I’m in the process of building a small N Scale diarama to bring to National Take a Model Train to Work Day on the 18th. It consists of two lops of code-55 track. As it’s coming together I noticed the layout is starting to take on the look of high plains Colorado. If you’ve read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, then you know this was the setting for the John Galt Line. In the book the JGL is repaired with rails made from a new alloy called Rearden Metal. Rearden Metal is describes as blueish-green in color. Can anybody suggest a good blue-green color to paint the rails?
No, but I can suggest some better books to read [:P]
Maybe Russian iron blue, like the color of some early locomotive boilers.
No point in being coy – the color of money.
I’m curious, what is wrong with the book Atlas Shrugged? [:^)]
Jarrell
I rember when that color was green. I pulled a five out of my wallet today and it had more colors on it than a bag of Skittles.
Politics aside, its actually horribly written.
I’d think about using a permanent marker to color the rails. That way it will be more of a tint and they’ll still look metallic. Just a quick pass down each side and you’ll be done! Of course, you’ll still need to find the right blue-green shade of marker.
Jim
My first thought was peacock copper, but I don’t know that I’ve seen any paint or stain in that color. Wait that just gave me an idea. What about a coating of transparent blue/green stained-window paint? That way the shinyness of the nickel-silver might still come through.
Outstanding! Especially the second sentence.
What Ayn Rand era do you plan to model?
Peter Smith Memphis
Would a permanent marker stick to a smooth metallic surface like rail? It would certainly be the easiest way to do it if it would provide good coverage.
Agreed, and I thought “The Fountainhead” was hard to read…[banghead]
I’ll have to agree it was not the easiest read in the world, though my wife disagrees with me on that.
And now back to our regularly scheduled subject… [:D]
Jarrell
I thought that this was a model railroading forum not a book review.
Perhaps when one of the books central themes is railroads a little leeway can be permitted for two or three people to make a short comment about said book? If “Cultivating Potatoes In Argentina” is ever mentioned on this forum I promise not to say anything. [;)]
Jarrell
I’m going to rent the movie today. As far as colors, check out some of the military colors.
Richard
If I recall the color is a description only. There are no pictures so what ever you would conjur up in your mind while reading is the color to use.
If doing the John Galt line from BEFORE Rearden ‘went away’, don’t forget the signature bridge also made of Rearden Metal. And the description of it being too spindly looking to support the weight of the train, because of the greater strength of Rearden Metal.
–Randy
Having just watched the movie, they used a bluish-grey, like Russia Iron. And the bridge was done as a futuristic looking suspension bridge, very spindly and only a few suspension wires, all supported by an arch of Rearden Metal at each end - no back stays or anchors. Definitely did not look strong enough to span the gap and support the weight of the train - but that was the whole point.
As for railroad realism, well, forget it. Special metal or not, no train woudl stay on the curves depicted at 250mph.
Randy Pfeiffer of 3rd PlanIt was building a version of the John Galt line. See here: http://www.eldoradosoft.com/randys_layout.htm His version is AFTER they move to the valley.
–Randy