03-07-2011, 10:43 AM
I see someone else is "cheating" on their main layout 
. Last weekend I turned the scraps I use for practice into an Inglenook. I kept shooting guilty glances over at my layout shed while I was putting the benchwork together, saying, "don't worry, I still love you best - this little guy will just make you better!"
Of the three you posted, I'd probably go for #2, as it seems to have a more protoypical feel to it. I like the simplicity of #3 - but maybe reverse the spur with the orange tank cars on it and work in a runaround. That adds a bit more complexity to the operations without sacrificing too much of the simple feel. Might preclude the Inglenook game, though.
One suggestion on the theme - how about going for "one big industry w/multiple car types" vs. multiple small industry? Your main layout already has the latter - maybe the former will let you explore a different aspect of the hobby. I've had a milk condensery industry in the back of my mind - big but not too big: milk in, coal in, empty cans in, full cans out. Or it could be an industry that receives /ships cars to industries your other layout. That might be fun for you and your boys to do together (and another selling point for the wife )
. Last weekend I turned the scraps I use for practice into an Inglenook. I kept shooting guilty glances over at my layout shed while I was putting the benchwork together, saying, "don't worry, I still love you best - this little guy will just make you better!"Of the three you posted, I'd probably go for #2, as it seems to have a more protoypical feel to it. I like the simplicity of #3 - but maybe reverse the spur with the orange tank cars on it and work in a runaround. That adds a bit more complexity to the operations without sacrificing too much of the simple feel. Might preclude the Inglenook game, though.
One suggestion on the theme - how about going for "one big industry w/multiple car types" vs. multiple small industry? Your main layout already has the latter - maybe the former will let you explore a different aspect of the hobby. I've had a milk condensery industry in the back of my mind - big but not too big: milk in, coal in, empty cans in, full cans out. Or it could be an industry that receives /ships cars to industries your other layout. That might be fun for you and your boys to do together (and another selling point for the wife
)
--O'Dave