Has anyone created an unusual layout theme such as something based on a movie or novel? How about fantasy such as medieval, steampunk, or sci-fi?
I am very curious if anyone has attempted a layout or portion of a layout that is absolutely not prototypical.
There was one I saw that based their design on North to Alaska and Paint your Wagon. Are there others? Rock Ridge from Blazing Saddles or even crazy stuff like a train going through Middle Earth!
I have not done this, and I do not think any of our regular forum memebers have.
I do love seeing fantasy trains. All of my fantasy modelling is for wargaming.
Lego trains are great for fantasy operation.
-Kevin
A TV series here in the UK challenged teams of modellers to make a layout in three days.
The organisers set “themes” for each layout, some of them rather unusual.
An example
Trevor, I’m about halfway through the video. That’s a neat program!
There is long time member in here working on the Rock Ridge.
His ID is spacemouse, his name is Chip.
Mike.
Someday I hope to do a turn-of-the-century Rock Island shelf switching representation of River City, Iowa, from The Music Man. Lot’s of fun vignettes.
Petticoat Junction might be interesting.
I was going to do that. My problem was I couldn’t find a 10 wheeler steam locomotive that match the real one. Most all the models I saw didn’t have the 2nd and 3rd wheel space gap. Also includes the baggage coach all in N Scale.
I have had a layout only two years, but I’ve already started thinking of making wholesale changes to what I’ve done.
One idea was to imagine a railroad 100 years from now. Monorails? Elevated HSR? Also, what will stations and buildings look like?
I’m not real imaginative, but I think it would be fun to try some different things.
Just finished the episode. Looks like a great show! I wish we had something like that over here. All my ads were in french. Not sure what that was about
I thought the same thing – why couldn’t it be done here? Maybe it could be sponsored by some companies working with some model clubs.
Broadway Lion had a Lord of the Rings layout. Set 30? years after the final battle.
Perhaps he could reposst about it? meow?
I’ve seen videos of three incredible layouts, all British BTW, but not from the above challenge. And they certainly didn’t take 3 days to build. The first was set in 1945 in a German industrial city. The place was bombed out, but the infrastructure was intact, because the Allies wanted to use it. In fact, the British had taken control of the railroad, and operated with a hodgepodge of equipment, American, British and German.
The second was from the Warleigh Model Railway Club who made a layout based on the cartoons and illustrations of Roland Emmit. There’s the milk train where the engine pulls a car with a man milking a cow. The dining train is parked in front of a resturaunt forming an out door cafe. But all the engines and cars and figures are whimsical–think of a British Dr. Seuss. It’s very popular at train shows.
And the last, is a recreation of the scene in Saving Private Ryan where they are taking a town and a sniper has them pinned down. Although the layout is a full functional model railroad. It’s modular, in that there are two 4 x 12 ft. sections seperate, but representing two different stages of the assult. War games clubs play games on these two layouts.
Although my RRRR layout was inspired by Blazing Saddles, and I give a nod to the movie, it is in fact, a serious operations based layout. It has it’s own story line based on the timber magnate Randal “Rock” Ridge, who threatened to locate his mill in Ft. Bragg if the town of Degnar’s Crossing didn’t change the name of the town to Rock Ridge. Although the focus is operations and serious railfanning, I am prone to whimsy…
Dangit Lyle, wipe your feet when you leave the outhouse!
Didn’t know he was in Paper Moon, too. Pretty funny interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ-zSd_uq8Q
–Randy
Petticoat Junction is easy - in HO anyway. The Tyco/Mantua 10 wheeler that was around practically forever has the offset spacing between the second and third driver axle.
In fact, way back in 1966/67, Tyco sold a Petticoat Junction set, with the loco and cars!
http://tycotrain.tripod.com/tycotrainsredboxtrainsets/id20.html
–Randy
–Randy
I love the imagination on display in fantasy layouts. There have been a few Martian/space themes I’ve seen over time, some of which were really convincing-- I think some time ago on this forum there was someone designing a Martian layout with his son. The one that stays in my memory, because of the backstory and effective modeling, is Rich Erwin’s Mines of Xenon layout (the blog has lots of other layout projects, too, worth poking around.)
Back here on Earth, one of my personal favorites is John Ott’s Miskatonic RR, late 19th-century freelanced from history and details in H.P. Lovecraft’s stories.
Phil
I came across this video on another site a while back. A layout based on Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain ride:
Back here on Earth, one of my personal favorites is John Ott’s Miskatonic RR, late 19th-century freelanced from history and details in H.P. Lovecraft’s stories.
Yes, his layout is amazing!
That is something I would love to see!
Now that is something I want to see!