...changed your mind over what you were going to model? My "current" plans are to do a bent dogbone loop with switching a couple of little towns, a few industries, and maybe a light rail between the two towns. The room dimensions are 5.5' by 12.5'. But the more I read and think (that is dangerous on its own), I am now thinking I can do a monster of a switching layout if I put my mind to it. I am going to have put my mind to figuring out the Atlas RTS or XtrkCAD and design something. As the holidays are upon us and I have a few days off, I guess I know what I am going to be doing. Sounds like some coffee and donuts while I do that the next few mornings. I'll keep you posted. I was just wondering how many times other have experienced this. Happy Thanksgiving all!
Don't feel alone, I'm going through this right now. I've started tearing down my existing layout. I'm drastically changing the track plan
Way too many times. That's why this last time around, I decided to go with T-Trak modules. Just about finished the first one. Even if I change my mind later on, it will be easier to just build a new module than tear apart an old one. And I'll be able to reconfigure track and layout just by moving modules around.
Everyone goes throught this. I started Layout #4 earlier this year. Around-the-wall double main with a yard. Agressive for me. After 1/4 of the benchwork was done, I realized many problems were surfacing. I downsized the plan about a dozen times, ending up with a MUCH smaller and simpler layout (Layout #5). I am a happy man now. This one should be mostly finished within a year; then I will go back and consider my around-the-room monster.
Part of the hobby IMHO. This is why I like to do it on a cad program first, to save alot of trouble and expense. When I frst started my planning on the one I am working now, I changed it maybe 10 times before I started laying track. 3 or so of them were drastic changes..
Yep. I decided after my first two layouts that I knew exactly what I wanted, and sat down with some graph paper to sketch it out. Too many erasures ruined the paper and I decided to just start doing each new plan on its own piece of paper. A year went by, and some 20 or so completed track plans later, I began actually mapping it out using RTS to check to make sure that all my curves would be the right radius and that all the switches would fit. I made four of those plans. Then I started changing the yards--repeatedly. Each time I stopped, I was absolutely certain I had the perfect plan that couldn't be improved. I didn't start to build my layout until I had that positive feeling for a LONG TIME. I'm still happy with it, so I guess I've arrived! :tb-wacky:
I try and keep it to the Rio Grande controlled roads, like D&RGW, WP and of course Southern Pacific. That's a lot of territory! :we2-jiggy:
I'm probably among the few who hasn't really labored over designs. I use a good drawing/CAD package, and have pretty much sketched things out, and then refined them, with that package. Because I was dealing with multiple decks this time, it took a while to figure out the geometry, but the CAD package did that too. Having the length of the perimeter of curves and of straights made calculating the grades very easy. Sure, I changed things as I went along, but never to the extent that I had to redraw everything. Of course, having a fairly large space (11 x 23) helps a lot.
I used to be a Conrail modeler, WAY back when I first entered the scale in 1987, but my only engine was a BN RS-11. I love BN as well, but when I moved to North Dakota in 1999 (It's close, but no, it's not in Canada!), I became a BN nut. I moved to UP country in 2003, to Cheyenne, WY, but my next modeling focus change happened in 2004 after a visit to former Rio Grande rails. And the rest is history!
After 9-10 months of discarding a plan idea about every 1.47932 days, About a month ago I finally made a slow start on actually building something. The last few days I've been back to pondering backing up and trying something else. Make up my mind, you say....to that I say "What mind?"
I spent at least a month drawing up a bunch of plans for my door layout. Then I laid out the track and moved every building in the town at least 3 times before I got it to where I was happy with it. Then I decided that I wanted some elevation, and a small yard, but as I was happy with the layout as it was, I added a second door. This caused me to rip out one end of the original door, where the small industrial area was. I added the second door in an L-shape. Now I'm finally finishing up laying the track for the yard and slightly larger industrial area. Again I'm happy with the layout, BUT, if I had more room I'd add a third door to make a U-shape because I WANT MORE. Conclusion: A layout is never finished, no matter how finished it is. Dave. P.S. I may end up with the world's first modular door layout.
I've started and stopped, designed and changed design so many times I've lost count. It was fun and usually I ended up with a better product then I had before....usually! Not to worry if it doesn't come together perfectly the first time. One of the "Joys" or "Hazards" of the hobby. Have fun! Happy Thanksgiving to you and all tuned in!
I am in a similar quandry--have all the pieces of my previous layout in the new basement, and have drawn a scale drawing of all the pieces and the space. Can't determine if the better course of action is to put the old layout pieces together, with some changes between sections, or start anew with a shelf plan in the finished section of the basement...what I want to base the layout on (Modern UP) is set, but which space to use, and how best to use it is taking up a lot of my thought process currently. I want to try a new approach and pick out 3-5 things to model (bridge scenes such as keddie, a canyon scene such as one would find in Byers canyon or the Feather river, a couple of small towns/switching area) and then fit them into an arrangement that will work in my basement. As frustrating as this is currently, it is equally as exciting.
I started with Family Lines, then to N&W, then CSX in N scale, then L&N N scale, L&N in HO, and I've finally decided Southern Pacific in HO. Man, I sure do wish I still had all those brass locos I've sold over the years!
I could not begin to tell you how many times I changed my mind. Often several times a day I have modeled HO, On30 and N and considered going to Z. Now I am reconsidering the switch to Z and making an N/HO dual scale layout. I have done a dozen track plans in the last 2 weeks. Please make the madness stop.
"Grey and Grandure III" does not reflect many many many intermideary itterations. As Hemi once put it: "More frequently than a rock star changes girlfriends"
