SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
I know that when it comes to layout design my IQ is somewhere between a rock and a tree stump, but I figure that I have seen a few layouts posted and I thought some might be interested in what a rookie has to say about layout design theory. If not you can stop reading........ I'm not going to give you another chance.
Okay if you are still reading either you're interested in what I have to say or your going to read through and squash me like a grape. Fine, there is a lot of experience gained in being squashed.
First of all let me say that to me there are four types of layout designs:
1) Layouts I can help with
2) Layouts I can't help with
3) Layouts that don't care to be helped
4) Layouts for people that say, "Here's my room. What's a good layout?"
I am completely ruling out layouts from books because short being hit by lighting twice in the same day, your odds are not that great of getting a great layout. And I don't care if it is designed by John Armstrong Koester Chubb. Only you can design your perfect layout. John's layout is perfect for him, but unless you know what he knows, you aren't getting everything out of it.
Let's clean some house by eliminating #3. This is the guy that draws a few circles on a page puts a spur for an industry that "I haven't decided what it is" mostly because everyone knows a layout needs a spur of two for industry. There might even be three tracks together somewhere for a yard. His idea of operating is to turn on the power and run trains. The purpose of this layout is to run trains. He may know what road name he likes. He may even know what period he likes, but it doesn't matter, he'll probably never get beyond the plywood empire. Suggestions are met with "Dang it. I don't care. I just want to run my trains." As far as I'm concerned, that's fine. But I don't want to get involved with critiquing his layout other than. "You'll never reach that spot." To which the most common reply is, "I can if I stand on a stool and lean way over."
Number 4 is a pre-1) that has not taken the time to figure out what they want. Or they may simply be taking the easy way out by letting someone else do their thinking. They may or may not have figured out their givens and druthers. They may have no clue on how to proceed. They have only a vague idea of what they want. Like the ones above, that try to get a canned layout out of a book, any layout design you throw at them will not work, because they don't know what they want.
The first key is knowing what you want. Or at least knowing enough to know where to start looking.
For the most part, people don't want to make the effort to move from 3)or 4) to 1) or 2). They know what they know and don't care to do what it takes to learn more.
Now for number 2). The number 2 guy I can't help because he knows more about what he wants than I could ever know. He know the purpose of the layout, what industries are in the area, how long their sidings need to be, and what every piece of track is for. He knows where the trains come from and where they go when the head off to staging. Sometimes I can point out a place where a run-around goes or place that's hard to reach, but mostly he's run the layout so many times in his head he knows what will work and what won't and why. John Armstrong Koester Chubb might be able to help him, but he's beyond me.
The one I can help, 1), is the one that has made the commitment to be a number 2 and is making a good stab at it. He knows or thinks he knows what type of operating he likes be it passengers, yard goat, or rail fan. What he is missing is the homework. He needs to research. It is in the research process that the purpose of the layout emerges. All of a sudden or over a period of time he has a vision. The vision spurs more research and his possibilities unfold. He meets his limitations, makes compromises and chooses between important druthers to refine his thinking. His thinking then leaps to the cad lines or paper and more compromises need to be made. Eventually, the drafts emerge and the refinement begins. More obstacles may require more research and yet more compromises.
My role in #1? Asking the guy questions about his purpose and vision. Because if the purpose and vision is clear, everything else will fall into place.
Okay if you are still reading either you're interested in what I have to say or your going to read through and squash me like a grape. Fine, there is a lot of experience gained in being squashed.
First of all let me say that to me there are four types of layout designs:
1) Layouts I can help with
2) Layouts I can't help with
3) Layouts that don't care to be helped
4) Layouts for people that say, "Here's my room. What's a good layout?"
I am completely ruling out layouts from books because short being hit by lighting twice in the same day, your odds are not that great of getting a great layout. And I don't care if it is designed by John Armstrong Koester Chubb. Only you can design your perfect layout. John's layout is perfect for him, but unless you know what he knows, you aren't getting everything out of it.
Let's clean some house by eliminating #3. This is the guy that draws a few circles on a page puts a spur for an industry that "I haven't decided what it is" mostly because everyone knows a layout needs a spur of two for industry. There might even be three tracks together somewhere for a yard. His idea of operating is to turn on the power and run trains. The purpose of this layout is to run trains. He may know what road name he likes. He may even know what period he likes, but it doesn't matter, he'll probably never get beyond the plywood empire. Suggestions are met with "Dang it. I don't care. I just want to run my trains." As far as I'm concerned, that's fine. But I don't want to get involved with critiquing his layout other than. "You'll never reach that spot." To which the most common reply is, "I can if I stand on a stool and lean way over."
Number 4 is a pre-1) that has not taken the time to figure out what they want. Or they may simply be taking the easy way out by letting someone else do their thinking. They may or may not have figured out their givens and druthers. They may have no clue on how to proceed. They have only a vague idea of what they want. Like the ones above, that try to get a canned layout out of a book, any layout design you throw at them will not work, because they don't know what they want.
The first key is knowing what you want. Or at least knowing enough to know where to start looking.
For the most part, people don't want to make the effort to move from 3)or 4) to 1) or 2). They know what they know and don't care to do what it takes to learn more.
Now for number 2). The number 2 guy I can't help because he knows more about what he wants than I could ever know. He know the purpose of the layout, what industries are in the area, how long their sidings need to be, and what every piece of track is for. He knows where the trains come from and where they go when the head off to staging. Sometimes I can point out a place where a run-around goes or place that's hard to reach, but mostly he's run the layout so many times in his head he knows what will work and what won't and why. John Armstrong Koester Chubb might be able to help him, but he's beyond me.
The one I can help, 1), is the one that has made the commitment to be a number 2 and is making a good stab at it. He knows or thinks he knows what type of operating he likes be it passengers, yard goat, or rail fan. What he is missing is the homework. He needs to research. It is in the research process that the purpose of the layout emerges. All of a sudden or over a period of time he has a vision. The vision spurs more research and his possibilities unfold. He meets his limitations, makes compromises and chooses between important druthers to refine his thinking. His thinking then leaps to the cad lines or paper and more compromises need to be made. Eventually, the drafts emerge and the refinement begins. More obstacles may require more research and yet more compromises.
My role in #1? Asking the guy questions about his purpose and vision. Because if the purpose and vision is clear, everything else will fall into place.
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