Am I mad?

[Ted]

Hi guys,

I think I have a problem. 

Every time I start a layout I get excited.

Every time I start I see another layout/idea I like or that inspires me.

But, I start to think about changing my layout because of said inspiration.

As a result, this stalls my progress.

This repeats on a nearly monthly basis... and it drives me to distraction!

Am I the only one, or is this perfectly normal and I should just deal with it?

[ntpntpntp]

I've certainly known people who manage to build a new exhibition layout pretty much every year, whereas others plan everything to the nth degree and then take years to build it.  I have friends who tend to change their track plans from time to time.

If you're the sort who likes to create a layout and run it for a while then tire of it and want to change the design then maybe a track system such as Kato Unitrack suits best as it's designed for frequent assembly and disassembly. Leave the static scenery etc. until you've done that to the point of settling on a design that fulfills your desires.

[Newportnobby]

is this perfectly normal and I should just deal with it?

This is perfectly normal and you should just deal with it.

[Ted]

If you're the sort who likes to create a layout and run it for a while then tire of it and want to change the design then maybe a track system such as Kato Unitrack suits best as it's designed for frequent assembly and disassembly. Leave the static scenery etc. until you've done that to the point of settling on a design that fulfills your desires.

The problem is, the design that fulfils my desire is far more complex each time!

I started with a big 8ft loop end of 2018 and scrapped it after a month of work. No offence to big loop owners but it just wasn't for me, felt too 'train set' like.

A year later I started building a mini 30x60 TMD area to hone my skills. This is good and I can easily use it as a diorama once finished.

But I've been eyeing an 8x7ft L-space in an empty spare bedroom. It would be a big jump because I'm thinking end to end - but on two levels - so the loop is hidden below and everything resides under the L-shaped scene.

Then it starts running away from me, because there are doodles of cement plants, stations, container yards, TMD and... well, you know the drill as per my first post.

I'm also really particular about things, so if I do something that isn't perfect I scrap it and start over.

Yes, I'm my own worst enemy! 

[Portpatrick]

of course we are mad.  it is what keeps us sane.

[ntpntpntp]

The problem is, the design that fulfils my desire is far more complex each time!

Unfortunately that's a problem which afflicts many modellers, and usually results in over-ambitious projects which are abandoned before completion when the builder becomes disheartened with the whole thing. 

There is a lot to be said for "less is more", and possibly even a phased approach where sections are completed to a reasonable degree before embarking on the next.

I've come round more to the idea of building modules to a standard end template which can be built with different themes then mixed and matched together.  I doubt I'll ever build another stand-alone complete layout now. When modules are all built by one person they naturally have a consistent style and skill level rather than the rather varied collections sometimes seen brought together at shows and which used to be what put me off the idea.

[Ted]

The problem is, the design that fulfils my desire is far more complex each time!

Unfortunately that's a problem which afflicts many modellers, and usually results in over-ambitious projects which are abandoned before completion when the builder becomes disheartened with the whole thing. 

There is a lot to be said for "less is more", and possibly even a phased approach where sections are completed to a reasonable degree before embarking on the next.

I've come round more to the idea of building modules to a standard end template which can be built with different themes then mixed and matched together.  I doubt I'll ever build another stand-alone complete layout now. When modules are all built by one person they naturally have a consistent style and skill level rather than the rather varied collections sometimes seen brought together at shows and which used to be what put me off the idea.

Is this like my 30x60 but many of them seamlessly joined together?

So you build a bit, then another, connect them. Build another bit if you so wish?

[ntpntpntp]

So you build a bit, then another, connect them. Build another bit if you so wish?

Yep.   If the template is for a through line then you can create a couple of loop boards to complete the circuit so you can run roundy roundy if desired.

I originally started building modular boards to go along the front of my main stand-alone layout, in order to be able to take it to Germany and connect in with a huge multinational modular setup.   In order to be able to at least run something on those boards when stand-alone at other shows I created two fiddleyard boxes  with an automated shuttle unit.

The modular boards and fiddleyards together with the main layout, at Chatham in 2007



The modular boards by themselves, at N Gauge Southeast in 2019 (My fellow operator looking a little bored as the automation was working correctly !)

[TalyllynJon]

I used to have that problem when I was a kid - I'd start building a branchline layout, then a month later I'd rip it up because I wanted a double track mainline, then a few weeks after that it would all be in a box under my bed and I'd have started on a 009 layout! I'm just getting back into model railways now and taking my time to plan exactly what I want. I want to model the station that once stood at the end of our garden in mid Wales. Problem is I keep buying totally unsuitable stock! I've got a wishlist of prototypical locos to buy, but then I keep getting distracted by eBay 'bargains' and suddenly find that instead of buying a jinty I've just bought a silver-grey A4 or an LBSCR liveried terrier which will require a radical rethink of my layout if I want to run them!

[Ted]

The modular boards by themselves, at N Gauge Southeast in 2019 (My fellow operator looking a little bored as the automation was working correctly !)

Hah, I was about to say if that's you, you don't appear to be enjoying yourself! 

[Ted]

I used to have that problem when I was a kid - I'd start building a branchline layout, then a month later I'd rip it up because I wanted a double track mainline, then a few weeks after that it would all be in a box under my bed and I'd have started on a 009 layout! I'm just getting back into model railways now and taking my time to plan exactly what I want. I want to model the station that once stood at the end of our garden in mid Wales. Problem is I keep buying totally unsuitable stock! I've got a wishlist of prototypical locos to buy, but then I keep getting distracted by eBay 'bargains' and suddenly find that instead of buying a jinty I've just bought a silver-grey A4 or an LBSCR liveried terrier which will require a radical rethink of my layout if I want to run them!

Yes, I think I've got nearly 20 locos now, many are sound chipped too... and yet, no layout! 

[ntpntpntp]

The modular boards by themselves, at N Gauge Southeast in 2019 (My fellow operator looking a little bored as the automation was working correctly !)

Hah, I was about to say if that's you, you don't appear to be enjoying yourself! 

Actually we both said afterward how nice and relaxing a show it was, a bit like going fishing maybe ? 

[Lawrence]

Yup, mad as a box of frogs you are, just like the rest of us.
Build yourself a nice simple layout where you can watch trains go by and hone your skills, leaving room for expansion as your skills/desires advance.
It is much nicer to be able to do all the scenic work, building, painting etc when there are trains running, it provides modelling impetus.
Get something, anything down and start enjoying you hobby rather than mega procrastination. And remember, Rule 1 applies   

[Webbo]

The bit I most enjoy about it all is the scenery construction which is what you'll never get to if you're continuously planning. So like Lawrence suggests, build something then decide whether planning is what turns you on.

Webbo

[Bealman]

The celebrated Ian Futers has turned out like zillions of layouts in his lifetime, and continues to do so, as the December RM documents.

My layout began with a terminus blatantly copied from my hero Peter Denny's Leighton Buzzard. However I had no idea where it was going after that.

It grew haphazardly, and there are many mistakes.

In contrast to Webbo's advice above,

Get the plan correct to start with! 

Having said that, it's probably better to get started, and enjoy the build.