Entry posted by S.A.C Martin
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So it's been a good few weeks since my last update. I've not had any time to devote to modelling, mainly due to the job. Just one of those things, though it has given me some time to reflect on the ultimate aims of my hobby.
One of the things I know to be true, is that I do not have the space currently, and am unlikely to have the space to, model Copley Hill as I want to. I could not do the area justice. My stocklist is based on that which could be seen at Copley Hill - and that is still the ultimate aim - but perhaps I need a "pathfinder" layout of some form to see what I can do, and what can be done.
I know from the layouts I have observed and enjoyed reading on, that the Peco and Hornby trackwork of old is no longer suitable for me. I cannot get around the nagging feeling of disappointment with my poor skills in tracklaying, and the results it has produced thus far.
Therefore, number one on my list of changes to my hobby is to the Track. I want to make it a principle of my modelling from this point on to change the way it looks. The caveat is to not change the gauge (remaining OO). Observing Gilbert's excellent Peterborough North, you can have your cake and eat it if the sleeper spacing and rail type are correct for your chosen period.
(I am also a sucker for excellent ready to run models, and like to run them straight out of the box. No shame in that - the change of identity and weathering comes later!)
My second priority has to be running trains. I enjoy running them! The question thereafter is, in what form? I have been experimenting with a few of my friends' control systems, and automated control has appealed to me most thus far. The ability to program in trains to run, in a set timetable, so to speak, through the use of DCC and appropriate software, is one I am fascinated with. This would give me an opportunity to admire the models I have worked on, in motion!
My final priority is better utilization of space. I currently have a 12 x 16 foot floor space to play with. The current Copley Hill occupies a mere 4 x 8 foot, on a single baseboard. By changing this altogether, and creating a "roundy round", with the control desk in the center, the change of emphasis from shed layout to perhaps something more scenic - a three track mainline with diverging branchlines, perhaps, with a fiddle yard on the opposite side - would present my modelling better (perhaps!)
So the brain is on, and the thought processes ongoing - perhaps a section of the mainline into Leeds, from London, would suffice, as well as still being applicable to the stocklist of steam locomotives I am building for the "ultimate aim" of Copley Hill.
This would act as a test subject for which to practise necessary improvements in skill for my personal enjoyment of the hobby, and also act as a fun train set of sorts, when you just want to run the trains, sit, and relax with a pint of fine ale.
Oh, and did I mention - the new layout has to be build without a set timeframe. Not weeks, months - year or two possibly, given the time constraints. That makes it more of a hobby, and more fun, I suspect.
I do enjoy modelling so much more when I've spent time away from it, during the week.
Until next time - lots more to ponder.
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