Scene compression



For the vast majority of model railroaders there is just not room enough on a layout to do everything to scale.  We all make compromises.

This was brought home to me as I prepared to install signals on my 4' x 9.5' N scale layout.  Prototypically, the distant signal is 1,000 meters before the main signal.  The Vorsignalbaken (Ne3) are 100 m, 75 m, & 75 m apart, for a total of 1,250 meters.  Divided by 160, that comes to 7.8125 meters in N scale.  Hmmmm.  Not quite enough room on MY set to do that.  In fact, even if there was room, I don't think it would look quite right, despite being right.

My compromise was to space the distant signal 20" from the main, and, not in proportion, the Vorsignalbaken at intervals of 8", 6" & 6".  So, I did one set to see how it would appear....  And I think it works.  The signals and Vorsignalbaken are close enough together to show that they are related, yet far enough apart to give the sense of distance.

Of course, this ignores the "stopping distance" requirement between the distant signal and the main signal, but although the lights on the signals will function in relation to turnouts, the signals themselves will have no control of the trains (leaving much room for operator error).

Cheers,
Gordon

Comments

  • Gordon:

    I have done the same with my signals.  Signalling is one area where modeller have to accept the greatest compromises. But then, our trains stop much faster than the real ones.

    Ulrich
  • Hey Gordon,

    now imagine you got H0 ! ;)

    My station is a small country station in Germany ( On a main line though ). To scale the length should be 17meters ! ~51'. Mine is 8.4meters now, so about half, would be perfect in N scale ;)

    I spaced my distant signals ~9' from the main signals, it should be ~35', lol.

    Br

    Leif
  • el Gato Gordoel Gato Gordo Colorado Spring


    And even if you had the space to place your distant signals 35' from the main signal, it wouldn't "look" right.  Ah, well, we all do what we can and have fun doing it!

    Cheers!
    Gordon
  • Yes compression is a necessary evil unless I would have been the sole winner of the Powerball. Alas, Alabama has no lottery (it's better to have a crappy education system in 80% of the state than having that "sin" in the state according to our state legislature), so I could not take my chances, and Cologne Hauptbahnhof in HO has to wait.

    Ulrich
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