Great Model RR's

[MikeC]

Saturday afternoon I sat on my patio browsing though Kalmbach's Great Model Railroads 2002 when I began wondering about something. So yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I got out all of my back issues of GMR and studied them with the same thought as Saturday: "What makes a model railroad great?"

Over the years we have had Jim Kelly and the other editors at Kalmbach/MR tell us what (they think) makes a great model railroad; likewise, we've had Allan Keller, the video producer, tell us what (he thinks) makes a great model railroad. But what do WE think? What for you makes a great model railroad? How do you know a great one from any other?

Your responses?

Mike Chambers



http://homepage.mac.com/michael21/CMS-RR-Co./

[Brian_K.Woolven]

To me its something that I would like to own!

(I suppose there are some of us in this Forum who would say it has to be the Rio Grande to be great but I might be stretching things too far!)

Brian

[Bucks_Owin]

I'd like to own a lot of them but I guess to me it's a layout that inspires me to put down the magazine and go work on the RR. Boone Morrison's "Route to the Redwoods" North Coast RR made me start my layout all over again to include redwood logging. Now THATS inspiration!! BTW Mike, nice logo! Cool colors too!

[NYC]

This is easy to me the greatest Model RR was John Allen's G & Did=blue> id='Comic Sans MS'> id=size4>
Modeling the NYC railroad

(Not Yet Completed Railroad)



Phil

[BruceF]

The greatest layout hasn't been built yet.

Sure, there are many very nice layouts in all scales out there. But I'm still looking for the one that will occupy at least a million square feet (in N-scale of course) and take days to tour through. It will mimic a real life RR (right down to the operations) and be as super detailed as anything that is already out there.

Hey, it's my dream...

A refugee from the Atlas forum.

[John_Albee]

The greatest layout is the ONE that inspires us, as Bucks so eloquently said, to get up and model what we want, the one that motivates us to action.

For me, it is several. The G&D, the V&O, the Utah Belt, and so many others.

For me, the greatest of them all is the dream that lingers in my mind and has for 20 years. That image, tempered by reality and education, that causes me to aim to do better and increase my modeling acumen.

The difficult part is the dream is elusive to my skills as a modeler.

But I keep learning, reshaping, redoing.

It is a joy to me that somehow some of you understand that inspiring dream lingering because you have one to.

Evidence? "Listen" to the excitement in Buck's narrative above!

Thanks for sharing your inspiring stories!

[Bucks_Owin]

The eloquence is your's my friend! I'm glad you "got" what I was trying to say tho'......

[tankertoad70]

I also agree with the motivational aspect of a great model railroad. I don't care personally what the size is, but am I motivated by what the owner of the railroad has done I have been motivated by 4x8s as much as the larger designs.

Don

[Walt_in_Indy]

quote:

---

This is easy to me the greatest Model RR was John Allen's G & Did=blue> id='Comic Sans MS'> id=size4>
Modeling the NYC railroad

(Not Yet Completed Railroad)



Phil

---

id=quote>id=quote>
I second that! John Allen's G&D will always be the bench mark used to measure a really great model railroad.

Rusty Stumps

Fall Creek Lumber & Mining RR

[horailfan]

I think a great model railroad is one that is finished and is ready to run trains.Great,is in the eye of the beholder.

horailfan

[brakie]

What truely makes a great model railroad ? The one that pleases the owner,one that is easy and fun to operate and easy to maintain.That is a great model railroad.

brakie

[L_and_N_Debbie]

Hi everyone,

Besides the trains...I think the scenery is important to a great railroad. I like to make every structure into a "mini-scene"...whether it's a building in town, or a chicken coop or outhouse in a rural scene. I enjoy watching others find "activity" in every scene...I don't mean animation...just use of our imagination. (Of course, any animation is a plus). The pleasure that model railroading brings to others from MY railroad is enough to keep me striving to learn more and hopefully improve along the journey.

L&N Debbie

[MikeC]

These have all been great answers, but the one I keep coming back to is Bucks'. For me, the greatest layouts have been the ones that have inspired me to keep pressing on when I got discouraged, to make changes, to daydream and fantasize, and to feel completely stimulated by the possibilities.

As a result, I keep this little "list" in my head. It includes some very well known layouts and others that are not so well known at all. So, in no particular order, here's my list of GMR's:

1. John Allen's G&D

2. Bob Hayden's C&DR (circa 1982)

3. Hayden and Frary's Elk River

4. George Sellios' F&SM

5. Dave Methlie's 4X8 layout (I can't remember the name of it now, but it was published in RMC in late '70's/early '80's. I spent hours and hours studying the photos)

6. Geoff Nott, et al, recent Red Stag module series in the Gazette

7. Boone Morrison's North Coast RR

8. Paul Scoles' Pelican Bay

9. Almost anything Bernie Kempinsky does in N

10. Reid Bros.' Cumberland system.

there are others but the cat has jumped in my lap and is demanding that I do something besides type... it's very distracting.


Mike Chambers



http://homepage.mac.com/michael21/CMS-RR-Co./

[tankertoad70]

If'n any of ya get up into the Portland, OR area, go check out Lowell Smith's hobby shop, 'Hobby Smith.' He is an 'N' scaler and runs a great shoppe for those in that scale. However, the hi-lite of his store is his rendition of the 'Inside Gateway' in n-scale. The layout is very inspirational no matter what scale any are in, and all are invited to operate during his Wednesday night sessions. He keeps a lot of operators busy.

Don in Oregon City

[Brian_K.Woolven]

This time I'll be a little bit more sensible with my reply!

There are also some great layouts over here in Europe. Some are large, some are small. Even though they may be non-American they still inspire me to do better. They need not be accurate to prototype but they look great and they operate well.

As MikeC says, they inspire you when you get discouraged, and that is what a great Model Railroad should do.

Brian