Anyone seen this?

rosspeacock

Modelling on a £1200 table.
Very impressive, especially like the overall roof :thumbs:
Some serious money there too me thinks..
Ross  :wave: :wave:
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Ressaldar said:
even Heyside would get lost in there :eek: :eek: :eek:

Cheers

Mike

Very true Mike

but I wonder whether there is such a thing as too big. It's really quite difficult to see the shunt signals from 20ft away on Heyside, and at 40' you can't really see the locos and stock other than something moving. That's not to deny the magnificence of the layout, just a thought. I happen to think Heyside is a better, more compact layout for being smaller than it was, so I have been pondering this point for a while, without really having an answer. Is bigger better?

Richard
 

28ten

Guv'nor
Dikitriki said:
Very true Mike

but I wonder whether there is such a thing as too big. It's really quite difficult to see the shunt signals from 20ft away on Heyside, and at 40' you can't really see the locos and stock other than something moving. That's not to deny the magnificence of the layout, just a thought. I happen to think Heyside is a better, more compact layout for being smaller than it was, so I have been pondering this point for a while, without really having an answer. Is bigger better?

Richard
I do agree, I have come to the same conclusion myself, there is an optimum layout size and train length for indoor layouts.
 

Jordan or Plymouth Mad

Mid-Western Thunderer
28ten said:
Whilst it certainly is impressive, it leaves me a bit cold  :scratch:  not sure why though
Glad it's not just me, then!!
Interesting comments from both Cynric & Richard.... I see the 'problems' with a huge layout like this as follows:-
1 - You need lots of trains just to fill the space; it is then harder to give all those trains the attention they deserve, both in the sense of detailing them up and watching them in action.
2 - Although owned by one person, this layout seems to me to have the input of many people, but not in the same "team" way that a layout like Heyside has - more in a commercial way? (or am I mis-interpreting the big "TreeMendous" sign as the OP's signature..? ;) )
3 - For me, it follows the usual British 'standard' of "Station + Fiddleyard", albeit with a fair bit of running line in between. As with the space Pete Waterman has, I'd like to see what a team of US modellers would do with that space.
4 - Really big layouts in purpose-built rooms can actually put people off, especially O Scale. Even in that thread there are comments the gist of which are "I'd love to do O Scale but don't have the space".... Admittedly to do a decent mainline run you do need a fair bit of space - but a decent O Scale Branch Line can be fitted into the space you'd need to really do justice to a mainline in 4mm scale. None of my O Scale layouts are longer than 10ft...
5 - Can one person alone really get much operating pleasure from such a huge layout? Might seem a strange question but think about it... to run a 'proper' operating session several operators will be needed. A lone operator might set something running out on the mainline, but he'll have to leave it to it's own devices if he also wants to run a branch freight. If operating sessions are run to a timetable or sequence, then having a play on your own with one train is going to put things out of position for the next 'proper' run...
6 - For all it's size, it seems to be "all railway"... there's no sense to me of place, or any town that a Station of that size would serve. It's also the most implausible place to see a Norman Castle I can imagine!!! :))
I do think the scenics are really good on it though - both the 'greenery' and things like the ash piles in the loco yard.

westernfan said:
Well if money was no object and with cordless dcc technology ..?
Well the owner also owns a Football Club "amongst other things", so possibly money is no object here - I think we can see a Golden Age or Loveless Customer here. Wireless DCC is available in the US but illegal here due to the radio frequencies it uses, but so...? I still maintain that even with wired DCC that can control umpty-nine locos all at once, the Mk1 Human Brain can only really concentrate on one train at a time - as I said earlier, with a solo operator any more trains running around are pretty much "unattended", and we've all seen where that leads at Exhibitions, when nattering Operators fail to notice the train that's just derailed..... ;D ;)
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
28ten said:
Whilst it certainly is impressive, it leaves me a bit cold  :scratch:  not sure why though

It lacks the atmosphere of Heyside - the feel of why the railway is there at all and the closeness that dictates having to 'shoehorn' trackwork into a given space. Heyside wins hands down for me. This layout also lacks the 'group' feel - there is no flow from area to area - it lacks 'oneness'

cheers

Mike
 

westernfan

Western Thunderer
Hi Jordan

re cordless controllers i was on about the stuff sold over here like the prod advance and of course the dynamis set ups, not fm, is it like the hassle over CBs wayback AM being the pirates choice what was it ,side band cobra rigs. thats a big 10/4 
 

Alan

Western Thunderer
If I remember correctly the football club is Doncaster Rovers. The layout featured on one of BRM's layouts of a lifetime DVDs.
 

ceejaydee

Western Thunderer
Jordan said:
Glad it's not just me, then!!
Interesting comments from both Cynric & Richard....

I felt the same after my first look but chose not to say anything just in case it sounded a little bitter.

I think that many (if not all) of your comments are spot on Jordan.

I most certainly think that you can have a layout that is too big regardless of whether inside or out and it then leaves a hollow feeling which is hard to ignore.

I still like big layouts like Crewchester, Sherwood Section, Wallsea, Bigston and my childhood favourite Wingham - ok not up to the standards of today but they had (as I think only Wallsea remains) lots of atmosphere and seemed believable and I still get enthused looking at pictures and reading about them.
 

Old Buffer

Western Thunderer
Having looked at the photo's a few times, I can agree with a lot that has been said.
Is big beautiful? Yes, it could be given the right area.
Personally as an LNER fan I think it would have looked better had it been the racing stretch north of York. Using Northallerton as the junction station the 4 road section south would allow fast running express trains and also the varied freight to and from the north east.
The same thing could be said of any region as there are numerous similar locations throughout the country.
Alan
 

Jordan or Plymouth Mad

Mid-Western Thunderer
Old Buffer said:
Personally as an LNER fan I think it would have looked better had it been the racing stretch north of York. Using Northallerton as the junction station .....
I think that is getting close to nailing the real issue here... given that sort of space & resources, maybe one really should model an actual location? (like Leamington Spa..?! ;D ;) )  :scratch:
 

Dan Randall

Western Thunderer
It's certainly impressive in its sheer size and the scenic work is nicely done, but it doesn't really do it for me either.

Also, I feel a bit thick asking this question, but how do you pronounce "Peover"?  :-[ 


Regards

Dan
 

John D

Western Thunderer
how do you pronounce "Peover

  Being 'built' in Crewe and thus a Cheshire lad.......Peover is pronounced Peever. there are three(?)  charming little villages in the Knutsford area (where all the posh people live and half the Man U. team) Over Peover, Peover Inferior (!) and Peover Superior.....us lads down in the swamps in Crewe knew our place  :D

   
 
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