I’m 57, I’m on my third layout, not my first, and I don’t think I have ADHD, I know I do. Other than that, I feel like I could have written your post. Yes I sometimes just stare at the layout. Sometimes I can’t decide what needs to be done next. When I planned the layout, I did layout the track on graph paper and had a general idea where everything else would go but I hadn’t planned it down to the inch. As a result, I’ve made a lot of adjustments as I’ve built the layout. Sometimes what I planned won’t fit. Sometimes I get a better idea. When constructing a scene, things need to be done in a proper order but sometimes I need to think things through to figure out what that order should be. I don’t consider these periods of inactivity wasted. Sometimes they are but more often than not, I’m actually thinking through a problem. I’m sure there are modelers who are very well organized and can plan their work then work their plan. That’s not me. I think I have more of an artist’s approach than an engineer’s approach to layout construction. Both can work. They just work differently. George Selios is a prime example of someone who did not plan out their layout. He said that as he built it, he would decide where a spur or building should go and proceed from there. It is frustrating sometimes when you don’t feel things are getting done as quickly as you think they should, but in the long run, sometimes those periods where you just stand there looking at the layout can keep you from proceeding with a bad idea that will waste time, effort, and money.
OK…here are the pix, as previously promised…
OVERALL TRACK PLAN (Rancocas Harbour Belt from the Atlas King Size Layout book)…
BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE REAL LAYOUT…
THE RIVER… (OR GORGE, I’M AFRAID, DUE TO SCALE DEPTH!)…
TUNNEL IN BACK, RIGHT CORNER…
TUNNEL PORTALS/RETAINING WALLS TEMPORARILY IN PLACE…
CLOSE UP VIEW OF RIVER & WATERFALL. THE WATER WILL COME UNDER THE BRIDGE FROM OFF THE LAYOUT, GO OVER THE WATERFALL, UNDER 2 TRACKS THAT I WILL BUILD TO APPEAR LIKE A BRIDGE, BUT IT WILL BE FAKE, THEN UNDER A REAL BRIDGE, CONTINUING TO THE FRONT OF THE LAYOUT…
OK, guys (and girls), let the creative juices flow and suggest away. In the "bird’s eye view pic, you’ll see a flat pc of pink foam towards the right, center. That was where I had planned on putting my town, but after seeing teh room I have in real life, there’s no way to put a row of shops, a street, sidewalks, etc. in that area. I have the other side of that track (to the
Guilty as charged! I’m always looking for something else to do on the layout, be it some trackwork, working on lighting, installing/programming decoders, rebuilding old cars, etc.
The Lord must have sat over the worktable and pondered how to make the Earth and all in it for a VERY long time.
With that said, I spend weeks sometimes thinking over things before I move ahead with something on the layout in my home. Once I do something, it’s done.
After seeing your pictures, the answer is obvious: Get your mainline up and running!
Nothing is more motivating than having a train running.
I would start with the swing span bridge (looks like you went with through truss bridges though?) and work outward form both sides. Then work your way toward the center of the layout, through the horse shoe curve. Leave off all the sidings and yard. This way, when you work your way around front again, to the truss bridges at front and center, you will already have the track laid out below, so that your piers can be installed around the existing track.
Your layout is off to a really good start. You picked a nice size, that won’t overwhelm. And you should be able to have it tracked and the basic scenery ready in a few months. Your work looks very neat and professional. I suspect you will do equally good work when you get to the scenery, if your work so far is any indication.
NW,
Thank you for the kind words. Anytime that somebody from this forum compliments my work, I must be doing something right! I just hope to obtain a fraction of the talent that is displayed on WPF each week.[bow]
I agree with you about getting the trains running…I’ve been waiting on that since I built the table in January!! But, here’s my thought process and I’m ready to hear from anybody that corrects me:
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Get the train running
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To do that, I have to get all wires done
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To do that, I have to lay all the track
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To do that, I have to lay roadbed
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To do that, I have to put plaster cloth on all the risers
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To do that, I have to create the shapes around that track that willl be the scenery (that butt up against the track)
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To do that, I have to figure out where the roads will go and the town (since I’m using risers, they need to be in place to make flat roads and streets and give me somewhere to mount buildings.
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To do THAT, I go to the forums to get HELP! [%-)]…and here I am[sigh]
I’m about ready to just go ahead and start laying track and start wiring it up temporarily, so that I can run the trains, but then I’m back to another problem I’ve been having and that’s what type of trestle to build in the front to go over the other tracks and roads and the river. Based on other feedback from here, I’ve just about decided to build one from scratch that will match the specs I have, but haven’t read enough about building trestles…yet!
Thanks again for the kind words,
Skip
You’re right. I oversimplified.
As for scenery… you are using a method I never have. I am more of a styrofoam base with drywall plaster “frosting” guy. Although my next layout may very well use the plaster cloth, like yours. After reviewing, the right side of your layout definitely needs scenery before roadbed and track. You don’t have to scenic everything, though. Just the area near the tracks. You can always tie into that later to finish the mountains and flat areas.
Yes, you need to lay roadbed first. No big deal. What are you using? Are you using the black foam Woodland Scenics stuff? Be careful when adding the plaster cloth that you keep it nice and flat for minimal cleanup. Dry plaster is hard to smooth down without making a mess.
Wiring, I usually do after the track is installed. It is easy to solder to track already solidly in place. How are you routing the wiring? Is it simply going through the foam to underneath, or is the bottom nice and neat, and you are hiding the wiring inside the foam? I’m not suggesting you need to do that, but thinking based on how tidy everything else is, you probably are. Regardless, I think roadbed and track can come first. Are you using DCC? Shouldn’t need too much wiring, if you are.
