George Sellios' layout

Howard, have you upped your medication recently? First it was the Trix Big Boy as the greatest locomotive model in history, and now George Sellios is compared to the man who carved David and painted the Sistine Chapel. What's next? Are you going to compare Irv Athearn to George Washington? You should hold back on the superlatives in case you really need them in a future emergency, like the release of a really super passenger car or a working scale coupler.

Ptooey

Ptooey, What have I done to piss you off? This is the second time you are on my case. If you have a Trix Big Boy, which I doubt if you have, or if you have visited George's layout, which I also doubt if you have, you may sing a different tune. I know of no other finer locomotive today considering price and value, or layout as fine as Sellios'. Perhaps my descriptions are a bit colorful, but I admire great work and products. Actually should Athearn had run for president today, he'd get my vote. Try this one out........how about a statue of Irv in front of NMRA headquaters. Since he almost singlehanded from a small garage quite literally was responsible for and planted the seeds to this hobby most of love. Lighten up a bit..and go play with your train set, but somehow I do not think you have one! HZ

-- Howard Zane

5236 Thunderhill Road Columbia, MD 21045

I can just see Irv trying to throw a dollar across the Potomic - with a rubber band attached!

CTucker NY

I worked beside Irv for 4 years in the old Western Ave factory and believe me I learned he could do about anything. He could probably do that with one hand while holding his cigar in the other.

Larry at papastrains.com

Howard, what makes you think I'm mad at you? I just think that you're completely off base about Sellios and Trix. George is a great artist, but he's no model railroader. (If you think trains are important, which I do.) John Allen by comparison was almost a prototype modeler. And the Trix Bog Boy -- in a couple years those will be on the flea market tables for $299... Why you think they are better than anything Proto2000 has done is beyond me. Even Bachmann has Trix overmatched, on quality no less than value.

Now go back to your custom structures... very nice work by the way. (See? I'm not mad at you.)

Ptooey

Howard Zane wrote:

There is a quality to Sellios' work which has not been mentioned and which I think should be I have mentioned it here before, but it has been a long time. There is no question of Sellios' artistic ability. He is truly a master of his art. However............ He suffers from a warped sense of time. He is anachronistic, if you will. His time is set in the 1930s, yet his models are modeled as they appear today, almost seventy years later. In the 30s they were not the run-down, decrepit, flea-bitten, dirty places that Sellios depicts in his work. He needs to either get rid of his railroad rolling stock and replace it with much more modern stuff, diesels, etc.; or, clean up his city. One or the other. The way it is right now does not work. Sellios gets an A+ for his artistic ability and talent. He gets an F for his chronology. . ..............F>

It all looks like one of those OLD Popeye cartoons. (The Fleischer ones). Broken boards and brick showing through the stucco. I'm sure if the tires on the autos were a bit bigger he would have band-aid patches on them. And this is how I am doing my On30, except in a western, waterfront setting. Going for a look, not so much for realism. I like to watch the (otherwise awful) Popeye movie from 1980 to get ideas. There was a movie production designer named Wolf Kroeger that was (still is?) a genius. He also did the Robert DeNiro "We're no Angels". So to heck with realism. I do THAT in N scale.

-John

I wrote something to this effect at the beginning of the thread.

I said something about not ever seeing photos of the depression where cities looked as run down as they do in George's cities. As you mention above, these were well maintained, or at least maintained buildings up to the depression, they weren't run down like George depicts them.

However, it's not just George that does this, look at most narrow gaugers, they usually model run down and decrepit railways, even thought they may be modelling it at its busiest times.

As you say A+ for artistic ability, F for chronology.

-- Cheers Roger T.

of the Great Eastern Railway

Why or how is Bachmann better than Trix on quality? I am interested in the Big Boy but why do you say this?

Ptooey, Thanks for the compliment on structures. If you know who I am, then you must know that I'm an out of production (used) brass dealer, collector and operator.

A natural for someone like myself would be to put down non-brass models. I deal with and collect brass, because of my fondness of quality and as to me brass models are wonderful limited run works of art vs. production. I've been operating brass models for decades on my layout. Some are great......others not, but can usually be tweeked almost to perfection (except when being video taped). I'm also quite involved with promoting the hobby through The Timonium Show When an exceptional product enters the market, it usually gets my attention and many times I will aquire it. I was skeptical of the Trix Big Boy, but did not turn one down when offered to me at cost. It has it's baggage like small drivers, permanently attached tender and a few other minor sores, but when I ran it........I was and still am impressed. It has run for hours pulling long trains..........although I admit it looks strange in an Appalachain setting, but it is my layout and if I wanted to paint it pink I could do it............damn the critisim!!! You had mentioned comparing it to Life Like and Bachmann. This is a die cast model of very fine quality, and except for the plastic cab, the cast work is quite good as is the engineering. It runs better than just about anything I've ever played with. I do not think many will be found on show tables for $299, but who really knows now?? I do concur that the steam models coming from Life Like, Bachmann, and BLI are quite good........but you are comparing diecast metal to injection plastic. Fairer would be compairing to brass. I also agree that all are excellent values, but I find the Trix model an exceptional value considering price and quality.

When I returned from a visit to Sellios' layout, some how mine seemed like a loop around the Christmas tree. I've heard many negative comments on his layout........."runs poorly, poor electronics, overdone detailing, mixed periods and not historically correct"..........and so forth. Folks such as yourself have a right to comment... just as I have on how good it is. Being a modeler and professional structure builder, I could not help but admire his work. I may be coming from a different disipline than most, but let me tell you first hand.................Sellios is a master craftsman and I have seen many since I entered the hobby in 1962. His work is incredibly fine and if model railroading were considered a fine art, he'd be at the very top of the list of artisans. I had a choice when I first saw his layout.......intimidation or inspiration! I choose the latter and have never looked back. As a small note.........as a kid we had a summer home in NH and during the 40's we'd pass through many of the run down manufacturing cities in MA and southern NH. I was not around during depression times, but if it was anything like what I had remembered..........he is not far off. HZ

-- Howard Zane

5236 Thunderhill Road Columbia, MD 21045 410-730-1036 "Achmed Ptooey" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@phlegm.net...

Who's p*ssing on who(m)?

So far, I think we've all agreed that he's a fantastic modeller, does excellent work. Nobody is p*issing on him. Some of us, myself included, may not like his style of modelling, but that doesn't detract from it.

-- Cheers Roger T.

of the Great Eastern Railway

I'm looking at the F&SM photo in the latest Model Railroader magazine, (August 2003, p. 71), and I don't get that feeling at all.

Not seen that yet, though it was mentioned as being featured in the July issue.

I gather from another poster in this thread that he has toned down the detail and litter and debris that, to my eye, was a bit over the top.

I do look forward to seeing the article as he does do an excellent job with his style of modelling.

-- Cheers Roger T.

of the Great Eastern Railway

Lets get off of George' case. What a stupid thread this has been.

Larry at papastrains.com

=>But a model railroader? No way.

By whose definition?

Are you a model railroader? What makes you/one that? Got pictures of your layout to share and show what real model railroading is?

Sellios has a train that runs through his diorama. It is a bit of a stretch to think of him as a model railroader in the same sense that we usually mean here. He is Waaaaay out of the mainstream in the model railroading part of the hobby.

..............F>

George's structures and scenery are far better than I can do. It's a many faceted hobby. All of us have things we groove on and do well and other things we aren't so good at. George is a whole bunch better at structures and scenery that I will ever be. That makes him one hell of a model railroader.

David J. Starr

Anyone who seeks the public attention that George Sellios has, can expect some differing opinions on his efforts. That is the nature of show business, and that is the business George has chosen for himself. Most of us slog out our models, good or bad, in quiet solitude. There are thousands of wonderful modelers out here in the world, and many of them are more than a match for George... but perhaps it's not in their nature to "show off". Never forget that the F&SM is basically a proving ground for Fine Scale Miniatures kits -- and the layout plays a big role in promoting those kits and that style of modeling. It is George's livelihood, frankly. We're not sharks. But this all started (at least for me) when Howard compared G.S. to Michelangelo. I mean, talk about an excess of the First Amendment!

Ptooey

LarEyman wrote: