A Modest Model Railroad

Just amazing by calmdude · 2004-01-23 14:04 · Score: 5, Interesting

A System One "hammer head" throttle for the DCC system; note that these tethered throttles have since been retro-fitted by North Coast Engineering (NCE) as radio-controlled throttles. The various buttons are labeled for control speed, direction, sound and lighting effects, etc. Programming of a locomotive can also be done "on the fly" using these throttles.

Apart from the attention to detail, the actual functionality is absolutely astounding!

Re:didnt read the article by Acidic_Diarrhea · 2004-01-23 14:05 · Score: 3, Insightful

Knowing when he started working on this doesn't mean that you know how much time he spends on his hobby. If he can only devote one hour every year to his hobby, you wouldn't make a snide remark, would you?

Come on, use some logic. You don't have enough information with only the year the project was started to make a comment in the vein that you want to.

--
I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.

Mr. Comductor by drayzel · 2004-01-23 14:05 · Score: 4, Funny

Wow! That is some great detail! I think I can even see a little minature Ringo Starr as MR. Conductor standing next to Thomas the train.

The little website that could.... by stefanlasiewski · 2004-01-23 14:10 · Score: 5, Funny

Ever wonder what happens when a website gets smacked by a locomotive?

CHooooo Chooooo!

I-serve-I-can I-serve-I-can I--serve--I--can I---serve---I---can
I------------serve----------- I------------can

CHooooo Chooooo!

Slash-a-dot-a Slash-a-dot-a Slash-a-dot-a Slash-a-dot-a Slash-a-dot-a

--
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."

Re:The little website that could.... by tarquin_fim_bim · 2004-01-23 15:12 · Score: 4, Funny

To an adult that wouldn't be funny.

Re:didnt read the article by dsplat · 2004-01-23 14:10 · Score: 3, Insightful

Damn, does this guy have too much time on his hands or what?

Or maybe he didn't have enough free time for years which is why he's been working on it for nearly a quarter of a century. Okay, model railroading isn't my personal hobby. But I spend enough time pursuing hobby interests to respect someone's ability to go beyond just puttering and create something on an impressive scale. Having too much free time on your hands often has dramatically different results.

--
The net will not be what we demand, but what we make it. Build it well.

A True Historian by jrandall · 2004-01-23 14:11 · Score: 5, Interesting

You are very quick to make fun of this gentleman, who has obviously invested quite a lot of his time into creating this railroad. I am sure he has quite a lot of fun doing this work, but aside from that it should be obvious to anyone who actually visited his site that he is a true historian. He has actually researched the original railroad and presents much of his information on-line as well as running what amounts to an operating museum.

I, for one, appreciate his work and would love to be able to visit his layout and enjoy it as I would any other historical museum.

Re:A True Historian by samschul · 2004-01-23 15:25 · Score: 5, Informative

I have meet Jack Burgess when I was researching the Yosemite Valley Railroad to build by own version under Microsoft train simulator. Jack has so much data that he has collected on this railroad, I could believe he is probablly the worlds most knowlegable person on its history. He has also produced a book that is scheduled to be published soon that covers the history of the YVRR along with modeling tips.
Re:A True Historian by speleo · 2004-01-23 16:11 · Score: 4, Insightful

I've visited Jack's layout several times. To say it's impressive would be an understatement.

Jack is *the* expert on the Yosemite Valley Railroad and has modeled it down to the smallest detail, including time-table operation for the scheduling of the trains based on what was actually running on the real railroad in August of 1939.

And his craftsmanship is outstanding.

Jack is an engineer and is very familiar with computers and has used CAD to design to construct his layout.

To put it another way, Jack is an ESR or Linus equivalent in the model railroad community.

Question for a rail enthusiast... by Embedded+Geek · 2004-01-23 14:15 · Score: 5, Interesting

route of an old rail line...

