Roger Pound
Western Thunderer
I have, for more years than I wish to own, had a love for the American prototype. Whilst the 'Big Names' have fascinated me in their time, I must confess a preference for East Coast roads sooner than the larger West Coast systems. To this end, some little time back I acquired a batch of principally Southern RR material. This has lain unused since arrival apart from testing the locos and a little tidying up. I did try to sell it on, but the interest level was nil and as it doesn't require feeding, I hung on to it.
Those of greater knowledge than mine will know all about the Southern now being part of the vast Norfolk Southern empire - ah! the old N&W - another fascinating road, but don't get me started! As I just intend to now use my stock to portray a generic scene of embedded track with delivery points and bags of shunting at a point in time when NS had just been created and much stock remained with original reporting marks, this allows a scene somewhere in the southern states (or Confederacy if you will
) where the former Southern reigned supreme. It also allows stock with early NS markings to appear without question, too.
This is my new project - it will be a working diorama as much as anything and my approach to this may offend many modellers of this type of era, scene or railway, who are perfectionists/realists, but for me Rule One applies and not only to me but to anyone else's layout too! Never having visited the USA, this is will be an amalgam of what I have seen in modelling magazines, books, films and videos from many sources and even from a membership of a few years in the NMRA a long time back. Work is under way - the principal baseboard is made and I just have a little more construction to accommodate fiddle yard sidings -or cassettes - still unsure on that one
.
The idea is to have a nice comfortable project indoors that is not space hungry and the foregoing seems to fit the bill. As my years advance, the need to go out in cold weather to a garage or shed, where my other layouts live, is less than attractive in autumn and winter particularly. This new idea can be managed in my little 'den' indoors
.
To paraphrase from the film's featuring Fu Manchu - "The Forum will here from me again!"
Roger
.
Those of greater knowledge than mine will know all about the Southern now being part of the vast Norfolk Southern empire - ah! the old N&W - another fascinating road, but don't get me started! As I just intend to now use my stock to portray a generic scene of embedded track with delivery points and bags of shunting at a point in time when NS had just been created and much stock remained with original reporting marks, this allows a scene somewhere in the southern states (or Confederacy if you will
) where the former Southern reigned supreme. It also allows stock with early NS markings to appear without question, too.This is my new project - it will be a working diorama as much as anything and my approach to this may offend many modellers of this type of era, scene or railway, who are perfectionists/realists, but for me Rule One applies and not only to me but to anyone else's layout too! Never having visited the USA, this is will be an amalgam of what I have seen in modelling magazines, books, films and videos from many sources and even from a membership of a few years in the NMRA a long time back. Work is under way - the principal baseboard is made and I just have a little more construction to accommodate fiddle yard sidings -or cassettes - still unsure on that one
.The idea is to have a nice comfortable project indoors that is not space hungry and the foregoing seems to fit the bill. As my years advance, the need to go out in cold weather to a garage or shed, where my other layouts live, is less than attractive in autumn and winter particularly. This new idea can be managed in my little 'den' indoors
.To paraphrase from the film's featuring Fu Manchu - "The Forum will here from me again!"
Roger
.
- on my venturing across the Pond to the Confederacy. The principle source of my information so far has been the Internet - not perfect, but very informative in it's way. As an aside, I have noticed a similarity between present day operation in the states and the UK - all the principally used diesel locos look the same 
!
.
. Some assurance was gained from the writings of the late Iain Rice that dioramas ideally should not exceed six feet (ca 1800mm for those who are unfamiliar with Imperial measurements) and my 'shelf' is five feet and six inches by twenty-one inches wide (ca 1650mm by 525mm) so that box is ticked.
