A Modeling Hierarchy

Posted on November 20, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Yet another thought provoking post by Mike Cougill on the OST blog.  Here he focusses on how to compose the scenes on our model railways, and how there might be a “hierarchy” of detail in our modelling.  He introduces the post with:

There are a lot of modeling pages and photo galleries online and while the work is often first-rate, some of it doesn’t seem right to my eyes. Modelers are drawn to extremes. The funkier, more dilapidated or derelict the surfaces and textures are the more we like them. However, when every clapboard, shingle or foundation stone is a work of art in its own right, the eye doesn’t know where to go first. Our eyes can only focus on one thing at a time and when everything has been highlighted and outlined to the extreme, our gaze bounces back and forth leaving us confused or overwhelmed. Instead of directing our eyes around the model, the maker throws the whole bucket of content at us all at once.

He works through a cameo scene step by step, looking at concepts such as sightlines, leading lines and visual paths through a scene.  This is the conclusion from the post:

A visual hierarchy is a guide for aesthetic choices that can enhance your modeling and is entirely compatible with our more familiar practices. It is another tool that helps people understand what our modeling is about. By learning some simple principles and choosing what to emphasize, we can guide a viewer without overwhelming him or her with a mass of confusing detail. However, don’t mistake these principles as an excuse for selectively eliminating details. Instead, use them to elevate your experience of modeling to a new level.

My takeaway is this, though….

Our eyes can only focus on one thing at a time and when everything has been highlighted and outlined to the extreme, our gaze bounces back and forth leaving us confused or overwhelmed.

Read the full (and much longer article) here.  It’s worth the effort!  Here’s the evidence of the quality Mike’s still to be completed work (in ‘O’ gauge)….

 

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ESNG meeting – 15 November 2017

Posted on November 18, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

A busy night with plenty of trains on the move – aided by Sean and Martin bringing a lot of stock to run.  It was UK and Europe night – even Paul was running Continental stock, and the American trains snuck on the layout late in the evening.

It was Martin’s turn for the long train award, this time with UK container flats.

Two eras of comfortable passenger travel.

Plenty of stock in the fiddleyard.

At the end of the evening, we put the few items from the hall that are going to Stuttgart into Allan’s truck.  Packing continues on Monday afternoon….

And a little contribution from Phil.  I’ve posted this before, I think, but it bears repeating!

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Signal failure!

Posted on November 16, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

As we get close to Stuttgart, the lounge is full of railway – I couldn’t be bothered to lug it all up to the loft just to bring it back down on Monday.  All is prepared….  we hope!  I’ve even started to look at the weather forecast for next week in Germany.  At the moment, there’s no snow in Stuttgart, so we should get there all right.

But here’s an interesting link from the BBC on signal failure.  Three minutes describes the challenges faced by Network Rail in keeping everything moving.

Matthew Broad was waiting for a train at Reading station, England, which it seemed would never arrive.
“I was miffed. But then came the familiar excuse – signal failure.”  Matthew wanted to find out more about the causes of signal failure so wrote to the BBC to ask us to find out.

Last year in the UK there were more than 19,000 delays of 100 minutes or longer caused by signal failure.  Here’s what causes it and what Network Rail are doing to alleviate the problem.

The interesting thing here is how reality reflects the imaginary.  Isn’t this just like our own model railways?  It’s very easy to run trains if you connect two wires to the track and operate the points locally (though perhaps not with a finger).  And it usually works.  But a complex control panel is far more liable to go wrong.

The benefits of centralised control are very real – but so are the problems that go with them.  And the casualty of this is not just the passenger – how about all those elegant signal boxes that have disappeared?

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ESNG meeting – PlayDay 12 November 2017

Posted on November 14, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Another railway session on Sunday with our scheduled PlayDay.  We had two layouts on the go.  In the background, we have the usual circuit, largely monopolised by Simon and Graham’s American passenger trains.

In the foreground, we put together (again) most of the layout for Stuttgart.  We seem to have got the track alignments and electrics right, and we were happily running a train around without derailing.

In the picture below, the Cha(I)rman is in typical and reflective mode with tea, and Simon looks a little challenged by Mile’s cake….

Super-power passes Lowater Basin….

Allan’s cement train passes Derek’s test running B1…..

The previous day was spent in London, as my eldest was home from Berlin for a few days, and we had a rare opportunity for parents, three children and daughter-in-law to meet up for a meal.  Her dog and our budgie were not invited.  Dim sum in Chinatown, and very good it was too.  And this was the emergency choice of restaurant – our usual haunt had been shut down by the hygiene inspectors due to mice.

Below, my better half is taking on the chickens feet challenge – and enjoying them!

