Becoming disillusioned with the hobby

[Chris M]

2 hours ago, rab said:

I have somewhere I can run trains and enjoy.

 

And that is what it is all about

[PaulRhB]

Taking a short break is a good way to refresh or just watching the real thing for a bit.
The visual problem of sharp curves can be eased by changing the viewing angle. The lower you get the less obvious it is until at eye level you can’t really tell. So have you thought about raising the layout up to around chest height where it’s still easy to work on but sitting on a stool brings you down to the sort of level we usually watch trains from on the side of a cutting? Try getting down to that level with the current layout or mock something up at the height using some bits of sheet ply. 
We raised up the level by 18” in my Dad’s shed and it transformed the look as well as making access much easier and we used 2ft radius curves at one end. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by PaulRhB

[Rich_F]

How about a micro layout or a terminus layout? 

 

You can pack a massive amount of detail & realism into a small space. If you previously did large layouts it might a more enjoyable experience doing a small space instead. 

 

[33C]

5 minutes ago, Chris M said:

And that is what it is all about

I was sorting through some books and was repeatedly drawn to the Colin Garrett photo albums. This led to an appreciation of just how many different types of locomotives we, and other builders exported around the world. All sizes, shapes, types and gauges. If you can imagine it, it existed somewhere! Thousands and thousands of different prototypes, running in all climates and topography, narrow to broad, all begging to be modelled! Weirdly, the "coffee table" albums, produced by various publishers over the years, have amazing COLOUR photos and can be found for pence! In the words of Mickey Flanagan, " 'Ave a look!". Get away from these shores for a while and that 8' × 6' could be a whole new world......

[chris p bacon]

1 hour ago, jools1959 said:

I’ve joined a few clubs over the last few years but I’ve found unfortunately, you always get a minority who think their opinion is all important and their modelling is superior to anyone else’s.  Or you get those who hog test tracks etc, so that’s why I’ve struck out on my own.

You do need to contribute to a club to get the most out of them.....

[Steven B]

Have you considered building two or three separate scenes and connecting them via boxed in curves?

A series of cammeo type layouts could take you from the station throat of an inner city terminus, via the highlands to a remote single track terminus. With careful positioning of scenery it may be possible to create something that appears to be terminus-terminus/fiddle yard but is actually a complete circuit.

 

 

Steven B.

[rab]

2 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

Taking a short break is a good way to refresh or just watching the real thing for a bit.
The visual problem of sharp curves can be eased by changing the viewing angle. The lower you get the less obvious it is until at eye level you can’t really tell. So have you thought about raising the layout up to around chest height where it’s still easy to work on but sitting on a stool brings you down to the sort of level we usually watch trains from on the side of a cutting? Try getting down to that level with the current layout or mock something up at the height using some bits of sheet ply. 
We raised up the level by 18” in my Dad’s shed and it transformed the look as well as making access much easier and we used 2ft radius curves at one end. 

Another option is to hide as much of the curved sections as you can,

either behind or under scenery (Buildings, tunnels etc.

[kevinlms]

2 hours ago, jools1959 said:

I’ve joined a few clubs over the last few years but I’ve found unfortunately, you always get a minority who think their opinion is all important and their modelling is superior to anyone else’s.  Or you get those who hog test tracks etc, so that’s why I’ve struck out on my own.

It is certainly a trade off with clubs, some loss of independence against gaining some space.

Personally, I'm not interested in a 3 point layout, as others have suggested. I think I need something larger than that. But you need to work out what is actually what you want to achieve.

[TravisM]

4 hours ago, t-b-g said:

In the space available, a minimum radius of 3ft would get you round quite easily with plenty of room on the outside for points and sidings. That isn't really in "toy train" territory as far as I am concerned.

 

What I have also found is that as long as you are operating from the inside, rather than the outside, tight curves look a whole lot better than you expect them to.

 

If I had a room that size I would be going for an L shape along two walls, or a U shape along three walls. I find end to end layouts much more interesting to operate. It would also allow a nice workbench on another wall.

My layout will a ‘around the walls’ continuous layout with a lift up flap.  I did consider doing a all change and doing HOm Swiss RhB.  The tighter curves are more acceptable and with the smaller train’s, layout is possibly more pleasing to the eye.

 

The only reason I didn’t is I’d have to sell my current stock to finance it, but more importantly, I don’t really know much about the RhB.

[TravisM]

10 hours ago, TheQ said:

Take look at Pete Goss's Copper Wort,  a wonderful piece of modelling in a small space.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/124064-copper-wort/page/1/

I saw the layout at the Spalding show, and the amount of detail was staggering.  The other way it worked well, was he used small engines and 4 wheel wagons, so the tight curve’s didn’t look out of place.

Edited November 15, 2022 by jools1959

[PaulRhB]

6 minutes ago, jools1959 said:

The only reason I didn’t is I’d have to sell my current stock to finance it, but more importantly, I don’t really know much about the RhB.

