Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.
Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.
What details or aspects of real railroading and its environment will likely never be modeled satisfactorily, due to limitations of physics, materials, etc.?
To give an example, I'll name a perennial spoiler of otherwise beautifully modeled scenes: telephone and power lines. I've never seen a way of modeling the perfectly curved droop of a telephone line--nothing in 1:87 scale could ever be heavy enough to form the proper droop.
I could think of a few things that I have not seen on a model railroad that I my self did to make a few things look real.
I modeled a field with cows. I gave it some thought make note that something was missing. After some thought I looked about the storage box and found fine woodland scenics Cinder ballest trying an exparament
I put some in the field to give the look of cow pies. Its an attention getter for forthows who rilly lookat the layout during my open house.
I also have done up a few things about the grain elavator as well useing burnt grass by adding a small pile or two between the rails or even a lite brown pile of extra fine ballest gives a look of leaking grain or potash. Even a little pile on top of a hopper would give some show of over spillage on the roof.
Bakeing soda gives a neat look of industrial sand or some kind of chemial that has spilled out from a car on a sideing as well.
Something else that makes for an intrest never seen on a layout for thows who do add high voltage power lines is maybe adding a few bight orange beads like what you find in a craft store by adding a few to your power lines this would give the look of a near by air port near by even if its not modeled.
If you model passenger trains before the event of containment tanks for the toilets, you could never really simulate the passing of a train, and the spray from the toilet valve....
The smell however, well, we'll leave that one to your imagination....
If you look at some of the pictures of George Sellios' Franklin and South Manchester layout, you will see he has no lines on his power-communcation poles. Then you look where the lines would go and they would be right in the middle of a bridge beam. Talk about not thinking in terms of power lines while super-detailing a layout.
One modeler I knew used elastic thread for his power/communication lines, even though they did no have the correct droop, you could not break the lines if your hand/body ran into them.
By the way I worked in the Outside Electric Construction industry, and the sag was predetermined while tensioning the line based on the wire size and the length of the span.
You cant scale down the physics of real water... I doubt anyone would ever want to model moving water on their layout, but whenever I see actual water incorporated into a scale model railroad, it just doesnt look right.
You also cant scale down the physics of a rolling freight car- which makes modeling hump yards very difficult...
Traffic lights... I've never seen HO scale traffic lights that look and act like the real thing. I've seen some that are close... but I think we're a few years off from really getting that one down pat.
How about anything related to motive power? Actual miniature diesel engines and sanders? Pulverized coal via stokers into a 2-8-0? Trains not leaving yards because the union contract requires armrests in the locomotives and they're lacking? Endless possibilities.
How about locomotive smoke? I've yet to see a smoke unit that makes convincing smoke for either steam or diesel locmotives... or for that matter, cylinder heads blowing down on the steamer... model that without making your ballast go flying!
You can model "smells," or at least you could at one time. I remember in the 1980s, the Mikros Company offered a line of "Olfactory Airs" that were offered in various scents from "pine" to "burning rubber" or something. They also offered a rather crude looking conductor with lantern, which was an HO scale figure with a crudely attached minature bulb... they also offered an underground mine scene. Interesting stuff, not sure if anyone caught on to it.
I think Bachmann did SD45's in HO with moveing fan blads a few years ago.
For scattered junk along the right of way I added ties small stone piles scattered about in varryed locations and the occational a pile of extra fine black ballest to maybe add the look of tar next to a crossing thats going to be replaced.
Locomitve and car shops have a lot of spare parts and assorted junk. If you are changeing out plastic wheels for metal ones save the plastic ones. Put the axles on a track out side of a building to show a wheel shop mabe cut some wheels off of the spreader bar and put them in neat piles as well to show new wheels out side the shop as well.
Another item to save are all the extra doors from Intermountains Cylindrical Grain Hoppers. The railroads have stacks of these at all their shop locations to repair Covered Hoppers that need door repairs. If you look at the tops of the cars you will see many different colors of doors on the cars.
I used them stickey back no slip guards that go on the steps for makeing roads there already black and can be cut to size. They are a little rough but do look good.
