Just a random idea I had that I though would be neat. This is all purely hypothetical, so don’t get excited. [;)]
Say we had an entrepreneurial member or group of members, (or even MRR) who had time and money to build pretty much any room-sized layout they wanted to.
They would start a thread here (or even a new section somewhere on the site) where, basically, we would all vote on pretty much every aspect of the pike, on a majority-rules basis.
The main votes would decide:
Freelanced, Proto-Lanced, or Prototypical?
What era?
Where?
Railroad(s) and divisions?
Then once we had figured that out, trackplans could be submitted and voted upon.
Something that would make it really interesting is if everyone was able to submit an idea for a scene they would like to see modeled, and the host could try to incorporate as many of the scenes as they could.
Keep in mind, this is an idea. Yes, I understand it would take a lot of time and $$$, specifically on the host’s part. Oh, but it would be fun, don’t you think?
Not to rain on your parade, but no, I don’t see anything fun about that at all. Count me out.
I have the space and the resources to build my own layout, just the way I want, and that is just what I am doing, as are a great number of those who post on this forum.
A thought on “majority rule” - Democracy, or pure majority rule, is when two wolves and a sheep take vote on what’s for dinner. We live in a republic, not a democracy for a reason. Your plan would not be fun for what end up being the large disenfranchised minority for the same reasons.
I don’t think the idea would fly very well - even hypothetically. Too many people with too many ideas and too much variable. It would turn into another “MRRican Idol”…
You would need a giant aircraft hanger to build the railroad the way stated in this post.
And which country in the world would you build it this forum has members from more than one country.
Also model railroads are highly individual things ours is a peculiar hobby in that it is shared but every one does there own thing.
You would need traction, subways, main line, branch line, short line all on the same model railroad
Then on top of that to cover every era steam and diesel and every US railroad company and quite possibly a few overseas lines as well.
In essence you already have a forum layout with the forum as it stands now and it is so big that no individual building could ever hold it.
It also covers your list and then more.
Every one is contributing and building there own layouts there will not be any one who has not taken something from the forum, and used it on there own layout or filed it away for when they get to that bit of the layout.
And so the forum layout grows.
What might be an interesting exercise but it to is very impractical is to collect the plans of all members layouts in a single free data base for general use. Then join them all together on a monster track diagram that conects all the layouts so trains could in theory run through the whole lot as part of one railroad network
Let’s see - I believe that General Motors used committees to design their automobiles some time in the 70’s or there abouts. If I recall the cars they designed, it wasn’t a great success.
I think the same thing happened in the British car industry. The old farts who ran the committees relied on 1930’s technology well into the 1970’s. (Why do the English drink warm beer? Because they have Lucas electronics!)
Sorry to have rained on your parade. You sound like an optimist - a huge optimist! The real world sometimes sucks!
I think Michelangelo, DaVinci, Donatello, Raphael, and Norman Rockwell would have as much of a chance of collaborating on a painting they’d be proud to call their own.
Watch that hammer of Michelangelo’s. He’s known to be clumsy if you annoy him.
"Keep in mind, this is an idea. Yes, I understand it would take a lot of time and $$$, specifically on the host’s part. Oh, but it would be fun, don’t you think?"
If you could get people to take themselves less seriously, then yes, I believe it would be fun.
There HAVE been “layout contests” on here. If you do a “search our community” for 'layout contests" on the right side margin, you will find 2203 results!
I understand it is only your idea, but The problem is, as everyone has said, is that commitiees of members rarely agree…
I want to model B&O in 1924. WHat do you want to model? I automatically cut out the diesel freaks on our site by my admition here!
If I said Chessie in 1978, I cut out half {those who model steam} ! {although this has potential with a “tourist” Steam RR running a seperate small line on the layout}
If I said any of your 1-2-3 above, it would cut out the 2/3rds or so who want the others!
If you do a search or “Clubs” you will turn up a vast number of threads that are about clubs, their failings and trials and tribulations.
As intriguing as the thought of a “forum” layout is, any 4 people will have 5 different opinions on it. I have my doubts that this would lead to anywhere meaningful.
Majority rules aside, there seems to be a unanimous rejection of your idea so far.
Nevertheless, the idea is intriguing, even if only theoretical.
Let me suggest this, Acela. You lead the way since it is your idea. Instead of an actual layout, make it a virtual layout. Since majority rules, it would be easy enough to decide each step in the process, ranging from freelance versus prototypical to era to location to railroad and division. Set a time frame for votes on each step in the process. You can issue progress reports until the virtual layout design is complete. Then, we can decide where to go from there.
And then comes guys like me that likes to use LDEs based on the prototype and one industry per industrial siding,no industries on a switchback no connected industry(except loads in/empties out mine/power plant…[:-,][(-D]
This is pretty much every time I have the idea of, wouldn’t it be neat to form a club and build a really big, nice layout, I just drop it.
Hmm, how many people would want to model my choice of prototype? That weeds out many right there, but I could find enough to staff a club
Next, how many of those would want to model my preferred era? That would lose most of the ones that made it through the first round. See it in the membership of the group I already belong to. Most of those younger than I am prefer at least the Conrail era is not up to the date latest stuff, most of those older prefer purely the steam era.
Then, prototype, or proto-lance? Maybe an even divide there.
If strictly prototype, which part of the prototype system to model? Unless you have a hanger size area, and enough people (see 1 and 2 above), there no chance of modeling more than a small portion of even a smaller Class 1.
And of there are ANY people left at this point, by now it’s down to arguing who’s work is good enough how much the dues ought to be, and who owns all the stuff.
I guess I am the only one who sees this as fun idea but I think you would have to set limits from the start. A few years ago this was done in the sailing world. There is a forum called Sailing Anarchy and well respected boat designer Robert Perry took input from the forum on what people wanted in 30 foot race boat but also set limits how to keep it fairly affordable for the common sailor- such as it could only be so long and so wide so it could fit into a shipping container for cheaper delivery cost.
So if one wanted to do this I think first two things would be make it a vote for steam, early diesel, or modern diesel and scale. Give people a few days to plead their case and then open it up for a vote. Once the vote is in it is in. Then do this for other things- freelance, prototypical, switching or loop layout, and location. Once you get the basics out of the way, take a section and vote for the industry in that area and then work your way around the layout.
I don’t think it will work for all the reasons mentioned, plus a few more. But nothing ventured nothing gained and this whole process will cost me nothing but valuable modeling time.[^o)] So in the spirit of international co-operation I vote for Steam.
Can we apply for government grants to build it?[(-D]
I think the idea of a virtual layout built this way is great! It would be a fascinating socialogical experiment for the digital age, and if the participants all took responsibility for creating one or another parts of the layout, it could be useful to the participants in their personal modeling, as well (for example, I might take on designing a roundhouse, if there is one,which would be the basis for building a model for my own real layout).
