I think they call it "Dead Diesels"
Did anyone ever paint a steam loco like they have on diesels? ( S.P.) On our
RR excursions in the Columbus Ohio area back in the 30's and 40' we painted
silver or white trim and stripes on the steamers.
Taking it off at 2 in the morning.
John Armstrong
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Werre
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} Weekend Fun
I'm finishing up the images on a Dallas layout that also is being built and
operated by a group of perhaps 20. Even though it's primarily a S layout, I
don't think any of the helpers or operators are--in fact several are so-called
Live Steam. Of course that's also becoming an outdated term as most of the
steam guys aren't around anymore either. But somehow "live diesel" doesn't
sound right.
Anyway like Ed, you don't have to know everything--you just need volunteers
or custom builders who can grasp the concepts of the layout and put their
specialties to good use. I think if we all involved other scales in our layout
our scale might be more popular and we might have grown a bit.
Ed has mentioned using JMRI to help operate his layout. The Dallas layout
also uses it for signaling and other electronic communications. A couple of
guys were crawling under the layout to trouble shoot some boards. I plan on
using the operations segment to help in getting back in the operations mode. I
had everything setup with the RailOps program. Unfortunately the PC computer
that ran everything has died with all the data. Since the JMRI program is Mac
friendly I hope to go that way. It looks like I will need 4-5 operators when
the time comes--but there's lots to do if I do it myself. boB needs scenery
elves and I need a computer/RR expert.
Bob Werre
The mighty NYC in California has had over 55 people helping with
construction. Many are HO modelers, some are S modelers, a few are O modelers,
one N modeler and two custom builders who work in all scales (one engine and
one structure). Large complex layouts frequently have more than just the owner
working on them or else they would never get finished.
Bruce Chubb, of HO and CMRI fame, has two work crews which come over on two
nights per week. Each crew has 20+ members I have been told. That is a lot of
manhours to dump into layout building.
Right now a retired software engineer is working on the NYC's JMRI Logix
programming so that the signals will function as they should. A complex task
for most, but this guy actually thrives on it. Everybody has a specialty it
seems.
The lone wolf with a large layout is a rare breed these days. An informal
group effort is much more common -- at least around here.
Cheers....Ed Loizeaux
