I for one would like to see more scale layouts at train shows. As to the practicality of portable scale layouts, I refer you to the following site: http://gugliotta.home.mindspring.com/index.html
This is the Sipping and Switching Society of North Carolina. They operate an HO layout that is never the same shape of size but always amazingly large. They layouts are never a round and round rectangle although they do have provision for continuous running. As there name implies there is serious switching. The track extends to the edge of the module. They do not us track joiners between modules. The modules are extremely light and ridged. The secret is their construction standards. Construction of the modules takes more time but results in incredible time savings in set up. I have seen them set up a roughly 20' by 60' layout in less then 2 hours. Check it out. If these guys can do it so can we. As an aside, I have taken my portable switching layout, the Calabash Terminal to several events. It is admittedly hirail but not Flyer. Surprisingly, at least to me, it attracted the attention of a number of teens, male and female, who immediately recognized it as a game or puzzle. After giving them the remote control, they were soon planning several moves in advance and operating at scale speeds. So it doesn't seem that you need fast trains running in circles to attract attention, just interesting operation and a little showmanship. --- In [email protected], "scale S only" <scalesonly@...> wrote: > > Hi Dale, Ed and all -- > > The thought came to me that scale layouts at shows will probably always be > fewer in number than the AF/Hi-rail versions if only because they are less > forgiving of poor track alignments. Sectional layouts are a lot like > putting the trains on the floor â" OK for hi-rail, but not so much for the > fine standards of scale. BASS has a pretty good modular display layout > that is scale, and it was at the O Scale West + S a month or so ago in Santa > Clara, so there are roving scale displays. > > There might be another reason as well â" I think that the scale S guys are > less happy with running in circles than their hi-rail cousins. Like Ed, > not throwing stones, just making an observation about the layouts I have > seen. Portable layouts donât lend themselves to complex track designs, > though I think the Houston guys have got something going that is more than a > big circle... > > All the same, we scale guys with layouts are pretty scarce. I think there > are 2 or 3 of us in AZ, and if you include Sn3, probably another 8 or 10 > that have layouts or displays. I think that in all of CA there are > probably fewer than 50 scale S railroads, in spite of all the people who > model in S there. And in recent polls of this group, I donât remember > seeing 50 answers of those that had operational fine scale layouts from all > over the US... > > Let's get those railroads built! > > Bill Winans > Prescott Valley, AZ > > ===================== > > By the way, on the West Coast, I have never seen a scale S display, but > I have seen plenty of highrail layouts at shows. > Dale Smith > ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
