Does anyone out there model whimsical, fantastic, improbable, or other “odd” things on the layout?
One guy I know has a bunch of plastic dinosaurs on his module next to a “nauga” tannery (whence we get “naugahide”). In particular, between buildings is one particular purple “nauga” on a rampage, being faced down by a person armed with a rifle. This always brings a smile to faces of parents of small children, and older kids, too. (Why do we hate Barney?)
I had my own idea for a Homer Simpson on my layout leaving a beer-and-pastry store (mmm, donuts). The name: Duff-n-Donuts
The hobby used to be absolutely FULL of cutsey names, puns, and foolish acronyms. They got old, and most people in the hobby eventually stopped using really obnoxious names. Even John Allen wished he could change the name of his Gorre & Dephitid, after it got famous and the humor wore off.
It’s your RR; do what you want. Just make the signs easily removable, just in case the humor wears off any company names you come up with.
I love the little scenes on layouts. I want to find a large shark and put it into a backyard pool and have a bunch of cops standing around looking at it while scratching their heads.
If I were to use a silly name for a company, it would have to be the merger of Norfolk Southern with WayPal expediting. It’s new name would be Norfolk & WayPal. “If you want something shipped, there’s Norfolk and WayPal”.
And then there is IGMO (International Grain Mill Operators)(only use the left over grain); CANDRIP (recycling soda drippings when crushing aluminum cans); Stack Jack (super glue product that WILL keep the tiles on the shuttle); Squeeze (alcoholic drink from barn silo drippings); Queeze (a refined version of Squeeze). Each of these companies has a little truth to its story
The group members of a number of layouts in Northwest PA have one of these companies incorporated into the layout. Most visitors never catch the whimsical part of these companies.
One of the funniest things I’ve seen was on the Arklatex Model Railroad Club’s modular layout. The Shreveport based group has a swamp module complete with alligators, fan propelled boats, water, moss, etc. The great thing was the sounds! Birds, frogs, bugs, noises of the swamp…all inter spaced with an occasional croak of “Bud–Weiser–Er”! [:D]
Ever seen Who Framed Roger Rabbit? I actually intend to incorporate a copuple toons into the layout. There’s also a mystery cave where all you can see is a weird glow and a gust of air coming out of it, whoever enters the cave will end up…I don’t know where. There are also a few strange occurences going on in the back of the radio store…mwahahaha!!
The M.E.S.S.'s legal team of “Will S. Crew, N. Gouge, U. Bleu Barristers & Solicitors” just set up shop in the once quiet town of Musquodoboit. It was felt a high wielding and fluting bunch of city types was needed to protect the rights of the small RR in light of recent threats of licensing actions being imposed by disreputable RR moguls.
Well, I was thinking of putting Vere, Gray & Bland Law Offices on the layout. This firm used to actually exist, Vere is my godfather & Gray is his wife, Bland retired about 10 years ago though, so it’s just Vere & Gray now.
Its best to these things subversively. Like tombstones with funy lymrics are peekabo surprises in windows. Dont be obvious about it. Things like Dinosuars should be hidden in the folage, to surprise the viewer. As for names again subtlety is the key. Having the names Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe Attornies at Law" plainly speeled out on a storefront window might sound kinda kitsche, but if its done using highly stylised lettering so that your it looks like the type of sign you find at a law office you mind will not see the joke obviuosly, you have to read the sign then get it. its not a hammer over the head, more of a knife in the back.HeHehe.
As for names like the Gorre & Dephitid ( Gorrey and Defeated, if my memory serves me right) My RR is called the Borracho Springs RR serving the desert town of Borracho Springs of Arizona. Now it sounds like a romantic southwestern town name unless you know what the name translates into. Hence the Borracho Brewery, a prime business provider takes on another whole different meaning. Its all in the presentation.
I got the name from the old Tony Curtis/Jack Lemmon film “The Great Race” Its supposed to be the same town only set in the 1950’s. I just liked the name, the way it sounded when spoken so I used it, the translated twist is a added benifit.
In one of the small towns on our layout will be the largest Tofu packing plant in the Adirondacks. We plan to construct some nearby tofu feedlots and move some grazing operations from the western states to utilize some of the recently logged-off timberland. Tofu on the hoof seem to do well browsing on the new growth of the ravished clearcut land.
Prototypical? Maybe not, but who cares? Clear-cutting timber is prototypical but we need a sustainable economy and tofu herds may be just the answer for the North Country. The Muddy Creek shops are building a new fleet of stock cars for the operation.
Some of the ideas I’m tossing around (our club layout has a man relieving himself directly beside an occupied outhouse - I like that one)
OgoPogo in the lake
BC Sasquatch going into the bush (similar to Bigfoot) to collect large already peeled logs for the BogFoot Log Home Builders - an actual business in town
Marvin the Martian (and Bug’s Bunny), by a UFO landing pad, protected by the Batmobile, and possibly Spiderman
I have a container load on a flatdeck rail car - the container is made out of LEGO
a flattened scale “penny” on abandonned track
since I work in Corrections, I’m planning a Justice section with a model of the Courthouse that I work in, an RCMP Police Station with police cars seen in the areas I’ve lived in - RCMP, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Michigan State Police, CHiPs, Sheriff- no two of the same, the “Kruk and Lawless” legal firm (actual surnames), along with a jailhouse and an escape, a chain-gang work crew, CONRail, NewHaven (a detention centre out here), and SKP (not TXP) freightcars with graffiti, a bank robbery, a train robbery, a purse snatching… who knows, possibilities are endless
Ooh,almost forgot! krump’s “actual business” reminded me! I’m modelling a take-off of an actual business in the Adirondack Park. I live in a 6 million acre forest, a mix of of public and private lands which our State Constitution has guaranteed protection of the public land as “Forever Wild.”
The business with the greatest oxy-moronic name: the Forever Wild Development Corporation.
The Gorre & Daphetid did whimsy to a great degree, although it was a widespread thing: I’ve seen (and still occasionally see) too many layout plans/photos with “impossibilium” mines to recall accurately.
A model-railroad diorama in the California State Railroad Museum, intended to show how logging railroads work, features an elephant hidden amongst the trees in the background. I like that kind of hidden “surprise” detail more than obvious attempts at wackiness–it gives the careful viewer a treat.
Another thing to consider is making such details realistic or feasible–on my layout, one bit I have planned is the local SPCA (which was right next to the tracks on the prototype) which will feature a “dog breakout” with several canine convicts fleeing the building with net-wielding dogcatchers in hot pursuit. It’s kind of silly, but not necessarily unbelievable.
I saw a cartoon many years ago that I’d like to replicate in model form some day - a motorcyle cop on rails hiding behind a sign on a siding. The motorcycle would have an outrigger with a wheel like on a hand operated velocipede. Just sitting there waiting for a speeding train to go by! [:D]
It’s even more subtle if you spell it English-fashion - Cheatham
For those who want to get to the “inside” joke, go to babelfish.altavista.com. You’ll figure out what to do when you get there. It was good for a snicker, but then I’m at work and have to be quiet.
Wow that are a good link! now I can harass you a piece more easily with nonsense! thanks!
mind you this is what that babelfish.altavista.com made of my dutch text. I think it is not quite what I ment sooooooo [:P] Use with care [swg][(-D][swg][(-D]
this is going to get very funny !