Introducing Myself

[Alien]

Hi there - I am a railroad modeler from North East England and have been modeling US outline for a number of years. I started building a switching layout some time ago and progress has been slow, although progressively moving forward, and is built on six boards in order to be transportable to shows and also pack away if necessary. There have been a number of times when, because of the domestic situation, the layout has had to be packed away into the attic, garage, shed or wherever and, when it returns, have had second thoughts on some particular part and re-done it! This is probably why it it taking so long! When asked what the layout was to be called, I replied, "Hannah," this being a popular name for girls at the time and the name stuck.

I bought a couple of second-hand Kato GP35s and P2k GP9s to try them out and, after looking around for a suitable railroad to run on my layout, decided on the Montana Rail Link. It was only some time after this that I became aware of a certain new Disney character and made the connection that my layout was Hannah, MT!

I look forward to posting on the Forum, making new friends and sharing information and ideas on model railroading.

 

[Dollie's Dad]

Cute story, Alien.

I would imagine modeling a U.S. prototype has its special challenges in the UK. Do many hobby shops carry American equipment?

 

[Rico]

Hi Alien and welcome aboard!
I had to think where North East England, always think of everything being pretty much South...
We like lots of pics here so post away!

 

[Alien]

Cute story, Alien.

I would imagine modeling a U.S. prototype has its special challenges in the UK. Do many hobby shops carry American equipment?

Some model shops in the UK carry American equipment and a lot can be obtained via the internet / mail order. The most interesting challenge is being 5000 miles away from your chosen prototype! A lot of the things you would take for granted such as, "What does an American street really look like? What does it look like lineside?" has to be researched. The internet with sites such as railroad forums has made this a lot easier.

Alien

 

[hamltnblue]

Well if you have any questions ask away and you'll get plenty of answers.
For instance the first thing that stands out on amerian streets is the cars drive on the opposite side of the road than England. Also there is no standard street. They vary across the country but typically will be different than what you're used to. On the other hand down town area's can be very similar.

The reason you will find more railroads in the middle of American towns is that unlike England, many towns were built around the railroads. In England the towns were in place before the railroads.