Hello from Music City

[Richard W]

Long time miniature train enthusiast beginning with the classic Lionel train as a child, moving to HO scale just after college, eventually turning to N scale when moving to California in the 1980's (given the small apartment I rented and occupied for two decades.) 

 

I'm not a perfectionist, recreator, prototyper, or constructionist.  I build temporary layouts that last generally no more than a year with the exception of my latest endeavor (ongoing): creating a Japanese town that yearns to be the design center for Japan.  I consider myself the owner and engineer of my railroads and therefore can combine any locomotives with any rolling stock from any era that I desire.  :-)  Although I do try to be somewhat rational about the combinations. 

 

I generally shy away from kits (never been very good with cut and paste) but have ventured to assemble a few buildings for the recent layout.  As a matter of fact, I've created two buildings from scratch of my own design (inspired by but not a prototype of the Water Cube - a Bejing Olympics venue.)  One is the Design Center for my up and coming Japanese town (which I will refer to as Kochi despite that fact that it already exists) and the other is a telephone company switch building (which for my town contains no employees only the digital switches, relays, and computer equipment.)  For Kochi, all railroad related items are Japanese and would pretty much conform to current usage in Japan today as a matter of fact every piece used for the layout comes from Japan and is of Japanese design (with the exception of my original creations.)

 

In advance, thanks for all the information that I have gleaned from this sight over the last year or so.

 

 

[cteno4]

Richard,

 

Welcome, great you found your way here, I think you will find lots here to have fun with! Sounds like you have a really interesting project!

 

Your design center reminds me of one our club members layout where he has sort of a conference/expo/design center that is all glass on his waterfront. Eventual idea is to have changing exhibits and events going on there along with out on the plaza area around it.

 

http://japanrailmodelers.org/photos/kurtslayout/pages/page_59.html

 

Please start a thread on what you are doing, we would love to see what you are doing!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Edited August 14, 2014 by cteno4

[Bernard]

Richard - welcome to the forum and I second what Jeff said about starting a thread about your project. I for one would be interested in seeing your building based of the the Beijing Olympic Water Cube....I spent a lot of time there during the Olympics.

[Alan W Aitken]

Hi there, sounds like my kind of modeling, happy to run anything from any era. Would be an amazing build to model

 

Alan

[Richard W]

I do intend to post pics, probably starting in July when I get to move the layout to the dining room (which will provide for better camera angles.)  I also plan on filming the layout since the lights in the telephone switch building fluctuate (color changing LEDs) and looks cool at night along with the well lit Design Center.  I was going to say that the layout plan is set so I can start adding additional buildings, but I just read the post about running piano wire under the Unitram plates as a way to "run" Tomytec moving buses.  Darn you forum members!  You're going to drive me to the poor house or possibly to the madhouse!!  :-)