DB returns briefly to comment on Senor Druff's post, which quietly snuck up and struck me about the head from several angles, like an ambidextrous ninja:
The world is your oyster
I don't think it's common for train-players to model the same thing over our lifetimes because there is always the desire to be creating. Once something is done, I can only enjoy it for a wee while before another quest calls me onward as my interests evolve. To quote from Top Secret, one of the highest peaks in the world cinema landscape: "Things change, people change, hairstyles change, interest rates fluctuate..."
I have many raw materials waiting to start several future dream layouts – another, bigger, N Tehachapi ; a 3x6 foot HO-tops-on-N-track Chinese narrow gauge layout; a 2x8 foot Z scale Arizona themed layout… At some stage I’d like to do a couple of small West Coast late-steam era layouts in NZ120 and 9mm. I wouldn't mid doing another Wellingtony themed modular effort either.
But time is of the essence for all of us. Building smaller layouts that are finishable in shorter timeframes is a very sensible approach, as is the modular form. Otaki to Cass enabled us to build small sections in focused bursts, and because we only operated it a few times a year we never got bored with it and its ever evolving form. Earwicker's efforts of the past while show how much can be done in a relatively short time and how impressive an modular layout, that can be added to over time, can be.
Disposables
Alas, unless you live in the Playboy Mansion, you're unlikely to have enough room for physical manifestations of all of the dreams we collect over the years. And if you do live there, you probably don't get a lot of railway modeling done.
Despite being in hibernation for a while. I'm slowly (and occasionally) plodding along on my Waimak gorge scene. All the while fully understanding that it might be thrown out before it ever sees a train run on it. It's likely we will move within a year so it will be binned, and I will salvage what I can. But all will not be lost, because it's recently become cool to…
Recycle
Obviously we save whatever track we can, as well as powerpoles, bridges and buildings if it makes sense. For this module (and Moana) I'm also using loads of recycled scenery – some items have seen service on up to 5 previous layouts (many of my Woodland Scenics foliage clusters date back to Otaki to Cass and interestingly, they don’t make em like they used to these days). I just pluck off what I can before binning and put it in a clear plastic tub for use in some future project (the tattier items as undergrowth or background items). You want to do your harvesting before breaking things up rather than after, as plaster dust is impossible to get off this stuff.
If you don't go mad and over-ballast the first time, much track can be saved. I never seem to get around to ballasting yards these days so I can recycle 99% of them later. Spraying yard baseboards before attaching track a-la David Barrow of Cat Mountain and Santa Fe fame is a nice trick.
Interesting previous post. It certainly got me thunking. I'll go back to sleep now.
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3 comments:
good to hear from you DB. i agree with your comments. most of my layouts that i have built in the past have never reached a completed stage. some have been dumped due to lack of interest, stemming from taking on too big a project and frustration at speed of construction or lack of. my N scale hexagonal layout has been an ongoing project for tooo many years. at least it is a good test bed for locos and rolling stock as well as being able to run DC or DCC at the flick of a switch. plenty of blocks help in this regard.
my NZ120 modules are progressing slowly, mainly because i am building my DA and also because the work load is high at this time of year in the orchard.anyway, playboy mansion had me going off on a completely different TRAIN of thought.HaHa.what i am trying to say is you need to do something,anything to stay motivated. reading,or scanning the internet is great, but eventually you need to put the knowledge to use. i see so many people on trademe with half finished layouts for sale or trainsets. there main reason for selling continues to defy logic. too busy!!yeah too busy being an armchair modeller. we had a new member join at our local club recently. he had purchased a large OO collection about 15yrs previous from a neighbour. he had just retired and was about to start modelling and had absolutely no ideas or knowledge. i commend him for beginning, but what was he doing for the previous 15yrs.he had just started looking on internet and was even more confused. okay , bottom line .get passionate about your hobby-HOW-do something! sorry that dragged on. must have got too passionate about my subject.now wheres that website about playboy mansion.
I think the last few entries have made very good reading - my modest sized loopy everywhere layout (say 3m x 4m) knocked together quite rapidly, then come the little track irregularities (joints not flat etc) and okay, scenery is coming along and fun, it runs, but now I'm starting to think I wish I'd put a road in here, done this bit there different, and now I'm finding I'm pulling bits up and the like. I'm already starting to look astance to a station area, or something like that gorgeaous bridge module of earwickers...
This brings to mind a useful tip I read in a Model Railroader years ago. Unfortunately I cannot remember the author's name, but he made a lot of sense when he said; If you are not sure of what you want to do (layout-wise) then at least build it in sections as insurance against changes-of-mind. If the layout is easy to dismantle, then making changes is much easier and you are more likely to achieve something worthwhile. This was said in the context of a layout built to fit a particular space, for which the rules are a bit different to modular construction.
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