07-23-2009, 09:07 AM
Hi Kevin,
don´t get discouraged - planning a layout is not an easy task, but can be very rewarding and even thrilling if you don´t rush yourself.
Most important issue is to answer yourself a number of little questions, leading you to your givens and druthers. These questions are:
What do I expect to get out of building a model railroad?
What will be my role? Will I be just a spectator watching trains, or will I be more active, like a conductor, an engineer, or a switchman?
How much money will I be able to spend over a period of time for my layout?
What era will I be modeling?
What prototype would I like to follow - or is it freelance?
What scale will I be modeling in?
What region will I be modeling?
This list is by no means complete - just food for thought about the issues that will come up during the planning process. Just to give you an idea - my planning process is not yet concluded and I have been working on it for nearly a year now. I have prepared maybe 30 or more different trackplans, and, although I am quite happy with the one I favour at the moment, I know that this can change.
Just take your time and you will get rewarded.
don´t get discouraged - planning a layout is not an easy task, but can be very rewarding and even thrilling if you don´t rush yourself.
Most important issue is to answer yourself a number of little questions, leading you to your givens and druthers. These questions are:
What do I expect to get out of building a model railroad?
What will be my role? Will I be just a spectator watching trains, or will I be more active, like a conductor, an engineer, or a switchman?
How much money will I be able to spend over a period of time for my layout?
What era will I be modeling?
What prototype would I like to follow - or is it freelance?
What scale will I be modeling in?
What region will I be modeling?
This list is by no means complete - just food for thought about the issues that will come up during the planning process. Just to give you an idea - my planning process is not yet concluded and I have been working on it for nearly a year now. I have prepared maybe 30 or more different trackplans, and, although I am quite happy with the one I favour at the moment, I know that this can change.
Just take your time and you will get rewarded.