I've seen a few layouts done that are supposed to recreate actual rail lines and I've always been puzzled by one thing. Given the geography of the room where someone sets up their layout and also the necesity of accessing the layout (if only to observe the fruits of all that hard work), I've always presumed such layouts are not attempts to faithfully duplicate the layout of the rail line but to represent the scenery through which a traveler would pass. That is, there's no attempt to duplicate or scale "Then this spur goes east for 24 miles before it turns north for three more..." just do something like "and after we pass through the pine forest here near the bedroom door, we hit the town of Pidegeonville, which I placed next to the window..."

A silly question, but wanted to make sure I understood the "ground rules" of these recreations.

Personally, I never got past an oval under the Christmas tree and trying to scare the cat, although I did work as a waiter on the Southwest Chief one summer in college. I don't think most modelmakers would care to recreate the Leavenworth prison or the vagrant we ran over near L.A. Union Station, though.

--

"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."

Re:Question for a rail enthusiast... by clem.dickey · 2004-01-23 14:42 · Score: 4, Informative

>I've always presumed such layouts are not attempts to faithfully duplicate the layout of the rail line

True. A 40 mile run in N-scale would be 1/4 mile of track. Most people don't have that much space. Nor do they want to spend the hour or so that it would take a train to travel that distance. Modelers use "selective compression" to show only the most interesting parts of the line, and a "fast clock" (typically 10x normal time) to get a full day's railroading done in an hour or two.
Re:Question for a rail enthusiast... by badasscat · 2004-01-23 16:26 · Score: 4, Informative

I've always presumed such layouts are not attempts to faithfully duplicate the layout of the rail line but to represent the scenery through which a traveler would pass. That is, there's no attempt to duplicate or scale "Then this spur goes east for 24 miles before it turns north for three more..." just do something like "and after we pass through the pine forest here near the bedroom door, we hit the town of Pidegeonville, which I placed next to the window..."

You are correct. There are actual scale model railroads (there's a museum in Chicago with a real scale model railroad of the Chicago area, for example - it's really impressive!), but they're rare. Most model railroaders attempt to model the "spirit" of a railroad, along with maybe some of its individually distinctive features, but they'll drastically shorten the "dead" areas of a railroad and/or combine the less distinctive features. The point is to capture the highlights of a railroad. Of course, many people don't bother modeling real railroads because they don't want to burden themselves with questions of accuracy - they just build whatever they think looks nice.

Same is actually true for the trains themselves. There's a segment of model railroaders who are derisively called "rivet counters" by the rest - these are people who are absolute sticklers for train model accuracy down to the last rivet. Most model railroaders, though, will accept some inaccuracies in their trains, and one of the main areas of inaccuracies is in the consists. Like layouts themselves, this is to save space - in HO scale, a typical passenger train made up of three or four locomotives and 17 or 18 85' cars could be 21-22 feet long! Most model railroaders do not run accurate trains; they run representations of them, featuring one or at the most two of every type of car in a passenger train, or simply shortened freight trains (many of which are just long and monotonous in real life anyway, IMO).

Of course, choosing a smaller scale will let you model more in the same space, but sometimes in less detail. In the US, HO scale is most popular because it still generally offers the best balance between detail level and space savings (vs. the original O scale). In Japan, N scale is the most popular because of the small size of many dwellings there - and I also think because Japanese model railroading is more fixed-consist passenger-oriented (vs. mixed freight here), so to model a train that looks remotely realistic you have to run fairly long trains. N scale has also improved dramatically in detail level over the past 20 or so years, so I expect if this hobby survives there will be a gradual increase in the popularity of N scale in this country, leading to somewhat more realistically-sized layouts.

It's a hobby still in slow decline in the US, though, going hand in hand with the decline of passenger trains in general (and the rise of other pastimes such as video and computer games - kids who in generations past would grow up with train sets are now growing up with PlayStations instead). Which is a shame - many of these layouts really are true historical documents, in the same way any museum diorama is. And they're fun, too!

Model Railroading by nemesisj · 2004-01-23 14:17 · Score: 4, Informative

This reminds me a lot of the beautiful Gorre & Daphetid Railroad by the late John Allen. Hands down the most amazing layout I've ever seen, there used to be a book in print called "Model Railroading with John Allen". He revolutionized the hobby because he was a professional photographer and spent incredible time on the photos he would send in to magazines etc.

