When reality hits home.


Susie, don't fear ballasting, just procrastinate the way I have for quite a few months. I have some on hand that I bought 20 some years ago, but not enough to finish the layout. This means finding something that will match or come close. (I really don't enjoy ballasting either) No hobby shops for hundreds of miles. Good excuse. Internet retailers. Guess I can order some and move forward. Procrastinate. No ballast ordered. Well, I can use what I have and finish the main line and then use what I can find to ballast the yard. Good idea.

Finally, a free afternoon. Down to the trainroom. Rummage through scenery supplies. Run across something not even closely related to scenery. I didn't even know whatever I just found, but lets see where we can use it. Still no ballasting. Lets see if we can do a little switching. Turn on the power, make up a train and out of the yard to deliver and pick up cars at industries along the main line. That blew a couple of hours, but it was fun. Jeez, it's almost time for dinner. Power is turned off, light off, and upstairs to clean up.

Sure did make a lot of progress today !
 
Suzie,

Ballasting isn't that hard, just need to do one section at a time, take your time, and don't use too much ballast in one hit. Two thin layers is better than one thick layer :)

Jim 68cuda said:
Just hope its not an electrical fire. lol
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That makes two of us :)
 
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It occurred to me that your reality setting in experience is why we have so many people introduce themselves on this forum then after a while fade away and disappear. We keep a core membership and a bunch of newbies only a fraction hang of which stay around to become core members. I've seen ambitious plans presented here I really wondered how it would get accomplished, then fade away. This hobby does take some commitment in time, money, space and even in your relationship with a spouse and most don't realize it right away. The good part is you can leave it alone and it will wait for you. Don't give up Tony, just re-think it a little.
 
G'day Tony....Is a layout ever actually finished ?...I wonder......No joke , as much fun in running trains for me is "getting to the running trains" stage...I think the journey is truly as much fun as the destination...I was a bit like you.lot's going on but not really getting anywhere..One day about 15 months ago I looked at my partially built first layout and said 'Nah..this isn't happening how I want" so within a day or two I'd dismantled my buildings , ripped up the track and scenery and suddenly had a pretty much bare board again...as a stopgap I hunted out some old BachmannEZY TRack...ran a decent loop around just so I could run a train for fun...Then during summer back in Jan/Feb I began elevating the benchwork and began planning out the new and improved layout..Now I'm happier but doubt I'll ever completely finish it. cos' What do I do then ?.build another one I suppose ......Cheers Rod
 
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Gary,

Maybe on the flip side of your very sound hypothesis/observation/thought process--they are working hard on executing their layout plans and those of us that aren't so new at it are at our keyboards at the forum. I don't know. :)

Brad
 
From time to time I guess many of us hit a brick wall with our layouts, what I do is watch train videos and read railroad books but give the layout it a rest for a while, I know I will never be the Leonardo da Vinci of the model railroad world but I do know that no matter what obstacle I come across I try and tackle it as best I can, by doing this I consider that I am learning something and getting the maximum enjoyment out of the hobby.

I look at some great layouts on this forum and Youtube and think how fantastic they are I also know in my own heart that due to age and finance I will never be able to achieve that standard of modeling, I then think why worry I am more than happy with the results I do get but what is more important is that I have fun doing what I do, I know I cant compete with the super builders so I just do what I can, with respect to my current layout which is in the early stages of construction I will eventually post some pictures, when I do love em or hate em I sure aint gonna loose any sleep over it.
[h=2][/h]
 
I feel that Rodney has probably hit the nail on the head. A layout probably is never finished. I started mine over 20 years ago. I had a plan which I have pretty well stuck to, but over the years, ones skills improve and changes will probably always happen. I haven't ripped out the entire layout, but there are sections that just didn't look right and some track was removed, or moved, to make the layout work better. I had about a ten year period when almost nothing was done, mainly due to the lack of hobby shops and modeling supplies. Now that e-retailers have filled the gap, I have been able to move forward, but there area areas where improvements can be made. As I mentioned, ones skills to improve and ones standards can change. The hobby is something that can keep you going for decades.
 
