Cliches of Layouts or Model Railways that you dislike.

[Cypher VII]

This hobby has split into two groups - the toy train operators and the real railway modellers.

We are all railway modellers. By definition or otherwise, some people take it more seriously than others, but, I think people have lost sight of what this thread is really about or what a cliche is.

[poliss]

You can buy corridor connections Netchap. One supplier is Keen Systems. http://www.keen-systems.com/page3.html

[Boxcar Willie]

Tufts of bright green grass from one of these new fangled electrostatic things. The rest of the layout is fine except for the bright green spikes exploding from between the sleepers on "little used sidings".

[buz]

This hobby has split into two groups - the toy train operators and the real railway modellers.

This hobby always was split into two groups one with toy trains the other with model railways.
Thats just historical fact
Which is further split into the commercial scale modelers and the fine scale modelers.
Which are again split into company, nationality and era groups, then real and freelance.
Not to mention the further special interest areas.
As to which gives the most fun to the owner the answer is D all of the above.
regards John

[brit-in-bama]

There are as many types of modeler's as there are layouts, from my own experience, no two modelers are the same, neither are the layouts, each one has his or her own way of creating a layout that pleases them, some are not good at scratch building and buy what they cant make, others take r-t-r stuff and modify it to suite their layout, we all have different skill levels and abilities and levels of patience, whilst some of us could never do the stuff that Jim has done on "new street" we take inspiration from his work, and aim a little higher each time, but when it becomes a competition ( like judging at an exhibition) then I loose interest, I am just happy to be able to create my own little world, it just happens to involve railways, but I have modeled in other areas too, so each to his own, beginner or craftsman, the only people I despise are "rivet counters" they dont create anything yet know and expound on every other modelers faults, (just my 2cents worth)

as for the title of this thread
"A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect"

this thread has become a "clich'e" in itself.

[Jonny]

I admit I would be quite interested in seeing someone create a scale world that didn't necessarily involve railways. It'd be easy enough to take existing buildings and road vehicles and scratchbuild what wasn't readily available.

[Stanier]

COACHES
I am totally new to the hobby and enjoying myself enormously (although I havnt even laid any track yet) but cannot get my head around the gaps in coridoor trains. It kills a layout, Alas I shall never be able to model an accurate express.

There is an easy fix for your problem. I use a piece of squashy black plastic foam (mine came from the box my wife's MacBook came in) and shaped to the vestibule connection profile it is lightly tacked to one connector. It fills the gap nicely and doesn't cause any problems on corners. I have seven and eight coach corridor rakes fitted up like this, and it looks fine. Try it (when you get your track laid!).

[Stanier]

This hobby has split into two groups - the toy train operators and the real railway modellers.

We are all railway modellers. By definition or otherwise, some people take it more seriously than others, but, I think people have lost sight of what this thread is really about or what a cliche is.

Come, come! A little boy with a circle of 0 gauge track which goes round the sofa on the sitting room floor is not a railway modeller (I was one of those little boys once). There is a clear distinction between 'modellers' and 'train set' operators in my mind. I don't care which group you are in as long as you recognise operating a totally unrealistic railway is not modelling.

[Cypher VII]

This hobby has split into two groups - the toy train operators and the real railway modellers.

We are all railway modellers. By definition or otherwise, some people take it more seriously than others, but, I think people have lost sight of what this thread is really about or what a cliche is.

Come, come! A little boy with a circle of 0 gauge track which goes round the sofa on the sitting room floor is not a railway modeller (I was one of those little boys once). There is a clear distinction between 'modellers' and 'train set' operators in my mind. I don't care which group you are in as long as you recognise operating a totally unrealistic railway is not modelling.

Thats true. I think that at the end of the day it's all about personal enjoyment. What you get from the money you spend (or have spent on you). How happy were you with your loop of 0 gauge track?

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Take a hundred bits of a train set out of a box and you have a model railway...............but 'Make' the signalbox that sits by the station and THEN you can say that you are railway modeler.

manna

[Stanier]

How happy were you with your loop of 0 gauge track?

