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Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 9 Feb 2000 10:31:18 GMT
Viewed: 
1386 times
  
On Wed, 9 Feb 2000, John Neal (<38A0EF13.EBC9F60A@uswest.net>) wrote at
04:38:22


My 8 wides are *more* realistic than 6 wides, but are still "minifig scale" and
are functional inside as well as outside, separating them from prototype
modeling as in the Model Railroad hobby world which concentrates on the external
appearance of models.

This is my point, really. It may just be that I've read things
incorrectly, but it appears that many people want to do scale models
with LEGO proportions (ie. 6-wide), but it's just not possible.
--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 9 Feb 2000 15:51:32 GMT
Viewed: 
1441 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Tony Priestman writes:
This is my point, really. It may just be that I've read things
incorrectly, but it appears that many people want to do scale models
with LEGO proportions (ie. 6-wide), but it's just not possible.
--
Tony Priestman
I 100% disagree.  John Neal's 8 wide trains are lovely creations indeed, but
I'll put some of my 6 wide stuff up against anything I've seen yet.

I built a Milwaukee Road Diesel, you can see the nose of it here:
http://reality.sgi.com/foster_stco/legopic/nmra/gmltc37.jpg
I built it from a picture on a calendar.  I don't know what the model is, I
don't know the style - I just built from the picture.  Larry (Hail Larry!)
explained to me that this particular model was a "re-build" of something
something something, I don't remember all the information.

Anyway, at the NMRA show last Summer, a man came up to me and asked who built
the Milwaukee Road diesels.  I said it was my design, there is also a second
one that is a copy.  He said "Nice re-builds", so he could obviously tell
*what* they were supposed to be!  I just said "I built it from a picture, I
have no idea what it is supposed to be..."

(FYI:  The venting is a series of capital "I"s done on clear labeling tape.)

6 wide can be done - it just takes a little more skill and effort...

John1, GMLTC
   (erase the '.nospam' to reply...)


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 9 Feb 2000 17:55:54 GMT
Viewed: 
1498 times
  
In lugnet.trains, John Gerlach writes:
In lugnet.trains, Tony Priestman writes:
This is my point, really. It may just be that I've read things
incorrectly, but it appears that many people want to do scale models
with LEGO proportions (ie. 6-wide), but it's just not possible.
--
Tony Priestman
I 100% disagree.  John Neal's 8 wide trains are lovely creations indeed, but
I'll put some of my 6 wide stuff up against anything I've seen yet.

Don't go getting too cocky or I'll have to start coming by Conan's and showing
you how to build stuff again...

I built a Milwaukee Road Diesel, you can see the nose of it here:
http://reality.sgi.com/foster_stco/legopic/nmra/gmltc37.jpg

This is one of my fave pics from Paul's bunch... because it has the Milwaulkee
Road diesel... and because it has Brian's brake van, and because it has my
sanding tower. :-)

I built it from a picture on a calendar.  I don't know what the model is, I
don't know the style - I just built from the picture.  Larry (Hail Larry!)
explained to me that this particular model was a "re-build" of something
something something, I don't remember all the information.

Me either, unfortunately. GP20 "paducah rebuild" perhaps?

++Lar


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 9 Feb 2000 18:39:24 GMT
Viewed: 
1475 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Larry Pieniazek writes:
In lugnet.trains, John Gerlach writes:
I'll put some of my 6 wide stuff up against anything I've seen yet.

Don't go getting too cocky or I'll have to start coming by Conan's and showing
you how to build stuff again...

You'll get me in trouble writing things like that - people look at me
strangely when I suddenly burst out laughing here at my desk...

(donning flame suit!)

John1, GMLTC


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 9 Feb 2000 19:47:42 GMT
Viewed: 
1619 times
  
On Wed, 9 Feb 2000, John Gerlach (<Fpo6pw.Bp6@lugnet.com>) wrote at
15:51:32

In lugnet.trains, Tony Priestman writes:
This is my point, really. It may just be that I've read things
incorrectly, but it appears that many people want to do scale models
with LEGO proportions (ie. 6-wide), but it's just not possible.
--
Tony Priestman
I 100% disagree.  John Neal's 8 wide trains are lovely creations indeed, but
I'll put some of my 6 wide stuff up against anything I've seen yet.

