TROLLEY MUSEUMS : OFTEN SEEM LIKE THANKLESS TASKS, DON'T THEY?

And yet traction preservationists keep right on, plugging away endlessly, always short of funds, of skilled workers to do restoration or even routine maintenance, even of visitors unless they resort to the same, tired old Special Events ploys that so many steam railway museums do --- Holiday Specials; train robberies; dinner trains, Wild West train robberies; Murder Mystery Theater; Thomas, the Tank Engine;, and every other cliché in the book...

... fighting not only the shortage of interest by the general public, but the active opposition of right-of-way neighbors, the ever-looming right-of-way maintenance, the rising price of electric power, the threat of condo construction and real estate development and encroachment ... again, people who have been loyal Electric Railway blog readers are all too familiar with the problems.

At a time when municipal officials can't even justify expending taxpayer money to enlarge or maintain real transit projects, where can you find a Mayor or Council member --- in this Age of Shrinking Funds --- to support so much as an Art Museum or a serious music program, let alone a --- "What ?! Did you say Trolley Museum?".

What is the answer ? Well, folks, Fellow Traction Buffs, preservationists, everywhere, here is one hook to hang your hat on . It suggested itself to us as we were attending a live steam meet. Having heard every variant of "Is that a steam or a diesel?" from visitors, we were astounded to hear one lively visitor about eight years old ask, in all seriousness as he stared at a one-eighth full size live steam locomotive go chuffing by, "Is that a real train?" .

Then it came to us in a flash that:

1. fine distinctions between full size and large models do not exist in so many of our audience

2. sitting in a preserved streetcar, traveling along a tired right-of-way staring at two miles or more of brush, unmowed fields, and scrap heaps rarely , if ever, evokes an appreciation for the magnificent network of tracks, the exciting travel to the amusement park at the end of the trolley line, that used to exist, and whose memories we treasure.

3. this can't compete with electronic games in which the participant is able to destroy whole armies of elves, ogres, and evil villains while seated comfortably at home at a keyboard.

4. there was an air of urgent disdain displayed by the older children tugging at their parents' hands to leave the (trolley) museum as quickly as possible.

5. the proliferation of theme parks, amusement rides, and flash-and-it's- gone pop culture shows makes competition with a slow nostalgic ride in a creaky tram an extremely one-sided battle.

Then we turn to the Statistics Section of my blog reports, and we find that over a thousand visitors from all over the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia (!), Italy, Germany, Australia, India, Latvia (for Pete's Sake), and other (pleasant) geographically- surprising visitors have viewed our obscure, unadvertised Blog in this short and recent time. No Social Media (although we're convinced they would help immeasurably); and no advertising.

Despite our pleas for comments --- we'll even take negative ones, no one seems willing to take advantage of the simple Comments form at the foot of each daily Blog to let us know what they think.

What can we do to stem the hemorrhaging interest in T⁴ (Traction, Trolleys, Trams, and Transit) ?

There seems to be an uptick of interest in nostalgia, generally. Well, that helps. Some of the blog hits apparently derive from the continual, mindless sweep of the Search Engine robots. But still --- Latvia ???

The I noticed the large surge of interest and popularity when we posted the wonderful photos of Gordon Hatch and his one-fourth full size, three inch-to-the-foot models of trams in British Columbia. Impressive from the first time we accidentally ran across their existence thanks to his devoted grandson.

Could this be a solution, low cost, effective, perhaps even viral ? Discussion to be continued, anon.

ANOTHER MAGNIFICENT CANADIAN TROLLEY BY GORDON HATCH

For those of you who can't get enough of those magnificent model trolleys in a scale one-fourth full size, here's another one, with the late Gordon Hatch, of British Columbia, kneeling alongside.

If the sight of this model traction at three inches to the foot doesn't stir your blood, we're in the wrong hobby.

I keep hoping that it will stir some of you to write comments to me at

HNILS@MSN.COM about the campaign for a national organization that I'm trying to get off the ground, perhaps motivated by a national conference

in a place in Florida that half the population of the United States has been able to get to.

If not, I'm just about ready to give up !

Please no spam, no porn, no psoriasis cures, no Cialis ads, ... you know the drill !

FEEDBACK --- COMMENTS --- NEEDED AND REQUIRED

Although I enjoy, to some degree, writing these thoughts on ways to extend and increase interest in our special interest of ELECTRIC rAILWAYS, my continued efforts are dependent on some sort of response from those who actually are involved, concerned, and are paying attention. It is vital to the continuation of these postings that I learn what your reactions and feelings are.


