GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

The following is an angry rant.

Gotta be honest, I'm feeling kinda crappy now, as far as the hobby is concerned. I let my whole winter break, my last opportunity for many months to get some work done, slip by (tomorrow is my last free day).

I just feel like i'm fighting a defensive battle against slow destruction, rather than building and creating. My time and Budget have both fallen into oblivion, giving me little opportunity to "catch up".

I've had so little time to work on things, that buildings, figures, and kits are coming undone, or developing seams or what have you. Things have this indescribable feeling of deterioration. I worked hard to get my track working again, which has been a fantastic success, but thats the only successful project i've undertaken in the last two years or so. I have not put out much else that I can truly say I'm proud of.

It may sound silly, but sometimes I don't even like to post my progress here. Though I get support and encouragement, I look at all my recent pictures and see little growth.

Its always a new locomtive or car in the same spot. Its not that I'm tired of the same buildings or track plans, but it just seems like as time passes and the layout ages, it doesn't really hold together. Dust has settled on much of it. Constant rebuilds and reworkings have damaged roads and track ballast. Buildings have developed joint seams where they didn't have seams. I can't seem to keep up with it! things get worse faster than I can fix them!

I mean, speaking of ballast, It would have taken me only a few nights to ballast my whole entire layout, and even if i wanted to use "expensive" woodland scenics glue or something, It still wouldn't have cost me very much to do.

I have legions of tree kits that just sit unbuilt. Packs of unopened figures. Fire Hydrants, Parking meters, trash cans! I bought almost all these things years ago, and yet they populate the dark corners of my storage spaces, rather than being plunked down. The ones that have been installed seem to be falling apart, or bending over, or collapsed. Some figures that fall refuse to stand ever again, even though they may have been standing since I was in Highschool.

It just fills me with a little bit of rage.

And fine, maybe scenery isn't my thing, what real progress have I made on any locomotive or car kits? I have 5 or 6 unfinished locomotives, LEGIONS of electric Multiple unit commuter cars, atleast 9-10 Tank Train kits and about another 5 or 6 additional freight car kits, some seemingly in a hopeless state. I have an increasing number of passenger cars and box cars that behave poorly on the layout that I cannot seem to fix no matter what trick I perform.

At least I have an excuse for my remaining structure kits, there is no space for them on the layout.

I realize that this is a lifelong hobby, and that things don't get done immeadiately (i'm definitely not in it for the instant satisfaction), but instead of slow, steady progression, the kind where I can say, "Oh, look, there is where i was at a year ago!", I just see the same old problems.

The only real improvement I did was the track work and yard.

I don't know about you guys, but i'm just not seeing anything going anywhere.

For example, this picture was taken WAY back in the summer of 2010. The only way I can tell the difference is that the bridge is no longer there, the E44 has some extra decals, and my Catenary poles don't have the damage that has been subjected to them since this photo.

everything else is the same.