Run 'em, Don't Ride 'em

Warning: This Web Log contains some material that may be considered controversial, and may anger or upset some readers. Honest comments that advance the hobby are welcome; comments that are insulting, rude, or unhelpful will be deleted.

At one time, the operator of a one-and-one-half-inch-to-the-foot live steam locomotive had to ride aboard, generally for some of the same reasons as engineers of full-size locomotives:

1. It was necessary to keep an eye on the water gage, to make sure that adequate feed water was being supplied to the boiler. It's dangerous to allow boiler water levels to drop so low that the crown sheets were uncovered, as that can lead to a disastrous explosion. This water level can change from minute to minute, requiring constant vigilance by the locomotive crew. Monitoring the steam pressure gauge located in the cab was equally important, despite the reliability of safety valves.

2. In running miniature live steam locomotives, the conventional approach has been to run the engine around and around some continuous circuit, presumably replicating the classic early toy trains circling the Christmas tree. A realistic exception like Quentin Breen's Train Mountain, a truly point-to-point live steam line, is so unusual that it attracts live steamers from all over the world to their public runs.

3. Continuous circuits mean keeping an eye out for objects and people on the tracks, much as in real life, and require a large area upon which to build the trackage.

4. As the hobby evolved, a large part of the activity consisted of giving rides to visitors --- adults and children --- on rail cars specifically designed to accommodate riders. These riding cars detract from the realism of the train, so that keeping to scale was not considered important as the illusion was already destroyed.

5. In earlier times, the electronics required for the mechanism that controlled speed, direction, whistle sounds, and so on had not yet reached the degree of technical sophistication that they have today. Therefore, hands-on control by an onboard engineer was necessary.

6. Building and running trolley, traction, tram, and streetcar models meant either straddling the roof and destroying the trolley poles or pantographs, OR riding behind the motive power on an unprototypical trailing car. This effectively discouraged pursuing this fascinating aspect of the hobby. You'll notice that we didn't say prevented; there are some spectacular models of trolleys in 1 1/2 inch scale, but they are few in number.

Expectations of spectators have increased dramatically over the past 30 to 40 years. The audience has become increasingly sophisticated, and wants to view a realistic scene ("viewscape") with everything to scale. Seeing a giant human being (the engineer) astride a tiny tender destroys the illusion for many.

This web site advocates equipping these models with fully electric motive power modeled primarily on electric prototypes --- trolleys, box cabs, heavy traction, urban transit trains, etc. However, some manufacturers such as Carr's, in Canada, produce excellent models of diesel locomotives powered by electricity, and these are currently (no pun intended) available.

Electronic control systems are now very highly developed, so much that the war in the Mideast is sometimes conducted using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones or robots) operated by personnel hundreds of miles away.

Further, this web log envisions realistic dioramas, the model equivalent of a stage setting, allowing full scope to the skills of the builders, and bringing many different artisans to the hobby, for a realism that live steamers have been previously unable to obtain despite the incredibly fine workmanship that builders have demonstrated in design, machine work, construction, and the modeling of details.