Bashing and building 'The General" 4-4-0 1/24 scale layout.
- Thread starter JohnReid
- Start date
Hi guys !This layout will be contained in a box,yes a locked cedar box and will be displayed only at Christmas or other special family occasions.It will be my gift to my family past,present and future.
Why so special ? Well it has been my experience that no matter how nice a layout/diorama is after a while it just becomes part of the furniture.Nobody really sees it anymore except guests or visitors.However, on the other hand ,only seeing something every once in a while will help bring fresh( if not new eyes) to an old piece.Also I don't want to encase it in a tomb like structure, even of glass, but I wish to have it open to natural light, but without the dust, for those who may want to take pictures.
As public as my other stuff will be this will be only for private family or personal viewing.Why do it this way ? Simply I would like something that I made survive for a while after I am gone to the "Happy Hunting Ground" as a gift to my children and the young at heart.I have heard to many stories about how Grandpa Fred's or Uncle Phil's layout ended up in the garbage shortly after his death.Too big,no room,tired of looking at it sit there gathering dust etc..etc..
I know you say nothing survives forever ! No one knows that better than I and besides when I am gone who really gives a *** ? I surely won't ! but you know somehow I do and I don't mind admitting it.Ego you say ?well artists usually do have some of that it is true,Why else would we do what we do ?
Why so special ? Well it has been my experience that no matter how nice a layout/diorama is after a while it just becomes part of the furniture.Nobody really sees it anymore except guests or visitors.However, on the other hand ,only seeing something every once in a while will help bring fresh( if not new eyes) to an old piece.Also I don't want to encase it in a tomb like structure, even of glass, but I wish to have it open to natural light, but without the dust, for those who may want to take pictures.
As public as my other stuff will be this will be only for private family or personal viewing.Why do it this way ? Simply I would like something that I made survive for a while after I am gone to the "Happy Hunting Ground" as a gift to my children and the young at heart.I have heard to many stories about how Grandpa Fred's or Uncle Phil's layout ended up in the garbage shortly after his death.Too big,no room,tired of looking at it sit there gathering dust etc..etc..
I know you say nothing survives forever ! No one knows that better than I and besides when I am gone who really gives a *** ? I surely won't ! but you know somehow I do and I don't mind admitting it.Ego you say ?well artists usually do have some of that it is true,Why else would we do what we do ?
KISS ! ah yes the old Kiss principal was in front of me the whole time.Keeping it simple stupid, has always been the way to go when your in doubt.
This present diorama/layout( which may be my swan song) will be much more focused than I originally intended.There is just something about an old steam train idling outside a RR station ,period.
This layout will be just that,nothing fancy,no bells and whistles.The steam engine alone will bring it all to life,no need for figures and a lot of animation.What I may do however is add sound,smoke and lighting to the piece.
I got the idea from watching Sergio's "Once upon a time in the west" Actually it is from the special features section of the Collector's Edition.Just an engine idling at a RR station ,now how simple is that ! The thing is I could look and listen to it all day.
My layout will be titled "Once upon a time a long,long time ago...." the way my grandmother always started her stories when she told them to me as a child.
But I do want this layout to have something more about it.Yes,I will leave it as a movie prop as a testament to how illusion can be made to mimic reality for good or for bad.
This present diorama/layout( which may be my swan song) will be much more focused than I originally intended.There is just something about an old steam train idling outside a RR station ,period.
This layout will be just that,nothing fancy,no bells and whistles.The steam engine alone will bring it all to life,no need for figures and a lot of animation.What I may do however is add sound,smoke and lighting to the piece.
I got the idea from watching Sergio's "Once upon a time in the west" Actually it is from the special features section of the Collector's Edition.Just an engine idling at a RR station ,now how simple is that ! The thing is I could look and listen to it all day.
My layout will be titled "Once upon a time a long,long time ago...." the way my grandmother always started her stories when she told them to me as a child.
But I do want this layout to have something more about it.Yes,I will leave it as a movie prop as a testament to how illusion can be made to mimic reality for good or for bad.
sounds like a really good project.JohnReid said:
by having something only come out at special times will make it special itself. it will be something that you have built with your own hands, it will have your stamp on it.
will you be giving it a christmas theme.
