I was working on my layout today and thoughts about the whole layout building process crossed my mind: vision, concept, planning, execution, and operation. As I worked, I also felt a sense of connectedness to what I was doing. Or more correctly, a connectedness to the totality of the layout. In other words, the layout had begun to really have a distinct and very unique personality of it’s own. A personality that I had created through dream, thought and the work of my hands. I’m not sure exactly when the bridge from vision and raw materials to a viable miniature landscape, with an increasingly vibrant life of it’s own, occurred. Since I’m doing scenery basics, I suspect this was the trigger for me as I see the original vision clearly emerging before my eyes as I work. I realized the layout now clearly had a personality! At what point in the creative process did your layout seem to gain a real personality of its own and, in a sense, come to life?
Yes, I would say my layout has a personality… With no disrespect to my layout (hopefully it won’t read this post! [:P]) I’d say mine is a lazy one. Despite every attempt to get it to run smoothly, it continues to fail because it doesn’t want to be bothered with moving trains, which, if it doesn’t work, rarely happens.
Everyone in Moose Bay is hardworking, but there aren’t too many people who are getting ahead. There’s one Cadillac and one old Mercedes in town, but most of the cars have been on the road a while, and they show it. There are no homes with broad expanses of greenery, and most of the people live in walk-up apartments downtown, pretty close to the railroad tracks.
On the other hand, nobody is opposed to having a good time. You’ll always see a crowd at Lady Buc’s clam bar on the Bay, and there aren’t too many empty tables at the House of Haggis, either. For a quick bite to eat, there’s always pizza from Suzanne’s House of Beef, after which you can hop the Moose Bay Transit Authority subway to Saint Anne Street and take in a movie at the theater.
I suppose my layout’s personality is over-indulgence, which reflects my own modeling. I could have easily modeled what I wanted to do with about 1/3rd the number of diesels, about 1/4 the number of cars, and a smaller footprint. But it pleases me and keeps me out of the bars and pool rooms, so it does its job. My favorite part is when my wife is in the basement looking at the railroad, and she comments on the large rosters, and I simply tell her ( I am 6 years older), “just think dear, some day this will all be yours”.
Bob
It does happen over time…eventually the model railroad starts to become a “real” place and not just a collection of models slapped together.
BTW Tyler - if you’re having trouble running trains, I fear eventually you may get sick of model railroading and chuck it. If track is the problem (as it usually is) I’d consider trying Kato Unitrack. Even if it means starting or rebuilding your current layout. If you take the time to paint the ties (or at least some of them) and the rail ( I use “neolube” from MicroMark, an electrically-conductive electronics lubricant which dries to a flat dark gray) and weather the ballast a little, you can create pretty realistic looking track that runs exceptionally well. The Kato code 83 HO rail is narrower in profile and more realistic than either Atlas or Walthers code 83 track.
It’s called “creativity”. When you create something, you are putting “something of yourself” into what you create. When you put buildings on the layout, you put buildings you like there.[:)] When you buy rolling stock, you buy what you like - or what fits the period/road you like.[8D] When you buy autos for your pike, you buy what you like - I have no Jap cars on mine! [:-,]
When you have your miniature world starting to shape-up, it’s what you like, and therefore a piece of you and your personality is in the layout.[swg]
If you have a lot of “dark” things on the layout, car crashes, houses on fire, train wrecks, the grim reaper, SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP!!![:O]
Oh, c’mon. He’s just being environmental responsible by taking public transportation.
Besides, my layout also laughs at itself, with the R Crumb Trucking Company, the House of Haggis restaurant, the Strumpet Brewery (“Nothing goes down like a Strumpet”), Fidel’s Cuban Cigars and (coming soon) the Sal Monella and Sons Ice Company.
So far two places have an established outline. One–Thornton’s–is a busy little place. There is what could be called a viable business district with many stores and restaurents as well as insurance co’s, banks and lawyers(after all we have our characters—[:P]). and there is the required residential area for the town plus the 5 elevators
Then, there is Sim’s Stn. --no longer even a whistlestop–we’re not sure it qualifies as a hamlet/crossroads hiccup. Three houses and an outline of what used to be a good sized feedmill. Not much excitement in this burg—you go there only if you are desperate for quiet.
It is coming together in a piece meal fashion—as we do things in a piecemeal way
Mr B, I never meant your layout!!! You have a very good sense of humor with your positioning of Mr Death!! [8D] There have been other posts over the past few years that showed him with a certain amount of gore[:O] - at least one of which I remember being deleted by the mods.[tup] We haven’t heard from Jesse lately - he’s another one that can make a “dark” item humerous!![swg]
Where are you Jesse?[%-)]
My layout is like me in appearance more than personality (looks old, bald, somewhat dried out, with sagging and wrinkles).
But its personality is happy, fun, good for a laugh. [:)]
Didn’t he own the poultry store?
OMG!!! I hope my layout never gets to look like ME!!![:O]
Well, I’ve enver gotten to wher you are, but I have gotten to the point where I could see how I wanted everything to look when I looked at my layout. I’ve enver actually gotten that done but once, and even then, it didn’t have details, figures, vehicles, etc.
Jeeeeeeez, Ivan, you’ve said it all. I reckon that is exactly how it is. I was going to do a ramble about intergrated personalities, emotional input, pride of aquisition - all that kind of stuff including the creation of a world that was, by personal interpretation, heaven on earth- but you said it all and nailed it straight out of the gate.
Bruce[:)]
I’m kinda/sorta getting the Rio Grande Yuba River Sub to the personality I’m looking for–a mainline railroad cutting through the Sierra Nevada northern mine country during the 1940’s–early 1950’s. Small towns (three of them ‘off -set’ so to speak) and old hydraulic mining scars from the 19th century. Mixture of old-growth and second-growth timber. Out of season fishing (a favorite sport during WWII in this area), kids playing hookey from school (another favorite pastime). Cattle being moved from high country pasture back down the “Hill” to winter pasturage (the railroad is set in October). I’m still thinking of dusting the Sierra Buttes with an early Fall snowstorm, haven’t decided on that, yet.
But it’s getting there. A freind of mine asked me if I’m ever going to start integrating diesels, but I don’t think so. According to my history, the Rio Grande is busy dieselizing Colorado and Utah, and sending all of their big steam west to MY Division, LOL!
Tom
My kids drove our layout. The construction was hurried to get a working line together. We have not finished all the detailing, but it definitely starts to take on something of a life of its own and is a reflection of the kids ideas of what is cool.
I was drug into the hobby reluctantly because of their interest, but it has been great fun. Seeing their personality in the layout has been a neat and unexpected element of the fun.