What do you model and why?

[RhB_HJ]

Yep, not what do you dream about modeling. What do you model and why? Pictures of how you do it and why you do it that way would be very nice, too.

[Nick the Cabin Boy]

Well, at the moment I'm only dreaming, as I am trying to cope with a broken arm which is gradually healing from the taxi crash 10 weeks ago, but is still giving me a deal of pain!

When everything is normal, I will be modelling British Railways in the late steam/early diesel era, in N.  I'm not actually building anything at present, as we will be leaving here at the end of the next tourist season, and I have no real idea of what space I will have.  However, it's a pretty safe bet that any average Aussie home has at least one bedroom (apart from the master) which is 10'x10' minimum, so I'm dreaming up a few basic concepts at that size.

I've also been playing with a couple that assume I have a whole garage to play in!

Nick, in Tasmania

Should have said that I am English by birth, hence interest in BR.

[Jeff]

Glad to hear that you're recovering, Nick! And sorry to hear about the crash. I guess one of those Tasmanian roads finally did you in...

How about looking at one of those homes that have been built in the opal mining region by boring large diameter tunnels and sealing the ends against animal or insect intrusion. It has its advantages. You seldom have to worry about heating much nor cooling and, anytime you want more room, you dig a little deeper. It would be a wizard railroad space!

[Nick the Cabin Boy]

Funnily enough, it was one of the "easier" bits that got me!  One of those dreaded S-bends, wich also goes downhill, starting at the apex of the first bend.  I had 4 pax and about 200kg of luggage in the back.  Lost it at the top of the hill, couldn't get it back, and finished up in a field at the bottom.  I don't remember it rolling, but the damage suggests it did.

Fortunately, none of the pax were hurt, but they did miss their flight!

Some pix attached - that's twice now, so I'm looking for something else to do once I'm healed.

Nick

[RhB_HJ]

Nick,

That looks like a real bummer!   

Since there are hairy roads like that in Britain, too, you could recreate a similar scene on your layout. When visitors ask what happened you tell them it was on of your forebearers who wiped out, you just need to adjust the make of car to fit the era.     

BTW car crashes have been a feature on European MRR as far back as I can remember. Since I have at least one proposed mountain road on the layout in the garden, with more than one very iffy curve, including one of those flips could be in the picture. As long as the car doesn't land on the track.
That could go with the American Muscle Car meeting at Seedorf, just one of the guys - more than likely an American visitor - who got "carried away" coming down the hill. 

PS what's that crop in that field RH side of the road?

[Jeff]

"PS what's that crop in that field RH side of the road?"

Not the very best resolution picture, but then we don't have to pay for it. If it was the US, I'd say it looks a lot like soybean. However, I doubt that Nick really cared much WHAT it was, as long as it wasn't a stone wall!

[RhB_HJ]

Yeah and being winter time down there it is very unlikely that it was in the field when he hit the ditch. 

[Nick the Cabin Boy]

Actually, you're both wrong - it's a eucalypt tree plantation, lifespan 20+ years before harvesting.

I'm still trying to work out how the complete headlight assembly ended up about 40 metres away, on the other side of what was, at the time, a fairly busy road.

Nick

[glakedylan]

greetings Nick

wow! what a tragic situation. i am thankful that other than the broken arm all is well. as for your arm, i hope the pain lessens and it heals timely.

very thankful the passengers were uninjured.

it looks like quite a road for the possibility of such things. wow!

enjoy the dreaming of your next model railroad, and take good care of yourself!

respectfully,
Gary L Lake Dillensnyder

[Mike from CT]

I'm still trying to work out how the complete headlight assembly ended up about 40 metres away, on the other side of what was, at the time, a fairly busy road.

Nick

Nick, assuming someone didn't pick it up and toss it to the side of the road so it wasn't a hazard for traffic, there are only two possibilities:

1) It came off the van and rolled (or flew) across the road, or
2) The van came of it and rolled (or flew) across the road.

I dunno, but I'd bet on #1....

[Nick the Cabin Boy]

Hi Mike,

I'm inclined to #1 also, just that it seems to be a long way!  It is also quite possible that it was "put" there, as I didn't notice it until I was getting into the ambulance, which pulled up on that side of the road.

Incidentally, I insisted that the police breath-tested me - I had a reading of 0.000% BAC (as I should have - taxi drivers can be charged if 0.001%, general public 0.050%).  Not surprising really - I left home at 0530 to collect pax, and it was 0820 when I had the accident - no time for a drink even if I wanted one!

Nick

[Jeff]

"it's a eucalypt tree plantation"

Such are the hazards of satellite photography