The wobble mentioned above revolves around the complexities of my "lifetime" layout. This has had a long and painful gestation, moving through divorces, house moves, financial issues, health issues, Nelevator issues to name a few, but I've always rested safe in the knowledge that this is the layout I "want". Lately, however, with the most recent wobbles I've realised that the layout plan has become a bit of a millstone around the neck and I've come to the conclusion that I'm ploughing on with "Perth Caledonian" (plan attached) belligerently for no other reason that that's what I've been doing for the past 8 years, and because I've bought so much stock that is tailored to the project; Having spent time reflecting on it, I've come to understand that the very notion of building and financing the railway is causing more harm than good to my health, and stepping back to look at the financial and time undertaking I simply cannot justify something on that scale anymore. Not only that, I've become disillusioned with the whole concept of the layout. Whilst I'm of the view that fiddle yards and storage yards serve an important purpose in a model railway, much as the backstage changing rooms do in a theatre, the plan as it stands involves a 16ft scenic section, whilst 35ft is hidden for storage yards and approach tracks. In other words, two thirds of the room available is being used just to get trains onto the stage. I've no reservations that I have the skills and abilities to complete the project (the bench-work is already largely complete), but the project as it stands is no longer what I want, and for health reasons, no longer what I feel I can take on.
Dejected, my first thoughts were (as is usually the case) to jack it all in and list everything for sale. However, this last wobble has coincided with an item that popped up on my Pinterest feed, a map and article about pre-historic Europe, the landmass that existed before sea level rises, and the gradual disappearance of Doggerland, penultimately resulting in an Island between the UK and Denmark and finally Dogger Bank as we know it today. This immediately reminded me of the "system" layout I had dreamed up and the kernel of a new idea was nourished. The system plan was still out of the question, arguably as unwieldy as Perth Caledonian, albeit for different reasons, at its heart was exactly what I wanted: more on stage time for the trains.
- Read more...
- 0 comments
- 420 views