Doodlebuggin'

Well, the inspiration comes thick and fast on the doodlebug front. It's a topic that many folks on talking T gauge are interested in. Mainly because it is felt that it will be the easiest way to get something running in US outline. A page on trainweb lists a lot of online pictures and plans for Doodlebugs. Even a good selection of pages on the M &StL Doodlebugs. Honestly! You want to talk synchronicity? It's a bit difficult to argue against it currently.

Jason's model is not the first T scale Doodlebug. Oh no. It was most remiss of me not to acknowledge this fact earlier, but a T scaler who goes by the name of the other Lionel on his Adventure in T scale blog he shows some pictures of his project. Which rather than making a new body to slide over the Eishindo original he just added bits of styrene to the Class 103 body. It's a great example of what can be done by a creative mind. You can see it a short way down this page of his blog. Once again it's brilliant. A really clever use of bits and pieces.

But wait that still isn't the first one. A short way down this talking t gauge page is the Victorian Railways DERM built by Paul.

Would you believe it? I'm still not finished with railcars. One of the first projects detailed on talking t gauge was the construction of a Budd RDC. You can follow the entire project on this thread.

Seeing work like this makes me proud to be associated with such a creative bunch.

Synchronicity?

syn-chro-nic-i-ty (n) coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related.

Now I don't know about you but I don't think I'd ever even given such things a passing thought, apart from that album by the Police back in 1983....

But here's the way things are playing out.

1. Feeling somewhat disappointed with T scale my enthusiasm is re-awakened by Jasons magnificent models.

2. Whilst at the Minnesota History Centre this weekend I was taken with a book "The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway a Photographic History" by Don L Hofsommer. I always flick through railway books you never know what kind of inspiration you'll find in them. I was right. Plenty of inspirational photographs. But nothing that I could justify starting a totally new layout over. Then I turned a page an there it was, a picture of a GE Doodlebug not at all dissimilar to that created by Jason. It wasn't just one picture. Oh no, from then on it was page after page of GE Doodlebugs. It's like someone was shouting at me to create a T scale model of a Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway scene. I hope it wasn't Sting...

So there you go. I don't know if I should listen to that voice. In fact I agonised about buying that book overnight before I finally decided to purchase it. But the book is bought now. So I guess the pictures will scream at me until I do something about it.

Will I? Won't I? If I do, how long will it take me? Will new T scale stock from Eishindo materialise before Christmas?

Too many questions to answer. But what it does seem to show is my T scale days are most definitely NOT over.

New Header Photo

Now that layout is almost finished I thought it about time to add a new updated header photo.
Do you like it?
I sure as heck do. When I look at it I feel pretty proud of what I have achieved in T scale I don't mind telling you.

Enthused again

I am very happy to say that my enthusiasm for T has returned.

No. I've not started on a new project layout and no, the new products from K.K. Eishindo have not materialised yet. So what has got me fired up?

This work seen below that recently appeared on talking t gauge. Stunning isn't it? It's the work of Jason who would is the proprietor of fannocreek designs. A provider of Z scale kits. He has become interested in T and has produced some custom laser engraved work for his own T scale project. Look at these and enjoy them. Then realise that the railcar has a cross section no greater than a typical pencil and marvel at the work.

Normally work like this can make me feel like giving up. This has had the total opposite effect I'm fired up. I'm already scheming for some kind of US outline layout. So stay tuned!

I'm not dead yet...

A recent post from T scale guru David K Smith on his T scale blog got me thinking about my T scaling. I've been away for a good 2 months now and still no new stock has materialised from Messrs Eishindo. So am I done with T? Am I "flatlining"?
You know what? I don't really think so. I look at those pictures from the Granite City Train show and I think to myself. "That was really fun, I want more"
I'm still pretty peeved that no new stock has appeared. But I'm not ready to give up on it yet. New pictures have appeared of the forthcoming items so I still live in hope.
I hope to get some of the new items on their arrival and try them out then we'll see where things go from there.

End of Part Two

Time for a break from T scale methinks.
I've worked quite a lot on T scale over the past 12 months or so and as you will have read recently I've become pretty down on it because of the lack of new stock.
So it's time to sit down and take stock of the situation and wait for some more model trains to be released.
Then we'll decide wether to carry on with Gonou or sell it and start with something new.
Thanks for following everything that's gone on here.
Until next time, carry on having fun with model railways. Its the Worlds greatest hobby.

More from the Show

Thanks to Ed Olson organiser of the Granite City Train show I can let you see some more pictures of Gonou on show.

1. Being introduced to Bob Hughes from a local St Cloud Radio station prior to my appearance over the airwaves
2. Lorrie indicates an invaluable tool to working in such small sizes. Whilst a small crowd looks on at the layout
3. Lorrie keeps guard and talks to the punters while I am deep in discussion with the radio guy
4. The magnifier in use.