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 5, 2022 I never thought your bad track was OTT actually it is somewhat understated compared to some. Don 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted September 6, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 6, 2022 10 hours ago, F-UnitMad said: Anyone who thinks I went a bit over the top with my 'bad' track should watch the first 10 minutes or so of this video... 😁😉 The opening shot even has a straighter through line running next to it, just like the one on your layout. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 16, 2022 Author Share Posted September 16, 2022 A bit of gentle progress with the scenic side of things. The grade crossing at 148th Street is all smoothed off and got a first coat of paint today. A turn off on the right leads to the Short Line's Yard Office for Shortside Industrial Park. A start has been made on the grade crossing for Telegraph Road. This is having some forced perspective built in - the first high-viewpoint photo shows the outline (balsa strips), the second photo is more-or-less the eye-level view at this point. Ignore the pointwork of my UK O layout "Withyn Reach" sneaking into the view above!! The "overpass" which is actually where the layout passes through part of the loft drywall has also been painted, to try and give the impression of a road overbridge. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMO Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 I do the same system for the road and the perspective into the wall. I'm making mine by these days. I like the overpass 👍 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 Issue #6 of micro laouts e-magazine The Dispatch is out now. https://micromodelrailwaydispatch.com/ I mention it because there's a layout in there that uses American 'shorty' freight cars that I think would impress even a certain member on here who is famous/notorious for his own Shorty cars. 😁 Me? I do like the Critters that are pulling them. 👍 3 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted September 22, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 22, 2022 Narrow gauge, though? Still, ta for the link, there’s is some marvellous modelling in there. Must push on with my three foot long “Twentieth Century Limited”. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted September 22, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 22, 2022 27 minutes ago, Northroader said: Narrow gauge, though? Still, ta for the link, there’s is some marvellous modelling in there. Must push on with my three foot long “Twentieth Century Limited”. The ‘Twentieth Century Extremely Limited’ ? 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted September 22, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 22, 2022 Beg your parsnip, Jordan, I see that layout using shorty cars is actually done in HO standard gauge, not n.g. as I first thought. I sat down at my leisure this afternoon to study the Dispatch more closely, getting slight resentment from my better half, as we’re going away for the weekend, and I wasn’t very interested in the packing. (She likes to fill the car boot and back seat for just three nights away) It looks like he’s made really short cars to get round the curves, it works well in HO, but if you double up the area for O scale it gets too big a block. A while back I tried doing a three foot square O gauge, 13.5” track radius, and I found it worked better for American outline with Kadee couplers than British outline with magnetic swing couplers. It’s since been cast to the four winds, but that could have been the start of my shorty car obsession. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 9 hours ago, Keith Addenbrooke said: The ‘Twentieth Century Extremely Limited’ ? 🤣🤣🤣 very good!! 👍👍 1 2 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 22, 2022 Author Share Posted September 22, 2022 2 hours ago, Northroader said: Beg your parsnip, Jordan, I see that layout using shorty cars is actually done in HO standard gauge, not n.g. as I first thought. You were right first time, it's HOn30. 😉 ...but the shortys are great - and the locos. 😁 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Keith Addenbrooke Posted September 22, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 22, 2022 59 minutes ago, F-UnitMad said: You were right first time, it's HOn30. 😉 ...but the shortys are great - and the locos. 😁 For reference, this is what a 40’ Combine looks like in HOn30 - which just shows how short those shorties are! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted September 23, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 23, 2022 Bit long, innit? 3 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 Bob, who has a layout in the latest Dispatch, posted a shorty coach of his own https://ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/30207-fcpn-passenger-stock/&do=findComment&comment=780038 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted September 23, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2022 3 hours ago, Northroader said: Bit long, innit? Does it still pivot on the bogie?! 