I am currently bidding on several Thomas items, and hope to build a layout with them. My home layout is a proto-freelanced Atlantic Coast Line RR branch in the ‘50s. The layout I’m proposing here will be at least 3’X4’‘, no more than about 4’X6’ (It must fit in my 6.5’ long Ram 1500 bed).I’d like to do something based on Thomas’s branch line, or a ‘‘new’’ area of Sodor.
This layout will be for the children at train shows, possibly those that are stuck in hospitals such as Shriner’s Childrens’ Hospital. Either way, I would be letting kids whom are mature enough run the engines. I have done similar before, with a 2’X4.5’’ switching layout, but I gave that one away to the ‘‘right boy’’.
I want the layout to make kids believe they’re looking at one of the sets, detail wise. This means removing the hook-&-loop couplers, and replacing the molded hooks with larger metal ones. (I have a source for accurate chain) However, their faces elude me- especially that of Thomas.
What would be your suggestions for detailing the character faces?
What colors would be correct for the rolling stock, such as the brown on the hoppers, and the brake vans?
Where would I buy British -style track? (Is Hornby track correct, if so please recommend colors for track paint)
Lastly, I would like to add sound decoders programmed per character (in the future) What model decoder would you recommend, and how would I rip the sound bites from the show?
What a great idea to spread cheer and introduce the hobby to children!!!
I don’t know if any of this helps any or not:
Detail the faces with the poses you see on the TV show…the kids will recognize that. I have only seen a little of Thomas so I know there is a smiley face and a frown for Thomas at least…Maybe check with Strasburg RR {1:1} as they have a live steamer that has large interchangeable faces, so they would know.Strasburg Rail Road - Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Bachmann makes a whole series of Thomas the train stuff, as found here {so they should have the paint colors right}:
The Bachmann stuff all uses our tracks so there would be no problem. But if you want track from the UK, This place used to be for UK stuff, but are rebuilding their website:
I would not “rip sound bites from the show” without their permission. If you write to them , and tell them your plans to visit sick children, they may be willing to help you with the sounds!
Hornby of UK offers a complete range of Thomas & Friends locos and rolling stock in a correct execution. There are in OO scale, which is slightly larger than HO scale, but run on regular HO scale track.
Hornby, as well as Peco track are close to British prototype. As for painting and weathering, you can use railroad tie brown, as you would use for US prototype track.
I have been unable to find out whether Hornby products are equipped with what is called a NEM coupler box. If so, there is a drop-in replacement coupler available from Kadee. Your dealer should know.
Hornby Thomas & Friends stock is DC only, and I am not sure whether it is even DCC ready. Locos can be hard wired with any DCC decoder that fits in size.
I think this is a great idead. Hopefully you can post some pics of the layout as it progresses. I used to love watching Thomas and Friends with mny kids when they were younger.
The Bachmann rolling stock is correct detail wise, but fans of the show (like me) quickly realize their brake van is primer grey instead of the correct brownish/ maroon. Same for the hoppers, they are sold green, but should be something like a brown weathered with grey.
In reference to the sound bites, as far as I’m aware its legal for me to do so, as long as I’m not selling decoders with their sound bites or making money off of this other than donations.
As for couplers, I’m planning on going with metal chain from Micro-Mark and removing the hook-n-loop couplers. The hooks molded onto the loco buffer beams are large enough, but I’ll need to replace the ones on the remaining rolling stock.
Structures are out their, but I’m gonna have fun making them look ‘‘right’’.
Whenever I see a Thomas engine running at a train show, it’s being pushed by a “real” locomotive. I don’t know why - perhaps it’s because they want to run a train that requires more pulling power than the Thomas engines provide, or perhaps it’s because the engine just isn’t that reliable. These engines are not in the Bachmann Spectrum line, so I would be inclined to think that they’re not going to be solid performers in the long term.
Perhaps some of our members here who have experience with these engines can chime in. I don’t have any of them myself, so I’ve got no personal knowledge.
To program sounds into a decoder, you need a special interface unit. Unfortunately, each manufacturer has its own proprietary format, and each one requires its own proprietary box to program it. I’ve got a Digitrax PR2, the earlier version of the PR3, and it will only program Digitrax sound decoders, no others. So, decided on what brand of decoder you want to use before you go out and buy a bunch of mismatched ones. You can download the Digitrax software (Soundloader) from their web site for free if you want to play with it, but you’ll need a PR2 or PR3 to actually do anything with it.
For the backdrop, I’m thinking of a sheet of sky blue foam core board. It would have to be either lengthwise or diagonal across the layout. Though this provides for 2 different scenes, there’s the problem of hiding the holes which the tracks pass through.
For one, I’d simply have a tunnel- but I’m at a loss for the other. The other end could stop before the track, but how would I soften the sharp edge of the backdrop?
Also, how could I go about making the foam board removeable without topside brackets or blocks which I’d have to hide?
If you get the Bachmann Thomas, his eyes move back and forth as he rolls along, and he can be fitted with a DCC decoder fairly easily.
Fits right inside the cab, and I even drilled the castings and installed grain-of- rice bulbs. I had the Hornby version. I also installed DCC in that too,but it required a lot more disassembly and didn’t seem to run as well.
