Relocating Stuff On Your Layout


max diyer

Well-Known Member
Other than power and rolling stock, do you move things around on your layout?
For instance -
Vehicles - Do you move them up and down the road or different locations
on the layout? Do you swap out trucks at a loading dock? Have a UPS truck at
different businesses and/or houses. The same with cars, etc.

Figures - do you move them around or doing different things?

Loads on rail cars - loaded versus empty open hoppers
flat cars - loaded or empty, maybe change the type of commodity load

Well you guys get the idea.

My favorite is changing loads on flat cars and gons, followed with loaded and unloaded open hoppers.
I also like moving trucks into different areas or different positions at companies.

To me, it makes the layout more interesting and real. Ultimately, it makes the layout more fun.

So what's your ideas on this?
 
Thats a good question and I'm glad you asked lol!

Seriously though, I do a lot of load-swapping in flatcars and gondolas; always try to have different-type loads during different op sessions, so things don't become too recognizable. And when I shoot photos of a road/street scene, I definitely make sure the same vehicle is NOT at the crossbucks when a different train is going by. As for figures, I don't have enough of those to populate my layout yet - that's a future project.
 
About the only relocating that I do is vehicle swapping. Cars, 18-wheelers, UPS as you noted and other various service vehicles. While most of my figures are affixed with Scenic Accent Glue and are easily moved, I don't do it as much. After I get more of my backlog of structures built and get much more of the layout scenery done, figures may get a closer look. Of course there are already over 700 of them on the layout!
 
Ken - you do a lot of flat & gon load changing - like me. When I work on an area, I'll put a needle nose on a flat or screws in a gon or whatever I need, then send it around to where I'm working. It slows down the work progress, but I like doing it. It's kind of modeling MOW.

Willie - I don't have any figures. For me, they're a couple of years out, but maybe I should start buying them, as they might be a $1 each in a few years :rolleyes::)
 
I read an article a while back about just this thing. I had never thought about it much before (never had that much in the way of figures or vehicles), but it is an interesting idea and one I plan on trying when I get far enough along.


Willie - I don't have any figures. For me, they're a couple of years out, but maybe I should start buying them, as they might be a $1 each in a few years :rolleyes::)

I was looking for future purchases on Model Train Stuff and found three pigs, not packages of, just three pigs, for about $10. Of course they were the Three Little Pigs..................they were N scale after all!:D
 
Other than power and rolling stock, do you move things around on your layout?
For instance -
Vehicles - Do you move them up and down the road or different locations
on the layout? Do you swap out trucks at a loading dock? Have a UPS truck at
different businesses and/or houses. The same with cars, etc.
YES, my elbow performs this chore
Figures - do you move them around or doing different things?
NO, the mice and cats take care of this.
Loads on rail cars - loaded versus empty open hoppers
flat cars - loaded or empty, maybe change the type of commodity load
YES, after knocking them off the layout when I sneeze
Well you guys get the idea.

My favorite is changing loads on flat cars and gons, followed with loaded and unloaded open hoppers.
I also like moving trucks into different areas or different positions at companies.

To me, it makes the layout more interesting and real. Ultimately, it makes the layout more fun.

So what's your ideas on this?
 
No structures or scenery yet, but it would be nice to move stuff around.

I really wanted one of these, I saw one at a train show but the grandson said his mom would disapprove......

900_PR-29004(1).jpg


As a fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, have him just show up at random. This is just too funny.
 
No structures or scenery yet, but it would be nice to move stuff around.

I really wanted one of these, I saw one at a train show but the grandson said his mom would disapprove......

View attachment 42412

As a fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, have him just show up at random. This is just too funny.

I'm a huge Discworld fan, I'll have to keep my eyes open for that figure. Can you get Binky too?
 
Recently relocated some tracks in my western switch yard to allow the switcher to move around the local mail train which was blocking the yard lead (train is usually parked on a siding near the local commuter station. Other than that, I will occasionally move a small crowd of people around the Galesburg station, when the "Whistlestop Express" comes through with President Harry Truman campaigning for election (1948). Standing in the crowd is a man with a small boy up on his shoulders. Our Zephyr was sidetracked and Dad felt I should see "The President", even though Dad disagreed with Truman's politics, and voted for Gov. Tom Dewey...twice, once in '44 and in '48! Dad later told me he thought HST was the best president we ever had!) I'll bring out my model of the "Ferdinand Magellan" with Truman and an aide on the rear platform. ;)
 
I occasionally will move vehicles around if I get a new one and have to make room for it or also for taking photos. Figures are not moved. An exception is when something is in the way when some work has to be done.
 
Chet - with the vehicles you have, you could create a traffic jam ;):)
I have 22 vehicles still in their boxes. And have 2 Caterpillar excavators and a backhoe on a flatcar. They make a good looking load that I don't change-out. They've been been on the car for 2 years and are covered with dust!
 
So far i have bought 2 half ton trucks, a loading cargo truck and 2 dump trucks. This is more to see how things will look and to configure buildings with roads etc. At some point i am going to have to purchase more vehicles and load of people. I have different types of industry etc so will have to buy figures for each area.
 
Recently relocated some tracks in my western switch yard to allow the switcher to move around the local mail train which was blocking the yard lead (train is usually parked on a siding near the local commuter station. Other than that, I will occasionally move a small crowd of people around the Galesburg station, when the "Whistlestop Express" comes through with President Harry Truman campaigning for election (1948). Standing in the crowd is a man with a small boy up on his shoulders. Our Zephyr was sidetracked and Dad felt I should see "The President", even though Dad disagreed with Truman's politics, and voted for Gov. Tom Dewey...twice, once in '44 and in '48! Dad later told me he thought HST was the best president we ever had!) I'll bring out my model of the "Ferdinand Magellan" with Truman and an aide on the rear platform. ;)
Cool story of your Dad, Truman and the FM.
I would like to see the rail car.
 
My biggest problem is relocating the items I put on my work table until I can locate the glue and reattach the item.
I move vehicles and rolling stock around some. I have been thinking of cutting up empty cans to make magnetic billboard signs that I can easily change out.I can use the flexible magnet sheets from advertisers.
 



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