Contemplating a new direction


I am currently building a 34x16 HO layout in the basement of my house. It is a freelanced road set in the late 70’s. The layout has about 90% of track laid and about 30% of the scenery in place.
While I feel that the concept and design of my railroad is plausible, I’m considering a change.

I have discovered over the past couple of years that I really enjoy studying prototypes, their structures, geography, maps, local history, etc. Now I believe most people at this point might decide on switching to a prototype and having an era chosen. However, this is where my interests diverge.
Currently, I am torn in vastly different directions. Every time I make a pro/con list, I think of more “yeah, but what about this…” topics that balance the debate.

How do I settle on a prototype once and for all? I am almost 40 and I grew up with early 90’s CSX and all the fallen flag equipment that was common then. But SD50’s and endless matched Coal hoppers don’t draw that interest (that’s what I grew up with). Freight and 4 axle power does, however.

I’m also fascinated with the B&O post WWII steam era in my hometown, even though I saw none of it. But the availability of mid size B&O steam locomotives appropriate for the era (E-27’s, Q-4’s, P-3’s, etc.) is slim to none.

And there is also the urge to press forward with the freelance road I’ve already started on….

So I am asking for advice about how to pick an era and to stick with it?
Thanks!
 
I don't know.

Sorry. That's all I've got. I'm still in Freelance land myself. As I am looking at a teardown and rebuild, I'd be interested in what others would chime in with, though.
Like you, I like running my steamer whenever I want, but since I mostly use it for my excursion train, I can still do that just about whenever I want.
 
I have no advice on picking a road and era, but I would go ahead and finish the layout without completing the scenery until you decide. You should be able to use any road/era just by changing the equipment. If you want to get specific about this industry is next to that one in a certain town, then that's different.By delaying the scenery, you can choose to decide on eastern roads with lots of trees etc, or western roads with bigger mountains and deserts.
 
If you shop around here you’ll find a few people, myself included, are considering or have considered a change.
Guess the best thing is to look at what you like and don’t like for a start. Try and work that into what you’ve got?
As for a prototype, I went with a railroad I grew up with as well and loosely based my plans around that.
By loosely I mean more or less correct but with a sprinkling of whatever I like thrown in.
Rule number one supersedes all other after all.

BTW… we’d love to see some pics of what you’ve done!
 
KB02 had a similar question yesterday. This is what I suggested...

"The first thing I would do is decide what it is that you find unsatisfying about your current layout. Then decide what needs to happen. In my case I finally realized my yard was the problem. The stub tracks were too short, there were too many and therefore it took forever to switch cars around. The yard was designed to fit the available space in my last home. I now have more room, so I removed the old yard and added a 12 foot long yard that I hope will be satisfying. I am a lone wolf operator, so the 12 feet with stub tracks, crossovers and longer trains will make it fun and not a tedious chore. I feel it is important to understand what isn't working, in order to determine what will. Glenn"

In your case you are questioning prototype, or not. Obviously, you will have to determine where your interests lie. You will have to figure out what aspects of railroading interest you the most, including RR, equipment, era, location, etc. However, I and many others don't tie ourselves to such specifics. It may be easier for those that are lone wolves because we don't concern ourselves with nitpickers. I build what I like and buy any type of rolling stock, based on what appeals to ME. REMEMBER RULE #1. After all, 98% of the time I am the only one who sees what I am doing. Am I going to complain to myself about what I am doing? I might run ancient steam and SD70's, at the same time. Willie made very good points about delaying the scenery and maybe slow the purchase of rolling stock, until you have a better idea of what floats your boat. I'm Canadian and I do have a prejudice toward those railroads but I love NS and BNSF, as well. They all run on my layout. Following exact prototype operations is enjoyable to many, but I was afraid it was a rabbit hole I couldn't climb out of. I guess I took the easy way out but I have never had a migraine, as well. Don't fret over this, take your time. In the mean time lay track, run trains and enjoy the journey to your final destination. KB02, thanks for the excursion train idea, for justifying steam/modern. I think you just made a lot of MRRs very happy. Glenn
 
You have to be happy with your vision of what a railroad is. Sit in a comfortable chair and say the words "train" and "railroad" to your self. What images pop into your head? Operate on other people's layouts. Then ask yourself to rank which one's you enjoyed the most. Why? What jobs do you enjoy the most? Yard switching? Industrial switching, just running trains? How many people can you get to come operate on your layout? If they are only 10, then building an empire that takes 20 people won't work. On the other hand, if you don't like managing people then building a layout that takes a lot of people to operate won't be enjoyable. Once you get a layout that takes more than three people to operate, you are no longer building a layout for yourself, you are also building a layout for your operators. Can you get them to share your vision?

Glenn's comments about figuring out what you don't like about your current layout is also very important. What isn't satisfying you with your current layout? Before you get others to share a vision, you have to have a vision yourself.
 
You have to be happy with your vision of what a railroad is. Sit in a comfortable chair and say the words "train" and "railroad" to your self. What images pop into your head? Operate on other people's layouts. Then ask yourself to rank which one's you enjoyed the most. Why? What jobs do you enjoy the most? Yard switching? Industrial switching, just running trains? How many people can you get to come operate on your layout? If they are only 10, then building an empire that takes 20 people won't work. On the other hand, if you don't like managing people then building a layout that takes a lot of people to operate won't be enjoyable. Once you get a layout that takes more than three people to operate, you are no longer building a layout for yourself, you are also building a layout for your operators. Can you get them to share your vision?

Glenn's comments about figuring out what you don't like about your current layout is also very important. What isn't satisfying you with your current layout? Before you get others to share a vision, you have to have a vision yourself.
His question was whether to remain a freelance modeler or move to prototype modelling and how to pick an era - I'm sorry, but I fail to see what your response has to do with the question asked. So far as I am concerned, you can build a layout as big as you have room and the money for - if that happens to be an 8' X 4' layout then great, if it happens to be 40' X 20' layout, then even better.
 
I am currently building a 34x16 HO layout in the basement of my house. It is a freelanced road set in the late 70’s. The layout has about 90% of track laid and about 30% of the scenery in place.
While I feel that the concept and design of my railroad is plausible, I’m considering a change.

I have discovered over the past couple of years that I really enjoy studying prototypes, their structures, geography, maps, local history, etc. Now I believe most people at this point might decide on switching to a prototype and having an era chosen. However, this is where my interests diverge.
Currently, I am torn in vastly different directions. Every time I make a pro/con list, I think of more “yeah, but what about this…” topics that balance the debate.

How do I settle on a prototype once and for all? I am almost 40 and I grew up with early 90’s CSX and all the fallen flag equipment that was common then. But SD50’s and endless matched Coal hoppers don’t draw that interest (that’s what I grew up with). Freight and 4 axle power does, however.

I’m also fascinated with the B&O post WWII steam era in my hometown, even though I saw none of it. But the availability of mid size B&O steam locomotives appropriate for the era (E-27’s, Q-4’s, P-3’s, etc.) is slim to none.

And there is also the urge to press forward with the freelance road I’ve already started on….

So I am asking for advice about how to pick an era and to stick with it?
Thanks!
I would recommend some prototype scenes as well as some imaginary ones. Be prepared to have a couple "sets" of rolling stock so you have the option of running prototype or free lance. This is what I have settled on at age 65 and so far happy with it.

Dave LASM
 
If it helps, when I planned my second layout, it was quite ambitious for me. I was only two years into the hobby, not even, and I elected to try splines and Flex Track. I even began to build my own turnouts! o_O Dunno what got into me, but I went big...yuge! I thought about 'modeling', and decided that it would probably be years before the layout was anything but splines with tracks on them and some basic scenery. So, I did precisely what Dave has suggested: I picked a spot to model a real setting on a prototype, and in my case it was Horseshoe Curve. I'm glad I have that experience under me belt, but I'm not especially keen on repeating it...for any reason. I prefer to wing it as I build the scenery around the roadbed already in place (but always with a basic plan in place...no surprises.).

Don't ask what a New York Central S1-b Niagara is doing near Altoona, but, this shows a part of the scene:

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How do I settle on a prototype once and for all?

So I am asking for advice about how to pick an era and to stick with it?
You actually said it all right there. One has to do their decision process (don't forget to include cost and time as decision points), make a choice, AND STICK TO IT. That is the hardest part. One way to help stick to it, is to let your wallet talk. Do I really want to spend $x for something that doesn't fit the scheme or how could I use that same $ to enhance the scheme.

I didn't do that. I waffelled for decades and now have boundless amounts of equipment for different roads, different time periods, different concepts (All the way from Petticoat Junction type short line to Class 1 double track mainlines). I wish now I would have spent that money on resource books, and focused on one thing. I think I would be happier now - might even have a real layout! wow what a thought.
 
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His question was whether to remain a freelance modeler or move to prototype modelling and how to pick an era - I'm sorry, but I fail to see what your response has to do with the question asked.
His questions were:
"How do I settle on a prototype once and for all?"
"So I am asking for advice about how to pick an era and to stick with it?"
I know those are his questions because those are the two sentences that end in question marks.

His questions were how to decide and stick with it.

In order to stick with it, you have to be happy with you decision. In order to be happy you need to know what you want. My answer was pointed at helping him figure out what he wants. Telling him not to decide or to go in multiple directions doesn't answer his question on how to pick one direction.

Going in multiple directions isn't wrong, and lots of people choose it. He may even decide he doesn't want to focus after all, that he likes the freedom to go in multiple directions and wants one of everything. Great.

But his question was, how do I pick ONE thing? Telling him not to pick one thing doesn't answer the question.
 
All - hmmm - looks like I went a slightly different road. Some xplain'n is in order. I was raised with the GN, NP, MILW, UP ( and others ) in Spokane Wa from '64 to '71. I was 12 in '64 so I skipped some early years just cuz. In '70 most merged into BN. Well crap. I didn't like BN at first as I thought the Burlington had a much better color scheme. I guess BN kinda wore on me, so I chose an era of somewhere in '68 - '70 and created my own merger railroad ( Coastal Overland ) that purchased those '68 - '70 railroads before BN could do it and allowed BN trackage rights. UP, MILW and others in the somewhat local area also have trackage rights. Oh, throw in Big and not so big Steam even though in '68 ya didn't see it anymore - Coastal Overland is in process of converting all wood fired steam to oil. Guess what? Coastal Overland's parent company is . wait for it . Coastal Oil. Coastal Oil saw the merger coming and ... Click on the DaWebSite link below - choose About then Genesis to read 'mo about it.

Is that good enough? For me, yup.

Later
 
Operate on other people's layouts. Then ask yourself to rank which one's you enjoyed the most.
That is a real winner. It wasn't until I started visiting other folks layouts and running trains on them that I discovered my real likes and dislikes. Just doing layout tours isn't enough. Hands on doing is much better. Fortunately in the Denver area I had access to several operating groups, and participated in many of them.
 
Another thing to realize that you might not find what you really want on the first or second try. Some people take dozens of layouts, eras and locales to find what they like, some find it on the first shot. Some people decide they always want to freelance, some people just want any trains and don't ever narrow their focus down.

I started 50+ years ago with just some trains. Our family would drive to Lenape Park along route 100. Across the creek was a rail line and every so often we would catch a train running through the trees on the other side of the creek. I thought that was cool so freelanced the Lenape RR for a while, then joined a club that freelanced a railroad resembling the PRR in the Philadelphia to Reading area. I started modeling the PRR, then changed to the PC, because it was what was running at the time. I decided that was too big a railroad, and looked for something smaller, I found the LV. It had a dizzying array of paint schemes which was way cool. But at the time I was modeling it, there were no good running Alco engines, which made modeling the LV hard. I visited the EBT narrow guage on two of their "winter woolies" runs and was fascinated by that, but the only narrow gauge engines were brass and they put that out of reach.
I graduated college and figured out that by the 1960's the LV wasn't really hauling anything so I decided that wasn't for me. I hired on with the MP and started modeling the MP, which was cool, but since I worked for them, modeling was too much like work, so I went looking again. I found the Reading Co. and took an interest in the Tamaqua area, 1940's-1950's. A decent range of power was available, but I didn't have the room to model the coal regions very effectively. The Reading was not too big, but was still a major railroad.
I found the Cattasaugua area, the "Crossroads of Anthracite" and built a freelanced Reading branch that combined the the Cattasaugua interchanges with the steel industries around Conshohocken, naming it the "Cattahocken Branch". I moved and was struggling with the freelance nature of the layout, plus I violated the rule to never give your layout a name that sounds like a pet throwing up. I searched for another location and found the Wilmington & Northern Branch. A twisty turney branch out in the woods but serving all sorts of heavy industry and a major port, that had passenger service int tohe 1930's and ran steam into the 1950's, and was one of the last places camelbacks operated. It pretty much checked all my boxes.
I built a 12x24 layout based on a 1948-1952 W&N Branch. Had some operating sessions. Just wasn't happy with it. It had a lift out and hidden staging and not as good a design as I wanted. Trains started in staging and ended in staging so didn't give me the feel of a "trip". I became very disatisfied. Around the same time I got to operate on Rev. Gerry McGee's 1906 Puyi & Phuyi, a freelanced version of a Milwaukee Branch in Iowa. Operating on that brought back memories of the EBT and showed me that little steam engine could operate just as well as 1950's or 1980's era engines.
I decided to backdate the W&N to 1900-1905, tore down the 1950 era layout and completely rebuilt it as a 1900 era layout. I have moved once, scrapping most of the layout but rebuilding a bigger, better 1900 era version of the W&N Branch.