Gary B said:
It occurred to me that your reality setting in experience is why we have so many people introduce themselves on this forum then after a while fade away and disappear. We keep a core membership and a bunch of newbies only a fraction hang of which stay around to become core members. I've seen ambitious plans presented here I really wondered how it would get accomplished, then fade away. This hobby does take some commitment in time, money, space and even in your relationship with a spouse and most don't realize it right away. The good part is you can leave it alone and it will wait for you. Don't give up Tony, just re-think it a little.
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You do see a lot of people come and go, that is for sure. Some are here out of curiosity, some to gather ideas and some start with an inspiration then, as you said, discover it is more than just a hobby - it's an addiction and a time consuming, cash consuming one at that. I think a lot of people look at the hobby and think of the "good old fashion" Target, K Mart sets - ready to run and think to themselves "how hard can this be?" A bit of track, plug it together, put a train on it and go go go. Then realize just how much is really involved and don't have the level of interest to keep going.

rodney mcgiveron said:
G'day Tony....Is a layout ever actually finished ?...I wonder......No joke , as much fun in running trains for me is "getting to the running trains" stage...I think the journey is truly as much fun as the destination...I was a bit like you.lot's going on but not really getting anywhere..One day about 15 months ago I looked at my partially built first layout and said 'Nah..this isn't happening how I want" so within a day or two I'd dismantled my buildings , ripped up the track and scenery and suddenly had a pretty much bare board again...as a stopgap I hunted out some old BachmannEZY TRack...ran a decent loop around just so I could run a train for fun...Then during summer back in Jan/Feb I began elevating the benchwork and began planning out the new and improved layout..Now I'm happier but doubt I'll ever completely finish it. cos' What do I do then ?.build another one I suppose ......Cheers Rod
Click to expand...

I ripped out my first layout because t wasn't big enough, good enough or interesting enough and literally started again. The point is that no matter what you have (figuratively speaking) there ALWAYS seems to be more that you want, and so expansion continues. As such, a layout most likely IS never finished.

montanan said:
I feel that Rodney has probably hit the nail on the head. A layout probably is never finished. I started mine over 20 years ago. I had a plan which I have pretty well stuck to, but over the years, ones skills improve and changes will probably always happen. I haven't ripped out the entire layout, but there are sections that just didn't look right and some track was removed, or moved, to make the layout work better. I had about a ten year period when almost nothing was done, mainly due to the lack of hobby shops and modeling supplies. Now that e-retailers have filled the gap, I have been able to move forward, but there area areas where improvements can be made. As I mentioned, ones skills to improve and ones standards can change. The hobby is something that can keep you going for decades.
Click to expand...

Again, I couldn't agree more, especially with your comments about skills and standards. The longer you are involved, the more you learn, the better your skills become and; therefore, the more "issues" you spot with your layout that need to be re done, replaced or something. As has already been said - it is a never ending hobby, which is what makes it so interesting, intriguing and addictive.

As I write this, I am determined to complete my wife's layout - one way or the other. To take a step back and rethink a few things, drag out some of the books I bought on wiring and actually read them. I hate reading! Take a deep breathe, follow Suzies List and go a bit slower.

Thanks to all who have posted here, I have appreciated all of your comments and support, now it's time to get back to work!
 
There you go Tony, you're not alone!
When in doubt try doing a small diorama to hone your skills.
All this talk about unfinished projects reminds me of a cartoon the girlfriend pinned on my wall:
image.jpg
 
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Other than the wife stopped asking ages ago what I am working on, that cartoon is right on target.:)
 
wright2626 said:
i know i have 4 or more projects going on at one time, at various stages of completion. they say it has more to do with my various concussions that have diminished my ability to stay on one task, as i used to finish one project before the next. i call it short attention span theater, my girlfriend calls it annoying.
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Wainwright,

They call it multi-tasking, it is an asset. I have to do one thing at a time.
 
I'm gonna jump in a little late here Tony. I loaded myself up with soooo many projects that my hobby became a chore. I decided to put it down for awhile. I put all my projects in boxes and labeled them with some semblance of order. 2 of my boys are into RC planes and 'tis the season here in N.E. Ohio. I'm the old man in the pits so to speak. Any way, my plan is to take them back out 1 at a time and not overwhelm myself with the whole picture so to speak . We have to remember we put our time constraints on ourselves . It is much more enjoyable and less of a "chore" when you realize it will get done when it gets done.
 
You are probably not the only one that has these problems Mike. We have some long winters out here in Montana, and when warmer hits, we have a tendency to try to make up for lost time. I have a two acre lawn to try to keep up with to begin with. Restoring classic cars is one of my hobbies, and we do attend a number of car shows during the summer. Then there is fishing and camping to take care of. The list is way to long. Unfortunately, during the summer, for the most part, model railroading is sort of neglected until the snow flies.
 
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