Model Train Journal

Untitled by Erik C Lindgren Fine Art, on Flickr

Untitled by Erik C Lindgren Fine Art, on Flickr

Fantastic modeling and photos Erik. I love that diorama. Lee Turner does/did the same thing when he (used to) weather models for customers. He would take his module to a suitable location in the area, put it on the roof of his car. place the model on the module and photograph it with real scenery in the background just like you have done. Nice job.

I’ve been doing this stuff for years, started when I was in film school. Models for sets etc. these are raw not finished work, sort of countermeasures to the google bots and search a place to leave my evidence that these ARE NOT AI! AI is ruining human creativity, 100% of the time now I get “oh another cheap arse AI generated image”. Screw the technocrats, they can ….

Thx for looking

Agree on AI and I guess this proves that great minds think alike or Lee saw some of your photo posting and decided to emulate it. Either way, It is a great way to photograph models. Here are some photos of a BB I still own and an OMI Big Blow I wish I still owned. Both photographed on the same diorama in different locations of his town.

I've been following Erik's excellent photo contributions for years. UP148, your last few photos are wonderful as well! Don't photoshoots outside in natural sunlight make everything look better?

Dan Weinhold

Absolutely Dan.

Love these outdoor shots, Butch the paint and finish on that turbine is truly excellent, the weathering et al WOW!!

Erik, your Yampa Valley is superb. I'm assuming these are both PRB cars? That dome-lounge-ob is iconic for DRG&W's postwar fleet which I find more interesting than the CZ which, as great a train as it was, opinion has been "done to death" modeling wise.
The "Robert R Young" fleet that wound up on the Prospector made for a fantastic looking train. If I had the patience I'd build some of those American Lightweight kits, but that's a slog too far these days for me. Still like the idea of a Royal Gorge or YV is attractive as a "pike-sized" project.

Well done, both of you fellows!

I can't take credit for anything but owning them. All paint and weathering + photos was done by Lee Turner. Erik on the other hand did it all.

Pretty pictures!

This turned Into a nice thread, thanks for the participation.

Yes CZ is somewhat over-done in all scales including Z ! Haha

Recently GGD did a great job on the Gorge cars …they are spectacular for the money even with the 100 bux tarif added per car. I still prefer these Pecos Brass models, far more detailed and I’m still in love with plated brass over painted aluminum or plastic..

Yeah, John brought in some amazing models over the years and I never felt he got his due. Of course there was a lot going on in the brass import business in the 80's and 90's and PBS was just one of many brass & plastic models to spend your precious hobby money on.

His "Crap from the Cupola" was one of my favorite reads in OSN as I once thought I would like to try my hand at it, but reality set in and I realized I had neither the time or money to do it. I understood he could be quite a pill, but when I met him at his shop in the Dallas area he was very genuine and fun to talk with.

John was really mad how he was treated by a lot of guys in our community; the same type that went after everyone else that tried to bring these beautiful hand made pieces of art to us. I’ve heard excuses for this behavior such as, “it makes the models better, getting them right”, etc. I understand some of them like that one, do it right if you can, but a lot of these guys made his life a living nightmare around 2000. The critical mass about pricing was one of them, first they demand perfection, then they demand more detail (interiors, lights), then they demand lower prices, and when one or more of these demands don’t get met, these guys, we all know who they are, turn to slander aimed at the importer. They ate him alive. One of two things occur, he gets mad and shuts down the business and says screw em, or they ignore it and find a niche and reduce the number of projects just for that tiny niche and either way we all loose.

“850.00 for a passenger car! Oh my GOD! Are you nuts?!” Now less than 25 years later they are 2000.00, and the niche buyers are like, no sweat. These things were never meant for guys like me; on a budget. This is an elitism hobby for thick wallets, not the working new-poor. N scale was made for the working new-poor, 30 dollar cars. Don’t eat these importers guys for breakfast, leave them alone and enjoy the beautiful treasure they get built, so one day, one might come available on the secondary market and maybe I can beg, borrow, or steal to get one. {laughing}

I laugh but it’s true. I understand John’s anger; he was a passionate Iowan and a good friend. He made us some absolutely beautiful models and we will never see them done again or the many others we didn’t get done because he pulled the plug…. Dammit…. He had so many plans, and on a working class salary as a musician he pulled this off. Amazing guy, yup he told us like it was, and he was not going to lower his prices to please a bunch of trolls.

IMG_0732 by Erik C Lindgren Fine Art, on Flickr

One of my favorite models, those ATSF cars, so cool. As much as I love the GGD cars and what’s getting made, these models were right. And here I am reluctant to share from years of trauma on OGR Forum that was loaded with Trolls, ready to insult, discredit, ruin my fun and passion… screw em. They must be jealous because there are only a dozen of these cars out there and most of them are in the hands of guys that could buy anything they want. I am so grateful to have these fine models. Lucky, I could never afford to replace them.

Pacific Limited wrote: One of my favorite models, those ATSF cars, so cool.

More pretty cars....wish more comparable quality cars turn of the 19th had imported by SMR. While I can appreciate the more modern cars, they are not my passion.

...trauma on OGR Forum that was loaded with Trolls, ready to insult, discredit, ruin my fun and passion… screw em.

The worse of them there were the owners.

They must be jealous....

No, just file all of them under ignorant and move on.