Hi gang. I was out in my train room yesterday afternoon, and after about thirty minutes of working on various details, it dawned on me that I’ve reached a point to where I’m tired of looking at the same old layout… That said, I might also add the fact that I’m not really in the mood right now to start on a new one, but if I did, it would have to be at least twice the size as the one I have now to make it worth my trouble. The only problem with that is I don’t have the room…
I get tired of fooling with my layout, like when I was completly overhauling the scenery, that got extremely old and I almost wanted to pull out of the hobby. Now that I am finished with that part of restoring the layout, the going is easier. I haven’t got tired with my layout yet, but I’ve only had it for a few years. I do like adding on and building small layouts to make a big one, hence the reason I’m in the planning and early building stages of a new downtown area of my current layout, a 4x8 addon. Just my [2c]
I have a similar yet different problem. I’m tired of looking at the same old pink foam! Once I finally get around to laying track I think all my problems will go away however. [dinner] My layout is about 13’x11’ with the center cut out, and I still feel that there isn’t enough room and it will look crowded. I just hope things fit a lot better than I think they are going to.
I am in the process of starting a new layout to replace my current one. I don’t know that I’m tired of it. It’s more a case of wanting to do something different. My current layout is a double track oval that occupies an alcove in my basement. I started it about 12 years ago when I didn’t have a lot of money, my kids were in school and my wife and I were finishing getting our college degrees. It was simple, but kept me in trains. Well, the kids are grown and the degrees are done. So I am now going to build a shortline using more of the basement. The new layout will be about 3 times the size, but will be single track, point to point with passing sidings.
Oh, yah, know the feeling VERY well! Some days I go out and run trains to my hearts content, other days I go out and stare at it and wonder, “Why did I do THIS?”.
This is my second big garage layout, and though it’s a vast improvement over my first, I still kick myself for not allowing enough yard trackage or spurs or passing tracks to make operation more interesting than just watching trains wind through my mountains. But then, if I put all the spurs, passing tracks and yard trackage I really wanted, I wouldn’t have any mountains left to run my trains through. 'Tis a conundrum, as they say.
So I deal with it. There’s still room in the garage to put in a big staging yard, that is if I want to run a lift-up bridge to the other side and take out all the shelving on that wall (I just might). Can’t do anything about spurs or passing tracks unless I build out some sheer cliffs that I’m really fond of, so I’ll have to think about that.
In the meantime, when I get bored with the layout, I just make some more pine and fir trees to forest it, LOL!
I think if I ever got really HAPPY about the layout, then that would be the time to change to another hobby.
Hi ya Tom. I’ve even considered adding onto the train room, but then, I can’t fully justify spending $10,000.00 to create more room for $300.00 worth of layout… Know what I mean.
I saw a cartoon once where a guy was seeing his personal accountant, and after looking over the guy’s bills, the accountant says - most people want to win the lottery, but you my friend are going to have to… That’s the situation I’m in too.
Tracklayer…that problem is an oldie but a goodie…A dozen other train nuts could look at your layout and think it is just fine…A wrecking ball rampage in Mayberry could end up with a confrontation with the Deputy Barney Fife…I have never been in an HO jail before, but I think I’d be a little cramped…Destruction of HO railroad property could be a serious offense…and this being a budget movie, YOU will have to be the judge…If you’re not in the mood at the present time to build a new city, why not leave Mayberry at rest…You may be due for a little urban renewal, but keep Mayberry on the map in the meantime…A new suburb or industry may be in order…How about a business proposal, a vote of the citizens, local county, state and federal permits…a survey, a feasibality study,and come up with a full set of red tape to follow…List what is wrong, the changes due, the projected cost… All this lunacy can be added for the enjoyment of the hobby, and in the mean time, you still get to run your trains…But, If you think this is crazy, think about tearing down a working layout without any solid plan for a new one…including a blueprint…You could build a dozen layouts, and every one could end up different, but don’t be too suprised if number one and twelve are very simular…Speaking from experience, that can happen…
On the flip side, it may be easier to start from scratch,but not without a plan… Our train world is like the real world in the sense that it is not prefect, but it works…either way, the plan methiod can be allot of fun…
Aunt Bee says the coffee is ready, so I’ll catch ya later…BDT
I’m just tired of mine being under funded and unfinished.
Graphitehemi-I know what you mean about the crowded thing. Mine’s 8’x15’ with the center cut out. I got my 2 mainlines laid and started looking at how much actual room is left. If I put all the things in that I want it’s going to look stupid. I guess it’s reality check time.
I know how you feel. A short time ago I was thinking of starting a forrest fire on one side of my mountain and a backfire on the other. I had to many projects started, so when I get the time I am back to a set plan of attact, and a big coffee pot in the layout room LOL…John
Funny you should mention Mayberry because I’ve often thought of the little community on my layout as just that town. The courthouse and jail being about the only things it doesn’t have, but it does have a cop and cop car for each era writing a speeding ticket… And since we&
I have a choice of different possible activities, since my layout is still in the early stages of construction. If I were to go to the train room right now, I could: a. Finish a hand-laid turnout. b. Lay a couple of yards of flex. c. Fabricate, install and wire a terminal strip. d. Put in risers to support some already-cut plywood subgrade, or. e. Build the next section of steel stud benchwork.
No matter what, I can always run a train from one end of track to the other. At present, I can also use what will be hidden staging as a classification yard, and swap cars among the several tracks while holding the unused locos on two spurs designed to be motor pockets.