One little trick that I picked up from the TV show. Coaches were painted with different colors on each side. When a train went by with red coaches, the next time you see those cars they might be blue. Since you only see 1 side at a time, you can model more trains with less cars!
As far as sound, IF you can get the right files, its still gonna be tough. Speaker placement is going to be a bear!
I was at the Amherst-West Springfield show today, and I saw a particularly impressive Thomas demonstration. It was a standard HO-scale Bachmann Thomas, as far as I could tell, but it was equipped with a TCS keep-alive decoder. The TCS guy picked up the engine while it was running, put it down on the table next to the track, and it kept running for several seconds. If you want to make a small engine with limited track pickup reliable, this seems to be the way to go.
For my backdrop/divider I used a piece of 1/4" plywood, since it’s smooth both sides, I primed and then gave it a coat of sky blue, lighter at the bottom. I cut a full length groove in a 2"x4" to slip it into. You can also use pairs of angle braces or spaced blocks of wood hidden by other scenery. At one end of mine I used a rock cut, the other a heavy stand of trees. Other methods are to go between buildings or under an overpass.
Bachmann is correct for the TV rubbish however these are a good quality mechanism loco
Hornby is correct to the books and the prototypes that Rev Awdery (spelling) based them on, All except Duck which is based on a Gaiety (Spelling now out of production) model locomotive Which Rev Awdrey was not able to get to run without a waddling motion hence Duck.
Both brands can run together I am convinced that the Bachmann Thomas is also nominaly OO scale as there is no noticable size difference between TTE and Bachmanns UK OO scale trains
As long as you get code 100 track the difference between OO and HO track is not going to matter they are both 16.5 mm gauge and would both be weathered the same sort of colors.
But if you insist on using UK track the the best is Peco streamline code 100 flex track and points or Peco set track which is like train set track only better quality both are compatable with each other.
They are also reasonably compatable with Atlas code 100 track .
I don’t think either brand of TTE is DCC ready but it will probably be easier to fit to the Bachmann Thomas and friends.
UK brake vans and wagons come in grey and bauxite for railway owned stock I can never remember which is which. One is fitted stock IE vacuum brakes the other is unfitted stock in essence no brakes other than a hand brake for sitting in a siding. Fitted stock is always marshaled at the front of the train. Private owner stock can be very colorful this is stock owned by the forwarding companies rather than the railways. Oh before I forget insulated or refrigerated vans are white or light blue.
The bechwork is built, dimensions are 4’x 76’’ (I recycled a 3x4 folding section from a friend and added 2 20’’ wings)
1/3 of the roadbed is laid as of tonight.
All track locations are marked out with sharpie.
Track is all Atlas Code 100 with #4s (The old USA made stuff with large spikes.)
Structures include: IHC’s ‘‘Skid Row Lumber Company’’, a Frenchman River Modelworks 13’’ pier, a Life-Like station (the small one for a track on both sides, very close to the one on Thomas’s branch where he’d transfer passengers to the bigger engines),and Life-Like’s Operating Coal Tipple.
For the tipple, I am following MR’s ‘‘Especially For Beginners’’ series from 1990 wherein they detail making a Heilgan gravel unloading ramp operational using a plastic funnel. I’m working on a peg system to secure it to the layout so that kids may try their hand at loading the troublesome trucks.To collect coal which overflows the cars, I’ll have the funnel under the track with a bucket hung under the layout.
I will have a tunnel wrapping around the left end of the backdrop, forming a mountainside for the sawmill to ‘‘log’’. The backdrop will stop short of track on the right. (still pondering how to hide its edge here.)
Photos should be coming soon, when I have time to drag it outside into the daylight. [:D]
Mountain will be made following the process used for MR’s Virginian layout. (ie, they will be removeable and use sharpened wooden dowels to ensure placement)
Question: The backdrop must be lightweight and removeable for shows. The layout base is 2’’ thick blue insulation board, and will be seperate from its benchwork. What are some suggestions for how to construct it?
I just made a temporary scene divider using 1/4" foam core. I bored some holes out of the sandwiched foam and inserted bamboo skewers, (pointed end out), hot glued into place. Marked the target locations on my 2" foam layout base and poked the divider into place. I left two inches of the skewer sticking out so there was good engagement with the layout. Cheap, lightweight, removeable. And actually pretty sturdy as mine’s only 10" high.
Station location is fixed, foundation is scrap cork roadbed. Going diagonally in front of it for approx. 22’’ is a scrap of flextrack which represents the mainline. The other side has the active branchline track. The dummy mainline may end up acting as a sort of fiddle track, current idea is to have engines and cars not being used placed on it to look like a ‘‘meet’’ with the engine currently running.
I had placed a siding parallel to the coal tipple because it looked ‘‘right’’, but without a real purpose. I recently bought at a train show a hydrocal concrete loading ramp for it. This will make it a team track/ ‘‘cars in the way of switching go here’’ track.
The pier may be receiving a crane, possibly a modified traveling crane from Model Power.
Someone explained to me that a Facebook album link would only work for those with accounts, so I created a ‘‘Flickr’’ account which all should be able to view. Please leave comments & suggestions. (If unviewable, please let me know, and I’ll try to fix it.)
