05-03-2013, 08:56 PM
I'm even later to the party! I thought that video was very cool. Almost at the end of the video, did anyone notice the extra, short moves of the ex-CR locomotive apparently because the couplers were not properly aligned?
Such a scene, modeled approximately to scale in HO using a caboose and a fairly short track switch (say #5), could be done in less than 50" of length plus a cassette for staging if desired. If one were inclined to "model" all the time it takes to perform the task at hand, it could be a very fine tiny layout. Many would likely desire at least a bit more variety, though.
Since time doesn't scale, I have been giving some thought to the concept of fast time. Fast time to me makes a lot more sense for a layout that runs trains, has meets, connections, schedules, et cetera. For the small ISL layout that is just one crew working the spurs I feel more comfortable using regular time. Of course a tiny switching pike cannot provide an eight-hour shift. Since we can't model everything anyhow, the rest of the shift in my warped little world is, for lack of a better term, staging time. Just as the "rest of the world" we represent with staging tracks, the "rest of the shift" can be represented with staging time (which costs nothing and requires zero real estate).
Such a scene, modeled approximately to scale in HO using a caboose and a fairly short track switch (say #5), could be done in less than 50" of length plus a cassette for staging if desired. If one were inclined to "model" all the time it takes to perform the task at hand, it could be a very fine tiny layout. Many would likely desire at least a bit more variety, though.
Since time doesn't scale, I have been giving some thought to the concept of fast time. Fast time to me makes a lot more sense for a layout that runs trains, has meets, connections, schedules, et cetera. For the small ISL layout that is just one crew working the spurs I feel more comfortable using regular time. Of course a tiny switching pike cannot provide an eight-hour shift. Since we can't model everything anyhow, the rest of the shift in my warped little world is, for lack of a better term, staging time. Just as the "rest of the world" we represent with staging tracks, the "rest of the shift" can be represented with staging time (which costs nothing and requires zero real estate).