That is why I post this material on a medium which allows responses, in the form of comments from the readership. Although initially I was very pleased at the "numbers", the statistics of those who read this --- and I have checked those figures and their provenance every single day of this Blog's existence --- I find it difficult to continue without feedback and input from my many readers.

If there is no significant increase in the Comments section, I will be constrained to "Terminate these writings with Extreme Prejudice" if we do not receive a significant number of Comments soon.

Please write.

PELTAE

GORDON HATCH, POSING WITH HIS ONE-FOURTH SCALE MEGA-MODEL

Gordon Hatch, British Columbia trolley modeler, with mega-scale trolley one-fourth             Size, 3 inches = one foot, GH Scale (named in his honour) .

This photo really puts into perspective just how impressive these traction models are in this scale and size. Frankly, we're hooked ... and building and maintaining a trolley museum in this scale is a heck of a lot less costly than trying to maintain and run full size restorations of the real thing !  ... not to mention the effort and cost of restoration .

Trying to impress the public, and especially the children ?  We don't think that you can do better than this for WOW Factor !

We don't believe that we have to impress on anyone who ventures into this scale how senseless it would be to try to climb up on the roof and ride it !

Electricity costs would be substantially less, as would trackwork --- and much easier to lay and spike. Miniature passenger figures could be based on fashion dolls and figurines with a length (height) of between 16 inches (female) and 18 inches (male) .

As we have suggested elsewhere, an entire new cottage industry of crafts people and hobby tailors could spring up, to produce realistic clothing -- civilian, American, ca. 1920-1940 --- for these potentially spectacular miniatures.

Everybody wins, especially those of us weary of World War II, the Wehrmacht, and GI Joe ! We welcome your (carefully considered) comments . Please, no commercial advertising (we check and edit all comments carefully); no crude or vulgar remarks ; ... but we do care what you think !

By the way, we have heard rumors floating about that the Tampa (Florida) Electric Company commissioned --- in this one-fourth scale --- a display model of this streetcar . Their relatively new trolley system goes from the Old Historic Town of Ybor City to the Florida Aquarium, the Cruise Ship docks, and the Hotel and Conference Center. We have not yet received a reply to our request for information from the Tampa Trolley Board about the existence or display of this rumored mega-scale model.

If you're going to be coming to Tampa for the Republican National Convention, you might want to check these latter fascinating sites out. If you're going to be there, try to obtain information about that mega-scale display .

FIRST NATIONAL TRACTION MEET --- A REVISION

Always having reserved the right to edit previous Blogs for a Better AND More Perfect World, we have re-written our Blog "PICTURE THIS --- OUR FiRST NATIONAL TRACTION MEET --- originally written on 29 April 2012, and NOW revised on 6 May 2012. Please re-read for important changes and updates .

Thanks.

FORCED PERSPECTIVE : An Important Approach for P Scalers

Problem : How to make a small model viewscape in a model T⁴***  layout look much larger than seems possible .

If you have a convenient window through which to survey the landscape around you at this very moment, you will notice that those buildings which are closest appear larger than the ones in the background . Beyond them appear smaller buildings, even though you know them to be larger and taller. Beyond them sit tiny vehicles, like colorful smudges with little detail to identify them. Even a very large city seems smaller and smaller the further objects are from the eye, especially when seen from a height .

*** T⁴= A former mathematician's way of saying "Trolleys, Trams, Traction & Transit", hoping that this shorthand notation catches on !

We have only a small space in which to model a large viewscape. With up to hundreds of feet in depth to model, unkind reality provides us with a mere 10 to 15 feet at best.

Trying to do that in a Mega-Scale --- say, P scale, one-sixth full size, two inches equals one foot --- would be even more difficult. However, there exists a method that fools the eyes and brain of viewer into thinking that buildings appear to be far off in the distance, a method called “forced perspective”.

The answer to this difficulty, one known for hundreds of years to practitioners in the fine arts when producing a painting, is to reduce objects in the distance in size, which creates the illusion that they are very far away. A simple approach to achieve the illusion is to model the trolley or tram in two inches to the foot (P-Scale) while modeling the scenery and buildings behind it from the point of view of the observer in --- for example --- O Scale. When the observer looks at the buildings, they appear to be far away because of their smaller size, even though only a few feet may separate the two. Your eye perceives those decreases in size as increased distance, a common technique also used in stagecraft and magicians' illusions . Think of the backdrop of Manhattan skyscrapers appearing to squeeze an entire city behind the on-stage cast of "New York, New York" .

This illusion can be heightened --- both creatively and literally --- by placing background buildings and scenic accessories somewhat higher than the foreground streetcar tracks that are close to the observer.

