Unitrack has been my plan ever since I switched from HO to N...as has been the intent to build a layout designed to be operated while sitting. Before this years "fun", for close to 10 years I've been dealing with increasingly disabling arthritis. The problem now is that every time I start thinking along the lines of a small layout I either end up evolving it to something bigger than I have space for, or the same doubt that fueled procrastination over the door layout sets in. [shrug]
Well Sir: pardon me for being gruff...........but AGAIN I say, better simple than nothing!! Read back through for my earlier post about a dear friend I had........he was always dreaming about/planning the "perfect" layout. Bought everything for it - died unexpectedly & got to build nothing!! I can understand crippling self-doubt, i suffer from it as well. But I implore you to build something.......enjoy your trains while you can............
Well, I am done prograstinating. I have put off doing anything as long as my mortgage was in limbo. Now that I every reason to believe I will be here 10 years from now, I am looking forward to finishing the wiring and scenery.
Except for the died part, I'm there. Before this all hit, I'd accumulated all but a few of the track pieces I needed for the 18'x8' F shaped layout I'd planned for the train/storage building. I know what you are saying...and over the last few years, I've tried to convince my self that it is indeed the case...but so far the doubt monster has won out. I guess my first tasks need to be to figure out the workable size and shape I can shoe-horn in the bedroom and still allow me to move about. In a bit of sad coincidence, our contractor friend came around this evening...tomorrow he is going to slap down some OSB on the 1/2 completed bench work so it can be used as storage shelving.:tb-sad:
To disqualify myself for this thread I had to symplify the Grey and Grandure beyond my wildest dreams: Two concentric ovals, a yard on the "L" and a promise of expansion to the right. Took everything I had to get that far. It hurt like crazy. Of course I re-qualified when I didn't do anything for several months but I'll soon be moving again.
"Prograstinating"? Is that something like a grassinator or is it something you inhale or have inhaled to much of? I can only imagine what you burn in your smoke generator.tongue::tb-tongue::thumbs_up: I to was in mortgage limbo but am now in another kind of financial limbo, but I was surprised to find that I am allowed to live a little dispite my financial issues. I have been subjecting us(family) to poverty for to many years worried about everyone else. My procrastination on my home layout qualifier is that I am building another module for the freemoN group that I joined. Fun stuff. After this module I think I will focus more on my layout.
Procrastination. Do I quailify. All N Scale Built my table. 4X8. I was gonna paint it. But I have not yet. Bought a sheet of 2 inch pink foam for the table. Painted the top, I was gonna paint the sides. But I have not yet. Bought a Heljan 6 stall engine roundhouse. I have only built 2 stalls so far. That was 3 months ago. Bought about 20 turnouts and and over 300 pcs of Atlas code 80 track back in November 2009. All I have so far is a double loop with a crossover around the table. Bought some WS 2% incline starters 2 months ago. Still in the box. On 6/17/2010 I got a really nice bonus check at work. Bought a Kato double track bridge, 25 misc box cars, a backup transformer (doing DC at this time), a desk top lighted magnifier. All still in the box unopened. And a new side by side frig. Gotta keep the wife happy (not delivered yet so still in the box). And today I got my 3rd engine. A Kato SD70m Norfolk Southern White Face. Ran it for 10 mins and put it back in the case. More to come when I can remember. Go Black and Orange. NS and BNSF
Well, that is procrastination. But, as long as you are still interested in the hobby, we'll just hope a day comes when inspiration strikes and you'll hit it full blast- Building a light speed. Boxcab E50
This is an unusual thread, to say the least. Some of you definately have very good reasons for procrastinating. But wow, some of you, this is sort of foreign to me really. I dont have a layout, but I am a college student and live in a tiny, temporary apartment; I do have plans drawn up by some people on another forum, and will be building my door layout over the fall and winter (classes and work permitting). Even if I dont keep it, itll be good practice on working with foam, plaster, etc. However, I am always doing something train related. Stripping (and attempting to repaint, stupid airbrush...) rolling stock, changing roadnumbers, building structures, researching and "blueprinting" other structures, modifying locomotives. Ill stick on one project until I need materials, swap to another; atm I have four seperate things going on: Strip and paint/decal for C&O about a dozen MT hoppers (just the beginning) but need to get different paint; So, payday (friday) Ill get to the LHS. Finish converting a LifeLike 0-8-0 into a C&O C-16 (need materials, so waiting for friday, so I can go to the LHS for putty and a few tools) Working on building a replica of the New River Company's Lochgelly tipple (that tall headframe the NRC used is a pain to scratchbuild) waiting on materials, will be obtained friday at LHS Researching the NYC roundhouse here in Ashtabula, Ohio...distraction here but fun, and not like I have anything else to do until I get to the LHS... All of these will be done in a couple weeks (except maybe that headframe) and ill be on to new projects; maybe making my Kato Mikado look more like a C&O K-3 (Or NYC H-10, or whatever sort of thing tickles my fancy at the time) or working on another tipple; plan to (if I stay with C&O that is) model the White Oak sub, so will need tipples, rolling stock, and locos. Hey, that I can do! My biggest issue is *hrmm, do I wanna model road A, or do I wanna do road B* but I still would rather be working on something than just sitting around. I consider decalling freight cars to be oneof my least favorite pastimes, but hey, if i can get 1 or 2 a week done, in a year or so, I will have my target of 100. Leaves me more time to work on structures, which I quite simply love doing; its easily my favorite part of modeling. If I never have a layout, I would be content to build structures. If you dont wanna build a layout...then dont build a layout? I dont have kids, I dont need to replace roofs, I understand life happens, but c'mon...months or years go by, and you dont even touch the things? Kinda puzzled, I am. Spend a ton of money on something...yeah, I am confused. Amanda