This was followed by a short walk to the Embankment, then a long, cold, wait to see the Lord Mayor’s firework display.  Well worth the wait!  Coming home was by an interesting route – train from Charing Cross to London Bridge, then train London Bridge to Earlswood.  I don’t think I have caught a train from Charing Cross since 1976, when I was living in Petts Wood with my parents.

 

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Rosamund Street (Low Level) Sidings

Posted on November 12, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Came across Rosamund Street on RMWeb.  Only 5′ long in 4mm scale (plus sector plate and fiddleyard, but a very attractive design.  It also contains the classic ‘Inglenook’ shunting puzzle.  The builder describes the concept:

As a trainspotter in the late 60s and early 70s the ultimate aim was always to ‘clear B.R.’  But, sitting in a BRUTE at Cardiff General logging Westerns and Brushes would never achieve such an ambition.

“If you want to clear BR, you need to get the shunters” extolled my spotting mentor, Doug.  So, instead of undertaking lone wolf shed bashes to Birmingham (for Bescot & Saltley) or Manchester (for Longsight, Newton Heath & Reddish) I joined a local railway society that ran weekend coach trips to such out of the way places as King’s Lynn, Westhouses, Northwich and Frodingham.
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A browse through my 1971 and 1972 locoshed books would show my Brushes (now Cl.47) and “H-Bombs” (now Cl.20) looking decidedly healthy ……………. but those shunters, the lack of lines under their numbers stood out like a sore thumb.
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The only way to track the shunters down would be to find out where they worked, and where they stabled at weekends – all this in the days before the indispensable  “Shunter Duties” was an idea, yet a publication.
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Shunters could spend weeks away from their home depot, and they could work many miles from that depot e.g. a Canton shunter would be outbased at Aberdare (only 25 miles) whereas a Landore shunter could be at Carmarthen, Whitland or worse, Fishguard Harbour !
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Those shunters not under repair on shed, or working as shed, yard  or station pilots lurked in dingy urban environments, small yards or sidings hidden away amongst engineering works, factories and depressing streets where access was impossible unless you were either ‘in the know’ or had special forces training.
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Such a place was Rosamund Street, actually Rosamund Street (Low Level) Sidings.

Features of the design are the brick embankments and industrial buildings surrounding the layout.  Plus some excellent inset trackwork and that fascinating large pipe running along the buildings – is it some strange manufacturing process or just the local sewer?

These two shots show the empire in its entirety.  The small dimensions of the layout are compensated for by expanding vertically.

Unfortunately, it looks as if Rosamund Street will be retired for a larger layout.  Still, the inspiration is remains!

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West Sussex N Gauge MRC : 4-5 November 2017 #2

Posted on November 8, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Sunday morning, Mr Dawes’ milkman’s nose again tracked down some bacon and eggs – this time at the ‘Portuguese Grill’ in Littlehampton town centre.  Then it was off to play trains again.  The advantage of a two day show is having this second, more leisurely morning….

Meanwhile, back at the show, we found that Jon the Blue Plastic Box man had set up shop next to Sean.  Elsewhere, Hooks Hills Viaduct was again on show as a ‘working diorama’.  The cassettes at each end are interesting, using Kato Unitrack to make the electrical connections.  However, Chris White is now, perhaps wisely, extending the layout into an oval, with loops to avoid manual changing of trains.

Barrack Way features an army camp, with a wide range of military paraphernalia….

It was good to take another long look at Ian Milroy’s San Maria Gardia.  This time I managed to find the donkey and rotating flamenco dancer – and photograph a bus coming out of the single bore road/rail tunnel (prototypical, I understand.)

Although the WSNG is an ‘N’ gauge society, the show took in all gauges from ‘N’ to ‘G’.  Here we have a dairy and GWR branch line in TT.

Oakley Green is a Southern Region TMD, in ‘OO’ sometime in the 1970’s…..

Some nicely observed Fenland buildings from ‘Welney’ in ‘OO’…

A working Gauge 1 breakdown crane….

And live steam motive power….

Who can resist a whole layout of Hornby-Dublo 3-rail?  Frantenbury brought back memories of how many of us old-timers got into the hobby!

And no show runs perfectly.  A torrential shower on the Saturday morning found the hole in the hall roof, but fortunately missed all exhibits.

And at the end of Sunday we had to take it all down again, and head back to Redhill.  However, breaking down is the easy bit, and after the show closed at 4pm, we were home before 7.  A pleasant weekend with good company.  Thanks too to Dave for helping both days, and Simon and Peter on the Saturday.  Extra help gave me more time to doze on a conveniently placed chair, and then spend too much money with the traders.