Another technique which reinforces the illusion is to reduce in size those elements of a structure in the scenery that are further from the observer. It helps to consider yourself as an artist who is designing the elements of a painting by --- for example --- narrowing the backs of buildings as they appear to recede from the eye .

Another significant advantage to this technique is that --- particularly when building a landscape in a scale whose scenery is difficult to obtain commercially --- using readily available O scale and HO scale buildings is, therefore, not only more effective, but also much less expensive and easier to purchase commercially --- achieving two goals with one technique . To reinforce the point, because to the eye, small size equals distance; the smaller the building the farther away it seems. Also, please consider that model automobiles in one-sixth scale are, at the present time, almost unobtainable; however, some beautiful model cars are available in 1:18 scale, and will do nicely if placed in the background of a street scene.

Please try this on your next layout and let us know how this "optical illusion" works for you --- please use the Comments option on this blog for easy commenting .

Breathing New Life into an Old Standard Hobby

Sometimes, even the best subjects, the most fascinating hobbies, can grow stale. We're put in mind of the model airplane hobby in the 1950's, when even avid model airplane buffs, like members of our family, got tired of swinging an airplane model around and around at the end of a string.

Then came radio control --- another set of technologies to learn, a new freedom to fly, and then --- giant scale, much larger than anything ever seen before.
The entire hobby had new life breathed into it. Giant Scale radio control airplanes have now become the darling of --- not only hobbyists throughout the world --- but also, of military users where, under the name of drones, they have struck fear into the enemies of our country.

We are just naive enough to believe that a similar revolution could occur in the model traction hobby, solving several issues simultaneously . Just picture this approach to encouraging the formation and growth of Mega-Scale traction :

1. Yes, radio-controlled (remote-controlled) . Instead of sitting perched precariously on top of a model streetcar, no worries about disturbing or crushing that beautiful rooftop detail --- including the very name of "trolley".

2. Taking advantage of the new size (we suggest P Scale --- sometimes also called DisPlayScale ---   2 inches to the foot, one-sixth scale), the interior detail suggests new worlds of possibilities such as populating the model with passengers; magnificent sets of controller-and-brake handle hardware; hardwood floors; interior lighting that serves the purpose of bringing out realism AND detail .

3. Suggesting an entire line of accessories for small , cottage industry manufacturers to produce --- before our friends in Asia catch on.

4. New track standards ( 9 1/2 " gage, accurately scaled to a fine standard), that encourages more (apparently beloved) technical infighting among the Pundits of Standards . Once that's quickly settled, some of the fine track manufacturers branching out into new lines of pre-fabricated P Scale rail products.

5. Hundreds (?!) of seamstresses in attic workshops busily designing and sewing miniature clothing in styles of street clothes not actually seen outside of a Sears- Roebuck catalogue since the decades of the 1920's - 1940's .

6. All those nifty building fronts, formerly seen only in H0 and O scales, now proudly serrving as backdrops for our new giant scale trams. Shrunken Treasures suddenly receiving dozens of orders for their magnificent one-sixth scale historic houses.

7. Brave substitution of small-scale construction for full-size restoration, among trolley museum volunteers .

8. New periodicals, new model traction clubs, old street photographs dug out of storage, a new series of treks and even organized field trips to museum archives, restoring their usefulness despite the Draconian copyright laws.

9. A new outlet for the sale of those great little electric motors, just maybe saving a hard-pressed small business .

10. Model building made possible once again for all the aging and ophthalmologically-challenged hobbyists, who will find it much easier to build a model that does not require them to perform the work under a huge magnifying lens .

11. A sudden rush of T-to-the-Fourth-Power hobbyists to Walmart stores, buying $8.00 action figures and fashion princesses, to be re-clothed in something resembling familiar people, not fashion models, not Wehrmacht soldiers, not even GI Joes. Dress them in three-piece suits, in overalls and Farmer John work clothes, what used to be called --- without derision or sarcasm --- street clothes .

12. A rebirth of interest in model automobiles, but this time at one-sixth size . We can't wait to see a 1938 Buick at two inches to the foot.

There's lots more, but we're leaving it to you to fill in  the blanks.

THE CONVERGENCE of MINIATURE WORLDS

Until now, this BLOG, Electric Railways Network has focused entirely on Gordon Hatch's magnificent creation, the scale of three inches to the foot (one-fourth full size) executed for the first time in a trolley/tram/traction/transit setting  (T-to-the-Fourth Power). BUT, not everyone has the space necessary for a layout of that scale . Then we began to notice the convergence of miniature worlds, smaller than the scale of Gordon Hatch's execution and therefore much smaller in area ("varies as the square of the linear measure, for the mathematically inclined or the many engineers and architects among us) that was taking place in several different expressions of enthusiasts' interests .

