I'm new to the model railroad hobby I find I real enjoy running trains on just the 40" x 90" x 2" foam board base I built. The original idea was to have a coal mine at one end of the layout and a diesel yard/garage at the other end with hills/mountains/tunnel,different levels etc to partly separate the two scenes. Like I said really enjoy running and tinkering with the trains but building a highly detail layout with mountains/rock faces and tunnels different levels may not be for me with my busy work schedule I really don't have the time to commit to all of that right know. So the question is how many people enjoy running trains on just a basic (some buildings,basic ground cover) nothing fancy layout?
Your choice of terrain is yours from desert to mountains to Eastern foothills. And whether you decide to model a real life scene or freelance again that is up to you. But the scenery adds to it along with the structures. Key thing is not to be in hurry and take as much time is needed to do a scene, whether a week, month, or year. But the scenery adds to the enjoyment, and model railroading is creating the 1 to 1 rails in miniature. I know of nobody that just runs trains on an empty board.
Enjoy running the trains. Just add scenery in small increments ......buy one package of trees and plant a few at a time.......if it takes you a month to complete a building, so what. They say a train layout is never really done, modelers just keep adding more details as time goes by. There is no timetable for doing the work. On the other hand, you may decide you want something bigger/better down the road and want to start over. But if you're happy running what you got, that's what's important.
I have had THERR RV running for 10 years. I still find things to add...or repair. I was just out there today...running trains. I noticed the fencing by the church had fallen over. It took me a good half hour to get it looking good....again. Yup...a layout is never truly done....
I keep getting ideas so i write them down. Maybe i add them or if not whats wrong with the idea. I got three pages of stuff i may do.. or not. Take your time. Enjoy what you have for now. I have heard this many times.. Its your layout, do whats good for you.
I have a 16 foot by 10 foot L shaped layout . I run trains most of the time, but when I feel like it I do a little scenery work.
this is why its a hobby. you take your time building it . my first small layout i built in a few days(wish i still had that one ) 3x4 in size i had the most fun with that one.now ive a 9 foot on one wall by 11 foot one the west wall and 8 foot or so on the south wall. its mostly not got much on it. but the track is down . i run trains when i feel like it. but i have a new plan in my head and on paper soooo i might be doing a tear out....
On a footprint of 4 sheets of 2'x8', (64 square feet), of foam. I have 1 large hill, (2 square feet 4"s tall) 1 Oval of track 14' long (end to end) 1 28' of track point to point, (and they don't even interchange) I run trains, paint figures, add a tree or two, build a structure from cardstock. 'Run the trains. Don't let them run you'. (Attrib: me)
Well said @sidney . I sometimes realize that I've not moved ahead on my railroad for a week or two and feel some guilt. I then have to remind myself that I retired to get away from time constraints and commitments. The thing I love about this hobby is its diversity. Carpentry, wiring, scenery, painting, repairs and research are all so very different and usually one holds appeal to keep me engaged.
That is what is great about this hobby! If you like running trains, you can do that! If you like doing scenery, you can do that! If you like detailing engines or rolling stock, you can do that! Wiring, yes (but nobody LIKES wiring)! Designing, yes. Programming (DCC), yes! There's no 'wrong' way to do model railroading! Personally, I LOVE operation. Some of the most fun I've had was operating John Allens HO timesaver module at the PCR meetings. No scenery and those weird couplers, but I still remember doing it like it was yesterday (and I moved out of the PCR area 28 years ago). Do what you enjoy and don't listen to anyone tell you what you should be doing. It's YOUR railroad!
I get it, don't let someone else make your decisions for you, but at the same time...don't discount any advice. Learn to distinguish the difference between advice and highly personal suggestions. Then put on an extra layer of skin.
Also, once you've done scenery, it doesn't mean you're *done*. If you're serious about your modeling, you'll learn new tips and techniques over time, and you'll be a better modeler than you were a few years ago. So re-doing your scenery (or any aspect of your layout) is perfectly normal. Right now I'm re-doing a grade crossing I finished some 6+ years ago because I don't like the way I did it originally.
13+ years ago I started on a HCD 'plywood prairie' for about a year...no scenery whatsoever...I was happy. Then I decided I needed more land... trees...a mountain...some buildings etc...... Now...10 years later... It is all addictive I tell ya !!!! Whatever makes YOU happy...You...do you.
I ran my old DC locomotives for years on just a 2' x 4' 2mm board in basically a loop for the most part. Just within the last 3-5 years when I got DCC did I really get interested in it, and early 2021 ( me thinks ), I started all over building nice bases, added 2" foam, still used the simple grass mat at first. Since that time all kinds of things have happened. I think a lot of it is you have to be in the mood too? Pretty sure at some point I will take some sort of break for awhile. But I don't think anytime soon though. Your layout and trains, as people have said, you do you! Whatever makes you happy! I think some people ONLY kind of collect stuff and never actually run trains? You make of the hobby what you want.
Its perfectly fine to stop working on the layout once you get the track working. But since this is your first layout, how do you know you wouldn't enjoy adding scenery? Could find that you like it as much as running trains.
When I started my new layout, I just built a table, and put up my own scenic background while I waited for my first test batch of Kato N Unitrack to come in. Didn't have any "real" scenery except the background. Lots of fun running and trying out trains. Since then I'm done a lot. And still a lot to do. (And no ground cover in yet...)
I did scenery one module at a time. Also we spend a lot of time designing our layout plans, spend an equal time designing where the water runs. Rule One says... It's your layout, do what you want. Good luck and looking forward to seeing your next post. Joe
Real nice idea. But, not all can do as they want. I just do what is allowed and just hope for a little more. And enjoy seeing what others are capable of.
Just do it the way you feel it! If you decide to go "naked", keep in mind you might change your mind a few years. It doesn't matter whether you'll later go fully detailed or barely colored... just keep it in mind as a matter of free space for backdrops, hidden wiring, room for potential buildings, etc. Envoyé de mon SM-G970F en utilisant Tapatalk