You may have noticed that I made no mention of motorizing the locomotive for this layout which is true.No I am not chickening out but have come to realize that in keeping with my original KISS principal this complication is probably not worthy of consideration after all.To run a locomotive down a few feet of straight track really adds nothing to what has already been planned,in fact any movement at all would just destroy the mood that I am trying to create.Better to leave the locomotive just idling at the station.
John this a lovely idea and so far very nicely executed. Awesome - I do hope you continue to share your progress with us 
Such a simple solution I don't know why I never thought of it before.A RR station has been built over a coach sitting on a sideline track (spur line?)using whatever materials happened to be at hand.Why ? who knows !, but that is not what is important to our story.
To say the least the station is very crudely built of old weathered siding with RR ties for a platform.It could have been built on one of Hollywood's backlots expressly for this purpose or it could have been just a found location.
To say the least the station is very crudely built of old weathered siding with RR ties for a platform.It could have been built on one of Hollywood's backlots expressly for this purpose or it could have been just a found location.
Hi John,
Very interested to know how you plan to model the driving wheels at their correct** relative size - I have yet to see a garden scale off-the-shelf locomotive that looks correct - but then I may not have looked in the right places
Trust you will share larger images with us (we won't show them to your family
)
** please do not label me as a rivet counter - just like to see something nearer the prototype :Looser:
Regards
Rob
Very interested to know how you plan to model the driving wheels at their correct** relative size - I have yet to see a garden scale off-the-shelf locomotive that looks correct - but then I may not have looked in the right places
Trust you will share larger images with us (we won't show them to your family
)** please do not label me as a rivet counter - just like to see something nearer the prototype :Looser:
Regards
Rob
Not a rivet counter but more of a wheel tapperrobsmorgan said:Very interested to know how you plan to model the driving wheels at their correct** relative size - I have yet to see a garden scale off-the-shelf locomotive that looks correct - but then I may not have looked in the right places
** please do not label me as a rivet counter - just like to see something nearer the prototype :Looser:
Regards
Rob
JohnReid said:Hi Rob ! Right now I have lots to learn to keep me busy for some time.The finer details will come in good time.Cheers! John.
& Not a rivet counter but more of a wheel tapper
I knew I would get into trouble for my comment BUT my first attempt at the General left a lot to be desired
as it should look more like this.....
Rob
Hi Rob,
If you are interested in the early American 4 4 0, and the American Military RR have a look at the following
http://usmrr.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html
plenty here note the extras on the extreme left hand side. There is a superb wood bridge on the site as well.
http://eightwheelermodels.com/
and also scroll down for some colour views.
There is a superb photo of Nashville Depot in the Civil war at
http://www.shorpy.com/node/6548
go to the larger views - they must have employed a fair size camera & a long exposure.
The 'sorpy' site is a real goldmine for photos!
Yours Peter.
If you are interested in the early American 4 4 0, and the American Military RR have a look at the following
http://usmrr.blogspot.com/2010_10_01_archive.html
plenty here note the extras on the extreme left hand side. There is a superb wood bridge on the site as well.
http://eightwheelermodels.com/
and also scroll down for some colour views.
There is a superb photo of Nashville Depot in the Civil war at
http://www.shorpy.com/node/6548
go to the larger views - they must have employed a fair size camera & a long exposure.
The 'sorpy' site is a real goldmine for photos!
Yours Peter.
robsmorgan said:Not a rivet counter but more of a wheel tapper
I knew I would get into trouble for my comment BUT my first attempt at the General left a lot to be desired
as it should look more like this.....
Rob
[/quote]
What is the problem with it Rob? There are two driving axles and two pilot axles.........oh yes you have included all the right axles but not necessarily in the correct order (to paraphrase Morecombe and Wise)
Thanks Peter, great links for guiding our USCW scratch-work...... I have become a bit obsessed by this period - should have taken more interest in school
I address this comment to Mr Chief Bottlewasher at Beavercreek..... four candles!
I did turn the "Dictator" canon on my lathe, but again it should have twice the number of wheels - in any order!
My sincere best wishes to John Reid, without whom we would not have had this opportunity for such merriment... and sorry for diverting the thread 
Rob
I address this comment to Mr Chief Bottlewasher at Beavercreek..... four candles!
I did turn the "Dictator" canon on my lathe, but again it should have twice the number of wheels - in any order!
My sincere best wishes to John Reid, without whom we would not have had this opportunity for such merriment... and sorry for diverting the thread
Rob