QUOTE: Originally posted by grande man Hang in there, Jerrell! The scenery is the fun part for me, hopefully you'll enjoy it too. Never forget the vision of the end product and take your time building.
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector Jarrell, you should understand that I went at my layout like I was possessed. In my professional life, I wrote documents, policies, and lectures. I could do those in one day. My layout is the only thing in my life that I knew was going to take me weeks of effort with little change apparent to me day-to-day. I almost got burned out, lost a great deal of sleep, and grew impatient at times. But, I kept my eye on the ball, so-to-speak, and saw it through. You will get there, but you might benefit from stepping back for a whole day, and drawing up a list of things you have to do, in the order that they should be done, so that you can derive a sort of timeline. I don't mean writing down "Have bridge installed by noon on Wednesday, 18 May." or anything like that. Just look at where you are, where you have to go (more like where you WANT to go), and itemize all the various steps. The neat part of this (now don't go getting all overwhelmed on me!!) is that you get to stroke off each step as you complete it! It gets you excited to see the progress that way, if not at your hands. You will begin to correlate the two, and it will help you to keep momentum. As for the turntable, I (think) I finally have it beaten into submission. Besides the wobbles described in an earlier thread, the bottom brass ring that the track wipers rub on kept slipping down off the pivot post, and I'd lose connectivity. I solved that with a screw centered in the bottom of the pivot with a plastic washer on it to keep the brass ring from sliding off. I tested it last night, in the layout, and it works fine. So, if you would like some on-line coaching, please feel free to contact me via e-mail, or here, as you wish. Regards, Crandell
QUOTE: Originally posted by malexenko yeah, I know I'm lucky. I know it every day. One of the reasons we haven't progressed as fst as I'd like, is little things like ("dad, don't we need to add a road to get to the top of the hill for the little people to be able to drive down", and "dad, can we have a lake with a crashed ufo in it?", and the list goes on).
QUOTE: Originally posted by jacon12 Mark, it's that planning thing that is getting me. I'm STILL doing it. But I'm going to sit down soon and get serious about it. I really am. Jarrell
- Mark
QUOTE: Originally posted by malexenko We (I) am still a long ways from having our first layout done... it's really my 6-year-old's, but there's alot of things he can't help with (yet). What's the fun part (so far)?.... It's going to Caboose Hobby or browsing the Walther's Catalog and listening to the ideas on how he wants the (his layout) to look.... the buildings, the scenery, the figures, etc.... It's getting the tunnels enclosed and doing a "dry run" of the trains to check clearances on the portals, etc... and getting down at his eye-level and watching the trains from his perspective..... For me it's working late nights to get this thing done (trains were never my hobby...it's his).... and not minding, becuase when he "checks on my progress" in the mornings, I can see his face light up that we are getting "closer".... and I see the excitement and joy it brings him. So the project is taking 200 times longer than I thought, I'm learning through stumbling, and the project is costing about 1000% more than I planned, but listening to the little guy talk, watching him help (where he can), and seeing the make-believe world we are building emerge together makes every aspect of this fun. (and a little scotch doesn't hurt [;)])
QUOTE: Originally posted by rayhippard Jarrell, I'm just a little farther along then you. My masonite is painted high gloss white. Reason: I found some great looking cloud/sky wallpaper at Home Depot and am almost ready to put it up. I've waited on the benchwork until I get all the background done and the layout lighting installed. This is saving me a lot of leaning and stretching, which is good for this 63 year old body. By the way, this is my umpteenth layout, and that is why I'm doing all the room and backdrop and lighting in this order. Tough to not have trains running, but it looks like it will be worth it. Nice picture of you working. Ray Great Northern fan.
QUOTE: Originally posted by dinwitty I tend to think whatever you do, you have this dream running of a finished layout and whatever step along the way is just a part of producing that dream.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock but may lead to contentedly playing with half a layout instead of finishing it.)
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector Jarrell, yes, my scenery is very close to complete. You can see some images at : http://www.railimages.com/gallery/crandelloverton As for the backdrop, I intend to use the thinnest masonite I can get, frame and bend it, as you have done, and fini***he joins. Then, roller paint the primer, roller paint the blue sky, probably roller on the bands of lighter blue and blend with a brush, and then experiment with free-hand clouds AND stencils so that I can discuss the merits of each knowledgeably. First, though, I have to get my turntable foolproof (I'm trying to get the drive and track wipers to work better), and cut and wire sections of Flex-trak for the roundhouse. I like what I see in your image. Work looks great. I would describe the look on your face as 'bemused'.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Adelie Well, I'm not sure what I like the most. Planning: I enjoy this, but it is easy to get carried away and overdo it. Benchwork: I can get a lot of it done in an evening, so it is easy to see progress and feel good about the work. Subroadbed: Okay, I hate cutting the plywood, but I enjoy laying out the track centers. I can step back, improvise, get a mental image of what should go where (buildings, scenery, etc.) Sort of a creative process that makes the jig saw worthwhile. Roadbed/Track: When it goes well, it's great. When it doesn't, its awful. I always glued roadbed down, and I liked laying track a lot more when I started putting it down with adhesive. And when a section is done and set, you get to run trains over it under the guise of testing. Wiring: I'm an electrical/computer junkie, so that is not a problem. I don't love it, but I don't hate it, either. Scenery: Haven't gotten there yet. Painting rolling stock: I'm modeling a freelance line, so everything starts undecorated. When I'm in the mood, it is a lot of fun. When I'm not in the mood, they stay undecorated for a while. Each part has its fun and drudgery. Overall, there isn't anything that I don't enjoy to one degree or another. To borrow a golf saying: a bad day on the railroad is better than a good day at work.
QUOTE: Originally posted by scoobster28 Jacon, If you used joint compound then just smooth over the joints with a wet sponge instead of sanding. The stuff is water soluble!
QUOTE: Originally posted by Trainnut1250 Jacon, Your photo killed me......lol!!! You caught the paradox of Model railroading perfectly. The photo describes many moments I have had the last two years working on the new layout!!!!!
QUOTE: Originally posted by jshrade I hate to admit this.... but you're actually farther along than I am! lol I've got the basic framework of the layout done, still need to add a few more joists for the benchwork top (using combination tabletop and cookiecutter method), but I won't be able to buy the plywood for the top for at least another month or two. I don't like buying stuff a piece at a time, so I save up for a month or so in a 'railroad fund' and then deplete everything all at once buying whatever I need. lol I'm going to need around 9 sheets of plywood to finish everything, plus enough masonite to do the backdrop, like what you're working on in the picture. Fun stuff! Little by little though! I hope to at least have trains running (no scenery) by next winter. I am starting from scratch this time. I have a few 'toy' cars and some old Athearn locos, but since I'm going DCC only on this layout, I really don't want to use them for anything but collecting dust. lol Good luck getting there!
QUOTE: Originally posted by IRONROOSTER Actually, I enjoy the benchwork - just like working with wood. Plus it's a good chance to practice skills. Wiring is probably my least favorite. But I do enjoy it all coming together. Enjoy Paul
QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage Jarrell, Just so you know: the track goes horizonal on the plywood; NOT the masonite...[;)] [(-D] If it's any encouragement at all, it's looking good so far. [:)] I've found out that I really enjoy the model building aspect (scenery, structures, etc.) of MRRing. Much to my surprise, the other aspect that I have come to enjoy - and one that I didn't really consider before getting into the hobby - was the joy of learning the history of railroading, which helps me to better model my layout and make it more prototypical. There are other things that I have NOT tried yet so I don't know whether will like them or not. Tom
QUOTE: Originally posted by woodyjp I actually like the wiring a lot. I feel that there is nothing better then giving life to a new house or other building.
QUOTE: Originally posted by selector Some of us are especially interested in (and eventually more adept at) wiring, soldering, DCC and decoders, castings, kit-bashing, scenery, bench-building, and some of us just like to run trains. The soldering got to me, and then I started to get fed up with gluing structures together. I enjoyed the bench-building, scenery, wiring, castings, painting, and trestle building. So, you will have to grit your teeth some times, but you'll get through the not-so-interesting stuff. Personally, my next really big item (I've been demuring over it, and waiting to get a few $) is the backdrop, and I am starting to chomp at the bit. Wanna goooo!