01-29-2012, 11:10 AM
I always enjoy reading Lance's blog postings and read the latest one just the other night. He sure makes some valid points regarding modeling "today". I have always set my era as being between 1977 and 1980, so that I can justify having all those colorful IPD box cars and also to support the other equipment types in my collection that fit in to that era.
There are several industries that I've picked out over the past few months that really appeal to me and that I'd like to be able to include on the layout, but have to admit that I'd never considered doing something like swapping out the industries from time to time as a way to be able to include various industries. It is something to think about.
Right now, I've really hit a slump with trying to develop a "final" track plan that really appeals to me and have actually lost interest in the layout to some extent. I have track "temporarily" laid out and can operate the layout when the mood strikes me, but I think I've spent so much time "planning" that I've really burned myself out on that aspect. Every time I sit down and try to come up with a "different" track plan, I seem to get stuck with what is more or less the same design, but with only different industries and slight variations to the track plan. I suppose I'm putting too much emphasis on the track plan, as after all, it is just an industrial spur and when you get right down to it, most industrial spurs are pretty simple affairs.
I had, more or less, reached the decision that it just might not be possible to have valid destinations for all the car types I have in the collection although it really bothers me to think that I might end up with several boxes full of perfectly good cars that I can't use on the layout. So in that regard, the concept of changing industries from time to time might just to the answer. Will have to think that idea over some and see what I might come up with.
Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. Maybe this will get me out of the slump.
There are several industries that I've picked out over the past few months that really appeal to me and that I'd like to be able to include on the layout, but have to admit that I'd never considered doing something like swapping out the industries from time to time as a way to be able to include various industries. It is something to think about.
Right now, I've really hit a slump with trying to develop a "final" track plan that really appeals to me and have actually lost interest in the layout to some extent. I have track "temporarily" laid out and can operate the layout when the mood strikes me, but I think I've spent so much time "planning" that I've really burned myself out on that aspect. Every time I sit down and try to come up with a "different" track plan, I seem to get stuck with what is more or less the same design, but with only different industries and slight variations to the track plan. I suppose I'm putting too much emphasis on the track plan, as after all, it is just an industrial spur and when you get right down to it, most industrial spurs are pretty simple affairs.
I had, more or less, reached the decision that it just might not be possible to have valid destinations for all the car types I have in the collection although it really bothers me to think that I might end up with several boxes full of perfectly good cars that I can't use on the layout. So in that regard, the concept of changing industries from time to time might just to the answer. Will have to think that idea over some and see what I might come up with.
Thanks for the ideas and suggestions. Maybe this will get me out of the slump.
Ed
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"
"Friends don't let friends build Timesavers"