#OO scale

[lomotunes2008]

So I was playing with a transparent background generator...

[trainmaniac]

Steam Engines and Gravity Power in a 1950s Colliery by Michael Alford

[alfazagato2]

Some trains I've picked up recently. I've already sold on the green one, though.

[greatnorthernofficial]

⚠️warning- noisy as hell, turn down your volume for the video ⚠️

Picked up an antique Tri-Ang model set from the UK. How wonderful! She's growly as hell but runs fine. Might get a little quieter when I clean and oil it...

The only big issue is, the Tri-Ang models have huge wheel flanges- sometimes they don't play nice on switches/ turnouts on modern HO/OO track. The only problem child is the dining car, which is the oldest of the models. Might look into replacement wheelsets.

The coaches seem pretty light, too- Might add weight to improve smoothness

Back on the floor again, as the new train table is taken up with a Lionel project. Adds British realism (cough cough Sam's Trains)

[maxbrick]

My thomas model running in the train show from last month, as well as some other pictures I took at the train show. Why is the camera quality so “bad?” I recorded everything on my 3DS, obviously.

[ironirma103]

[eltristanexplicitcontent]

In The Shed : Edition 3

[nwr-astrotrain]

Behold! OO/HO scale The Doctor!

[greateasternj69]

Banana coach! Banana coach!

[punalippulaiva]

Oooooooh this is cooool!

I considered using live plants for my indoors layout before I started the current project, as the idea of live plants instead of a fixed setting really appeals to me... but even bonsai'd plants look huge next to N scale (which is the only one I have space for). And I eventually came to the conclusion it's perhaps not the best idea to make something entirely left-field for my first layout.

But this is a great idea! A planter to make the layout a bit separate from the surrounding nature, and a scale smaller than what garden railways normally use is really interesting.

I'm probably going to build a micro garden reailway in the near future, but first let me explain to the non-railfans who follow me what a garden railway even is because I need to infodump about something.

What is a Garden Railway?

Put it simply, a garden railway is a blend of two otherwise seperate hobbies, railway modelling and gardenning.

Typically, railway modelling is about the persuit of historical and technical realism on a small scale with regards to anything involving steel-wheeled vehicles running on steel rails. That said there are those who simply run trains straight from the packaging on track placed straight on the floor and that's fine.

With a garden railway, the focus shifts away from an almost sterile realism towards a more impressionist's view of a railway running through a landscape, whith emphasis on the landscape being alive.

more than anything I think it's about embracing the joy of enjoying one's hobbies in the great outdoors

So how am I, a queer, unemployable person on benefits going to build a garden railway, especially when all the examples I've used are so grand and spacious?

let me tell you about a little something called scale and gauge

out of the diagram above, Gauge 1 (1:32 scale/45mm track) is the most popular size for garden railways, both historically and current. O scale (1:43 scale/32mm track) is probably the second most popular, being the smallest practical scale for live steam, that's real working steam engines on a sminiature scale.

OO scale (1:76 scale/16.5mm track) the most popular scale all around in the UK, has a fringe use in garden settings, but can create some spectacular scenes if sweeping views of main line cuttings and embankments are your thing.

I'm going with OO scale, but I'm not modelling standard gauge, instead I'm using a narrow gauge standard called OO9. that is to say 1:76 scale trains running on 9mm track, for a scale track gauge of about 2 foot 3 inches (686mm).

a 6 foot by 2 foot raised planter will be all I need for a sizable circuit of track with a branchline and two stations, there's also space to play with hight by having the branchline finish at a lower level than the main running line. the first image is the planter I have lined up, the second image is the rough track plan I've made so far, using the theoretical maximum inside dimensions of the planter as the space I've got to work with.

I already have one starter pack of OO9 track, which contains a full loop and a bunch of straight sections plus a couple of points, which is a decent portion of the costs taken care of. The planter itself is £100, which is also affordable for me.

The unknown for me at this time is what plants to use. It'll probably be figured out as I go but I'm drawn towards alpines because small trains should run through small plants, however I also want flowering plants to encourage pollonators in the city I live in.

I'm also drawn to the idea of a small pond situated by the end of the branchline with the main circuit running directly over the water via a trestle bridge. I'm tempted to look at aquatic plants to help take care of the water but I need to do more research on this front.

all going well I should be able to start work on this after september, and unlike other projects I intend to see this through to the end.

[spaciebabie]

this is what unamed looks like btw. they're the character from that animation post i did awhile back

(he/they)

[arytha]

[ID from ALT: A digital fullbody drawing of my new mer OC, Llyr. He is contorted weightlessly in deep water, as if sitting. Llyr looks at the camera morosely, his ice blue eyes have white pupils. His tail and scales on his arms are inspired by Longfin morph Neon Tetras, with a tail that starts blue a little above his waist with a white stripe that continues on his arm scales, with a bright flash of red coloring the lower half of his tail. His transparent pectoral fins drape from the sides of his upper body, covering his clawed hand. His hair is white, flowing softly down his back, and he is wearing a simple light blue crop top with short sleeves. Four flowy transparent fins float in their places down his tail, ending in a wide transparent caudal fin stained red in the middle like his fish body. A blue ring frames his upper body, and he's glowing faintly. End ID]

A name he chose for himself, Llyr.

[masterj]

TheTrainModeller (Luca)'s latest video earlier this morning is a loose adaptation of Henry's crash from the S5 episode "Something In The Air", made while filming for an upcoming project, and it looks fantastic! Check it out! :D

[nwreric]

As a long time Sam's Trains viewer, I can safely say that I was not expecting this to ever happen.

[maxbrick]

Work in progress… It got partially destroyed earlier, even after glueing and puttying it back together I had to “rebuild” some of it by making parts out of plasticard, especially on the cab. Now it mostly just needs the paint to be touched up, a few areas here and there filled, and some extra detailing.