The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Outpost Cafe => Topic started by: TBird1958 on February 27, 2009, 02:49:55 PM
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Way off topic here,
When I'm not being a Drag Queenie Thunderbird playing aspiring alcoholic, I'm actually a quiet dorky person when I have the time and inclination I build models of trains in HO scale. My work primarily focuses on a railroad that ran inbetween Denver, CO. and Salt Lake City, UT called the Rio Grande, the models are period correct for the years 1970-76, when there were many changes taking place with regard to locomotives and rolling stock. The models are all researched and based on actual prototypes, I've custom painted, detailed and weathered (relic'd if you will!) most of them so they look more realistic - had nice time out in the sunshine taking pics too!
A little fiction from me for the captions, I used to work as an editor for a model magazine.....
I'm such a dork! ;D
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains014-1.jpg)
Here's an EMD SD45 leading two more with a heavy train.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains019.jpg)
A tank car built from parts, custom painted, this model won a ribbon in a National contest.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains024.jpg)
A gondola modified to transport automobile frames from the midwest to California for assembly.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains009.jpg)
The Rio Grande crossed the Rockies and trains were always heavy, often requiring the use of a "helper" on the rear of the train, this is a very new GP40 putting its 3000hp to good use.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains011.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains025.jpg)
Going the other direction a little later we have an EMD SD45 demo, likely working off some horsepower
owed to the railroad while other units are being repaired under warrenty.
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains001.jpg)
Last we have the Dome Observation car from the Rio Grande Zephyer, the last non-Amtrak passenger train in the U.S. The prototype was made entirely of Stainless Steel, a beautiful car and design statement!
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Wow Mark I had no idea. Really nice work. I had a friend when I was a kid where they built their HO scale train set into their basement.
Model trains & slot cars are becoming a lost hobby.
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Mark, please clarify for me... Are these pictures of trains you've built? They're amazing!
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George,
They're models I've built, usually the starting point is an unpainted basic model, typically I add some aftermarket parts and end up making pieces as well, that's based on photgraphy and detail drawings.
I always make the models "new" as a starting point and then weather them with a variety of mediums, chalk, artist oils, and very thinned out lacquers applied with an Iwata double action airbrush.
Most of the locomotive start at about 120.00 apiece, it can be and expensive hobby, happily I don't really need to buy much any more, my collection numbers over 500 pieces..........
And yeah, part of the fun of model photography should be a moment or two when the viewer asks: Are those real?
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains017.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains027.jpg)
A nice way to spend a sunny morning, right on Puget Sound!
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The paint and scenery is amazing- I really like that tank car!
I have an old Fleischman HO set in the garage that I had setup long ago. It was my Grandfather's - think its from the late 50s. I'd love to set it up with my sons when they get a little older. The hard part will be finding a dedicated space to build it.
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Mark, the natural background adds a lot to the realism. The cars are so well done in their detail that the sea and sky in the background fool the eye into asking if the train is real as well. The shrubbery is a give-away but only if I concentrate on it exclusively. You're a real artist. That tanker looks exactly like the cars I used to watch traveling through Burbank when I was a kid. I used to leave a penny on the track to see what shape it would be smashed into and where it would fly as the train hit it. Man, that takes me back...
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Beautiful work, Mark.
Paul Boyer, who posts at RickResource (and was a DP2 member) was a model magazine editor for years. IIRC he specialized in model aircraft.
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Wow Mark ! That was the question I was asking myself are those real ? ! Beautiful work ! I still am a avid modeler aircraft mostly.
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Wow Mark - that's really amazing work. Good on you, Bro! Got any more pics?
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For your trains (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v102/godofthunder59/eabystuffandBuffalotrainstationg-1.jpg)
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This will break you guys' hearts, but you are aware that Märklin is now bankrupt?
http://www.nscale.net/forums/nscale-net-general/general-discussion/2009/02/06/marklin-bankrupt
Their market is dying out. My elder brother is in the model train business and he tells me that his clients are identical to those who frequent shops for other, errrm, more adult nature toys: middle-aged, sexually frustrated and nostalgic for old feelings. Kind of like us, really. :mrgreen:
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Wow, Mark! I'm impressed! Didn't knew this. I just love trains, but I already have too much hobbies for my money:)
I suppose you've read the Neil Young biog 'Shakey'? A must read for every model train and music lover.
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I remember Neil Young bought Lionel Trains years ago for his austitic son. I'm not sure if he still owns it?
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If I'm right he's still one of the owners of Lionel. He also has a big barn with trains, he designs sound and light systems for trains and he does readings all over the world, on which occasions he's just the expert from Lionel and not the rock star.
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This will break you guys' hearts, but you are aware that Märklin is now bankrupt?
http://www.nscale.net/forums/nscale-net-general/general-discussion/2009/02/06/marklin-bankrupt
Their market is dying out. My elder brother is in the model train business and he tells me that his clients are identical to those who frequent shops for other, errrm, more adult nature toys: middle-aged, sexually frustrated and nostalgic for old feelings. Kind of like us, really. :mrgreen:
From that article:
Märklin releases no profit statements, but Kingsbridge Capital of Britain and the New York investment bank Goldman Sachs bought the company in 2006.
Goldman Sachs. That explains everything.
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Here's some older shots I scanned at work this a.m., they're from MAINLINE MODELER magazine articles that I wrote...............back in the day ;)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains2-1.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/train4.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/train3.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains5.jpg)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains1-2.jpg)
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Amazing work, Mark. I had to really look at those photos. They do look almost real. Last I had heard about Lionel and Young was that, aside from going bankrupt, Neil had gone back into R&D and let someone else hold the reins to the running of the company.
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I can only see those pics now, some IT security thing we had with the roll out of our new software here.
Fräulein Rommel, those trains are verdammt spektakulär. Disconcertingly like the real thing. Kind of like you then. :rimshot:
But have you noticed how Mark is kind of shy in revealing his other side with his fancy pants model train friends? What a missed chance of outing yourself as the world's only female model train fan. You could be their fetish Lokomotivführer. ;)
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No painted nail in the pics??
What gives?
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Two sides of my life that will never meet...............
The model train community here would ostracize me rather quickly if they knew anything of my lifestyle, I saw it happen many times when I worked for a shop that did retail and mail order trains, so I keep these to parts of my life widely separated, oddly enough tho it's easier for me to admit being a drag queenie that a model railroader - which has an extremely high "dork factor".
Uwe, you mention that your brother sells trains? does he keep a shop?
I need to learn photoshop to add a little exhaust to this ;)
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd306/veronicasteed/trains012.jpg)
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No painted nail in the pics??
What gives?
You could maybe sneek in a bangly bracelet? ;D
Beautiful work Mark!
We need to get you set up painting guitars and basses - your attention to detail would make for some killer paint jobs. Plus this crowd wouldn't care if you dressed like Grace Jones or George Jones as long as the paint job was cool ;)