Its a big step to sell up and change and with the current situation difficult to sell and pay a lot for new items so I think a sensible choice. Maybe though it gives a partial answer to the motivation, take a break and learn about the RhB and it might give you ideas for this project too. 

There are quite a few threads on here in the Swiss section and several layouts. Watch some YouTube and narrow down what you really like and it might form into a future project. 
There is also a load of info and knowledge on our little RhB forum. 
https://rhb.boards.net

 

[CloggyDog]

4 hours ago, jools1959 said:

If I was starting afresh, I’d consider N or TT, but with nearly £2.5k’s worth of OO gauge stock, I’m not about dispose of that and start again. 

 

But if you are *that* disillusioned with the hobby (or at least your current plans), you'd end up selling it off anyway? 

 

Can you hide/disguise the sharp corner curves (cuttings, trees, etc), or perhaps have a more circular plan (rather than a series of straight bits connected by sharp corners) with a shallower continuous curve? 

 

What's the make up of your current stock - is it wholly long, high-speed main-line passenger stock, long block-train freight or would it allow you to model a secondary line with smaller trains? 

[TravisM]

3 hours ago, CloggyDog said:

 

But if you are *that* disillusioned with the hobby (or at least your current plans), you'd end up selling it off anyway? 

 

Can you hide/disguise the sharp corner curves (cuttings, trees, etc), or perhaps have a more circular plan (rather than a series of straight bits connected by sharp corners) with a shallower continuous curve? 

 

What's the make up of your current stock - is it wholly long, high-speed main-line passenger stock, long block-train freight or would it allow you to model a secondary line with smaller trains? 

I’m modelling Sleaford East Junction in the summer of 2019, the crossover of East Midlands Trains and East Midlands Railway.  I have 4 Hornby Class 153’s, 4 Realtrack Class 156’s and 2 Bachmann Class 158’s which I think is enough; I did consider the new Hornby HST but it’s just too big.

 

The 153’s can be used on the Peterborough - Lincoln service though one can be attached to a 156 for a Nottingham - Skegness service.  The 156’s and 158 again for the Nottingham - Skegness service.

 

I have a pair of Hornby Class 60’s in DB Cargo and 21 Bachmann BYA’s for the Boston steel, a pair of Bachmann Class 66’s for the RHTT, plus others on order.

 

Have I got too much for the size of layout?

[t-b-g]

7 hours ago, jools1959 said:

My layout will a ‘around the walls’ continuous layout with a lift up flap.  I did consider doing a all change and doing HOm Swiss RhB.  The tighter curves are more acceptable and with the smaller train’s, layout is possibly more pleasing to the eye.

 

The only reason I didn’t is I’d have to sell my current stock to finance it, but more importantly, I don’t really know much about the RhB.

 

That reminds me of something one of my amazing daughters said when she was about 10 or 11. We were watching the Olympics on telly and she turned to me and said "Dad, if I ever went in the Olympics I think I would go in for the swimming". There was a pause and then she added "Except that I hate the smell of Chlorine and I can't swim".

 

Deciding what you really want have for a layout can be really tricky and thinking about too many options is something I can be guilty of. When it happens, ideas just spin around in my head and send me into a state of "modelling block".

 

Once that cycle is broken and a decision is made, everything can just fall into place. I sometimes just need to stop dithering and get on with it.

 

It is very easy to overthink things until it all seems too difficult when it usually isn't.

 

[tractionman]

3 hours ago, jools1959 said:

I’m modelling Sleaford East Junction in the summer of 2019, the crossover of East Midlands Trains and East Midlands Railway.  I have 4 Hornby Class 153’s, 4 Realtrack Class 156’s and 2 Bachmann Class 158’s which I think is enough; I did consider the new Hornby HST but it’s just too big.

 

The 153’s can be used on the Peterborough - Lincoln service though one can be attached to a 156 for a Nottingham - Skegness service.  The 156’s and 158 again for the Nottingham - Skegness service.

 

I have a pair of Hornby Class 60’s in DB Cargo and 21 Bachmann BYA’s for the Boston steel, a pair of Bachmann Class 66’s for the RHTT, plus others on order.

 

Have I got too much for the size of layout?

 

sounds good to me for the Wandleford Junction type set up mentioned earlier, and with a scenic section bookended between two overbridges 👍 after all it's not all level crossings in Lincolnshire!

 

cheers,

 

Keith 

[TravisM]

11 minutes ago, tractionman said:

 

sounds good to me for the Wandleford Junction type set up mentioned earlier, and with a scenic section bookended between two overbridges 👍 after all it's not all level crossings in Lincolnshire!

 

cheers,

 

Keith 

The scenic break for the line to Skegness, will be either the approaches or the actual over bridge for the Sleaford avoiding line.  The line to and from Peterborough will be hidden by trees, bushes and other foliage.

[BlackRat]

If you’re a modeller, then you’ll work it out, make compromises and make it work. Simples.

