Dead Heads

[FJ and G]

When you built your layout, did you build it with future expansion in mind; or, is it a dead-end layout?

Dead end layouts are cul-de-sacs because they have nowhere's to go. If you live in a 35 ft trailer, there may simply not be enough room. Some folks live in big houses, but are blocked by radical special interest groups, who may want room for their doll or China collection.

Some have avoided dead-end layouts by running additional shelving for either more layout space or as staging yardage.

But the vast majority of dead-enders, or, as I call them, dead heads, are completely content with their space allocation, because they can perch atop a stool and watch the trains without them disappearing down a long corridor and having to run and catch up to them.

Your typical dead head rues those days he has to clean the track or get the dust off the trees and styrene structures. An expandable layout would needlessly add even more work to dedust or to debug a wiring problem caused by a voltage drop from being too far from its power brick.

Dead heads often run their trains on a table, or "island" in train jargon, which denotes isolation and seclusion. Being a castaway is not such a bad thing. You can concentrate on improving the island like the castaways did on Gilligans Island.

Dead heads often have good horse sense. Their dead end layouts are in proper balance and perspective with the surroundings. They have plenty of room to walk around their dead-end layouts and they balance trains with a pool table, wet bar, hot tub, dart throwing area and beer fridge. Their layouts don't grow like kudzu, expanding into claustrophobic peninsulas, duckunders and John Armstrong variety mushrooms.

Maybe being a dead head ain't so bad after all?

Dave Vergun

[willpick]

Dave, I've ALWAYS been a "Dead Head"!. Lacking the proper space(a 5000 sq.ft. warehouse)[:)], I've never gone beyond a 12' x 12' space[:(]

[Anonymous]

I guess I'm a dead head too. I am in the process of building a three level layout. However they do not connect. They will run as three sperate layouts. I am held back by space.

[Anonymous]

I'm a "dead header" as well. I built the tablework so I would
be able to access all points today and in the future. I also
did two seperate tables because I want to operate two dif-
ferent guages or scales. Right now I have a PreWar O guage
layout and a PreWar Standard layout. Having multiple tables
gives me versatility that other benchwork doesn't. Some
day all of us will be too stiff or whatever to crawl under the
benchwork of most layouts, so we should put those consider-
ations into our plans when we get ready to build. Also, I want
people to be able to see all the different angles of my layout,
not just one side. I feel it gives more dimension and variety
that way.

BTW...How are those helixes coming along?

[cnw1995]

I like this description of a 'dead head' - very clever, Dave - and good luck with your screenplay - as an editor, I can appreciate the importance of concentration. I guess I'm sort of a dead head because I've never had a real track plan ahead of time - just expanded things as I was able to wangle some more 027 track - I took the advice of our own Brianel. Started with an oval, lengthed it, folded it over. Now I'm probably going to take a few more months to clean out more of the storage space that the layout shares so I can expand it a bit more in the future. I am envious of the planned approach and really love when everyone shares their track plans.