You can make the body look right, but the wheels will be in the wrong
place. You can make the doors look right, but a minifig won't be able to
get through them.

I'm not being snotty here, I just can't see how you can justify the
statement that you can make a 6 wide scale model of a standard gauge
loco.

Yes, you can make it so that people recognise the prototype it's based
on, and I assert that *that* is where the skill lies.

But people keep on arguing about the scale of a minifig, and other
people correctly point out that there isn't one. And all LEGO trains
which are built for a world which includes minifigs are built to this
scale.

I built a Milwaukee Road Diesel, you can see the nose of it here:
http://reality.sgi.com/foster_stco/legopic/nmra/gmltc37.jpg
I built it from a picture on a calendar.  I don't know what the model is, I
don't know the style - I just built from the picture.  Larry (Hail Larry!)
explained to me that this particular model was a "re-build" of something
something something, I don't remember all the information.

Anyway, at the NMRA show last Summer, a man came up to me and asked who built
the Milwaukee Road diesels.  I said it was my design, there is also a second
one that is a copy.  He said "Nice re-builds", so he could obviously tell
*what* they were supposed to be!

The key words here are 'supposed to be.' ie. isn't, but looks like.


--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Wed, 9 Feb 2000 22:22:06 GMT
Viewed: 
1748 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Tony Priestman writes:

I'm not being snotty here, I just can't see how you can justify the
statement that you can make a 6 wide scale model of a standard gauge
loco.

But I don't think that's what John said. He merely said that his creations were
of the highest calibre. And, after I got to MSP and gave him some lessons, they
are. :-) He's not claiming they're any particular scale.

Yes, you can make it so that people recognise the prototype it's based
on, and I assert that *that* is where the skill lies.

And now I agree. I can make models, and John 1, 2 and 3 all can make models,
that get people to say "that's an X!" even though they don't match scale for
scale, and they don't even have window frames or doorways that are to scale
(even factoring out selective compression of the number of windows in a coach
and so forth...)

The key words here are 'supposed to be.' ie. isn't, but looks like.

Yes, yes... but "looks like" is what I am going for. My Shinkasen (well, my and
Nik's Shinkasen) isn't To Scale... but it caused jamups in the elementary
school hallways and all the parents knew What It Was...

I'll be blunter. Everyone on this thread, are we actually disagreeing about
anything here??? I don't think so, really.

++Lar


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 01:23:06 GMT
Viewed: 
1763 times
  
On Wed, 9 Feb 2000, Larry Pieniazek (<Fpoosu.HrL@lugnet.com>) wrote at
22:22:06


I'll be blunter. Everyone on this thread, are we actually disagreeing about
anything here??? I don't think so, really.

Probably not.

I think either John G misread my post, or I misunderstood his
disagreement, because I ended up wanting to write the same thing again
:-)

I guess I'm just trying to get people to express their objectives a bit
more clearly when talking about their designs.

Modelling trains with LEGO is fun and a challenge, but scale modelling
it ain't, so talking about scale is just a waste of time.

There. I think that's what I meant to say :-)
--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 02:11:00 GMT
Viewed: 
1743 times
  
One other "take" on model railroading (the one that I prefer, of course) is
not to worry too much about the detail of models vs. prototype, or even
scale, as long as you can recognize "that's a boxcar, that's a hopper,
that's a Pullman, etc."  I prefer to go deeper into the actual running of
the trains:  consists, yard switching, schedules, hauling raw material to
the factory and picking up finished goods to haul to the freight depot to be
distributed to the townsfolk, etc.

For this, it doesn't matter if you're 6-wide, 8-wide, or 20-wide for that
matter, only what fits in your residence (without getting stepped on!).

The reason that I chose Lego to model trains with is that everything comes
apart and goes back together easier, I can build a new layout every night if
I want to, and packing things up for shipment around the world is much
easier (a critical fact to consider when you're in the military and move
every 1-2 years).