[john new]

22 hours ago, jools1959 said:

I’m sorry to say that I’m becoming disillusioned with the hobby as I don’t have the space I’d like to build the layout I’d like to create.  I’m stuck with a 8.6x7.6 room and I’ve drawn out numerous track plans, but the curves still look toy train like, which frustrates me no end; and as I model present day, so longer coaching stock and even with a single track layout, I just can’t deal with these sharp curves.  It does my head in.

 

To me, a good layout should be visually stimulating and operationally interesting, but am I setting my goals too high, therefore becoming disillusioned with the whole process

Some of us would love to have that space available. What’s train set curves all about when you can clearly fit in a 3ft radius/6ft diameter circle in?  There have been several excellent circular layouts around. 

[Halvarras]

18 hours ago, Chris M said:

A friend brought his Pullman set along one day and this was allowed because there is evidence that a Pullman set was used on a special charter from Plymouth just once. My friend's Pullman set has now had it's "just once" so it won't be allowed again.

 

A 6-car set appeared at the Laira Open Day on 26th September 1970, would that excuse a second visit?!

[The Johnster]

8’6” x 7’6”, assuming 4mm.  Fiddle yards along the shorter walls and scenic sections on the longer, setrack curves and turnouts on the fy sections and curving into the scenic sections behind the scenic divides leaves roughly 5’ of straight or gently curved track on the scenic sections.  
 

Scenic sections between bridges in urban cutting setting and trains longer than the distance between the bridges.  One scenic section could be a station throat and ends of platforms, the other, across the room, an operation enhancing feature such as a factory, TMD, per. way depot, anything else you can come up with suitable for your modern stock, but with turnouts enabling access from either direction that trains need to set back over, perhaps a goods loop. 
 

Doesn’t matter that the longer trains stretch across the entire length of the scenic sections, and they don’t need the full number of vehicles because you din’t see them all at the same time anyway, and the sharp setrack curves are out of sight where they won’t bother you.  The longest fy roads using setrack curved turnouts will be about 9’ long.  With one fy for the up and the other for the down, 2’ wide boards and enough space between the roads to crane shunt stock, probably 7 or 8 roads in each direction. 
 

Ftfy. 

[97406]

7 hours ago, jools1959 said:

I’m modelling Sleaford East Junction in the summer of 2019, the crossover of East Midlands Trains and East Midlands Railway.  I have 4 Hornby Class 153’s, 4 Realtrack Class 156’s and 2 Bachmann Class 158’s which I think is enough; I did consider the new Hornby HST but it’s just too big.

 

The 153’s can be used on the Peterborough - Lincoln service though one can be attached to a 156 for a Nottingham - Skegness service.  The 156’s and 158 again for the Nottingham - Skegness service.

 

I have a pair of Hornby Class 60’s in DB Cargo and 21 Bachmann BYA’s for the Boston steel, a pair of Bachmann Class 66’s for the RHTT, plus others on order.

 

Have I got too much for the size of layout?

 

I have more than 60 locos and a couple of DMUs and a small depot layout (scenic section 5’ by 14”) that is in the process of having an extension of roughly the same size in OO. I can cram in 12 or so locos onto the old part of the layout. The layout is being built in sections so I get something nice to look at fairly quickly and then add another piece to the puzzle, which has proven to be a good approach. You can do a lot with the composition of the scenery to deceive the eye too. 

I find that taking time out from modelling itself is when some of the best flashes of inspiration occur to me. 

 

The space you have will allow for considerably more than 2’ radius curves which isn’t too bad. Perhap 3’ on scene and 2’ off. Also perhaps, consider a traverser fiddle yard off scene to save space.

 

Looking at the stock listed above, apart from the number of BYAs, you have stock that suits a smaller layout.

 

Perhaps your space is a good candidate for the new TT120 scale, too, N Gauge notwithstanding.

 

 

[DavidB-AU]

1 hour ago, Halvarras said:

 

A 6-car set appeared at the Laira Open Day on 26th September 1970, would that excuse a second visit?!

 

You can justify anything under "see rule 1".

[DavidB-AU]

7 hours ago, jools1959 said:

I’m modelling Sleaford East Junction in the summer of 2019, the crossover of East Midlands Trains and East Midlands Railway.  I have 4 Hornby Class 153’s, 4 Realtrack Class 156’s and 2 Bachmann Class 158’s which I think is enough; I did consider the new Hornby HST but it’s just too big.

 

 

There's a prototype for everything.

 

 

[Chris M]

4 hours ago, Halvarras said:

 

A 6-car set appeared at the Laira Open Day on 26th September 1970, would that excuse a second visit?!

Good point, I might let him bring it round again then - but just once more.

[Chris M]

3 hours ago, DavidB-AU said:

 

You can justify anything under "see rule 1".

That's fine if you want to run "rule 1". On my N gauge layout I prefer to run to the rules I stated above as I find that a much more interesting way of doing things.