John Allen had his “organic switcher,” and we’ve all seen model spiders, dinosaurs and aliens attacking layouts, so what have you done on your pike that is an inside joke or gag to keep the hobby light and fun?
On my layout I intend to have a few of my own. I got a near-HO scale Batmoblie when I was a kid, and I think I’m going to have it stuck in a traffic jam on the urban part of the layout. That goes back to a comment a friend made after we saw the last batman movie about how Gotham City must have amazingly good public transit for the streets to always be so clear for Batman’s high speed chases.
Also as I talked about in another thread, I’m putting in an engine rebuilder on the layout, which visitors can peek through the windows and doors of to see inside. There I’m going to have old Tyco locomotives having their pancake motors removed and replaced with flywheels and five-pole motors, as well as their horn-hook couplers sitting beside them as knuckle couplers are added.
Finally I’m also going to add in my local coffee shop that I go to almost daily, with me and my friends that have helped me in model railroading, sitting in the window seat having some tea.
The stations on the Tomikawa Tani Tetsudo were originally given the surnames of several serious ex-girlfriends (since changed as a matter of self-preservation.)
The logging line out of Tomikawa has my wife’s maiden name - her family ran a logging business in Tokushima-ken, Shikoku. The line’s two main stations (which may or may not get modeled) are named for our children.
The JNR Nichigeki-sen is named for Tokyo’s answer to the Folies Bergiere, and the stations are named after 1960s feature performers. (Known to my wife - no serious objections.)
Of course, modeling Japanese prototype in an oddball scale in the United States is the biggest joke of all.
My mid-60s NYC themed layout (June, 1967) between Dayton and Springfield Ohio has the Jeff Gordon 2007 Nextel Cup car he drove in 2007 year very visible in downtown Dayton. Every other automobile, and truck is in keeping with the theme of the layout as are all the rolling stock and motive power. But hey, its my layout so the 2007 chevrolet(sort of) stays At least it was easy making those head and tail light decals look like head and tail light decals.
A number of businesses in town are named for my daughter’s friends, like Suzanne’s House of Beef and Madame Adrienne’s fortune telling parlor. I’ve printed up decals for second-story windows on DPM buildings - Katie’s School of Dance and Max’s School of Rock share a second story with Dave Kelly, Attorney at Law (and MR forum member.) They’re upstairs from the House of Haggis Scottish restaurant. Dewey, Cheatham and Howe are down the street, along with the R Crumb Trucking Company.
I’ve also got Preiser figures for the Grim Reaper, who moves around for silly photos you may have seen here. Once the water is in, there will be a mermaid on the rocks, too.
The Jack Frost Ski Shop is named for my in-laws’ business at Sunday River in Maine. I photographed their signs and shop windows, and used them to detail an old Plasticville building.
I’m also planning to rename Beasley Street to Lonely Street as I start detail work on the Heartbreak Hotel.
This is probably VERY inside humor, but I’m planning a town on the new layout that will be called Lake Hammond. Unless you’re a fan of public radio jazz programs you won’t get it.
Well, my home layout is nonexistant at this point, but at the club layout…
I’ve got a building with a guy in a seated position on the pot.
There’s a phone booth painted up as the TARDIS from Doctor Who…and it “travels” around the layout at random.
One of our members is working on a hotel…with two separate light circuits. One for “family” viewers, and one for adult viewers. And the interior scenes lit by each will be appropriate for each. [:-^]
In one building, if you look carefully, Boss Hogg is having coffee and talking to Race Bannon.
Silly, yes…but you can’t take yourself too seriously. My motto is: If you can’t laugh at yourself, everyone else will do it for you. [:)]
Onthe club layout I used to belong to, there used to be two giant green martians that roamed the city of Boston…[:O] I’m not sure who placed them there.
My home layout doesn’t have anything I can see as really “funny” yet, the scene would have to be realistic for me to include it.
I have a Penn Central engine that’s clean and runs! HAHAHAHA!
But seriously folks, It’s not on my current layout (yet) but I have a factory for Einbinder Flypaper, (The brand you’ve gradually grown to trust over three generations) which was “sponsor” of the old Bob and Ray Radio Program… I also have a warehouse for Acme Bird Feed… “Beep Beep!” (also purveyors of such novelties as Rocket Powered Roller Skates, giant sling shots, and high-powered magnets)
It’s been a few years, but a popular feature on club layouts a few years ago was the Presidential Motorcade parked outside the “No Tell Motel”…
A small town on my layout is named “East Minister” - that’s an inside joke to Marylanders. Many of us have a habit of referring to the town of Westminster* as “West-minister”.
a great railfanning location for the WM while it still existed
On my n-scale layout, I’ve used place names and signs to add humor: the Tena Sea, for instance. The Rocky Top Coal Company has it’s “No. 1 Mine”. Even the limited amount of graffiti is custom-made [see photo].
When I get to that point, there will be a “Lars Thorwald, Butcher” shop in town. Lars Thorwald was the character played by Raymond Burr in the movie “Rear Window.”