--
William A. Swanberg
CPT, SC
Commander, 229th Signal Company (TACSAT)
swanberg@msn.com


"Tony Priestman" <Tony@you-rang.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:WxiQCaA6Lho4EwoJ@you-rang.demon.co.uk...
On Wed, 9 Feb 2000, Larry Pieniazek (<Fpoosu.HrL@lugnet.com>) wrote at
22:22:06


I'll be blunter. Everyone on this thread, are we actually disagreeing • about
anything here??? I don't think so, really.

Probably not.

I think either John G misread my post, or I misunderstood his
disagreement, because I ended up wanting to write the same thing again
:-)

I guess I'm just trying to get people to express their objectives a bit
more clearly when talking about their designs.

Modelling trains with LEGO is fun and a challenge, but scale modelling
it ain't, so talking about scale is just a waste of time.

There. I think that's what I meant to say :-)
--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 05:03:40 GMT
Reply-To: 
JOHNNEAL@ihatespamUSWEST.NET
Viewed: 
1644 times
  
Tony Priestman wrote


Modelling trains with LEGO is fun and a challenge, but scale modelling
it ain't, so talking about scale is just a waste of time.

I only bring up scale because of the track gauge issue.  I think trains built 8
wide compared to 6 wide "look" better.  More realistic?  Kinda.  I just want my
trains wider than a snowmobile.  I want my trains to be able to seat 2 figs
across.  I think it's better, but I wouldn't say "it is better"....well, not
without good-natured kidding going on;-)

So I wouldn't say talking about scale is a waste of time, just sharing POVs:-)

-John

There. I think that's what I meant to say :-)
--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 13:19:50 GMT
Viewed: 
1643 times
  
On Thu, 10 Feb 2000, John Neal (<38A246A4.48DF7A6E@uswest.net>) wrote at
05:03:40


So I wouldn't say talking about scale is a waste of time, just sharing POVs:-)

Ok. point taken :-)

Perhaps what I mean is, there is no ultimate answer to the 'What Scale
Is Lego?' question. Perhaps it deserves a FAQ entry. Perhaps there is
one already. :-)
--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 21:38:38 GMT
Viewed: 
1501 times
  
I agree with William here - there is so much more to model trains* than the
phsical realism of the models. I would love to explore automated operation,
bar-coded freight yards and more 'realistic' operation, all possible using
Lego trains of course. As others have pointed out, it is pointless trying to
build a 'scale' model out of Lego, 8 wide or whatever but I have never seen a
mainstream model railway built to 'scale' AND featuring interesting and
intensive operation. Reason is the fragility of the delicate models prevents
handling and overscale working cranes etc. are just not tolerated. This is
where Lego trains really score - Flexible design with robust construction
(even when dropped).

Jon

*(There's a lot more to life than model trains too!)

In lugnet.trains, William A. Swanberg writes:
One other "take" on model railroading (the one that I prefer, of course) is
not to worry too much about the detail of models vs. prototype, or even
scale, as long as you can recognize "that's a boxcar, that's a hopper,
that's a Pullman, etc."  I prefer to go deeper into the actual running of
the trains:  consists, yard switching, schedules, hauling raw material to
the factory and picking up finished goods to haul to the freight depot to be
distributed to the townsfolk, etc.

For this, it doesn't matter if you're 6-wide, 8-wide, or 20-wide for that
matter, only what fits in your residence (without getting stepped on!).

The reason that I chose Lego to model trains with is that everything comes
apart and goes back together easier, I can build a new layout every night if
I want to, and packing things up for shipment around the world is much
easier (a critical fact to consider when you're in the military and move
every 1-2 years).




--
William A. Swanberg
CPT, SC
Commander, 229th Signal Company (TACSAT)
swanberg@msn.com


"Tony Priestman" <Tony@you-rang.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:WxiQCaA6Lho4EwoJ@you-rang.demon.co.uk...
On Wed, 9 Feb 2000, Larry Pieniazek (<Fpoosu.HrL@lugnet.com>) wrote at
22:22:06


I'll be blunter. Everyone on this thread, are we actually disagreeing • about
anything here??? I don't think so, really.

Probably not.

I think either John G misread my post, or I misunderstood his
disagreement, because I ended up wanting to write the same thing again
:-)

I guess I'm just trying to get people to express their objectives a bit
more clearly when talking about their designs.

Modelling trains with LEGO is fun and a challenge, but scale modelling
it ain't, so talking about scale is just a waste of time.