As for the front trestle/bridge… What scenery and era are you modeling?
Yes, I am using the black stuff. I’ve read here on the forums where a lot of people don’t like the cork, plus, I watched the WS DVD where they demonstrated the difference between cork, homesote and their stuff, so I went with it.
Actually, I was planning on just running it thru to underneath, routing it with screw eyes or wire/cable clamps to busses (I think that’s what they called them) that will go to the control panel. (I’m anal, but not crazy![:D]
And, yes, I’m going with DCC. Not sure what system yet; haven’t got to that part of the research, yet, but did discover “DCC for Beginner’s” on Tony’s Trains website. Looks like a good read, when I get to it.
I think I can get most of the roadbed and track laid within a couple of days, or a good 3-day weekend (if the wife and girls go shopping and let me play in the garage[:-^] but wiring it may need to wait until after I get the DCC equipment, right?
Skip
That’s where some more of my confusion is coming in…I’m under the impression that most timber trestles were phased out by the late 60’s and I’m doing the late 60’s/early 70’s era of the Seaboard Air Line and ACL when they formed the SCL. My great uncle worked for them from the mid 50’s until late 80’s, so that’s my inspiration. Should I go concrete? If you look at one of the pix, you’ll see a pink, foam “Arc de Triumph” kinda thing that I built for a temporary brace to over the lower tracks. I wondered if I could buy styrene sheets, glue them onto that piece, weather them to look like aged concrete and just go with it, but I’ve never seen anything prototypical of that before, so I wasn’t sure???
Skip
This may give you a method to get around building a timber trestle, and it will be durable, and easily fit to your particular scenery. If you are open to steel bridges it may simplify your construction, as well as speed it up. At a minimum, you could use this to build concrete footings for your bridges or trestles.
Don’t be too critical of the scenery, as I had to rough it in quickly before I moved and tore down the layout…[:(!]
I made concrete bridge pilons by building plywood forms. I cast them with 45 min drywall plaster that you get at the hardware store. When mixing the powder, I use water that I first mix in quite a bit of Elmers. My reasoning was that the glue seemed to make the plaster more durable so it would not crack or chip. This way, you can make any size pilons or abutements you need to fit the space you have. If you use plywood, you get a nice grain that looks like old, weathered concrete when you color it and weather it. Make sure the grain goes horizontally. The ones in the picture are white, but I just sprayed on a diluted mix of the Woodland Scenics oncrete color and it looks really nice. I did use it on the WS retaining walls and tunnel portal.
I think I like!! I’m actually looking at these and thinking about the Hydrocal I’ve been using to cast the WS rocks and tunnel liners. I can see building these out of the foam, coating them with the Hydrocal, then carving in some lines and weathering to make them look like poured concrete. Looks like I have a plan for this weekend. Thanks, NW, for the idea!
Skip
Hi Skip: Here’s my suggestion to get you going. Start with the tunnel in the back. Lay your track from, say the bridge on the left, through the tunnel(make it bullet proof), and up the incline at the right. Wire that section of track. At least drop feeders.Then, put down whatever you’re using for your scenery base,(plaster, sculptamold,etc.) on your mountain and surrounding areas. Install portals, if using them. Then paint the base an earth color. Then add basic scenery, grass, bushes, trees,etc. Then, build on the section that you’ve pretty much completed. Complete a section to the left or right, and before you know it, you’ll be at the ballasting phase. Also, decide what buildings you want, build a few and decide where they are going to go. Are you going to have any roads, allow space for them. I’ve found that if you work a section at a time, it helps keep up your interest. As to your indecision on a trestle, you might want to consider a ballasted deck girder bridge. This is just my opinion.
Grampy, do you have a picture or a link to a “ballasted deck girder bridge”? I’m a newbie, so not sure what one is. [?]
Also, I’ve decided to go ahead and lay plaster cloth on all the track and attach it to nearby scenery so that I can get the track laid. I’m just doing the mainline, as suggested here, but I’ll be back at a stopping part when I get to the bridge in front of the layout until I decide which one to go with. Thanks to all for the help past my “down time”.
Skip
Hi Skip: Sure, it’s a girder bridge with a concrete trough and is ballasted like reg. track. Here’s one.
When I run out of ideas I use the forums for inspiration. [:)]
Well, let’s see some progress shots! [:)]
I’ll try to post some, although, not much to report. I got all the plaster cloth layed down, pinned the tracks into place and have been running the train for the last couple of evenings, but I’m headed to Bristol in the morning for Sunday’s race, so it’ll be Monday before I can post anything. Y’all have a good weekend and GO TONY STEWART!
Skip
OK, here is the update, but don’t get too excited. Haven’t done anything in about a week and a half. But, at least the track is down enough for me to run the trains for a while. I’ve marked the tracks and will be pulling it back up, laying roadbed, then laying the track for good…can’t wait!
Overall shot…
Right side mountain done…
Still deciding on what to do with these bridges…
Where the town and passenger terminal will be going…
Left side mountain (as much as can be done before I lay track for good inside tunnel…
The loco with a few cars I’ve built, but not weathered, yet…
As far as I can tell, the next step (after laying the track) is to scenic the river, so I can install the bridges over it, then start working on th etown’s buildings. Any comments???
Skip
Nope its not just you. Momma caught me deep in thought to the UP gods one day.
and another to the tree placement god.
I think we’ve all been there once.[:D]