Train Taggers

Train Taggers

There is nothing that will set off a flame war on the model railroad boards faster than a discussion about graffiti. These guys will obsess over the diameter of a rivet on a boiler plate, and how a handrail height on a model isn't prototypical, but they won't consider having tagging on their trains because somehow that endorses or promotes tagging.

One of my primary reasons for liking trains is the raw power of them, the primitive nature of smelling exhaust and feeling the rumble. I think of the tagging like the primeval cave paintings. It is the base of mankind to express themselves. It is an expression, no matter how crude, that sets us apart from other animals. Perhaps it is that anthropological side of me that let me relish the several years I spent as part of a graffiti task force catching these bad guys.

Recently, Ken Szok posted this image on the SoCal Railfan board, and I thought I would share my professional analysis of the tagging. Click on the photo for a much larger view (Hold down the shift key when you click for a new window, or if you're using Foxfire, the Ctrl key for a new tab).

It was a female tagger (yes, they are out there). The two sets of three lines around the "27" are often indicative of eyelashes (and vanity). The stars around the 27 and date likely represent the "star" personality of the tagger. 27 is the tagger's initials , or more likely, the initials of their moniker (or nickname) . It is probably "BG" for the second and seventh letters of the alphabet, but it could also correspond with the letters on a phone keypad. You might be able to catch a fingerprint off the four horizontal drags on the left panel. The tagger's eye-level is most likely equal to the top of the date as suggested by the alignment with the strong horizontal segment of the scrolling in the right panel and the start of the better penmanship of the looping e's on the left panel (the spacing increases as it goes up, indicating the perspective change). This also places the four horizontal finger drags at mouth level, which is a natural position (go ahead - try it)...

This is the critical eye that haunts me when I look at tagging on walls, bridges and trains. It is not all gangsters marking their territory like dogs. It is an expression of emotion in a primitive form. It is a necessary element in modeling a railroad, and an unnecessary element in modeling a train. I am a model railroader, so I will be tagging the crap out of my trains and scenes.

The Train Show

The Train Show

The guys from the N-Land Pacific met for breakfast this morning and then headed over to the train show in Anaheim. I'm pretty sure that was my last public train show ever. It was the same Tyco trash on cookie sheets that I've seen for years, and I had to pay $7 for the privilege.

The people attending the show continue to inbreed and apparently somewhere in the evolution, they stopped bathing. It would have been more fun to do a tractor-pull with some of the dozens of electric wheelchairs that took turns ramming my ankles.

Andy and I split after just an hour and headed across the street to Disneyland. The highlights of the day included talking the tram dude into letting Andy do the spiel (Driver, we're all clear), getting a WPM DVD from Bob and Jeff, and trading El Gato to Robert for a Maxi-Stack. You can check out a four minute edit I did of the DVD here.

Sociology of Model Railroading

Sociology of Model Railroading

I was just reading a great essay, The Sociology of Model Railroading. Imagine my surprise when I found the author has a link to my website on his site. Great minds and all.

Lots of email on the demise of the Cajon Layout. Stuart writes, "Trashed the layout, have we? Looking to socialize more while running trains? I wonder what Freud would have said about that." He goes on to say, "Let me be the first to predict that your little Porter venture will soon lead you into HO. You heard it here first."

Stan writes, "I just got on the computer and one of the things I like to do is read your blog. I find it humorous, fun and most of all a good release. So I'm in there reading your last two entries and I see something that your tearing down Cajon? What happened? I've heard about realigning for 2007 but..."

The End of an Era

The End of an Era

You might think it was a New Year’s Eve thing, but I’ve been thinking about it for days, if not weeks. I’ve decided that staying the course with the Cajon layout is not what I want to do.

My style of model railroading has become social, and consumable. I love the interaction with others, and once something is done, I’m done with it, and I usually give it away. I look at the Cajon layout and see all of the extra infrastructure like dust control, and lighting, and realize it is not what I enjoy about model railroading. I look at the compromises of a 12” minimum radius and realize I’ll have to apologize to others and myself for the rest of the layout’s lifespan.

I like modular railroading. I get the social interactions. I get the vain displays of my work. I get to experiment. I get the freedom of ditching what doesn’t work for me. I get to feel the satisfaction of completion over and over again.