It's been awhile since I was a subscriber to Model Railroader (50 bucks a year for a student is steep), but in the early nineties it seemed like the convergence of computers and model railroading was finally beginning to happen so that people who weren't in MIT and were still interested in controlling trains with computers could begin to tinker.

Course, the ultimate limitation on model railroading seems to always be space, so I'm hoping that when I have some space in the future I'll be able to get a layout going again, and even have fun working on the computer aspect.

--

$45 per U Colocation Special

Re:Model Railroading by clem.dickey · 2004-01-23 14:46 · Score: 3, Insightful

> [John Allen] revolutionized the hobby because he was a professional photographer

His college training was in art, and he made some good investments which left him financially independent at a young age. Both of those help. Those and a sense of humor.

Not bad, but... by uradu · 2004-01-23 14:20 · Score: 4, Interesting

for probably the largest digital layout in the world, check out this in Hamburg. Unfortunately it's only in German, but the pictures speak for themselves (click the logo to enter, then "Fotos" in the top menu, then any of the secondary menu items). The layout was designed fully digital from the beginning, with all accessories (cars, boars, cable cars etc.) also fully digitally controlled. These guys are true nerds that built a lot of the electronics themselves. The layout has cost over EUR4M so far.

Re:Not bad, but... by Wakkow · 2004-01-23 14:35 · Score: 4, Informative

I know most of you are too lazy to look at the photos.. but please look. That setup is amazing.

HO, baby! by Wakkow · 2004-01-23 14:26 · Score: 3, Funny

While you all argue over which text editor to use, the real debate is on which gauge is best. You N and O scale ain't got nothin' on my HO.

Local Model Railroad Clubs by BenFranske · 2004-01-23 14:26 · Score: 4, Interesting

If you find this sort of thing interesting (and their is a lot of application of computers in modern model railroading) why not join a local club. Heck, you could make the entire thing availible on a web site and allow remote control and view it over a webcam.

One such local group is the Twin Cities Model Railroad Museum which has a pretty nice layout itself.

I Don't even know where to start with this one... by SideEffects · 2004-01-23 14:27 · Score: 4, Funny

"Jim Dias holds short of the Merced yards to allow Ray deBlieck to clear a passing track so that he can run around his caboose and turn his engine and put it away on one of the turntable leads.

All kidding aside, it's just a great setup.

Pretty Cool. Reminds me of when I was a kid. by weeboo0104 · 2004-01-23 14:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

I wish there were more pictures of these layouts though.

I used to be a member of a model railroad club in Holly, Michigan. It was in an old movie theater and the layout covered ALL the floorspace. There was a balcony where the movie screen used to be and that's where we controlled the engine by wireless and kept the dispatch busy by updating them with our engine locations.

It was a first-class layout there. Anybody else in Michigan ever visit the Detroit model railroad club in Holly?

--
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass

Stop motion films... by addie · 2004-01-23 14:29 · Score: 3, Interesting

Being a stop-motion hobbyist, a setpiece like this would just be a dream to work with. Amazing!

Original American Geeks by toxic666 · 2004-01-23 14:32 · Score: 4, Insightful

Before /. techno geeks laugh at this guy's dedication to the hobby too loudly, remember that the railroads were the work of America's original high-tech geeks. This is much more impressive than running a Trash 80.

Railroaders were the technical cutting edge of the 19th century. Financial over-investments in transportation (both canals and rail) contributed to the 1837 Panic. Gee, times have changed (heh!).

Yeah, I play Loki's RT2 Linux port. But I'm not knowledgable enough about the real thing to be a credible rail fan.

Interesting by cubicledrone · 2004-01-23 14:35 · Score: 5, Insightful

Isn't it interesting how the first response to anyone who is truly devoted to something other than getting drunk or watching Celebrity Idol Millionaire is "they must be wasting their time" or they need "a life?"

Does this not perfectly describe the difference between "producer" and "consumer?"

