Greetings all,

Interesting to see the addition of a Railways Topic area on the site and also one for Wargamers.

Things just keep popping up around here these days. Great.

Cheers

Al

and it appeared not long after i started building a train kit, and started wondering where i would post up my progress!
all hail staff jims psychic powers!

And I just happen to have a small rail road museum down the road a bit, and have promised Staff Jim to go and take lots of photos for a gallery. The main hold up is lately it's been raining on my days off. But I do promise the photos soon, so keep an eye out for the announcement.

As a side note, I'm not a model rail roader, but I know there are many others who also do this here at the Armorama family of sites, so I'm certainly looking forward to seeing their work.

My step father worked on the rail road for about 50 years until he retired. I have very fond memories of living along the tracks heading to the old Weehawken frieght yards, (some may say I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks!!!) and often had the fun of riding the trains with him at work, way back before all the safety regulations, and often had fun sitting in the engineer's seat and driving the switching engine in the yard.
As I got older, I willing used my railroad pass, allowing me to ride for free, often disappearing on the NYC passenger line (quite unknowingly to my parents, giving them sevral heart attacks, and sparking several missing/loss child alerts....) for days on end. :-) :-)

It would be interesting if we could develop some military rail interest among the members.

One of my future projects is to scratch build a 1/35 US WW2 flatcar so I can tie something down to it -- I've been thinking Long Tom.

It seems that photographing military rail was pretty verboten in WW2 and there are some, but not many, pictures out there. I have been collecting Train Shed Cyclopedias so I have all the grubby details.

I spent some time trying to find trucks & parts in G-scale but that's tough here in the states.

Any way, think military themes & maybe some manufacturer will come out with some US (or Brit) rail gear instead of the German stuff !!!

John

Grumpy, what herald did he work? My Grandfather worked for CB&Q and had two years on BN before he passed away. Got to see alot of neat engines thru him and alot of pics. He worked the Aurora roundhouse, not galesburg.

Jratz, I had a boatload of those trainsheds till the 96 flood here. I model in G scale and need to finish up my bilevel commuter cars one of these years{decades}. You talking about the quad truck heavy flats or depressed center cars?

Bob, do you have a good source for G-scale parts ? I'm looking for trucks, some brake stuff, couplings -- the frame & etc I can scratch build. It would be a regular ol' two-truck 50-60 ft / 50-70 ton flat car ...

John

Hi Guys,

Here are some model RR sources:

Smokey Mountain Miniatures--loads and details, various scales

Valley Models--carry all sorts of goodies, all scales


Schomberg Scale Models all kinds of O & G scale accessories, like Shop Tools and Clutter (Resin), Pressed Steel Tractor Seats (pair) (Resin), Wood Coffin with Separate Lid (Resin), pumpkins, cabbages, potatoes and tomatoes...

I have bought from all three of these folks and recommend them.

Pop worked for the old New York Central, West Shore Division, went thru all the mergers, and name changes, and retired when it became Con-Rail. Was always on frieghts, only did a year or two on the road (he hated it), most of his years were spent either in the old Weehawken yard, and he finished out up at the Ridgefield Auto Yard.

Ah...I thought this would never come....trains were my first REAL interest! In fact, my dad is a volunteer down at the Transportation Museum in Noblesville, IN. It has one of the few operating (if any) steam locomotives (No. 587) in the country! Sometimes during the State Fair, it takes the Fair Train (which I usually volunteer on), although it's usually the Monon that does that. Anyway, I have some books on WWII train service, mainly in the US. If anyone wants any pictures of the 587, don't be afraid to ask! Also, the Museum is a veritable graveyard of train cars/boxcars, etc. Same deal with the 587 about the pictures. Thanks for your time.




P.S. Check for your local G.A.T.S. and other train shows!

Greetings all,

Never owned a train, but aslways thought that model railways seemed like prety good fun. The 1.35 rail suff was just coming out when I quit modelling so I've yet to try that side out.

There seem to be lots of people using tracks in their dios and there are those rail guns and locomotives, so I think this is really useful addition and will produce some interesting ideas and links.

There are some useful figures in 1/35 if I could remember who makes them :-) :-) :-) Begins with 'P' !!!!!

Cheers

Al

Al, off the tip of my tongue, that would be "priessler"{spelling}...someone find a Walthers train catolog...it'll be in there.

