I had a layout. It was small but cute and it stored easily, it was also nearly finished. I decided it wasn't good enough. It took about four years or more to start another layout. It was a door panel layout. I decided it wasn't good enough. I tore it apart too... I am almost thinking I may be doomed to an oval of sectional track for my layout. Note to self, or is that many notes to self? 1. Put aside pipe dreams. 2. Smaller really is better sometimes. 3. Build a practice layout, since it seems you still have no idea what you are doing. Anyone else needing to get off the internet and in the train room?
Not I. If anything, I suffer from the other polar extreme. I get a bug to build a better layout, and by golly, that's what I do for the next five months...even if it kills me. Now don't get me wrong...it's not like I have done this 10 times. No, I have only done it twice, once with the first layout, and a year later with the second. You see, I don't really get much of a kick from making a layout. I like having one, but not really building it. So I have at it for hours a day, week after week (I'm recently retired...), until I can run trains through decent scenery and all I have to do is putter by adding some greenery, structures, another stub track, fix staging...odds and ends. But I can't be without a layout...it serves as the vessel for my fantasy of big steam. I also don't mind if it isn't perfect. I don't know that I have seen a perfect layout, and don't expect I'll be the first God in the hobby. But I must say that I'm having fun.
Smaller really is better sometimes - depends on you and how much hobby time you have. But if you have a relatively busy life with lots of responsibilities, then that's the best option for you. I'm still single, don't have any kids (at least none that I know about ) and am in a sporadic employment situation at the moment - sometimes there will be lots of work for me, sometimes there won't. Most of my life revolves around either my community work or my music endeavors. When things get slow for both, I go to my trains. Sure it's every MR's pipedream to have a monster layout with tons of track. But do you really have the time to build it? Realistically, for me, I won't, so a 4x8 N-scale layout suits me just fine at this stage in life.
Well, I started about 2004 building the layout, went through about 20 sheets of plywood, laid a section of main and most of the yard. Then I got involved with the local friendly neighborhood tourist railroad and haven't been in the basement for 3 years.
I'm at the worst end of one extreme - since my wife agreed that we could clean out part of an unused bedroom for a layout I'd been burning up the electrons on Anyrail coming up with variations that would fit in the negotiated space. That was almost two years ago. The thought of moving a really heavy wooden desk and an even heavier convertible couch down a flight of stairs has really put any progress beyond that on hold. It took three good sized moving men to move that couch up the stairs!
OMG I don't feel so bad now. I've been working on mine in 3rd Planit for a year. The track is sorted (in the program) but I'm working on how the scenery will look like before laying the track. Would hate to lay the track and then find I need to move it slightly to get around the scenery. The boards are nearly done, just the tops to add now. Angie
Notice my signature on my posts. Not a lie. The only layout or part of a layout I've ever completed was an NTrak module and it's long gone. I started working on my layout plan 10 years ago and although I'm closert han ever to starting my layout, can't find the time with going to school full time, taking care of the four kids and looking for a job. I agree that a smaller layout can be good and fit your needs--look at some of the excellent small layouts posted here on the forum. I've got the OK to use a 10X14 "L" in the family room upstairs, so I've been working on a trackplan for that space for about two years now. I'm making sure I do what I want and get it right since this will be my one and only large layout that I get to build. And I need to make sure it'll hold 20 years of purchases at the local train store. It bugs me beyond belief that I've waited so long to get going on a layout, but I should be able to get started in the next couple of months. Wife made me a deal--clean out the garage so she can park the car in there and I can have the money out of the savings accoount to build the layout. Told her just getting started with everything would be about 3500.00 thinking it would scare her off of that statement and she said "clean the garage and you've got a deal". Guess I should spend less time here and get on the ball.
*stands* My name is John and I am a layout procrastinator. I'm "building" an N scale HCD layout using Unitrack. I have the door (free), put a set of banquet table legs on it and assembled an oval of Unitrack on top. I started figuring out a track plan with the pieces of track that I have and then... The layout started collecting stuff. All of my Western Pacific books I was using for reference. A couple of building kits I'm going to use (unfinished). Photos from the internet that I've printed for more reference. Pencils, rulers, tape measure. Finally, a couple of anime characters from my other hobby. I have no excuse for my lack of progress. Exwife and kids live elsewhere. My job leaves me enough free time and I have the money. Maybe if my DSL went down for a couple weeks...
I too have become a procrastinator. I came to the realization my life isn't going to get any better until I face the fact that I am going to have to go back to a better accredited school and earn another degree related to my first. (read that: I'm going to be totally broke again). These individual classes at the community college and living at home isn't getting me where I want to be. I have the track plan ready, I have the benchwork up, everything else is lacking. I'm thinking of downsizing to a diorama to hone my skills on that will also be portable when I move out at the end of this semester.