Would that we, as a society, could find a way to encourage people to value productive, thinking time. Such people produce literature, invention and wisdom.

--
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.

Re:Interesting by Carmody · 2004-01-23 16:35 · Score: 3, Insightful

You are on the money. I hate it when someone does something creative, and the TV watchers he works with tell him "you must have a lot of time on your hands" or "get a life" or whatever.

Issac Asimov has the right to tell me to "get a life." But someone whose seen every episode of Law and Order does not.

--
God is real unless declared integer

Poor guy by lblack · 2004-01-23 14:38 · Score: 5, Interesting

Model Railroad Tour - I have had hundreds of visitors to my layout. Here is a chance to take a short virtual tour.

[Emphasis mine]

And I mean, it's *right there* when you read the page. Couldn't you at least set up a Paypal account or something so that people who visit the site can kick a pity dollar for smalltime, image-heavy, hobbyist sites like this?

Did the guy get a warning, at least? Since the site hasn't buckled, I'm assuming he's bursting his metered bandwidth as I type, and paying an awful lot for the privilege.

Slashdot should at least buy one of his books.

leem

p.s. Totally amazing dedication that this guy has put into the hobby.

Re:Poor guy by quist · 2004-01-24 10:01 · Score: 3, Interesting

...Additional Data Transfer (Billed Automatically)

Unfortunately that appears to be the case. This morning I received a frustrated reply from Mr Burgess to a short complimentary email I sent last night. Quoting:

...exceeding bandwidth and running up the bill for a person with a personal web site. I have maintained a web site to share my hobby with others. ...is now costing me in excess of several thousand dollars.

This is not good, guys. Not good at all.

Granted, we know that bandwidth can be throttled or connections suspended when certain thresholds are reached--we should know that's our bailiwik--but most folks don't. Sorry, but "tough luck" does not reflect well on the community.

Any ideas out there on how we might heal this?

Re:didnt read the article by Anonymous Coward · 2004-01-23 14:41 · Score: 4, Funny

"Damn, does this guy have too much time on his hands or what?"

Oh, does he? He could probably waste that time by sitting on slashdot and posting assinine comments like yours.

Re:Pretty Cool. Reminds me of when I was a kid. by weeboo0104 · 2004-01-23 14:46 · Score: 4, Informative

Call me a karma whore, but I forgot to include the Detroit Model Railroad club info.

Detroit Model Railroad Club. . . . . . . Scale: O
104 N. Saginaw
Holly, MI 48442-1405
248/634-5811
The Detroit Model Railroad Club was founded in January, 1935 as an off-shoot of The Detroit Society of Model Engineers. The Detroit Union Railroad is the basis for our freelance theme with connections with the various railroads which served the Detroit area in 1957. The narrow gage will depict eastern type narrow gage. We have 35 active members and a number of associate members. Calling the old Holly theater our home, we feel that being in an old theater creates a unique atmosphere for model railroading. Being the largest model railroad in the State of Michigan brings people in from many areas.

Meetings: Tuesday nights from 7PM to 10PM to work on the layout and have Open Houses for the public on certain weekends. We have about 40 active and 60 associate members and new members are welcome.

Here a list of model railroad clubs in Michigan.

--
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. -Frederick Douglass

Another train layout (shameless plug) by k4_pacific · 2004-01-23 14:58 · Score: 3, Interesting

These are my dad's trains.

I built some of the buildings.
Lots of pictures.

--
Unknown host pong.

Beautiful! by humankind · 2004-01-23 14:58 · Score: 4, Insightful

The work this guy has done is amazing. Even if you aren't into these types of things, you cannot help but respect the tremendous attention to detail he has put into his work. If only most commercial programmers had the work ethic of this guy imagine the stability and performance of our software and other systems.

