This is intended to be a "what if" thread and open to all suggestions / derivations / deviations and off topic responses. What If, (maybe at a model RR Show): There was a preset competition to design and build a 3'x5' model railroad in 12 hours. Givens you would know about in advance: Kato Unitrak Pre-built 3'x5' foam base table Unlimited 1/2 thick foam for any purpose Wide selection of paints and brushes for any purpose More than enough plaster for any purpose Wide selection of the tools for cutting foam etc Wide selection of adhesives Unlimited selection of curves and straights One 15 degree crossing One power supply Unknowns - Revealed on day of contest: One Atlas Trainman starter set Unknown quantity of turnouts but more than 2 and fewer than 10 A selection of "generic" buildings You can Pre-declare tools you would like to bring but judges retain the right to disallow them. You can have one aid You would have 12 hours, say from 8:00AM to 8:00PM to design, build and scenic the layout. Winners get to keep results. What have I left out? Variations? Has this ever been done? Not really a serious post but thought it might appeal to some. I will be submitting my idea in a couple of days.
You've provided nothing but the bare minimum of scenery material here. Need a minimum of ground foam. Personally, It would depend on the starter set. I've had my mind stuck in the Pacific Northwest and modern forest products/shortline ops for a while now, so that would be the direction I'd want to go, but I don't think you'd get bulkhead flats and chip cars in a starter set. Though I suppose It could work. So I'd do a double sided layout modeling the Portland and Western's combination of Oregon Electric (Former BN) and SP lines in Portland Oregon's Western Suburbs. I would divide the layout in half or maybe, given this is N scale (has to be given the size) divide it in 3 with a scenic block. Scenes would include a "rural" area with farmland, a river and/or protected forest, a suburban area with commuter station and a rock distributor operation (scratch built if modeled at all) Sorry I can't draw a plan, I'm at work. I'm imagining a loop with a passing track or 2. Some form of staging representing connections at the north and south end of the line (this could be visible staging). Prototypically, one of those passing tracks would also represent the rock distribution loadout. At least one siding with a generic warehouse and preferably another siding visible or not which would be a lumber mill. The mill itself if included would be mostly painted on the backdrop. Also, at least one commuter train station. Traffic on such a layout would be forest products as well as delivery
Well, I would say that with unlimited foam you would make the most of the vertical space. Without trees, I'd probably shoot for something like NM or AZ. (with trees maybe NS in WV?) I would probably do a double-sided layout--possibly a twice-around--with one side being a large canyon and the other side being a small "desert junction" town with one passing siding and at least one spur for an industry/team track. The centerpiece would be a large arch bridge (improvised from foam) over the canyon and a couple of smaller deck girder bridges for the second pass. Rely heavily on the foam, plaster, and most importantly paint to bring out some semblance of desert scenery. And hope that I draw a BNSF/UP Trainman set. ;-)
Background I came up with this idea after watching a few episodes of "Chopped" and "Iron Chef". They are two "Realty TV" cooking competitions. I found them ludicrous to watch because they were moving too fast to follow or learn anything. I realized that if it was about trains it would probably be a lot more interested. I wondered how would you setup such a competition, (not for TV). -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Trees - Yes, I forgot trees - Materials for a variety of scenery would be available. Some pre-made and some scratch. Obviously more scratch built -equals higher the score - if merited. Keep in mind you have an assistant. Trains - Ya, I'm thinking when I start a new thread it will be better thought out but the reason for not revealing too much in advance is to force the participants to think on thier feet. Paint: I am tempted to give basic colors and force you to mix your own. I could see this "contest" being graded / scored on: Design - of the track plan Practical functionality - can you run trains? Originality - Just another oval or is there more to it? Practical Realism - Within the various restraints is is "real" Craftsmanship - Use of tools - Quality of the outcome Scenery - Is it convincing / credible for the location stated. Is is applied appropriately? Should there really be a tunnel there? Methods - Did you use tried and true methods or attempt / risk something different - in any aspect from design to construction. Originality - Extremely subjective and maybe omitted Vignettes - 10 to 20 generic figures would be provided Overall Results - How does it look? How well does the train run? How credible is it? About another thread: I hope by the time this one has run its course I will have a much better concept of just how to organize a fictitious contest. Input and questions / suggestions / laughter are welcome.