Mostly, though, there’s the renewed enthusiasm that comes with finally having space enough to build a reasonable approximation of my dream railroad.
Well I too get tired of working on the same old projects. Right now I have been trying to add a number of buildings to the layout to make it look like it is more than just bare benchwork.
And doing just base scenery takes a lot of time and I haven’t even got to the Woodland Scenics ground foam stage yet!
When I get tired of doing one project I just stop with that and move to the other end of the basement (a 25 x 75 ft basement plus a 14 x 25 addition) and begin working on something completely different or I get the layout ready for the next Ops session that I host every other Thursday night. That usually keeps me busy for and hour.
I get comments all of the time as to why I don’t finish up one project at a time! Well I usually explain that I get sort of burned out doing a lot of one thing for any length of time. With over 2000 sq ft of layout to build (pretty much doing it by myself) it is going to take a while.
At least most all of the track is in and I can host operations!
This is what I built the layout for and that is why I finished up the trackwork first. Yes scenery is important but it will come eventually. If I can’t run trains (Ops) then I really get down in the dumps as I begin to look at the overwhelming project ahead of me.
But I fire up the layout with my group of operators and watch the layout come alive it rejuvenates me to keep on building scenery and buildings.
If I could not do Operations the layout probably would be setting idle collecting dust!
I get worried that by the time I finish mine, I’ll be tired of it. I seriously underestimated the time it would take to get a “completed” layout…it’s been a year and it’s still not ready for prime time. Probably because it competes with other kinds of projects, and now that spring is here…
The other thing…geesh…this hobby really grabs up the cash, doesn’t it? I started out with modest (uninformed) ambitions, and changed the layout from space-oriented to running-length orientation, went from plywood to elevated risers and mountains, adding industries and towns…all those cool models you just gotta have…vehicles, wow, don’t decent vehicles cost you a ton…engines, specific freight cars, and now getting into final scenery items…I don’t want to add it up because you know, I think I really don’t want to know. [:-^]
When it’s done, I’ll probably end up invading the other end of the basement which I kinda promised I wouldn’t do. I didn’t sign anything though. [swg]
Sometimes it just needs a break. Stand back, mow the lawn, take the cat for a walk… whatever.
I find that limiting myself to a few shows that I know will be good and a few loco/stock purchases that really do fill gaps helps. The pleasure of a loco that really is what I want is much more than any loco that looks good.
One thing to figure out…
Do you like building layouts or having a built layout? It seems to me that a lot of modellers go much more with the first. I also suspect that this is because they don’t know where the thing can go beyond the (never ending) building stage — which means that they can’t plan for it - should they ever get there… those that do get there either find that they=ir real hobby is the building (as stated) or that there are too many things about the completed job that they don’t like/that won’t do what they want…
This is why I rattle on about ops and trying to design for interest…
BUT…
Just what does make a layout with really sustainable interest?
A lot of guys have supplemental hobbies as is evidenced by the number of auto avatars,mines woodworking,planes and ships. Its tuff to stay focussed. Even George Sellios tore out some of his layout and/or changed some things out. Building stuff is my main joy, after a model is built I’m on to the next. A model RR is an opportunity to build a lot of different things. My plan is to incorporate a seaport on the layout so I can build ship models too.
Hey, Tracklayer, If you’re bored with your current layout but don’t want to start a new one, here a couple of ideas to keep it interesting:
Change some industries.
Change your operating scheme (if you have one; otherwise start one!).
Add an additional era (this means acquiring new locomotives and cars, as well as automobiles).
Re-do a small section of scenery.
All of these things probably require some cash, but certainly not the huge chunk a new layout would.
When I start getting bored, I change something fairly small (a structure or scene) and usually that does the trick. Also, building an operating scheme with car cards and waybills has been a huge help in renewing my interest.
I sometimes get tired of looking at the layout to a point that I seriously think of changing scales or era. I sometimes think it would be nice to go to a smaller scale such as O or HO when I look at photos of some of the beautiful layouts others have built, or because I could fit more railroad in a given space and have more scenery. What stops me from doing this is the fact that I have found from past experiences that it is frustrating for me to work with the smaller scales and is more like reporting to a dreaded job than a pleasurable pasttime. Sure, they look great and I can alleviate some frustration by using more RTR but I love building things in addition to using some RTR and the larger scales are a scratch builder’s and detailer’s paradise.
I rectify this situation by superdetailing and building rolling stock, structures, and small scenes. I designed the layout so I can replace the existing structures, industries and spurs by easily removing or modifying them and simply installing other ones, thus changing the theme and landscape. For most of us our three spatial dimensions are limited (we never have enough space available) so we should explore the fourth dimension, time, by periodically changing structures, scenes or eras. Therefore it is possible to have different themes, industries, structures etc at different times to alleviate the sameness of our layouts.
I’d like to hear from others who have gone through or are currently going through this dilemma and their solutions.
I think the only thing I am tired of is the fact that the layout isn’t further along than it is. I pretty much work alone and a large layout takes time. I spent 5 weeks plastering, carving and painting about 10’ of rockwork along the Arkansas River. The next week I didn’t even touch the layout. Yesterday, I started building panels for the lighting valance since I already had the materials that I needed on hand. As stated earlier, having several projects in various states of completion isn’t all bad. As interest wanes on one project there is always another in the fire to work on.