As model railroaders go... by JAlanSnyder · 2004-01-23 15:40 · Score: 4, Informative

Jack Burgess is considered to be one of the all-time greats. His layout and the quality of his modeling are as good as any found anywhere. If you are involved in the hobby in any way you have most likely heard of him. It's a multi-faceted hobby; some like the modeling, some like the history, some like 'operations' which involves a small group of operators who try to run the layout like a real railroad, and some like the electronics. You can even write your own Java apps to control the layout - http://jmri.sourceforge.net/ - some guys are doing it with Linux. For more examples of some outstanding layouts search on George Sellios or Howard Zane.

Strange... by Rrave · 2004-01-23 17:55 · Score: 3, Interesting

Kinda funny this showed up here. Been a slashdot watching for awhile now... Never expected to see this.

I am actually part of a business that manufactures kits for model railroads. Right now we mostly make LargeScale which is for outdoor gardens... We use to do HO scale, and plan on going back into it soon.

I have actually met the man who made the railroad posted, very dedicated, and great model railroader.

Anyways, was just surprised to see something like this... Posted here...

If you want to check out some largescale models you can check out our site at www.railroadavenue.com

Just recently changed our host server (a couple days ago) so if you find any missing or screwed links, e-mail me if you could... I checked them all and it all worked, but you never know.

P.S. You'd be suprised to see how many techies are in this hobby. I have met more than one rocket scientist, tons of engineers (the kind who design things), and a bunch of other "geeks".

:)

Re:Maerklin is the way to go! by badasscat · 2004-01-23 17:56 · Score: 4, Informative

The above system in Hamburg looks like the Maerklin trains.

Or as we call them in the US, "Marklin" trains :)

Not sure which is more technically correct - it's an "a" with an umlaut over it, which is just too hard to type on an English keyboard/OS!

They have a digital control system where by you don't have to have any blocks to control your trains. You put out full voltage onto the rails at all times and then the engines know what direction they should go and how fast to go. It is a much better system and more realistically approximates the way real trains work.

Marklin has no copyright or trademark on this. It's called Digital Command Control and it's what most model railroaders the world over use today. See here. Nearly all current model locomotives made and/or marketed in the US (and Europe and Japan, for that matter) are now DCC-ready.

btw, Marklin trains are some high-quality trains, alright (my brother deals almost exclusively with them)... but so are a lot of other makes. There's always somewhat of a debate on who makes the best equipment, but I think most model railroaders agree that it really depends these days on the specific car/locomotive being modeled - one company may make a better looking and running ICE, another may make a better looking and running SD40-2, another may make a better looking and running Hudson J2E. All of the major manufacturers in HO and N (Kato, Tomix, Walthers, Atlas, Marklin, etc.) maintain at least a basic standard of quality - they're all at least good, all the time.

Oh, and if you're wondering, metal is not better than plastic! At least not as a rule. It's nearly impossible to get the same level of precision and detail in die-cast as in plastic, and while brass is still fairly popular, it's also extremely expensive and extremely fragile (relegating brass trains mainly to display duty these days - nobody wants to derail a $5,000 train and see it go tumbling to the floor, pieces breaking off all the way down!).

for /.ers new to the hobby... by chocolatetrumpet · 2004-01-23 18:35 · Score: 3, Informative

Since this may be the first exposure many /.ers have to some serious model railroading, I thought I'd broaden the perspective a little bit from the old standby HO (though not to at all belittle the beautiful work of Jack Burgess).

Some stuff I've been drooling over lately:

West-Side Locomotive Works

garden railroading images like this one

and of course my favorite model train company, Lehmann Gross Bahn

Enjoy, and add your own links!

--
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.

Roadside America by AnalogDiehard · 2004-01-23 19:59 · Score: 3, Informative

Jack Burgess does have an eye for anthenticity, but his 20' by 20' layout is dwarfed by this old time tourist attraction called Roadside America, which is a miniature village that fills an entire warehouse with O scale model trains complete with running cars, trolleys, waterways, working crossing gates and signals, working coal trestles, wood mills, you name it. It still fascinates me since I saw it when I was a kid. And they turn the lights down periodically for a dramatic nighttime scene.

Wholesome tourist attraction for kids and adults - you'll love it. Usual disclaimer applies.

--
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10

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