My procrastination problem is a function of being a "lone wolf" modeler. I have to build out my workshop first, now the attic. I will build that out. Then, I have to build the benchwork, lay the track, do the scenery, wire the thing. Once I get my attic finished and ready for the layout, I really need to become a little more "social" in this hobby. I have built two layouts sofar. Both were coming along nicely when I moved and had to tear them down. Now I have the space to build the largest edition of the Albemarle Division yet and realize this "lone wolf" stuff sometimes doesn't cut it.
I am glad to see that some procrastinators have gotten to work. For those who don't have/want a big layout, I might be so bold as to suggest that they check to see if there is some local "modular" group to join. Before you say "I am in N scale and there are no...." well, think outside the "box" or whatever...you wouldn't have to join an N group, how about HO or On30 or something? There's an On30 group here in Dallas that gets together and connects members' modules together and has a blast running. At least 2 of these guys model in some other scale than O but that doesn't stop them from joining in. If that isn't possible, join a club..even if it isn't your chosen scale. If you are a "lone wolf", how about a small or micro layout. That might not be in your scale either..but anything is better than nothing. A nice bit of operation can be had on a piece of 2 by 4 foot 2" blue foam. I built such a layout just to have something that I could watch run around and around and sometimes switch a couple of cars. No, this little layout is not in my "chosen" scale (left over stuff from an earlier layout) but it pleases me greatly and I am as proud of it as I am of my large layout. No, I am not a procrastinator, I am obsessed with my trains and I eat, sleep, and breathe trains-narrow gauge trains. My buddy Mopman and I know fellows who are "gonna build that dream layout" for years. A dream layout can be that little 2 by 4...or even a diorama...just to keep the juices flowing. There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but not doing is worse than doing and doing it wrong. Unbuilt kits in the closet are just that...in the closet. There is no time like right now to get out that stuff and get to work. Who knows, the era of procrastination may come to an end! Have fun and run a train today! Woodie
Geeky, I'm glad I came across this thread. It applies to me perfectly! I began building my bedroom-sized N layout in the late 90's, and to this day it has gone through painful delays, restarts, and misdirections. My biggest problem has been that I don't have a lot of skill but am afraid of making mistakes - paralysis. I also get on the internet way too much, and end up spending little to no time in my "dream train room". I actually emailed you a schematic of my under contstruction layout several years back. I can't remember what stage it was in, but at it's peak it was [going to be] a twice around the room with center peninsula plan. It overwhelmed me as an inexperienced modeler, so I ripped out the peninsula. That was great, but then after a few years I decided to go from twice around the room to once around the room. That was great, too. But now my main yard was having issues (not with trains though, as none could get around the room yet), and one day I just decided to rip it out - literally. Using my rail nippers and the ol' standby Ginzu II knife (my favorite tool LOL) I cut around the yard and liifted it out in one piece, foam and all. Each of these "downsizing sessions" gave me new motivation and vision for the layout, but ultimately I had made so many mistakes and was so dissatisfied with various elements of the layout that I decided to start over. I ripped out every last bit of track one day and felt the world lift off my shoulders. It was very liberating. What has really helped me is realizing that I need to do something very simple and basic - something achievable by an average-ish modeler like myself. Several things came together for me to give me direction. One was a great admiration for Lance Mindheim's switching layouts. Another was wanting something very low-key. And yet another was the two great MP15DC's that I got of eBay. I also wanted to start over with Atlas Code 55 track and DCC, so that also lead me to ripping out all my Peco. This spring I started over with a plan to model a spur line in Olympia, WA serving the Mottman Industrial Park. It actually will fit my existing benchwork/room perfectly. The best part is that if I model everything I'm planning, it will only require about a dozen or so turnouts, which is perfect. Operationally, the prototype has only one runaround - everything else is trailing point switches for an outbound train so nothing is complicated. A few weeks back I finally "forced" myself to solder some track and feeders and get it going on one wall. In two nights I was able to go from blue foam to three customers (still on blue foam). I stage a train of about 3-6 cars at one end of the line where it would head across a lift out, then spend 10 minutes or so switching the three customer sidings before heading back. The line is only about a dozen feet long so far, and only has three switches, but at least it is operational. It has also given me confidence to carry on along the second wall - and maybe the third - in the next few weeks. Then I can head into winter with scenery and structures to start on. Either way, it will be more operational and fulfilling than anything I've done to date. I'll have to do a post once I get the time, if for no other reason than to motivate myself to keep moving along. I do find that everyone sharing here on the forum really seems to help, as we can see that everyone has struggles at some time and we just need to find our way. Anyhow, hope you can continue to make progress on your layout, and I look forward to your pics! -Dave
Good to hear about everyone coming to grips with the Prograsstination issue. I noticed the post from a very active modeler. All I can say is you haven't walked a mile in any of our brains. Some of us are very internalized deep thinkers. Gettings real stuff done is hard. Others are struggling with physical demands. Either way it can be really limiting. I am very pleased to see so many working on getting something going that suits their lifestyle. My update is that I did some foam carving and haven't touched the layout in a month. I am in a non model railroad phase. I go in and out of these. Plus I am embarrassed of my MR habit and now have a room mate. I am trying to keep the trains on the low profile for now. Silly huh? I look forward to seeing more reports like Greys. I've watched his initial masterpiece track plans that never got built and to actually see a layout is a really good thing. Thanks all of you.
Geeky, I can only speak for myself, but I have found so many self-inflicted roadblocks along the way, and the reasons are quite varied. I absolutely agree that what seems easy or natural to one person is horribly complicated or daunting to the next. We each need to find our way and be ok with it. "I am in a non model railroad phase." I know all about those. Trains, for better or worse, have been my main life interest since I could talk, but the modeling side has been a roller coaster. I've often asked myself if maybe I'm not really as interested in model trains as I think I am. LOL. The reality is that I've had to learn, perhaps like you, to just "ride the wave" - get as much done during the motivated times, and be ok with pursuing other interests during the "down" times. I spent enough time feeling bad about my investment in money, time, floor space, etc. that I HAD to get over it. Embarrassed? We all have our feelings about it for sure. If we are one of those great people on here who has a beautiful layout, I tend to think we'd be pining for people to know about our interest. For myself, though, having a room with no door (by choice) leading into a mess called the train room doesn't exactly scream "cool" - or even normal. Again, I've had to work through that. Actually, I'm still working on that. Next week we are welcoming a Japanese exchange student into our home for three weeks, and I can only imagine what she's going to think when she sees "it". :-O. She's 15, the same age as our daughter, and based on my daughter's reactions to my trains when her friends are around (and we won't even talk about the chickens and ducks!), this girl is going to think I'm a freak. Oh well....it will make a fun story for us later. Well, I guess I should get my oversized behind off this computer and up in the train room. I've got a week to take it from "crap" to "cool"! -Dave
I'm with you on that one. And as you know, I can't use the excuse of needing any more switches! (Thanks again). Well, with the kids back in school and the routines getting back in place, maybe I'll be able to get back on track (so to speak) too. -Dave
Call me a future procrastinator. Odd as this may sound, I wish I was a procrastinator. In my current situation, I can't even be a procrastinator (at least as far as a layout is concerned). Working overseas in Indonesia doesn't further the modelling very easily (nary a hobby shop in sight here). Still, this is the most practical choice for me at the moment. I will have to keep lurking on this and other sights, doing research on prototypes, etc... Seriously though, I know that once I do get back to the states I will be posting to this thread again. Hopefully all of you will be moved on by that time, but I think maybe a few will still be around . When I do move back, there will be the house to set up, the job to get settled in, my family to be made comfortable, my three girls to get into school, etc, etc, etc... Seems like that layout keeps moving further to the right :sob:.
OCD moments caused me to procrastinate. Perfection was desired. Nothing happened. Life problems cropped up. I decided I needed a break to destress and carved a river into the foam. Can't wait to do more. Model railroading may be cheaper than therapy for stress. Anyone else?
Right now I am in a state of building procrastination and that's not just structures. There are so many projects that I could do...but I just haven't felt like it. At least I have the advantage of a layout that is operational. So I can run a op session and that is my therapy for the time being.
Yep I guess I fit this category. I've been putting off my new layout for the last seven months now due to house remodeling, and it seems as if it's been forever since I've run trains. But next month I will get it started my house remodel is coming to an end. But I must admit home is really nicely updated now. And sure wasn't when I had my layout up and running all the time was spent on it.:tb-biggrin:
