Hi all

My wife made what I feel is an interesting point....

Especially as I am a newbie to this hobby..

How do you keep your interest going...

You have built your mega layout and your really pleased with it BUT what happens after 6 or 9 months....do you get fed up with watching the same thing or is it a never tiring experience or do you trash it and start another project?

Hmmmmm

What your views on this


FW

A layout is never finished, you can always find something to change or add, and then there will be new locos and stock to run.

I'd echo Mike's reply.
There's always something that you can add or improve.
Also, maybe even change the era or even the region from time to time so instead of , for example running WR steam , change it to Eastern Region BR blue diesels. Just an idea.

Quote from: Fireman Wallie on May 10, 2015, 08:31:49 PM
You have built your mega layout and your really pleased with it BUT what happens after 6 or 9 months....do you get fed up with watching the same thing or is it a never tiring experience or do you trash it and start another project?

The short answer is "yes" by itself a built layout can get boring. I think it's inevitable that once you've made your first layout, you'll have improved your skills to such a degree that you'll be ready to build a more challenging second layout! But there are ways to future-proof your layout to some degree:

(1) You could try building your first layout more slowly, kit-building instead of buying readymade items, or even scratch-building instead of kit-building. Whether it's scratch-building trees or making a straightforward kit (such as the Peco Diesel Depot) instead of buying a ready-to-plant building, you'll find your layout becomes more involving and rewarding (as well as slower to finish!).

(2) Build some of your rolling stock. 4-wheel wagon kits are not difficult to build well. The N Gauge Society has a really good range of kits for skill-building, and Peco does cheap kit versions of some of their ready-to-run wagons as well, and these are great kits for beginners. You can use the skills developed with these to move onto more complex projects, and your layout becomes the place to test out your modelmaking skills over the months and years.

(3) Plan for operations rather than simply moving trains around. This might be by inventing complex shunting puzzles, but could be through operating a realistic timetable of trains within an operating session.

One thing I have learned is that there are lot more manufacturers out there than you might imagine. I've recently discovered Peedie Models, who have a whole range of brass and resin kits for N gauge. Because I'm building and painting these, I know that whatever I create will be unique to my layout, which adds to the pleasure of seeing the layout come together.

Cheers, NeMo

My interest in N gauge goes in distinct phases. I don't have a scenic layout and just run my trains as a roundy-roundy train set; as you can imagine, this could lead to boredom but really, it's not so bad! Here's how I alleviate the boredom without blowing hundreds of pounds buying new locomotives/rolling stock to keep things interesting...

1. Window shop for trains (potentially expensive)
2. Read up on prototypical formations and try and recreate them on the layout (free)
3. Play out shunting puzzles (free if you have the easi-shunts!)
4. Weather/make a mess of my existing rolling stock (not very expensive, unless you break something)
5. Make different loads/duplicate loads for wagons (not very expensive)
6. See how much stuff each loco can pull...(Free)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGdHi3enHsY
7. As seen above, make silly videos about my trains

On a more serious note, making a little scenic section, a few feet long to photograph locos in really appeals as it could be made super realistic for a small outlay and not take up loads of room. It could offer an opportunity to model something completely different to your current layout, you could use up left over scenic materials and build up skills in different areas.

You got it. Enjoy running your trains, mess about, have fun.

I have a large layout which I began in 1987. I have never tired of it. There is always something to be done on it, and as others have already noted, there are new models appearing on a regular basis, and, even if everything was considered finished, you then turn your attention to prototypical operation.

Yeah, collective sighs and big  I know, but I'm referring to Peter Denny's Buckingham layout again! 

There do seem to be people who are serial layout-builders, but each to his own.

Also relatively new to this hobby, I've spent most of the last year just experimenting (as well as the all-important acquisition of stock) to get an idea of the kind of layout I want, and am glad I didn't dive in straight away and end up with my original idea... I've also been a bit distracted by life, work etc.

Anyway like others have said, there's no such thing as a "finished" layout. Mine I intend to construct "iteratively", i.e. get the general baseboard construction and something like the "final" track design in place temporarily (easy to do with Unitrack ), and gradually work on scenery. I envisage doing things like plonking down "RTR" buildings first, then as time allows improving them. Lighting is also something I want to add. Maybe later some kind of computer control... And I have some ambitious ideas about modifying stock, then there are some interesting kits around... So much to do, so little time. Oooh, and learning how to make nice pictures, both with a normal camera and a train-mounted mini video camera.

I reckon at the glacial progress I make on my layout(s) I'm more concerned I'll survive long enough to finish anything.......and I am retired

That's why I'm thinking of starting again. My layout is too big. Progress is slow and I keep getting distracted by other stuff...

Like callin' in on you. 

George

Quote from: d-a-n on May 10, 2015, 10:34:48 PM
6. See how much stuff each loco can pull...(Free)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGdHi3enHsY

I'll match your 45 wagons and raise it by 3. Mine are all Yeoman wagons. I could add a few more since
this video was shot as I now have 66 Yeoman wagons and I reckon the class 56 will cope with them easily 

Hi FW

An interesting point you raise indeed!

The posts above outline very well some of the facets to this hobby, of which there are many. As mentioned, mess about, experiment, just have fun.

My angle on the hobb is that I enjoy servicing stock. That means stripping locos down to their bare components and rebuilding them (second hand stock that is). Much of the second hand stock is gunked up with oil, carpet hair, little Jonny's hair, Boris the cat's hair ... and so on and so on. I'm not sure I'll ever tire of the satisfaction gained from bringing another old loco back to top spec. It's frustrating at times (when you need to take it apart for the "n"th time - sorry, "n", get it? Ok ok, yawn) but it all helps to increase the overall satisfaction.

I too am constructing what started out as a test track but is slowly morphing into a layout. The beauty is that you can start out and your plans can morph into something else. I too am building paper / card kits for buildings, downloaded from the internet. I find these fantastic, since by building them they are my creation and are customised in my own way. This, in my opinion, provides far more satisfaction (and longevity in the project) than "ready to plonk" buildings. However, as Railsquid said, "each to his own" , and there is no right or wrong way. It's whatever works for you.

I also like NeMo's point that the short answer to your question is "yes". I say this as so done who has bought the odd layout in the past. No matter how beautiful it might be to look at, it's not your creation and even if you cannot match that skill (as in my case), it doesn't matter. Far more important is that you roll your sleeves up and get stuck in and have fun. A slow project, doing a little here and there, is far more fun than buying something off the shelf. Like most things in life, instant gratification doesn't last long.

All my own opinion of course.

Cheers

Dan

It's all a matter of a pinion said the man with the wooden leg

Thanks all,

Really interesting info gleaned here!

Its obvious from what you've said, A `quick fix` just aint gonna do it, luckily that wasn't the way I wanted to go, as many moons ago (Before Nelson lost his eye  ) I loved model making and feel that most of my rolling stock is either going to be kit form or 2nd hand and modified to suit my vision.

A few weeks ago I bought on Fle-Bay a small layout just Peco track and 5 Lekkie points really cheap, and so I am going to modify this and add more track and points.

I will post some piccies of the layout and suggestions obviously welcomed. All the points work fine.  Up to now all I have done is cut away some excess board to enable to fit into its space.



FW

Quote from: Fireman Wallie on May 12, 2015, 06:40:59 PM

A few weeks ago I bought on Fle-Bay a small layout just Peco track and 5 Lekkie points really cheap, and so I am going to modify this and add more track and points.

I'd suggest posting your proposed track plan for the 'collective' to ruminate over before committing track to baseboard as it might save you some grief further down the line (intentional if poor pun)