🤪 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted September 23, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 23, 2022 47 minutes ago, Talltim said: Bob, who has a layout in the latest Dispatch, posted a shorty coach of his own https://ngrm-online.com/index.php?/forums/topic/30207-fcpn-passenger-stock/&do=findComment&comment=780038 Members only I'm afraid 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted September 23, 2022 Author Share Posted September 23, 2022 (edited) I don't know how long these have been available, just saw them mentioned on Lance Mindheim's Blog:- a new range of North American railroad figures from Modelu; https://www.modelu3d.co.uk/product-category/north-american/ No doubt at least one of the figures will reinforce popular prejudiced stereotypes as per the Jeremy Clarkson School of Diplomacy - "One in three Americans weighs as much as the other two put together", but they look like being a useful range and the 5-figure 'Crew bundles' are a decent saving on the price of individual figures. Edited September 23, 2022 by F-UnitMad 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 8 hours ago, Northroader said: Bit long, innit? Never bought them, but this reminds me of Walther's HO Oscar and Piker which were a regular in their catalogs for a long time. Appears they have even offered them again in the recent past - https://www.walthers.com/21-heavyweight-quot-oscar-quot-quot-piker-quot-set-ready-to-run-pullman 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 1, 2022 Author Share Posted October 1, 2022 A 'blast from the past' picture today - a photo I thought I'd lost, but found a copy recently, much to my relief. This isn't the present layout, but my 12ft long 'Portway Center' that I built about 10 years ago. It was 2ft wide, and the backscenes were 2ft high. I think it managed to capture the big skies & wide open spaces of the Mid-Western USA quite well... The backscenes on the long sides of my loft layout are only about 9" high before the angle of the ceiling starts, so I can't get the same big sky effect now, but it's nice to look back on something that was quite successful, once upon a time... 12 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 7, 2022 Author Share Posted October 7, 2022 (edited) Got new toys to play with this week, part of the new ModelU North American range. I got the two Crew Bundles, for Transition Era (1940 - 1970)* & Modern Era (1970 - now)*. It doesn't look like there's much difference in the clothing, albeit the Modern crew should wear Hi-Viz. Given that US Steam mostly died in the 1950s, it's a pretty generous definition of 'Transition' to me!!! All the extra support 'legs' that come with ModelU figures still freak me out, a bit!! Makes the figures look really weird like that!! 🙄😁 * Edit - the dates are ModelU's own description. Edited October 7, 2022 by F-UnitMad 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 25, 2022 Author Share Posted October 25, 2022 Oh dear, long time no update - again...😳🤦♂️ However, in a bid to wean myself off too much online model railway forum time when I can't get up the loft, I have started reading a new book... (well new to me, anyway) Now most of my Soo Line books, like many railway books, are really glorified picture books - you know the sort of thing, loads of pictures with captions, hopefully informative even if brief. Ideal Back of the Class literature - ""See the train" says John. "It's red and white" says Janet". You get the idea.😉 This mighty tome is a bit different. It's very thick & heavy for a start.... It isn't what I expected when I ordered it!! Full of chapters with lots of small writing & hard words, but happily there are pictures too. it's basicly a history of the Soo Line in Minnesota (yeah, well, duuhh!! 🙄🙄) right back to the 1860s with the earliest lines that ended up as the Soo Line. It runs to 315 pages. At the moment, I have 304 pages to go..... 🤯 6 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted October 25, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2022 Never mind the SOO, let’s hear more about John and Janet at the back of the class? 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 25, 2022 Author Share Posted October 25, 2022 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Northroader said: Never mind the SOO, let’s hear more about John and Janet at the back of the class? I'm not sure that's a good idea.... Edited October 25, 2022 by F-UnitMad 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted October 25, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 25, 2022 “The good thing, doc, is you can’t hear ‘em and they don’t smell.....” 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted October 27, 2022 Author Share Posted October 27, 2022 Of course there's always the alternative Janet & John stories, courtesy of Mr Wogan... Personally I always found the funniest thing about them was the wheezing giggling as Sir Terry tried to read them. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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