How prototypical is your layout?


How prototypical is your layout?

  • Absolutely 100% accurate.

    Votes: 2 2.0%

  • Selective compression, but otherwise an exact "model" of a railroad.

    Votes: 9 8.8%

  • "Selectively freelanced", somewhat follows a prototype road.

    Votes: 50 49.0%

  • Completely freelanced.

    Votes: 41 40.2%
  • Total voters
    102
nmaniac said:
Prototypical ROTFLMAO you guys kill me:D:D:D:D what does prototypical mean anyway ?????????:D:):rolleyes::cool::eek:;) LOL
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A layout that draws heavily from one or more prototype railroads, in an effort to convey the impression of a real railroad, without copying all the details of any specific one..

stationmaster said:
Having been in the hobby, or surrounded by it , for over 50 years, I've seen what has been termed as prototypical layouts of industrial switching plans to kill for. But I've also seen some pretty boring "prototypical" mainline layouts. It's all in the operation. That's where the secret of the term lies. Prototypical, in my opinion is operational.
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It can be both operational and scenery..

stationmaster said:
Selective compression is a magazine's term for nothingness. There are VERY few prototypical layouts due to space constraints. Selective compression? Hogwash!!!
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Actually selective compression is things like low-relief buildings and distance. Town A & town B may in real life be some 10-20 miles apart, but we may choose to model them 20 foot apart or on two separate levels on a multi-level model railroad, that is what is meant by selective compression..

stationmaster said:
Prototypical? No such thing.
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Prototypical would be to run a selection of trains that may well run on a given railroad in a typical day, however, we as modellers don't like to wait hours between trains as you would in real life, so we would run them to our own timetable or with a fast clock to be in-line with the prototype..


My two cents worth is this quite apt sign that I saw at an exhibition..

rivet-counters.jpg
 
Stationmaster wrote:
Selective compression is a magazine's term for nothingness. There are VERY few prototypical layouts due to space constraints. Selective compression? Hogwash!!!

This is what is done in movies all the time for miniature sets that are to represent the real world. And I don't mean CGI images.
Disney does this with the main street building and most other structures in their theme parks. Such as Epcot Center, Disney Land, etc.
It is uses in the real world, why not the modeled world.

My layout is in Texas, located some where between San Angelo and San Antonio.
It has industries and agriculture that is or could be in that part of the state.
The actual location is fiction, but the railroads are real as well as the engines and rolling stock that pass through. The terrain and flora are not exact, but give only the impression of the area. So it is Selectively Freelanced under the polls criteria.
 
The new layout I'm building I'm calling "The Philadelphia & Scranton: A Branch of the Northeast Corridor." It will feature a number of scenes that reflect certain prototype locations, but will not be a 1:87 exact copy of the 'alternative reality prototype.' Hopefully, when people see different scenes in the future the will recognize certain locations as plausible alternate realities, but in no way will they be 'full HO scale models." Even with 26' x 32', a person has to make compromises.
 
I should mention, on our "club" layout the equipment is almost from the same time period, as are the building and other scenery. We also use radios to call signals/issue track warrants, etc. We tried the fast clock thing but that's just not too fun for us. How many others use radios and all that to make the operations a bit more realistic?
 
UP2CSX said:
Let's see...I run UP, Southern, CSX, GM&O, NS, SP, and my own shortline, the Prattville and Northern. The county seat of Hillside doesn't exist anywhere but on my layout. I have vehicles from 1938 Mack trucks to Land Rover Discovery. Yep, I guess I fall into the 100% freelanced category. :) I've already been thorugh the phase of faithfully modeling a small portion of the UP. It was fun while it lasted but I found it was very limiting in terms of trying to have everything in the right place and the right era. As Ken wrote, no matter how hard you tried, some nitpicker wil show you where the UP never had that kind of signal during the period you are modeling. Just not worth the grief.
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Say Jim, Good to see you back posting after all the trying times you went through.

David
 
I guess my initial post didn't get posted and my poll was included with my post to Jim above.

While I did say 100% freelanced due to the fact all the locations are fictitious I probably should have said selectively prototypical as most all the equipment was used in Colorado on the various lines.
 
My entire layout was designed by me, for me. As long as I'm pleased, then I don't care. However, my layout does have it few little things that I would do over again, and maybe someday I will, but I need to finish it first. By the way, do layouts ever get truly finished?

My layout is the "Union Pacific's Northern Mojave Division" and it has never existed except for in my garage. It consist of 3 independent main lines that operate on two levels, 4 tunnels (8 openings) 5 custom bridges (2 of them are 3 track wide) 12' main line yard, and service and MOW yard too.

When complete it will have 5 separate throttles to operate the 3 main lines and the two yards. There is noway that I can operate everything myself, as I built two separate control panel table in two different locations of the table. Speaking of the table, it is really 4 large tables bolted together as one.
 
The layout at the club I would consider to be selectively freelanced. It goes from Boston, MA to Mechanicville, NY. It first leaves Boston, runs along the Boston and Albany route through Framingham, MA, Westboro, MA, Grafton, MA, Worcester, MA, and Palmer, MA, but then goes onto the Boston and Maine route through a fictional horseshoe curve, Greenfield, MA, North Adams, MA, Eagle Bridge, NY, and Mechanicville, NY.
 
For me, I draw the line at scenery, dates, and trains.

Size of room dictates the track plan, but I keep it branch line looking as possible.

I model the geography/terrain and trackage prototypically as best I can by using photos as a reference.

As for structures, mostly prototypical and few stand ins. All locos, diesels, and rolling stock is prototypical except for one privately owned boxcar, which is fictional. I focus on a specific year and place.

For me it is more to satisfy myself by trying to capture the mood and feel of the era visually.
 
Trussrod said:
Say Jim, Good to see you back posting after all the trying times you went through.

David
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David,

This was an old thread, and the post your saw from Jim was in 2008. Jim hasn't posted since 8/2010.

I think he is still having a bad time from the accident.
 
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