Looking Right

[Dave Cooper]

Hi Folks

I wonder if you could advise on how best to judge /place road vehicles on a layout for photography and, well, just looking right...

So far, I've only got a double-decker bus and a Ford pick-up (both in red). I think they are 1/76 scale, or near-to.

An added complication is that the layout has a standard gauge section with a road alongside and a NG section which shares a station (but not a platform) with the 00 side.

Before buying any more vehicles, I'd just like to know how best to proceed. Both lines are a mix of passenger and goods traffic and are set in 'end-of-steam /beginning-of-diesel' era. 1950's (ish) ?

Thanks,
Dave 

[Hobby]

I always feel that placing vehicles as if they are driving down the road doesn't quite look right so I try and position mine as if they were genuinely stationary, such as parked up in a drive, at a level crossing waiting for a train, waiting outside a shop, parked whilst the owner takes a photo of the train (!), etc. You are lucky with your era in that road vehicles were still quite rare, so there wouldn't be many in the first place especially round a narrow gauge railway which tended to be in places where vehicles were even rarer. But I'd still suggest you look to place them in those sorts of situations.

[Graeme Dunbar]

Blair's point is like the advice often given about human figures running, for example. Figures rarely look convincing frozen in mid stride. Far better to have them in situations where they would naturally be relatively static - standing round talking, reading newspaper on platform etc.

Combine the two! Bus at bus stop with queue of passengers, pick-up off-loading, stuff piled up beside it, driver having a smoke and so on. Some modellers are masters of grouping figures to tell a story. Placing vehicles could do much the same.

[Dave Cooper]

Thanks both

A few other ideas I have is a 'pony and trap' for the NG side. An AA /RAC motorcycle and sidecar attending a broken down 'vintage /classic car' with the bonnet open. Steam Sentinel articulated wagon in the station forecourt area (I remember seeing these at Swansea High Street station) ?

Don't know quite how to source these - kits maybe ? I think I've seen an AA Patrolman in one of the magazines...

I think for the photography side lighting may be the key, but, open to all ideas. 

[Hobby]

Langley do horse drawn stuff and motorcycles including an AA patrol!

http://www.langley-models.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_OO_Horse_Drawn_Vehicles___Motorcycles__Incl_NEW_Items__21.html

[Dave Cooper]

Thanks Hobby - just the job. I think I'll replace the motorcycle windscreen with a 'Perspex' one.

Now to find a car that I can get with a bonnet that will open...I suspect Dinky /Corgi's will be too out-of-scale but Matchbox might have done something ? Airfix 1/72 maybe ?
Dave

[MickT]

Pocketbond Classix Triumph Herald in various configurations. Although discontinued, they are still fairly easy to find and Hattons often have a selection available "pre-loved"

Mick

[Dave Cooper]

Thanks Mick - I'll look out for one (hinged forward bonnet if I remember my friend's correctly).
Dave

[Dave Cooper]

Hi All

Thought I might try a few 'posed' shots just to try and get a feel for things :

1. From the standard gauge side - a bus at a country bus stop with a short queue of people.
2. From the NG side - a pick-up loading a pile of sand in the goods yard.

I'll take these with my mobile to start with, but, I don't know how to upload the results to the forum topic. Also re-sizing /max jpeg limits etc.

Any assistance gratefully received...
Dave

[Webmaster]

I'll take these with my mobile to start with, but, I don't know how to upload the results to the forum topic. Also re-sizing /max jpeg limits etc.

Any assistance gratefully received...
Dave

The forum does not host your pictures. You need to host them on a picture hosting site such as Imgur , imgBB, Flickr etc. and then post the link into the "add image" box that appears when you press the add image button.

[Dave Cooper]

OK - a couple of questions:

Can I 'host' them on my PC (eg "MS Paint" or, that dratted 'Cloud' thing) ?

Having found something suitable, where would I find the "add image" link /button ?

Surely, others must have done this - what is the procedure please....

Confused of Wiltshire.

[Stephen Rainsbury]

Can I 'host' them on my PC (eg "MS Paint" or, that dratted 'Cloud' thing) ?

Having found something suitable, where would I find the "add image" link /button ?

Hi, I was recently in the same boat. We can't see the photo on your devices, and we can't store them here we so have to put them somewhere in between and one of the most popular options seems to be to use https://www.flickr.com/

• You create an account (free) and it shows you how to upload your photos onto your space on their site
• Once uploaded got the top menu and click on "You > Photostream>" then on the picture you want to share.
• In the bottom right hand corner you should see something like this so select the arrow pointing up and to the right
  
• This will take you to a box like this, select BBCode and copy the text in blue, but note it extends off the screen so make sure you get all of it
  
• Go to your post and where you paste the text you just copied is where your picture will appear.

It sounds a bit of a faff, but once you have done it a few times the whole process will take less than a minute.
Stephen

[Hobby]

You will find that the majority of us use either Imgur or Flickr. Hosting pictures on a forum takes up an awful lot of memory and costs so asking us to us a photos hosting site makes sense. One other advantage of it is that if you use other forums you can just use the hosting site links for them.

[Dave Cooper]

Thanks Hobby

I've had issues with "flckr" in the past with many broken /'time-expired'/ and otherwise corrupt links....perhaps, they've improved....

I find it strange that other model-related sites manage perfectly well with image hosting eg Model Boats, Model Flying etc. How do they manage ? Advertising revenue perhaps. I can see scope for Model Railways here as there must be literally hundreds (if not thousands) of suppliers out there with relevant offerings.

I'll give Imgur a go in the first instance and we'll see what transpires. Maybe "Image Hosting" should be a new topic ?
Dave

[Dave Cooper]

Sorry Stephen

Should have thanked you as well for the best set of instructions so far....

The words 'hoops' and 'jumping' spring to mind !

Regards,
Dave