People are beginning to notice and appreciate the convergence of several major miniature hobby worlds into a common scale of two inches to the foot, one-sixth full size:

Barbie and others of her ilk, the long-lived and very popular eleven-and-one-half inch tall so-called fashion doll --- a dreadful terminology as it pre-determines a mind set of a certain very restricted, very unrealistic milieu with a huge suite of architecture, decoration, furniture, clothes and accessories; this group attracts primarily pre-teen girls, and we sincerely hope to build an entirely new and different following as well as an entirely new world ;

GI Joe and other popular military action figures, twelve inches high to allow a generally taller average male, with an incredible array of authentic uniforms and weapons ranging through every war fought in the past century; what do we mean by authentic ? These modelers will quibble over patterns on the sole of a boot worn by different military units ! However, we must note that this presents the tailors, clothiers, and haberdashers of our world an unparalelled opportunity to create clothing for these miniatues, after we divest them of their uniforms, now that we have decided to focus on, for example, the civilian world of the 1930's and 1940's . 

Dioramas --- these days generally displaying war scenarios, with an emphasis on World War II combat situations, and in that structure, generally the European Theater of Operations, the Allies (U.S., the British, French, etc.) versus the Axis (Germany, Italy, and Japan). Not our idea of nostalgia , and certainly not an era we feel comfortable reminiscing about .

We will focus on a potential P Scale miniature railway size to complement a hometown of one-sixth full size miniature houses and rooms, with furniture and accessories. Why "P Scale" ? Well, the Mattel Corporation, which has such a massive marketing lock on the Barbie-size world (and deservedly so as a true pioneer in this scale), has opted to call it Playscale. As we model railway people, almost always adults, feel uncomfortable believing that we're "playing", we here at Electric Railways Network have set forth two possible names for this size, when referring to our hobby : We have been very sensitive to and wary of the Copyright Trap and the civil penalties attached to misuse of a copyright term used in the lawyer-rich environment of Intellectual Property Law (really, that's the technical term for hanging on to names, music, and prose long after it may have lost its popular appeal) .

We thought of adding on a prefix and calling it DisPlayScale, as its major intention is to look at it as an operating display of our work rather than just running around in weary never-ending circles OR following the trend of other model railroad scales that refer to their size in single letters (and their derivatives), we thought of P Scale , extracting the easy-to-remember single letter .

We will leave the choice up the comfort level of our hobbyists . Whenever you write or communicate about this scale, please use the word of your choice, and the Power of the Marketplace will prevail .

Continuing with our laundry list of possible detailed and authentic products : accessories produced for sale by manufacturers to populate this two-inches-to-the-foot world include custom sculpted and painted heads made to replace mass-produced look-alikes; horses large enough to pull 1:6 scale wagons; some beautifully designed “dollhouses”; and civilian clothing of several eras, for both male and female figurines, To this we mentally add one-sixth size items we would like to see available in the future:

• classic and vintage automobiles;

• historic horse-drawn carriages;

• model railroad trolleys, trams, traction, and transit, plus whatever other railroadiana flourishes in our world ;

• buildings, backdrops, and flats --- scenery to the proper scale;

• model work boats, tugs, trawlers, and pleasure boats, although we admit that a one-sixth version of the Titanic would fill even Donald Trump's Palm Beach estate, and

a miniature of just about anything else in the full size world that fits into the space we have available.

We are limited only by our imagination and our talent as we attempt to reproduce these eras completely and authentically. We will be pursuing, in this web log, the many different aspects of this models and miniatures hobby. Because the topic is so very broad, we personally are going to concentrate primarily on the United States in the twentieth century, and, generally, focusing on the nostalgic charm of towns and small cities . However, we would be absolutely smitten with a DisPlayScale layout modeled after, say, some small British landscape :

• buildings and backdrops,

• civilians dressed in normal street wear,

• residential and commercial areas with the normal life that transpired in those times and those places.

No war games ; no circuses ; nothing tasteless, grotesque, or fear-inspiring ; as we strive to remember and reproduce the pleasant aspects of those times in miniature. We’re going to explore current and future offerings from toy companies, artists’ studios, and custom makers. We hope you share your imagination, images of aesthetically pleasing work (no ogres or fantasy monsters, past or future). We will be publishing links to many other web pages, personal and commercial, and hope that you take advantage of surfing the Internet as we will continue to do. Please let us know if we have missed some aspect of this fascinating special interest that you believe we should share with the blogging world.

PLEASE COMMENT ; We really value your input !