On our own layouts and exhibition layouts.

I have just seen and commented on Mustermarks rather excellent layout,Readin General.His latest posting/update shows he has added a Lancaster bomber and two Spitfires doing a flypast of his layout.
This got me thinking,and during posting on his thread,I added,that my layout has undergone a change of name,simply because trying to model an imaginery town called Moss Eisley might be a bit silly.So now,for the time being,or until I put the nameboards on my station which will then become permanent,is called Chatsworth.
This town is going to be right dump.It won't be a town with a stately home or owt,as Chatsworth is the name of the estate in Shameless,so it will at least have Frank Gallagher and some of the other characters in the show as well.
As a kid,I grew up watching programmes such as The Sweeney,Professionals,Knight Rider,Blue Thunder,StreetHawk,Miami Vice,Starsky and Hutch and other such tv greats from the 70's and 80's.
So,my layout will feature trains from the BR Blue era and some tv style cameo's.
An idea I have not long since come up.with is this.How many of us see a bridge and think,a bus would look great on that,so a bus is placed on the said bridge.Now as a cameo,I had the idea of having a bus on mine,cos it will have a bridge over the railway.Only thing is,it won't be a normal bus.I remember a film I saw as a kid about a nuclear powered bus.I don't recall whether it was a disaster type of film,although thinking about it now,it did have a cast of characters like those in the Cannonball Run.I believe,if memory serves me right,it was called The Nuclear Bus.
I'm sure there are excerts on youtube,so perhaps I will do a search on there at some other time,not now though.
So I'm now looking at chopping up a few of those rather nice Oxford National Express coaches,they're almost the right shape as well.

I'm just wondering what cameo's people are featuring or are going to feature on theirs,thats all.

Mustermarks Battle of Britain flypast also gave me another idea as well.In the 70's and 80's,there were no police helicopters.There was,however,Airwolf and Blue Thunder.I'm kind of thinking that Chatsworth needs both,to keep the population honest,if tou know what I mean.One other thing.
How come idea's seem to flow out when its time for bed?
It sgonna be a while before I drop off to sleep now!

Pete

I have ideas for cameos on my layout, but the aeroplanes is as much finding somewhere to display them as anything. The BOB fly past of Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster is a memory from my childhood, as is much of my layout.

I will probably feature on the layoutas a boy... as a trainspotter at the end of platform 5, and maybe being chased across the railway by the transport police, and as an excited birthday boy at Eames model shop being bought an N gauge lorry.

I will have roadworks, like the GPO digging up the road with one of those little tents. House and office construction with workmen drinking tea.  There will be someone changing a wheel, maybe a rear end shunt with police in attendance. I am also planning an open air swimming pool, and the Caversham lock.  I figure a lock scene is a bit less cliched if you are modelling a real one, but actually i dont care if it's cliched if i like it (and i really liked Kinlet Wharf).  There will be a rail repair crew standing aside to let the express go by. People at the bus stop. Stuff like that. All fairly ordinary bits of life.  But i guess you have to space it out and not overdo it as it doesnt all happen all over the place at one moment...

On the less mundane side... I saw an N gauge police box and thought i would have Dr Who and maybe a dalek or two in some obscure corner.  I also thought of having a DeLorean from Back to the Future and maybe references to some of my other favourite films. Back to the Future is already on my Scalescenes cinema, which is ironic given that the layout is set 10 years before the film.

But i think that you have to represent life on a layout, and generally that is done with cameo scenes.  Who cares if they are cliched like the canal scene or the church wedding, if it's what you feel like, it's fine.  And if you feel like a bit of tongue in cheek fun like a TV reference, then that's fine too.  I would like to make it that you could visit my layout a dozen times and still spot something new.

I'm planning a fly past, a lock scene and a harbour for my new layout, the existing one has Inspector Morse's car, and a wedding.

My N-Trak modules have a Tradis which moves around the whole club layout appearing at different locations. I would love some Daleks.

The pub on my layout is called The Rivet Counters Arms.

I think that as railway modelling is a hobby we should have some fun.

QuoteThe pub on my layout is called The Rivet Counters Arms.

I like it!!  I just might open another one on my layout. 

If your modelling the 70's, don't forget all those planks that used to spray Ford Cortinas and jack up the rear suspension to try and look like "General Lee" from the "dukes of Hazzard" I'm sure Chatsworth residents would have done that sort of thing!

But put a bit of thought and imagination into it please!! There is a fine line between an amusing cameo and a tedious, silly, repetitive, cliche...

Why does every layout with a blue police box have to have a darlek hidden somewhere??
Does every Church really stage weddings 24/7 (just occasionally will someone model a funeral instead please!)
In reality very few bus stops are on bridges. Just look around - all the great railway stations were built next to bus stops!

Paul

 

Does every layout with a blue police box have Daleks? I must admit I've only been to a few exhibitions but I've never seen any Daleks.

As it will be my layout and rule no.1 applies, I'll have as many tedious, silly, repetitive cliches as I like!

I try to get as much as possible prototypically correct but I still believe this is a hobby.

Quote from: silly moo on May 29, 2012, 09:07:14 AM


Does every layout with a blue police box have Daleks? I must admit I've only been to a few exhibitions but I've never seen any Daleks.

As it will be my layout and rule no.1 applies, I'll have as many tedious, silly, repetitive cliches as I like!

I try to get as much as possible prototypically correct but I still believe this is a hobby.

Quite right too! Although the Cybermen are my favourites as the are 'cooler' than the Daleks

You might find some funny ideas here, sadly some of his pictures are not showing but the majority are 

http://dddioramas.webs.com/

cheers John.

Those are excellent, I really like the corny names too. There's probably no hope for me as I love corny names and puns and have a whole list of them for possible use on a layout.

Quote from: Pete Mc on May 29, 2012, 03:18:50 AM
On our own layouts and exhibition layouts.

I remember a film I saw as a kid about a nuclear powered bus.I don't recall whether it was a disaster type of film,although thinking about it now,it did have a cast of characters like those in the Cannonball Run.I believe,if memory serves me right,it was called The Nuclear Bus.

T'was "The Big Bus" featuring, amongst others, Larry Hagman and Ned Beatty!

Quote from: Pendy on May 29, 2012, 09:14:05 AM

Quote from: silly moo on May 29, 2012, 09:07:14 AM


Does every layout with a blue police box have Daleks? I must admit I've only been to a few exhibitions but I've never seen any Daleks.

As it will be my layout and rule no.1 applies, I'll have as many tedious, silly, repetitive cliches as I like!

I try to get as much as possible prototypically correct but I still believe this is a hobby.

Quite right too! Although the Cybermen are my favourites as the are 'cooler' than the Daleks

Does anyone actually do Daleks or Cybermen in N? (although can see Cybermen via viable with normal figures a bit of Milliput and some silver paint).

Thanks griffo,I knew someone'd know the actual name of the film.

Also,keep your cameo idea's coming,some.may be wprth nicking!

Pete

Quote from: PLD on May 29, 2012, 08:47:53 AM
Why does every layout with a blue police box have to have a dalek hidden somewhere??

Heathen...

Anyway trying finding a 2mm scale Dalek ?

Quote
In reality very few bus stops are on bridges. Just look around - all the great railway stations were built next to bus stops!

Other way around.. all the bus stops were built next to the great railway stations and in some cases that's a very modern change. The bus station and the railway station were frequently miles apart and run by rival companies who hated each other and certainly didn't want people using the rival transport system.

Im going to have some reference to terry pratchetts discworld novels on mine, Im thinking death and binky walking away from a figure lying down and a police man running over, also maybe a reference to one of Edward Marstons railway detective novels too.