Actually it's only a 2 car, she's just fed up with all of my other procrastinations taking it up! I've often thought about the diorama route, but I think the switching module is the way to go. Something about NTrack size or a bit larger. I've got a plan all worked up to do something that would hold my interest, but with the offer of my dream layout on the table, those plans were shelved. Small layouts have lots of merit. The guys on here from across the pond have that figured out. We here in the US don't seem to get the small, detailed, manageable layout thing very well. I guess it's because we all see large trains here and that's what we want to model. Chasing a flashing EOT on a small layout with our big locos on the point of a unit train isn't very appealing for some reason. I've often thought Euro modellers are way ahead of us in this regard. Their use of staging and detailed scenes often excells over our big half finished layouts here.
One thing I realized about building a layout is you have to take that first step. I'm a perfectionist and I had paralysis from analysis and never seemed to get started. I took that first step finally, made mistakes,learned from them and moved on. Also don't overwhelm yourself with trying to build a train club sized layout like in many of the train magazines when a smaller layout will suffice. I had taken on a club sized ho layout years ago when my wife and I first bought our house prior to our kids. I had the whole rec room to work with. Needless to say that ho collection is no longer and now I am in n scale. Building a layout so large is overwhelming to me with seeing a sea of plywood and very little progress it seemed being accomplished after working on it for nights on end. It was more of a job than an enjoyment. Ten years later I'm a n scaler with a nice little 40's-50's era layout 28" x 48" with 2 loops of main line track to run my steamers on and I couldn't be happier. Plus when I do something to the layout I see results immediately in such a small area. No more stress and a lot more enjoyment from not being overwhelmed by a sea of plywood any longer. Plus the wife and kids enjoy it so much more also! A win-win for everyone all around. Don't knock small layouts. More can be acchieved in a quicker amount of time plus your up and running enjoying all aspects this hobby has to offer. Just because the magazines make it seem you must build a club sized layout, the smaller layouts are just as much fun also and get accomplished in a shorter amount of time..... Regards, Wayne
I have seen this so many times. There is one guy in our club that has been playing with one of the RR CAD programs for a couple of years and still doesn't have one stick of bench work. I have a 21' X 21' area available. The only "scale drawing" I made was of the space available and the bench work configuation that would fit the space and allow the aisle width and minimum radius I wanted. That drawing was on a page from a steno pad. No "full size" templates were needed...just a tape measure and lumber. I'm still a long way from anything that looks finished after 9 years (I hand lay my track work except staging) but the main is fully operational with staging some basic scenery and structures and the branch line is under construction. One just needs to KNOW WHAT YOU WANT and build it. If you don't know what you want, then the train room will remain empty. The "know what you want" is just like John Armstrong's givens and druthers (I think that was the proper term). Just my 2 cents in a long post.
I'm a layout procrastinator, but it's better than the procrastination that occurs once I've got started. I've discovered what I think is the cure. Joining a club. The advantages? 1: In my case, I will join an HO club which means space to run long HO trains 2: I can devote as much or as little time to it as I can afford and its not a mess in my apartment which my wife will have a problem with. 3: There are options for module based clubs so I can have my own bit of modelling without the need for a full layout.
Hmm, 6k posts in 6 years. hmm, yep, I think I better get off the web. Anyway, yes, I would rather dream than do. Tell ya what. I'll design it. You build it.
My PoP (Period of Procrastination) lasted about 40 years. When I was a teenager, I helped my Dad with a classic 4x8 HO layout that was never finished. But we could run trains, so it was fun. I promised myself a layout of my own one day. Flash forward (not the TV show) 40 years, and I am finally building my own layout. It's small, and it's N-scale, and I'm really enjoying it. Best of all, my Dad is still around and checks on my progress every so often. I had a bit of a lull recently due to decision paralysis, but this thread got me moving again, and I just ordered some parts needed for the next step. Let me tell you: When you actually get some track laid and can start running trains, it is a GREAT feeling! Like others in this thread, I could kick myself for not starting sooner. So do it already! It won't be perfect, but it's a whole lot more fun than not having a layout. - Jeff
When I was 10 I was given aTyco Chattanooga Choo-Choo for Christmas. I ran that around for a few years and had several hobby shops that I would go and dream at. No money for anything to advance my "layout". Oval with two switches to form a smaller oval. 37 years later I have some money and can't find my old HO stuff. Switch to N scale and buy a few cars and locos. What's this-DCC? wow I gotta get into that. A couple of new locos and Digitrax Zephyr. OH wait, I need to run it on something right. Start with a HCD and right track planning software. Put the plan up here for critique, back to the drawing board. Oh wait maybe if I just lay some track down and see how it goes, yeah that's it. I have most of the roadbed down for my mainline and some track soldered together. I also discovered I have ADHD because I can't spend more than 15-20 minutes working on it then I start dreaming about working on it! maybe next season! yes I am a cold weather railroader.
I started this thread to goad myself into doing something. I have a few essential rules, use only what you have or can get for free. Small. Something that can be fun for a bit and either trashed or stashed. I am not making the mistake of junking a layout again if I don't have to. I still wish I had my last 2x4 I built. So tonight I got a couple of 34x12 piece of foam. Glued them together side by side and reenforced them with some wood underneath. A fine roundy roundy is on it's way!