Grumpy, NYC...nice line...they had some neat stuff. I'm very partial to the steam era with the exception of early diesel{Zephyr}...got a pic of my grandfather and his crew on the last know engine he worked on, a 2-10-0...got a pic of him on his 1928 harley hack too{and mother wonders where I get my motorcycle roots from?!}. There are certian electrics I like too...Penns or Milw Rd...thought NYC had them too?!

John, I used to work for Fox Valley Model Works, but we had a parting of the ways long ago and I heard they ran into trouble with Mac about trademarks on a resin switcher they did...without permission{oops}.
Find "walthers" on the web and see what they have{somewhat limited} then do a google/ask search and see what you can find. NWSL{northwest short line} has some new trucks and side frames I've heard. A current copy of Garden railroader would have some good aftermarket sources too. I have a vanderbuilt side frame around here somewhere{I think I know where} that I scratchbuilt...made a tender out of PVC for a friend's Aristo Pacific before aristo made there own. I scratch built an SW1500 right before USA trains did theres{had aristo power trucks..not very pretty, but the actual body made up for it}.
I have mostly G guage{LGB/Aristo/Lionel/great trains/delton} clockwork o-guage and some lionel and mth o-guage.

Hi Bob,

That's the one. They are not top notch, pretty good though, but have some very good poses and are suitable for a railway dio, they could also be used in lots of other setttings to.

Don't VLS/Warrior have some railwaymen as well, working with shovles and picks? Sorry memories not what it used to be!!! :-) :-) :-)

Cheers

Al

please tell us how you did them. we need features for the railroad!!!!

Greetings all,

Also just noticed on the Perth Site that Blast Models have an Engine Driver that might be useful. Looks like a fairly good figure.

Cheers

Al

Guys - there's also recent talk in another forum thread of organizing a railed-vehicle Campaign activity. I think this is an interesting idea, and would help give this Forum Focus life. No parameters have been defined yet, but it could showcase RR modeling efforts in fine light.

Jim

Hi Folks,

I put a post in Site Talk to Staff Jim asking whethe or not there should be a 'Railway Features' section for display for railway related items. Add your comments if you think one should be set up and should there be a train emoticon???

Cheers

Al :-) :-) :-)

PS: No one has added any commants to the Site Post thread yet. If there is little interest shoown Jim probably won't bother puting in a new Features Section until there have been a good few kits displayed. Just a thought????

"How I scratchbuilt built tenders, engines, and train cars"...now that's going to be alot of typing!
1st- pick a subject..I've always liked the obscure yet interesting pieces.
2nd- research it with pics and blueprints{trainshed encyclopedia is great for that, but they don't have everything}
3rd- get a mound of evergreen styrene and start measuring...once you pick a given scale size...major grey area in g-scale, it ranges from 1:29 to 1:35 depending on a given manufacturer and then there's standard and narrow guage...can get confusing.
I once took an LGB 0-4-0 and made a 0-4-4 forney out of it, took a Bachman 4-6-0 standard and made a 4-6-0 camelback{that turned out neat!} , took a regular small cab switcher{MDT?} and made a boxcab industrial switcher...one is limited by ones imagination and resourses...then there's simple scratchbuilding...my unfinished bilevel commuter car, the vanderbuilt tender, my flanger, the SW1500 switcher, the 25ton mac switcher{copy of the origonal delton one} and a started Milw Rd big boxcab electric{got the body and frame/trucks done, but stopped there}.
Pick one of mine or an idea you like and we'll go thru it......

Wowser!!---- ---STEAM!! ------ -"G"scale
Now theres a thought ------UK STEAM ---Dios----D-Day build -up------Longmoor Military Line----- .......who started this lot ----
The mind "boggles"---------BTW--what is "G"-SCALE
Found this : http://www.g-scale-society.co.uk/ " TARGET="_blank"> http://www.g-scale-society.co.uk/ ---need to research further
aye
BARV
(GOSMG)

Greeting all,

Further to my last post, Jim's has a Features Section in Modelgeek set up, so get those articles and kits completed, photographged and rolling in.

Cheers

Al - Need some steam emoticons :-) :-) :-) :-)

Edit: This is probably old news but I noticed Trumpter have released the track parts from the K5E and BR52 as a seperate item which is good if you just want to build in a track to your dio, hadn't notices those before, but they have probably been around for some time!!!