The point of this tortured story is that it sometimes takes a while to figure out what you want, and know what you don't want can be quite helpful. I wanted a single track line that had both rural and industrial flavors. It just took me a while to find it.

Oh by the way. That line across the creek from Rte. 100 that inspired the first freelanced railroad, that turned out to be the actual Wilmington and Northern Branch. It took 50 years but my modeling came full circle.
 
All - hmmm - looks like I went a slightly different road. Some xplain'n is in order. I was raised with the GN, NP, MILW, UP ( and others ) in Spokane Wa from '64 to '71. I was 12 in '64 so I skipped some early years just cuz. In '70 most merged into BN. Well crap. I didn't like BN at first as I thought the Burlington had a much better color scheme. I guess BN kinda wore on me, so I chose an era of somewhere in '68 - '70 and created my own merger railroad ( Coastal Overland ) that purchased those '68 - '70 railroads before BN could do it and allowed BN trackage rights. UP, MILW and others in the somewhat local area also have trackage rights. Oh, throw in Big and not so big Steam even though in '68 ya didn't see it anymore - Coastal Overland is in process of converting all wood fired steam to oil. Guess what? Coastal Overland's parent company is . wait for it . Coastal Oil. Coastal Oil saw the merger coming and ... Click on the DaWebSite link below - choose About then Genesis to read 'mo about it.

Is that good enough? For me, yup.

Later
Aha! A Q, NP, GN, SP&S man, after my own heart! I was a kid, riding the shovel-nose Zephyrs in the 1940's and '50's. But the Burlington Route also had interchanges with the others at various locales. I, too, can't stand the BN green, black and white color scheme, and don't get overly excited by the Chinese Red schemes on some of the Q's road switchers! I love running the Zephyrs I rode on, and stick with the pre-merger era. But I also will run North Coast Ltd, and Empire Builders I will run freights with steam or early F's. Don't do much switching, but I can. I also rode the C&NW 400's in the late '50's. If you need any HO scale steam, I have a bunch of Mantua ones, too many to run, if you or anyone needs one. Best of luck!
 
Thanks all for your input.

Before I started this layout, I wanted to represent a particular line on the B&O in 1974. (Early Chessie era). However, the space I have, while it sounds spacious, is oddly-shaped and I couldn’t fit a the two yards that were a priority for me to have on the layout.
That’s what lead me to build the freelanced line in the early 70’s that I have now.
I recently encountered some incredible material covering operations and locomotives in the steam era for the same part of the B&O I wanted to model. But as mentioned before, exactly zero of the locomotives I’d need are available and I don’t have time nor the desire to scratch build or kitbash 60-70 steam locomotives.

So perhaps I could roll things I have now back to the 60’s and swap the freelance stuff for B&O equipment and Proto-freelance until the next basement comes along and perhaps I can fit a particular part of the Monongah Division in that space…
 
Good plan. Model railroading is, to a certain extent, an iterative process.

Learn from each step and make the next one better, until you reach something you are satisfied with.

Steam engines are always a challenge because so many of them had signature designs. I model the P&R in 1900-1905 so I am learning how to kitbash camelbacks. If you do decide you need a few signature steamers, if you search for "Anthracite Modeler" on You Tube and watch some of his videos, he is a master at taking random steamers and kitbashing them into amazing prototype engines. He does mostly the anthracite roads (RDG, LV, LHR, CNJ, etc) but his techniques are applicable to any engine.
 
All - hmmm - looks like I went a slightly different road. Some xplain'n is in order. I was raised with the GN, NP, MILW, UP ( and others ) in Spokane Wa from '64 to '71. I was 12 in '64 so I skipped some early years just cuz. In '70 most merged into BN. Well crap. I didn't like BN at first as I thought the Burlington had a much better color scheme. I guess BN kinda wore on me, so I chose an era of somewhere in '68 - '70 and created my own merger railroad ( Coastal Overland ) that purchased those '68 - '70 railroads before BN could do it and allowed BN trackage rights. UP, MILW and others in the somewhat local area also have trackage rights. Oh, throw in Big and not so big Steam even though in '68 ya didn't see it anymore - Coastal Overland is in process of converting all wood fired steam to oil. Guess what? Coastal Overland's parent company is . wait for it . Coastal Oil. Coastal Oil saw the merger coming and ... Click on the DaWebSite link below - choose About then Genesis to read 'mo about it.

Is that good enough? For me, yup.

Later
I love it. Thinking outside the box and the real-world constraints. I do much the same myself.
 



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