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West Sussex N Gauge MRC exhibition: 4-5 November 2017

Posted on November 7, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Friday afternoon, Allan, Derek and I loaded up Allan’s truck, and headed for the West Sussex show.  We put together a joint N-club modular circuit with the West Sussex boys.  The actual layout went together very well on the Friday evening, but we had to drop two modules as the room was slightly smaller than expected.  A certain amount of fiddling was needed with the wiring, as the WSNG use a different connection arrangement from us at ESNG.  Still, by the time the show opened at 10am on Saturday, all was working reasonably well, and continued to do so for the two days.  On the Saturday morning, we even had time for a full English breakfast before the show.

On display was ERIC, having a Southern Region theme, courtesy of Derek.  We’ll use the same locomotives for Stuttgart, to save Derek putting them all away.

Martin Micklewright’s Lowater Basin got favourable comments, with its detail and working lighting.  Here we see Thomas passing on the main line….

The new West Sussex fiddleyard is an impressive beast, offering 11 tracks feeding up to five tracks in or out.

The WSNG modules on show gave additional ideas as to what can be built in a small space.  The second one illustrated was running on DCC, and on the Sunday we were serenaded by a brand new Farish Class 40 with full sound on board.  More impressive was the inertia built into the locomotive, that took over a circuit of the layout to come to a halt when the power was cut – and could be heard running down the gears.

Elsewhere ESNG members were well represented by Sean’s Forrestone (look out for this little layout in Model Rail in the coming months)…..

And by Martin’s St Elizabeth Street (aided and abetted by Neil)….

Pick of the other ‘N’ gauge layouts was probably Kayreuth, set somewhere in Germany, on the Ruhr.  Lots of interesting detail, and there’s always a train moving in a cityscape.

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ESNG meeting – 2 November 2017

Posted on November 4, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

It turned out to be a busy night, with 13 members turning up through the evening.  We weren’t expecting Paul and Honest John, who were off to Eurospoor the following morning, but both were there for much of the evening.

The usual variety of trains were running, but no photos, I’m afraid.  The Cha(I)rman and Secretary and Mr Atfield dozed in the comfy chairs (yes we have a few of those) and planned the assault on the West Sussex show on Friday.  Our excuses were varied.  Allan was working to much, Derek had jet-lag from the clocks going back and had got up (very) early.  I’d just had a busy day – new smart meters fitted at home, washing machine delivered and installed by me at home, visits by a plumber to home and church to quote for some well needed work.  All a bit much…..

But here are a couple of links in compensation for the pictures….

Train liveries are well documented, but railway buildings are sometimes more difficult to pin down.  For example, what was GWR light stone and dark stone.  This site, “Station Colours”, does what it says on the can and looks very useful.

And less usefully, the best alternative London Underground maps.

And remember we’re exhibiting at the West Sussex show this weekend (The Angmering School, Greenwood Drive, Station Road, Angmering, West Sussex BN16 4HH.)  It looks a good, large show, with exhibits in all gauges and trade support.  Do come along!

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ESNG on the road

Posted on November 2, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Three final shots from the Croydon show, that Paul took of his Kato Racetrack.  It took some time to set up, as they couldn’t find the tables, but the end result was, once again, an eye-catching display.

And Stuttgart is less than a month away.  NBahn Magazin is showing the gigantic N gauge model of the old Stuttgart station on its cover….

Instructions are out for the Stuttgart N-club meet….

And here we see the Cha(I)rman in his natural habitat.  Five minutes of fame in NBahn Magazin.  ERIC is a favourite of theirs.  So spot, “der britischen modellbahner.”  I think that means, “the one who makes the tea.”

And we’re exhibiting at the West Sussex show this weekend (The Angmering School, Greenwood Drive, Station Road, Angmering, West Sussex BN16 4HH.)

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Not quite a Minories

Posted on October 31, 2017 by snitchthebudgie

Last layout to describe from the Uckfield show is ‘Surrey Arms’ in EM.  I found this an interesting design concept, a sort of mini-Minories.  Here’s the description from the show guide:

And here are some photographs of the layout.

The inspiration from this model came from:

  • The design – it’s a sort of Minories without the station throat pointwork.  Although the complex yet simple entrance to the station is the hallmark of a Minories, and a feature of the design, this little layout showed what could be done in even less space.
  • The backscene – I love the idea of modelling just the suburban platforms and having the main train shed as a background to the layout.  And the building is very well done, reminding one of Cannon Street with the towers on the station corners.
  • The goods service – cross London goods are perhaps a little unlikely at this location, but they increase the interest of operation and viewing.
  • And the scratch built SECR locomotives were a bonus!

Overall, an interesting little layout that might provide ideas for future designs.

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