There. I think that's what I meant to say :-)
--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 21:44:24 GMT
Viewed: 
1564 times
  
Jonathan Reynolds wrote:
This is
where Lego trains really score - Flexible design with robust construction
(even when dropped).

Well, I'm not so sure about the robust construction even when dropped
part. I think most creations disassemble themselves when dropped on the
floor. The difference from fine-scale models is that chances are nothing
actually broke, and even if a brick or two break, chances are you can
easily replace them.

--
Frank Filz

-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Thu, 10 Feb 2000 22:00:14 GMT
Viewed: 
1567 times
  
In lugnet.trains, Frank Filz writes:
Jonathan Reynolds wrote:
This is
where Lego trains really score - Flexible design with robust construction
(even when dropped).

Well, I'm not so sure about the robust construction even when dropped
part. I think most creations disassemble themselves when dropped on the
floor. The difference from fine-scale models is that chances are nothing
actually broke, and even if a brick or two break, chances are you can
easily replace them.

--
Frank Filz

-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com

It's all relative. Five minutes to replace a few bricks versus Several months
painstaking skilled modelmaking/painting. I know which I'd rather do!
(cue 'age of instant gratification ruining classic creative toys' debate)

Jon


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 11 Feb 2000 02:10:13 GMT
Reply-To: 
johnneal@uswest.+spamcake+net
Viewed: 
1557 times
  
Tony Priestman wrote:

On Thu, 10 Feb 2000, John Neal (<38A246A4.48DF7A6E@uswest.net>) wrote at
05:03:40


So I wouldn't say talking about scale is a waste of time, just sharing POVs:-)

Ok. point taken :-)

Perhaps what I mean is, there is no ultimate answer to the 'What Scale
Is Lego?' question. Perhaps it deserves a FAQ entry. Perhaps there is
one already. :-)

Ahh, if you phrase it "What scale are LEGO trains?",a question the GMLTC hears
constantly at train shows, the answer is a quick "L" scale (the GP isn't savvy
enough to handle "MF";-)  What scale it approximates with respect to model
railroading is debate fodder in NGs:-)

-John


--
Tony Priestman


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 11 Feb 2000 04:16:35 GMT
Viewed: 
1631 times
  
In lugnet.trains, John Neal writes:
Ahh, if you phrase it "What scale are LEGO trains?",a question the GMLTC hears
constantly at train shows, the answer is a quick "L" scale (the GP isn't savvy
enough to handle "MF";-)  What scale it approximates with respect to model
railroading is debate fodder in NGs:-)

-John

I suppose Lego trains could be L6 for 6 wide and L8 for 8 wide.  Anybody else
want to start a Lego Train Scale naming convention?

Mike


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 11 Feb 2000 05:37:41 GMT
Viewed: 
1533 times
  
On Fri, 11 Feb 2000 02:10:13 GMT, John Neal <johnneal@uswest.net>
wrote:


Ahh, if you phrase it "What scale are LEGO trains?",a question the GMLTC hears
constantly at train shows, the answer is a quick "L" scale (the GP isn't savvy
enough to handle "MF";-)  What scale it approximates with respect to model
railroading is debate fodder in NGs:-)

-John

Neither are most Lego fans.  I mention Minifigs to people buying Lego
at work and they give me a blank look.  It's kinda sad actually. =/


Subject: 
Re: 8 vs. 6 (was: Excited to Finally be here...)
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Fri, 11 Feb 2000 10:46:04 GMT
Viewed: 
2174 times
  
On Fri, 11 Feb 2000, Mike Poindexter (<Fpqzvn.MB4@lugnet.com>) wrote at
04:16:35

In lugnet.trains, John Neal writes:
Ahh, if you phrase it "What scale are LEGO trains?",a question the GMLTC hears
constantly at train shows, the answer is a quick "L" scale (the GP isn't savvy
enough to handle "MF";-)  What scale it approximates with respect to model
railroading is debate fodder in NGs:-)

-John

I suppose Lego trains could be L6 for 6 wide and L8 for 8 wide.  Anybody else
want to start a Lego Train Scale naming convention?

Mike

How about just AR - artistically right.

--
Tony Priestman


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