skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I just downloaded a GIF animator and began experimenting with a set of photographs I took yesterday. I wasn't sure whether it would work. Google's Blogger doesn't appear to work smoothly with large images, but I discovered that if I resample down to half the pixel resolution, the smaller images work with no problem. Unfortunately, gifs are limited to a 256 color palette so the picture quality isn't very good, but good enough that I'll probably do some more spotting, cough, cough. I mean animating.
The lack of a video camera neccessitates using my SLR for purposes it was not designed for. However, the results aren't too bad and this is a cheaper alternative, particularly since funds for a video camera could be better used by increasing the inventory of rolling stock.
This is it. This is the end. Today I went train spotting. Not intentionally at first. I was out and about in the city centre and as always I took my camera with me in case something caught my eye. Something did. Then it was a tram here. Then a tram there. I can see my future now. Holiday plans dictated by train schedules and model railway exhibits. I always considered myself a geek, but am I considered a spotter now? What next? An anorak and a flask...
Setting aside the stigma of being a spotter, I must admit I really liked the look of the Czech passenger train. Now I've got this urge to see if I can get a model of this locomotive in N-scale. However, i've been to all the model train stores in town and I don't recall ever seeing one of these.
As you may have noticed, I have an affinity for European trains. Of course, the point of collecting so many trains is to show them off, which calls for a layout befitting the collection. The main inspiration for the layout comes from my memories of the Köln hauptbahnhof, which is also where the title of this blog originated. A town square will be established in the centre of the layout. One of the two focal points will be the gothic cathedral facing the square. On the opposite side of the square will be the railway station with the platforms in the fore front for public viewing. I plan to use the same glass umbrella shaped roof structure as the Köln railway station. The station itself will be modern in appearance to provide contrast to the rest of the buildings.
The station's exterior walls will be glass, but I’m not entirely sure how to execute this as I want to construct the buildings from sturdy photographic paper. The idea came to me after seeing a 1:480 scale paper model of Praha, which is on permanent display at the city museum. Knowing it took the Antonin Langwell eleven years to finish his model leaves me a little concerned about schedule. At N scale, I will have to pay more attention to architectural details that otherwise would be indiscernible at smaller scales.
My interest in model trains developed gradually over the past year. It started innocently with a visit to a local model railway exhibition last spring. I remember seeing an ICE1 train set for sale at the show. I couldn’t justify the price at the time, but it was the catalyst that started my obsession. As other modelers may attest, this obsession has turned into a disease that has more or less consumed my brain, as well as my pocket book. A colleague in our Munich office offered to pick up an ICE3 starter set for me. I now have two of them along with an older version of an ICE1 six car set. I’m now considering expanding my rolling stock to include an additional ICE1 and a couple of Deutsche Bahn Regio bi-level commuter trains. I also have my sights set on a Thalys TGV. Suffice to say, “Drugs are cheaper than model trains”.
The trains in my collection are ones I have actually traveled on. However, I am finding myself drawn to other N-scale passenger trains such as the Gottardo TEE of the Swiss Railways and the Deutsche Bundesbahn's legendary Rheingold line. Both these trains belong to an earlier epoch and are no longer in service, replaced by more modern versions. I suspect I am attracted to these steel behemoths as they epitomize the golden age of railway travel long gone.
What is the allure of model railroading that attracts such a dedicated legion of enthusiasts? The initial allure for me was the memories of the European countryside evoked by the simple sight of a scale model of a train I had rode on.
One of my fondest memories was riding aboard an InterCityExpress as it sped northward through Germany. I had been backpacking across Europe for nearly a month and was heading back to Amsterdam to catch my flight home. The train made a scheduled stop in Köln to pick up additional passengers. I stepped onto the platform to stretch my legs and took the opportunity to study the expansive glass umbrella shaped roof that covered the platform area. I was captivated by the unique structure and turned around to look at a different section only to be awestruck by the sight of the gothic cathedral standing majestically in the background. The cathedral towered above the station like a giant sentry standing guard over its keep. It was truly a sight to behold. It was many years later before I could return to visit the interior of the cathedral.
I just downloaded a GIF animator and began experimenting with a set of photographs I took yesterday. I wasn't sure whether it would work. Google's Blogger doesn't appear to work smoothly with large images, but I discovered that if I resample down to half the pixel resolution, the smaller images work with no problem. Unfortunately, gifs are limited to a 256 color palette so the picture quality isn't very good, but good enough that I'll probably do some more spotting, cough, cough. I mean animating.