Cheers

Al

http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=394
I think this should be both in the armor/afv section of features and here in the railroad features.
Just a thought.

Barv, the "G" in G-scale stands for garden, as in garden railroading. It's twice the size of O-scale...4 times the size of HO-scale. Big, in other words...not something you'd be setting up in a part of your basement...it'd be all of it. The track is weather proof{for the most part} so folks have been putting they're railroads outside with small ponds and miniture plants.
That BR engine is nice..only half the pics came thru for viewing for me{not all the lower ones}, but what I saw was nice. A project like that starts out as a simple formed box the you detail it. Since the drivers and connecting rods and reversing hardware are covered up, you don't have to sweat the details on that...you could, but most folks won't see it. It's like detailing a tank motor and trans...then covering it up. Shoot for easy 1st projects, then move on as you get better. Let me add I'm not saying the engine on that link was a 1st project, nor saying he didn't detail it completely,,,this is just a reference for those thinking of scratchbuilding there own project...K.I.S.S. for the 1st few.

Here, let's start something;
How to size; once a subject has been picked and 3 views and scale dimensions have been found, you wonder how to get them to size for template cutting, layout, or assembly.
"Old school" way is grab a scale ruler, read the blueprint/3 view{if it has size reference markings} and measure on to your medium{plastic, wood, bar of soap} mark and cut.
"New school" way, scan, send to paint shop pro{or your fave program} change scale size up or down{135% or 80%} to print out to size on paper that you need...once the correct formula is found{say 128% of scanned origonal does it for you}, write this down{so ya don't for get}, send to MS paint and start printing each pic/assembly as needed. I like finishing in MS paint because it can tile print long assemblies{say a realtime 22" engine side view that comes out in 1:35 scale}...set paper to horizontle for less paper usage, check your print preview, and if all looks well - print. Different pictures can be different scales real time{yes, they might all say 1:87, for example, but each publisher might tweek up or down alittle so try and find a standard on each different books pics to measure to see if alls kosher...tweek up or down as needed in PSP if they aren't.
The hardest part is getting the "curves" and "angles" right...straights are easy. You can be a total rivet counter if ya like, a it's prettydarn close if not on{that's me usually}, do a 3 footer{looks good @ 3 feet}, a T.L.A.R., or totally wing it.

now thats a nice bit of motivation to get my city of truro kit finished (as if i needed any) on a side note i thought trainspotting was a uniquely english thing, did'nt realise the bug had crossed the big pond :-) and we need a train emoticon -
till then- choo choo!

Hi Guys,

This is not supplanting your previous posts, but has some further items of interest.

Here are two rather detailed, exhaustive resources, as well as the most common scales:

Model Railroad Scale List

Model Railroad Scale Converter

Typical model railroad scales are (largest to smallest):

1:12 Large Scale
1:13.7 7/8 inch scale
**** all of these are considered G scale ****
1:20.3 G, Three-Foot Gauge on Gauge 1 Track
1:22.5 LGB and Bachman
1:24 Half scale
1:29 Aristo-Craft, USA Trains, standard gauge on #1 gauge
1:32 I scale
****all of above are considered G scale ****
1:48 O scale (Hmmmm...goes well with Tamiya's new line of armor...
1:64 S scale
[1:76 OO scale]
1:87.1 HO scale (Roco's MiniTanks, Trident's line, etc.)
1:120 TT scale
1:160 N scale
1:220 Z scale
--source, CSG, Computer Support Group, Inc. and CSGNetwork.Com

Much more: Model Railroad Scale Data

Trivia, in the US, O scale is 1/48 but in England it is 1/43; double that and you get 1/87, = HO (Half [of] O scale). Also, some of these are the closest fractional conversions of milimeter scales, i.e., 4mm/foot.

The beloved 027 is Lionel's creation for their track. It is basically O scale but the curves are set to 27"r to fit on the common 4' X 8' plywood, hence O (scale) 27 (inch radius curves).

Also, I recently found a list of G scale. G means "Garden" (outdoor capable) and includes a mix-N-match ranging from about 1/18 through I scale (1/32). This is because they are all designed to operate on a certain commercial piece of track with a common gauge (distance between the rails). So the larger the scale as a ratio of the track gauge means the bigger scales become narrow gauge trains in their particular scale. In railroad parlance, scale and gauge mean different things.