Jump to content
 
  • entries
    54
  • comments
    187
  • views
    31,801

Should I even bother starting?

Taigatrommel

Entry posted by Taigatrommel

341 views

 Share

It's less than six months before I repatriate myself and five until the end of the contract on our house. Although at present very taken with Jim Stacco's City Classics show layout design, I have realised that the centre section as he built it is wider than the equivalent section of my donor baseboards. This leaves the options of changing scale to TT or building new boards if I wish to mimic the character of his layout, which I do. However, I'm painfully aware that I'm a slow modeller, Bad Horn having taken a year from inception to its current state. Anything I build will add expense to the shipping of our household back to the UK, and have to be boxed up securely for said shipping. I can't find enthusiasm for more woodwork at present, my garage is already half full of baseboards from Steinrücken's abortion.

 

I also wonder why I'm even bothering to build a layout. I rarely run trains. Since RailEx, even though I put Bad Horn up for a while, I had no urge to run trains, and indeed pre-RailEx I had done no running beyond ascertaining that it all worked. For me it's mostly about the visuals, although when I do run trains I like a good shunt. My ideal layout visually would simply be a line running through countryside, my ideal operationally an industrial complex requiring different wagonloads to be sorted. I do have a vision of how City Classics could look as a German outline layout, and I do like it, but I'm not totally happy with either option which presents itself to me for its construction.

 

I'm half tempted to strip the whole of Steinrücken to base level and build a basic line along it at about 200mm above the frame level. Then I could run my trains, and if I feel like adding a shunting yard, do so. I'm not sure about the wisdom of launching into something unplanned in a short timescale though!

 

I think I'm getting annoyed with my own indecision, but I'm not sure.

 Share

7 Comments

Recommended Comments

  • RMweb Premium
NGT6 1315
  • RMweb Premium
I think I'm getting annoyed with my own indecision, but I'm not sure.

 

Been there, done that myself, Rich... From a purely rational point of view I believe it would be best if you restarted modelling only after your return to the UK. As for creating an interim layout – that's a good question indeed if it would be possible to come up with something reasonably good-looking on short notice. I'll have to give that one some more thought myself as I do not have a ready answer which I could give you for advice.

 

I can well relate to being torn like you are in any case...as a matter of fact, I believe the line of thought which resulted in my coming up with a German-themed layout of the same "simple, but appealing" variety hasn't been all that different to your current situation. I, too, did want an option on my hand which could be constructed with the highest degree of relative ease, which the Swiss scenario in particular would certainly not offer, given its scope...which but I believe would be difficult at best to scale back. The Italian one would most likely fall somewhere in between, though the three-phase OHLE element of it would probably be a challenge in its own right.

Link to comment
johnteal

Id wait, perhaps build a couple of small dioramas to have something to do that can be stuck in a simple box. The 5 months you have may well mean you have lots of ideas and therefore enthusiasm when you get to your new home.

Link to comment
BRCW26010

I know what you mean. My wife and I are currently awaiting confirmation of a move from England to Scotland and I have just packed all my railway modelling gear into stout cardboard boxessad.gif Our move should take place by May but will result in nothing much happening on the modelling front until September or so. I tend to be slow at modelling but do really only want to shunt so a small yard of some sort will happen eventually. You are not alone!! wink.gif Have a straightforward move when it happenssmile.gif

Link to comment
scanman

Like the others - 'been there, done that' (or rather - NOT done that!). My advice would be have a sabbatical. House moves create the most stress (after divorce) so why add extra layers to it? I'd also advise finding something different to occupy your time/mind. If you are returning to UK, bear in mind that we have a habit of not making enough of the places were we live - so going out and 'sight seeing' all thos places you intended to visit & never quite got round to it! (it might even help with the next point....

 

An added benefit(?) - think of the money you'd save shipping the layout back.... More stock control (try getting that past the partner!)

 

Regs

 

Ian

 

 

Link to comment
gresley

my own advice would be to wait until you are settled again in the UK. There are so many possible problems which you only know about when they occur. I moved house (within Germany) and was very glad that my railway stock (including track, points, etc) was all packed in boxes at the time of the move.

What's packed up is relatively safe from "collateral damage" before, during and after the move.

 

As for a suitable scale, I certainly think that TT would be an ideal if there was a wider selection available (bot British as well as Continental). I tried N Gauge but soon found that it was too small and finnicky. (must consider that you don't get younger !). Therefore I finished up with HO/00 (mixture of continental and british).

 

Whatever you choose, I wish you luck.

 

gresley

Link to comment
Taigatrommel

For now I'll start by carefully stripping Steinrücken back to frame level. If I was to be sensible, I should spend the next few months developing technique, eg OHLE construction. Of course, in my mind the best way to do this is to make a small layout, and I'm back to indecision...

 

Ah well. Matinee Idle's on later, so I'll hit the garage and carry on with my deconstructions!

Link to comment
  • RMweb Premium
NGT6 1315
  • RMweb Premium

If I was to be sensible, I should spend the next few months developing technique, eg OHLE construction. Of course, in my mind the best way to do this is to make a small layout, and I'm back to indecision...

 

This really is a good idea, methinks. Or call it a diorama and you might have a place where you could at least put your locos on some length of track! :) You wouldn't really need to do much scenic work either, thus reducing the potential for indecision.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...