Looking For A New Group To Form
- Thread starter LWVRR
- Start date
A thought...
Here's a question: some here are interested in exact reproduction of specific prototypes, others a little looser. Speaking for myself, when I do a particular prototype I do my best within the limits of available information, but I also sometimes do freelance assets typical of a place and time. Also, in mode A, I make mistakes (red-faced smiley).
What are the members' opinions on this subject? For example, I'm currently (well, picking up again after vacation) doing a 35-passenger Mack railbus ca. 1922-1935. The prototypes happen to be NH 9000-9002, but it can be reskinned for a lot of shortlines and even PRR, but all I have for source material is one good (but inaccurate) set of drawings, one very poor (but official) set, and a fairly good array of photos (none in color, of course). What's the *proper* way to proceed under these conditions?
Here's a question: some here are interested in exact reproduction of specific prototypes, others a little looser. Speaking for myself, when I do a particular prototype I do my best within the limits of available information, but I also sometimes do freelance assets typical of a place and time. Also, in mode A, I make mistakes (red-faced smiley).
What are the members' opinions on this subject? For example, I'm currently (well, picking up again after vacation) doing a 35-passenger Mack railbus ca. 1922-1935. The prototypes happen to be NH 9000-9002, but it can be reskinned for a lot of shortlines and even PRR, but all I have for source material is one good (but inaccurate) set of drawings, one very poor (but official) set, and a fairly good array of photos (none in color, of course). What's the *proper* way to proceed under these conditions?
This is a good question and one I asked myself a few times already. I came to the conclusion to do the best you can with the model and the information you have avalible right now. If more information comes along in the future, you can always update the model. We're modeling stuff that has been gone for many years, it can get a little rough finding all the right details.
On another note, I believe we have some researchers in this group that might help out.
steamboateng
New member
I'm sure I saw plans for that NH oddball in one of the model railroad magazines, many, many years ago. I have a hundred or so old mags here, Ill give a quick look through them, although it will take a few hours.
Would not a banner similar to what Frogpipe submitted, be appropriate for Yesterdayz Trainz?
Would not a banner similar to what Frogpipe submitted, be appropriate for Yesterdayz Trainz?
So the question has been asked...so what's next? Next I believe we need to find and work on a home for ourselves. Personally, I would like someplace we could comunicate with each other, post thoughts and ideas. A place that we can host our projects and our downloads if need be.
I'd like to hear your ideas.
What... nobody has made a Yesterdayz Trainz banner yet? I thought we would have three of them by now to choose from.
I'd like to hear your ideas.
What... nobody has made a Yesterdayz Trainz banner yet? I thought we would have three of them by now to choose from.
This is what I envision also. I'm assuming this means our own website. www.yesterdayztrainz.com is available!
I don't know but I can find out.
I have just registered the domain name "yesterdayztrainz.us", with the idea that it would be used for North American content. I planned to also register the domain name "yesterdayztrainz.eu", but I cannot do it a I am not a citizen of the EU. The cost of the registration for a year was about $10.00, which I am contributing as a donation to the group. If Jan wants to register the ~.eu version, I'll fund that, too.
"Yesterdayztrainz.com" is available, and it might be worth getting and sitting on in the event we decide to offer payware.
ns
"Yesterdayztrainz.com" is available, and it might be worth getting and sitting on in the event we decide to offer payware.
ns
There is a long, if slightly dishonorable history in the hobby of model railroading of "close enough". One thinks, for example, of the steam locomotives in BN, or CR livery, and the countless models of diesel locomotives with dynamic brakes or steam generator details that were sold with paint schemes and lettering of railroads which never owned locomotives configured that way. One also thinks of the 4 bay centerflow hoppers painted for grain companies (the four bay car was for resins), and square three bay cars modeling prototypes manufactured by Pullman painted at the factory in schemes that were only applied to cars by Evans. We have some examples of this in the Trainz world, too. I'm pretty sure there was never a 40 foot high cube box car painted for Baby Ruth candy bars, nor a tank car painted in the red and white "Coca cola (r)" logo.
In my opinion, as long as it' clear that such equipment represents an exercise of "modeler's license", there is no problem with it. As to free lance materials, I think they should be reasonable. Some particular item may not have actually existed, such a a particular free lanced house, but it should be modeled in such a way that it might have existed. On the other hand, in the world of tangible model railroading, E. L. Moore made quite a name for himself, creating buildings that would never have existed in real life, so there is room for that approach, too.
At the other end of the spectrum are "contest models", which have long been made to nut, bolt, and rivet count perfection. There is room for these in modeling, too.
I think it's all good, as long a the user knows what he is getting, without having to download the item to read the description.
ns
What you describe here is how most items for the Laurel Line are made. Apart from a few crude and very low detail drawings, most is made by eyeballing old photographs. For buildings this is quite doable, certainly when you're lucky enough if some shots have objects, a bycicle for instance, or people, in them where the size is known of, or can be guesstimated.
For rolling stock this way to obtain measurements can be much harder, allthough in many cases overall sizes can be traced. A thing that can help here is checking the 'free room profile' (if that's what it's called in the US) of the period the car, or engine originated from.
Obviously all of the above is only part of the solution, for unseen parts you will have to set your enginering cap on and reïnvent the wheel in the most plausible way until either more documentation comes up, or you find a simular construction on an existing but other model from the same time period. That last one can be tricky of course, since, with older vintage models, many companies had their own peculiar way to solve certain enginering problems.
So, to recap, building content like described where exact documentation is not obtainable is a road of choices all the way, even when the created item seems finished.
On another note, talking about domain names, I think a *.com, *.org, or *.net version would be more then sufficient for worldwide coverage. I somehow don't see suddenly loads of europeans signing up to be honest and if these prove to be 'famous last words', so be it. :hehe:
Greetings from sunny Amsterdam,
Jan
I don't have the patience to learn and the eye sight anymore to try making cars/buildings etc... If we are doing a web site I probably have some "freeware" to put on. I write script/rules and will do bare DEM's if that is of interest to people.
girlsloverailroads2
New member
Quick note before I shovel the shale my husband is bringing down the drive in the tractor..... Great choice for a name!! I'd be glad to chip in to obtain & hold & use www.yesterdayztrainz.us AND/OR .com as the site. Who wants the $$? I just read 2 emails from our group members, but have no time, at the moment to reply, except to say thank you for your personal insight and to tell NS (mjolnir) that one of my ancestors was the very first to bring the concept of drainage tiles to America, issuing in the 'modern' age of American drainage... and I too, would like to see drainage addressed in the 'game'. Rebecca