SpaceMouse
Fun Lover
Pardon me if you read this over there. There's a different point of view here that I value.
First of all, I've had it. Although, I think I have a well-designed plan for a 4x8, my decision to go with EZ track has finally gotten the better of me. I look at what I have to do to make it what I want and basically I have to re-frame the structure. Re-wire it. Pull the bridge and re-landscape for a wooden trestle. That and monkey together the track-work or replace it. All of the work will be pointless if I can't get the danged track-work running as smoothly as it was when I first laid it.
So I'm ready to scrap the Rock Ridge and Train City and move on.
So here's the dilemma. I have the room to build a basement empire. So what period do I pick? I like the 1880's fantasy that I have created. There is no location of the Rock Ridge and Train City. It is kinda sorta in the California Central Valley foothills but to my knowledge, there is no area anywhere striated red rock and lush oak forests collide in the Southern Pacific Empire. But I can live with that. It allows me a certain whimsy that I was not really going to express in the Redwood Empire.
But I really like the horse-drawn wagons and riders. I like the idea of sound on the layout, but that limits me to MDC products. In fact, my two best runners are my silent MDC 2-6-0's. Now they have out the sound 4-4-0's (but for some reason decided that SP wasn't worth the effort.) And they are coming out with an SP 2-6-0 sound engines in May.
Plus I have over 100 pieces of rolling stock with metal wheels and Kadees. And buildings, and figures and wagons. And I really like the mini old-time steam. And as I said before, the Old West fantasy–my other hobby is Cowboy Action Shooting. I've figured out how to model this era.
On the other hand, I've been planning the Redwood Empire for about a year and a half. The original plan called for finishing the Rock Ridge and Train City so I could run trains while I built the Redwood Empire. Then I would build the first two phases of the Redwood Empire dismantling the small layout when I finished the first two phases. The first two phases are point to point, and I've determined I need at least some point of continuous running.
If I went this route, I'd basically be starting over with motive power. Sure I have a Bachman Shay, and my son's 2-8-0 is only ten years too modern for this time period (as opposed to 40 for the other period.) But the main motive power for the California Western during this period was 2-6-2 side tankers. They were Baldwin's so I can't bash them off of the Proto 0-6-0, so my best choices now are either the Mantua kit or the Bachman Plus (with smoke.) I would basically be building every engine–re-motoring and bashing the exterior, and fitting a sound decoder (plenty of room in the tanks, I hope.)
This would be very time consuming–but I had planned to have the working RR&TC to take off the edge.
Once I got to Phase 3, where I join with the NWP at the Willits yard, I have a lot more leeway. I can use the Bachman 4-4-0's and the 4-6-0's. The 4-6-0's were pretty widely used by the NWP at that time. And I would have continuous running.
Some of the buildings and rolling stock would work fine. And pretty much all the craftsman kits will work in either time period. But many of the buildings and all of the figures won't really work. There is also a shortage of vehicles in the 1917 era. Jordon makes a 1914 convertible and a fire truck. That's all I know of.
The upside is seeing these little side tankers running through a forest of 30-36 inch redwoods would be spectacular and something I've dreamed about creating. Just about every aspect of this project will be scratch building and kit bashing from the trees to the saw mill to the logging camps to the cutting areas.
The path of least resistance is converting the whole basement to Old West. But ultimately, the Redwood empire would be the better layout operationally with a couple nice yards, an interchange and three staging yards. I was planning set up inviting people in for ops sessions.
There is a sort of compromise, in that I could build an Old West version of the Interchange and use douglas fir and ponderosa pines...
Donner Party of 12, your table is ready.
First of all, I've had it. Although, I think I have a well-designed plan for a 4x8, my decision to go with EZ track has finally gotten the better of me. I look at what I have to do to make it what I want and basically I have to re-frame the structure. Re-wire it. Pull the bridge and re-landscape for a wooden trestle. That and monkey together the track-work or replace it. All of the work will be pointless if I can't get the danged track-work running as smoothly as it was when I first laid it.
So I'm ready to scrap the Rock Ridge and Train City and move on.
So here's the dilemma. I have the room to build a basement empire. So what period do I pick? I like the 1880's fantasy that I have created. There is no location of the Rock Ridge and Train City. It is kinda sorta in the California Central Valley foothills but to my knowledge, there is no area anywhere striated red rock and lush oak forests collide in the Southern Pacific Empire. But I can live with that. It allows me a certain whimsy that I was not really going to express in the Redwood Empire.
But I really like the horse-drawn wagons and riders. I like the idea of sound on the layout, but that limits me to MDC products. In fact, my two best runners are my silent MDC 2-6-0's. Now they have out the sound 4-4-0's (but for some reason decided that SP wasn't worth the effort.) And they are coming out with an SP 2-6-0 sound engines in May.
Plus I have over 100 pieces of rolling stock with metal wheels and Kadees. And buildings, and figures and wagons. And I really like the mini old-time steam. And as I said before, the Old West fantasy–my other hobby is Cowboy Action Shooting. I've figured out how to model this era.
On the other hand, I've been planning the Redwood Empire for about a year and a half. The original plan called for finishing the Rock Ridge and Train City so I could run trains while I built the Redwood Empire. Then I would build the first two phases of the Redwood Empire dismantling the small layout when I finished the first two phases. The first two phases are point to point, and I've determined I need at least some point of continuous running.
If I went this route, I'd basically be starting over with motive power. Sure I have a Bachman Shay, and my son's 2-8-0 is only ten years too modern for this time period (as opposed to 40 for the other period.) But the main motive power for the California Western during this period was 2-6-2 side tankers. They were Baldwin's so I can't bash them off of the Proto 0-6-0, so my best choices now are either the Mantua kit or the Bachman Plus (with smoke.) I would basically be building every engine–re-motoring and bashing the exterior, and fitting a sound decoder (plenty of room in the tanks, I hope.)
This would be very time consuming–but I had planned to have the working RR&TC to take off the edge.
Once I got to Phase 3, where I join with the NWP at the Willits yard, I have a lot more leeway. I can use the Bachman 4-4-0's and the 4-6-0's. The 4-6-0's were pretty widely used by the NWP at that time. And I would have continuous running.
Some of the buildings and rolling stock would work fine. And pretty much all the craftsman kits will work in either time period. But many of the buildings and all of the figures won't really work. There is also a shortage of vehicles in the 1917 era. Jordon makes a 1914 convertible and a fire truck. That's all I know of.
The upside is seeing these little side tankers running through a forest of 30-36 inch redwoods would be spectacular and something I've dreamed about creating. Just about every aspect of this project will be scratch building and kit bashing from the trees to the saw mill to the logging camps to the cutting areas.
The path of least resistance is converting the whole basement to Old West. But ultimately, the Redwood empire would be the better layout operationally with a couple nice yards, an interchange and three staging yards. I was planning set up inviting people in for ops sessions.
There is a sort of compromise, in that I could build an Old West version of the Interchange and use douglas fir and ponderosa pines...
Donner Party of 12, your table is ready.