Paint Shop

[R.K. Maroon]

I promised a video of Pete's T&NO Sunbeam in action at last weekend's Southwest O-scale meet, but I am sorry to report that not much of the video I shot of this train was usable. I did get one good run-by, so I mixed it in with some other video action and posted it to YouTube:

https://youtu.be/lQnIVdZoMqQ

I will take another stab at it once our layout is back up in the shop.
Jim

[sarge]

Lovely video!

A comment (like you can avoid it. GRIN!). You guys have nailed something that has always been a bugbear of mine since back in the days when I worked with Tom Landrigan and Ed Reutling with their portable New England layout at shows.

There are the HO guys with a nicely lit and executed modular, modern models, cities, the lot. Next to them are the N-trak crowd, diorama after beautiful diorama, 100 car trains. There it is; the O Scalers. The whiff of antiquity, bare planks, old manky equipment, no scenery, dark, run if it runs at all by old grumpy guys who are just as unmaintained and filthy as the stuff they're showing. We've all seen this. They aren't showing the scale off, but killing it. I might be spoilt by my experiences at the UK shows, but damn.

You guys have got a good bead on things. It's attractive. The colours show nicely in the light. Yeah some of the equipment is old but there is precious little modern-made stuff to show other than 2-rail highrail and your old stuff is clean, well built, well painted, well maintained, and are complete tight models. It runs well and runs constantly, for nothing attracts and holds attention like motion. Even the work-sites are tidy. Those of us who have been watching know this is a work in progress, but the visitor at the show doesn't. I see nothing that needs apology.

Tom and Ed swam against the current of barnwood, unpainted brass and bronze, The Wonderful World of Corrosion back in the 80s and I'm glad to see you guys doing likewise. The scale could use more like you.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I promised a video of Pete's T&NO Sunbeam in action at last weekend's Southwest O-scale meet, but I am sorry to report that not much of the video I shot of this train was usable. I did get one good run-by, so I mixed it in with some other video action and posted it to YouTube:

Nice! Good stuff all around.

I will take another stab at it once our layout is back up in the shop.

That would be great. Maybe give us a little more on the scope/scale of the layout plan?

[R.K. Maroon]

Thank you for the kind words, Brian. It helps that our show layout is also our regular club layout (set up in the shop in between shows), so we have a more motivation to put effort into it than others might.

It runs well and runs constantly, for nothing attracts and holds attention like motion

When I joined the club in 2011, our portable layout was only single track. I noticed early at the big all-scales train shows that if you didn't have a train running the show attendees would walk right past and onto the next layout. This was a big motivator in eventually double-tracking the mainline. When we discovered that we could run a third train continuously by routing through the yard, lead tracks, and industrial switching area, we realized immediately the advantage this would have at a show. The mantra is to never have a dead layout. Sure, it is a bit Lionel-like to have three trains looping around the layout at once, but keeps the layout interesting to the hoi polloi and (mostly) keeps our members from fighting over track time at the shows. In the shop, the layout is amenable to basic yard and industry switching operations.

Maybe give us a little more on the scope/scale of the layout plan?

Martin, the layout is currently down for maintenance following the show, but once it is up I will get a few photos and post more information on the layout plan.

Jim