@Quarter Gauger 48 posted:
Justino and Joe', You gentlemen keep the fire lit'.. I've been under the weather lately and have often thought of quitting my O Gauge layout and moving on to something less demanding'... Then I look at your phenomenal and fantastic work, and just cannot throw in the towel'... I grew up in the city. My Dad was a `Motorman on the IRT. I would ride with him often, and all day and cover the city, Above and Under ground'.. Both of you have got it covered'... Outstanding work, and THANK for the motivation and inspiration'... 😉👍👌✔
Hello Quarter Gauger
Just my advice - DON'T GIVE UP just yet !
Well, the amount of "demanding'' in any form or type of "hands on" modeling is pertinent to just how much you want to do and accomplish. Given also, space available and resources. And the creatively and skill-level to be able to do.
The creativity and skill level side can be learned over time by experimenting, trial & error, and mainly by closely studying the high-quality-details level of modeling work of others. Taking notes, copying (saving) texts and photos of construction, etc., I was long ago very motivated by and learned a lot from others who were then "modeler legends" in rail modeling, from the 1960's onward. And I still these days learn new ideas and techniques. And thanks to 3D printing things can become easier to create multiples of similar items, parts, details, quickly. Rather than the way we old dinosaurs had to do it, one by one, by hand, piece by piece. Now THAT is demanding and tedious work and takes fortitude and dedication -- for the expected beautiful and realistic END results !
To name just a few of so many more --- Justino (WS JOE), myself (JOE F) , Steve Phetterplace (SIRT) and Joe (JOE P) Poretto, as well as Terry Gaskin (aka CTA FAN, per his Chicago CTA Based O Scale EL layout) -- regarding our "City Rapid Transit" type modeling - went thru it and know what that is all about - heh !
Ascertain your space -- plan your layout and what you want to have on it - relative to your space available - it can be mainly on a table top (or modular tables) type supported layout and have extensions around the room running on shelf modules for more R-o-W -- see how others have done it. There is a lot on the net and Facebook.
But GET STARTED NOW -- the much OLDER one becomes, the more daunting and tedious it seems to be to get started. You only live once -- so start what you want to end up enjoying when and for as long as you can !!.
Below TWO photos, just shows part of my train room with an old pal of mine and Traction modeler-builder who lives in Blackpool, UK, (and retired as a Trolley motorman in Glasgow, Scotland) ALAN WILLIAMS, posing for the camera a few years ago in March 2015. He spent a week visiting here in Philly and suburbs and I drove him around to create videotapes of all the (SEPTA) city and (Red Arrow Div. ) suburban streetcar lines, the EL Line and subway here, and other traction. He resides in Glasgow, and runs an international TRACTION VIDEO SALES site (Tramalan) selling quality videos of his filming Transit and Traction all around the world. (LINK - http://www.tramalan.com/delivery.htm) My HO Mainline Railroad layout seen on the walls runs on a modular shelf system completely around the train room. I have numerous visitors and groups (pre covid that is) annually to my layouts and train room. I created this train room in my present home back in 1996-98, but had the layout prior to 1996, since 1985 in my previous residence.
Regards - Joe F
BELOW -- 2photos (a few of very many that week) I took of Alan as he was covering the trolley lines of the Philadelphia region
BELOW--a PCC Car in Mount Airy, Northwest Philly, 3/2015, -- and next below that , the Baltimore Ave Line
Trolley loop near 63rd & Baltimore Ave. 3/2015