Ooo, chopped: 4 model railroaders compete to create 3 scenes, industrial/rural, urban and whimsical each scene must use the 4 mystery components and the materials in our fully stocked work bench.
I'd probably build some sort of scene with switching potential, such as a busy industrial district, which, if I got to take it home, I could slap onto my modular layout and use.
I like this idea! its like speed-dating only fun!wink: Given that I don't know the roadname, scenery and location in theory would be dictated by that. You could say it's an unpainted lease or recent acquisition, but thats getting finicky (and who leases GP15s nowadays?). I would like some more cars than just the trainset though, like 10-20 tanks, boxes, hoppers, etc? Preferably cars that would make sense being around the trainset dictated area. Assistant and I would gang up on landforming with foam cutter, steak knives, and Surform, then other tasks would be divied up, such as tree making (or cacti?), rock molds, structure fabrication, track snapping, etc. The plan would be an oval (for trainshow roundy-round performance) with a central divider that curves to the outside, so basically a large longstem "Y". The central divider is cut semi-organically, the top follows the top of clouds for instance, and it gradually decreases in height toward the open end of the layout, disappearing into a hill. This is to cut down on the "gigantic blue square towering over everything" effect I see a lot at module conventions. My current (read: just started building) layout trackplan would work well here with a few changes. Orient yourself at the end of the table, and we will travel clockwise. The 6 to 12 o'clock side of the oval branches from single mainline into three tracks, the thru-main and two yard/storage tracks. All three continue through the backdrop which the opening is hidden by an overpass into uptown, fashioned from foam. Easement in the mainline allows it to gain separation from the two storage tracks as they make the turnback, (inside storage track radius 9.75" outer storage track radius is 11", main radius is inherently variable with easements). . This means the two storage tracks can come through the other leg of the central divider close to it's angle apex, and squeeze behind a tree-covered hill (i.e. out of sight), the mainline emerges from the backdrop by tunnel with a long (8-12" long) cut into the hillside leading up to it (eliminating the "hole-in-the-wall" I see far too often, unless I get the UP or BNSF trainset, then maybe it would make sense to hole in the wall through a southwestern rock formation...). Storage tracks converge into one track behind their hill, but near a dip in the ridge (so you can visually see it and make sure its aligned correctly ... (or do we have the blue Kato switche controllers at a master control panel?). After convergence, there is a #4 left and that track comes through a cut in the hill and crosses the mainline @ 15 degrees... cuts are cheaper then tunnels. The single track doesn't re-converge with the main until over half way down this side of the oval. This represents the interchange lead and functions as the lead to staging as well. Scenery here is transitioning from wild(forest or desert) to rural/small town. The oval on this side has very few straights, and uses 27" R curves to make a sineous S-curve (the horror I sense is palpable). Figure if the mystery train set is an Atlas Trainman, you have a 4 axle GP-15 diesel and a small # of cars. At slow speed, they can negotiate that type of broad S curve. Albeit not as well as a flextrack s-curve, but I don't think we'll be running autoracks, 86' boxes, or multistacks with one GP-15. You have to do something to break up the straight line Kato track on such a small layout or its going to feel small no matter what you run. The open end of the layout, where the divider disappears, will be the transition from rural to small town, where there is a grade crossing of Main street, the depot, and the rest of the buildings are kitbashed into various businesses, houses, and foam mixed with detail bits form background flats shorter then that sloping divider. Town is situated on the hill overlooking the 3-track yard (where the additional 10-20 cars are kept). Depending on how many switches I have left over, spurs go to various industries, again dictated by what trainset I get. Hoof thats a lot of thinking.
