Now that I have my railroad up and running. And things set the way I want them. I still don't feel its what I want. Or perhaps its just that I am N-sane.. Part of me wants to rip up all my track and build a new layout. Am I the only one that suffers from this affliction?? I know that I really enjoy drafting out a new layout and putting those plans to work successfully. And then when its all up and running. I want to keep going with more track. ( but I only have so much room) I do enjoy the modeling of buildings, scenes, and scenery. But its like my track plans just seem to lack something. . Any one got advice? Or similar experiences?
Short answer, yes you are. As are all the rest of us. There are, I think, competing ideas at play. The first is the old axiom that "perfect is the enemy of good enough." The other is that for many a model railroad is a step in a journey, with either major rebuilds or demolition and a fresh start as frequent legs.
Well, it is an interesting hobby.... If it doesn't feel right, step back and look it over. It might not take much to change what you are perceiving right now.
I just finished tearing up my old layout. I've been planning a new one for the past year or two, and as soon as I settle on a track plan, I'll start rebuilding. This must be the 4th layout I've built. I don't consider myself insane. I enjoy building layouts. After all, what am I supppsed to do when it's finished, run trains?
Can you identify what your track plans lack? I am on my third layout. The first two had "show stopper" issues that prompted me to eventually abandon them; steep grades, problematic alignment, insufficient yard leads, poor utilization of space. My current layout is not perfect but it is good enough to continue developing. I do tweak things as I build such as fixing small alignment issues and relocating interlockings to facilitate operations. I don't have the mental horsepower to think every aspect through to an optimum solution. Sometimes I find a better solution only after experiencing the less better one I chose at time.
We are all N sane in this hobby. We just approach our N sanity a little differently. Me, I use t-trak modules and every now and then, I will tear apart the layout, use some modules from storage and re arrange others and now it's a completely different layout. Want operations, I have modules for that, want to just roundee round, I have modules for that. Feel like building, I can store some more modules--somewhere--can't I? (not according to the wife). Remember, we do this to have fun and relax, if you cannot have fun and relax, you need to change your approach to the hobby.
NO! You are not alone and learning after you built a layout that it does not satisfy your interests. Redoing a layout can sometimes be a matter of investing some time and minimal $$$s to relocate buildings, track and scenery. From 1975 forward to 2005 I had a home layout that was moved 4 times; it grew each time because we had space in our basement. The latter version was changed from single track mainline to double track mainline using flex track and then changed again to replace all the track and turnouts with Kato Unitrack. Kato Unitrack certainly made subsequent modifications of the track plan much easier and involved very little addition expense, only my time and labor of love. I use extruded polystyrene foam for scenery and on one occasion dissected a large section of a big hill to move a siding and power plant to the opposite side of that section of the layout. I think The Key from day one is to build with flexibility and mobility so the whole layout can be moved and so parts can be altered as ones interest in the hobby change. = my 2 cents worth.
It is an inherent part of human nature to constantly be looking for a better way to do something. I have been through several layouts in several scales over my many years. And now I am in the process of planning and building for the retirement, and what will most likely be the last one, due to my age and other factors. I probably have gone through about 30 revisions to the plan I have now and I am still tweaking it. Because I have come to not like roundy roundy layouts and spaghetti bowls I have tried to stay away from any aspect of that I can. And that has definitely created its challenges. I wanted the only time a train passed through the same scenery was to gain elevation and I wanted to do that without a helix since they take space and track. And I was looking for something that could be disassembled in sections with minimal damage if the need ever came, or I boarded that last train at platform 9 and 3/4ths. I wanted a narrow gauge flavor set in some mountainous terrain, that operated with two or three locos on a train, and a port area that allowed me to have my second love, a seaport area with some intensive switching moves. It has taken me about 30 years to come around full circle to now and I am still not there yet. When I finally manage to lay the last piece of track I probably still won't be there. So no you are not N sane. Just a typical example of the species Modelous Railroadus Nscaleos which along with the species Modelous Railroadus Horribiest Oversizest comprise the two largest sub species of the genus Modelous Railroadess.
Hah! I love the comment that you are just as undecided as the rest of us, but different in that you actually built something rather than let it stop you! This is a good thing. As you can see, even and unless you spent a lot of time reading John Armstrong or the Layout Design Op Sig letter, you were bound to make mistakes in the track plan that could be improved, so why not? I understand it is painful to relay track if you don't like that part, and rewire if that is not your thing, but it should be a bit easier the second time around and if you do like that part of the hobby most, it should be more fun! Or, enjoy the journey, not the end result.....or hopefully, enjoy both....
I guess perhaps its the little kid in me. I have read a little about John Armstrong, and seen many of his photographs. I like his approach to the dramatic. In his scenes and his track plan. Lots of trestles, high bridges, cliffhangers, and just plain silly things. That little kid in me likes to see multiple trains running. Either meeting on a double track. Or crossing over each over.. What I have now is more about operation and realism then my previous one, and it seems to miss original appeal of daring heights. ( I did have a bridge that crossed over the floor, at a risky place) What's fun is I still have an original section of a radius that's about 3/4 inch from the edge. My brother gets so dang nervous about that point I swear he pees himself a little every time a train goes by there. That's what is missing I think. The excitement that comes from those little places that make people wonder. " Is this the day the Hiawatha meets its fate?"
Good Golly…. I sure hope you are not insane… then I would be in that group also… armchair modeler for over 40 years… now retired for one year and you would think with all that time… minus a few days for hospital stays I would be done and done on my layout and on to the next… Well… I am on my second layout and often freeze in place for months trying to decide the "right" thing to do next…. At the moment it is frozen due to me making my mind up as to the yard throat…. don't even ask what the yard is to be……..hoping for a thaw soon or at least some progress….
I seem to be the exception here. I devised my track plan in the early 1990s and built it according to the plan. Have only made one track revision to the original plan, that being a change to the switch ladder alignment entering a four track double-ended staging area. There is only one other change I wish I would have put into the original track plan. I have a six track stub-ended staging area. Would have liked this to also be double-ended, which could have been done originally, but is no longer possible. I have had a few ops sessions and the layout is operating to my total satisfaction. Along the way, I have been very careful do things the right way. Examples are solid bench work, bullet-proof track work and perhaps most importantly, creating a track plan that would satisfy my operation desires. John
It's just the classic "builders vs. operators" mindset with many hobbies. It's neither sane nor insane and just a case of personal preference. However, the building mindset does start drifting into abnormal territory if you never finish anything.
Jeff et. al. I fear that too many model railroaders attempt to emulate another modelers instead of looking at actual scenes on a real railroad they like. I suspect that attempting to copy another person's layout may never quite live up to the expectations of the new modeler and perhaps adds to their sense of disappointment or frustration. When one does their own thing they can strive to satisfy their image of the railroad and scenes. I agree with your comments.
A clear case of Gomez Addams syndrome: [video=youtube;HMxJtMoTnx8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMxJtMoTnx8[/video]
And if it needs more clarification: [video=youtube;2ALcdPsGaM4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ALcdPsGaM4[/video]
Hmm... Are you referring to one of my older posts about exploding an old bachman steamer on the layout? ( still in the planning phase)