I’m ready to tear out the Cajon layout and re-task the garage as a workshop for modular model railroading and other projects. I am imagining cabinets for dust free storage of modules. I am imagining a modest test layout, a spray booth and a workbench.

I think my next modular project will be a staging yard similar to what Bernd built for their group. Even though I will be using Code 55 for all my modules, I have a considerable amount of Code 80 turnouts and track that will work for a utilitarian staging yard. Sure there will be a transition to Code 55, but Code 80 is robust and perfect for the utility of the yard.

The yard, and most of my modules for that matter, will probably be 16” wide. I think that is a great width for single-track modular railroading. A 24” wide module is too cumbersome for one person, and a 12” wide module is too skinny. A module width of 16” has the advantage of portability and the economy of a standard dimension that cuts cleanly from four-foot timber.

I don't regret any of this. It has, and continues to be a wonderful hobby for me. Cajon Pass is still in my neighborhood, and I will continue to draw upon it for inspiration. Now if you excuse me, I have to go clean the garage.

Demolition Day

Demolition Day

Today was the last day of the Cajon layout. It went fairly well, but I have a cut on my forehead from a snag on a nail, and a sore back for my troubles.

The rubble filled the bed of my truck and six large trash bags. Of course not everything is heading for the landfill, but the lumber, foam, cork and track is gone from Devore to Summit.

That area of the layout is now going to be a 3'x12' workbench with cupboards and pegboard under the worktop. The area on the other side of the garage is going to be a 4'x20' layout with a connection to the Free-moN modules.

This is Model Railroading

This is Model Railroading

It doesn't matter what scale you're interested in, this is model railroading. Half a world away, in Germany, these eight guys get together, talk trash, and play with trains. Exactly what we do in the N-Land Pacific Group.

We've been sharing some emails, despite the language barrier. Bernd (second from the right) has asked to join our Group. He writes, "I must admit that I have fun provoking these guys (at Free-moN) just as Ed ;-) but that´s not my intention in your group. Most time I would be a 'passive' member. When I come to California, I will bring you some bottles of dark beer, so we can practice 'drink´n´drive."

Except for the driving part, that sounds great to me.

Mold Building

Mold Building

I'm going to be needing a lot of rock molds on the diorama I'm building for the little Porter. That means I've been on the look out for good rocks when I'm walking my girls down in the creek. That normally isn't a good place to look for "parent rocks" because the action of the creek polishes the stones into round boulders. Sometimes I get lucky and find a good subject and drag it home.

So what makes a good rock? I'm looking for a rock that has character and looks interesting, but I also want it to look prototypical for a scale version of the area I'll be modeling. I also look for an area where I can use the mold at different angles so my scenery doesn't repeat the same fissures over and over. If you pay attention to geology, you'll see that there are rules to how rocks and cliffs appear. I also want a rock without tight creases or overhangs that could snag the latex or hang onto the plaster cast too tightly.

I call the good rocks "parents" because they will have many offspring after the molding process. I give the parents a good scrubbing with detergent and a power nozzle. I don't want anything coming off and sticking to the latex. Make sure that the parent is completely dry because wet latex thins with water and we don't want that to happen. You also want to buy quality latex. I hate to say it, but don't buy it from model railroading stores because most of them have had their latex on inventory since they first put that Trojan in their wallet. I'm convinced that when a hobby shop goes out of business, that blue bottle of Mountains in Minutes latex just gets dusted off and Walthers sells it to the next guy opening a train store. I buy my latex from high volume craft stores like Michael's. The best I've found is called Mold Builder which is 100% latex.

Before I start describing the process of making the mold, I've got to cover my butt and urge you to check out this Latex Allergy Warning.

I take a cheap disposable brush and just paint the latex onto the parent. Make sure you get into the nooks and crannies and above all else -- keep thin layers of latex. It will dry within a couple hours and then you can apply another coat. If you keep your brush in a zip-lock bag between coats, you can use the same brush throughout the 20 or so coats you'll be applying to the parent. If you put on too thick of a coat of latex, you'll have pockets of wet latex that may never dry. It usually takes me about four days to finish a mold.

On rare occasions, I will strengthen the latex mold by putting on a piece of cheesecloth before the last two coats of latex. I only have done this with molds that I don't want to distort while molding. Since I want variety with rocks, I don't usually bother. When it is time to take the mold off the parent, just start peeling back at a corner and work slowly.