So as I sit here at the end of another modelling I find myself asking the question, what on earth did I actually do? Back in January my layout looked like this

Some 12 months later and after numerous restarts I have finally build the terraced houses but am still no where near finishing the shops, so it now looks like this

The wierd thing is I feel I have spent ages in the shed this year but do not have loads to show for it. Could this be because for the first time I have challenged my ineptitude and started on things like "detail".

I have a spreadsheet about the layout from items such as the wiring plan, stock list for insurance, time table, etc. It also has a list of tasks that either need to be done or have been done.

In that list since the layout started there are 140 things I have done and 32 jobs I still need to do that I can see.

When I look at that list I find I have done things such as

Laid the grass for the park area by the station

Laid the paths

Added the steps

Added the wall

Made the flower beds on the station

Added some ground signals for the branchline

Made the fence by the station

Made 7 terraced houses

Fixed the cows and sheep in place

Started to replace the "bog brush" trees (I have plans for them)

Added gutters and drain pipes to my buildings for the first time.

Started creating a timetable

Built my first building that was not simply a variation on a square box, but had angled corners.

And finally I ran some trains

So actually it may not have covered vast swathes of the layout as the 1st 2 years of this layout did, but it does seem I have taken some steps in to new area's of ineptitude that I have not done before.

I have a feeling 2010 will be more of the same.