Very happy, till I got a bit older and was given a copy of Edward Beal's New Developments in Railway Modelling in 1947. I realised the difference and never looked back from then on. That's 65 years of serious attempts to portray the railway as it was, in miniature. Running an etching business to get the kits I wanted but no one was making, sitting on the Executive of the HMRS, on the technical committee of S4, and taking over the coach side of the LMS Society when David Jenkinson died. It's been an interesting trip, and it isn't over yet. The 'modelling' side of the hobby is something which really grips you once you get into it and don't just open boxes. I recommend it, but I maintain, it is not the same hobby as the one where you just play trains. The satisfaction of seeing things you made yourself running, the research to get accurate buildings and track layout for your stations, the learning of a whole host of practical skills, puts the 'modeller' head and shoulders above the 'box openers'. I suppose it's a bit like building your own bike rather than buying a ready made. Just my view from where I stand, 65 years after starting to be a railway modeller.

[Stanier]

I admit I would be quite interested in seeing someone create a scale world that didn't necessarily involve railways. It'd be easy enough to take existing buildings and road vehicles and scratchbuild what wasn't readily available.

Have you to been to see Pendon? The railway there is incidental to the scenery.

A good model railway should seek to reach that standard, which is why I favour modelling an actual location. You make no mistakes doing that, whereas free-lancing is a minefield of opportunities to get it seriously wrong. I guess Pendon is an exception to this rule but the instigator did have a bevy of railway experts to keep him straight.

[Boxcar Willie]

I've been nurturing the germ of an idea for a layout based on a real-life prototype and have joined my local model railway club with a view to drawing on the expertise of others - it's all about learning really and the more you learn the better your modelling becomes. I've met modellers who are still learning after a lifetime in the hobby and that's part of the joy.

[Stanier]

I've met modellers who are still learning after a lifetime in the hobby and that's part of the joy.

That's how it should be. In a good club there should always be an element of teaching going on. One club I was in had an influx of new members most of them beginners. I had just joined (I was on the HMRS EC at the time) and was asked to design a small 4mm 00 gauge layout which the newcomers could build from scratch - everything, baseboards, track, buildings, signals, wiring and control system. We set to and it worked very well, and we got a lot of people really engaged for several months and some of the senior members put in a lot of teaching time. The end result was a very nice Scottish branch line terminus (Catrine LMS/G&SWR) built to finescale standards. A lot of members got quite skilled in areas they had never thought to venture in and became real modellers. We built a lot of rolling stock to suit this layout as well mostly from kits. The story has a somewhat sad ending though.

It was due to go to the Club's next exhibition. Alas, there was in this Club, a very senior member who owned a lot of old Hornby Dublo rolling stock. He complained continuously while construction was in progress that this new 'club' layout should be built to track standards which would allow him to run his rolling stock on it. We ignored him. The night before the exhibition he used his keys to get into the clubhouse and with a soldering iron he modified all the pointwork to suit his stock. Needless to say the layout did not go the exhibition. The Club didn't throw him out (he was too 'senior' for that sanction it seemed) so I left that club and haven't been in one since, and I wonder what happened to that layout. Some years back I passed all the design data and research to another modeller but I haven't heard if he actually used it.

[Ross Mason]

Evening guys

Although I enjoy viewing most layouts i have seen at exhibitions and try to take into account how much time and effort it has taken exhibitors to build, operate and even transport an exbo layout.

My one main gripe is when beautifully detailed layouts, have trains either whizzing round far too fast, or even more to the point, locos shunting around depots or yards at ridculously high speeds.

I know models can be differing in performance, but i do believe there is no excuse in not getting something so basic yet so crucial right, especially in this DCC era and smooth running, reliable locos.

hi Ross
Why just DCC?? this problem is easy to solve with the right electronic analogue controllers as well
Which can be purchased or easily constructed even to the point braking distance slow take off and Emergency stop can be simulated.
This has been so since at least the 1970's that I know about.
Why is it people assume analogue just can't do anything worthwhile??
So unless it is a child's layout there really is no excuse for an impression of Brands Hatch (Spelling) raceway.
Regardless of control method.
regards John

evening all

John, I quite agree with you! Its not just dcc that allows for smoothing running of a layout, the point I was meaning to make was that DC operation does allow for smooth running and slow speed control if like you say tracks/pick ups are well maintained and even more so when there is such thing as DCC operation that can potentially make the running of trains more smoother and efficent.