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What are you modelling? trains? ...you don't need track...you can put them on a shelf on the wall track? ... who models track? you could put that on a shelf... railroads?... now that could be different... what do you want? endless switching? trains going by? an escape from the life partner? to impress visitors? the pleasure of planning? the pleasure of building? the pleasure of sitting back and doing whatever you really want with it... Now that is the real question.... the one we should ask first.... so many people put so much into the thing and end up disatisfied... so we need (I needed) to ask "What do i want to have at the end"? Part of the whole hobby is hunting down the information and bits part is the whole social side part is the construction... benchwork, wiring, planning...oops, got the order wrong... Those of us old enough started with tinplate and clockwork in a circle on the lawn. You aint never going to model Techapi in 0 scale... Ever tried to put together a photo fit or video fit? After 40 years (at least) of toy trains I have realised that the crucial question is "What do I want from my HOBBY"? My dog does what I tell him...so should my hobby. It's there for me. If I want scale length... then I have to accept the restrictions that imposes. if I want to run a service and switch cars in and out of industries... I adjust accordingly... if I visit with another modeller I don't impose what I want for my layout. If I go to an Indian restaurant I don't ask for egg fried rice. I was a signalman, I have published information on UK signalling and operating practice...so people write and ask me "Where do I put the signals"? I write back and ask "What service do you want to run, what are your line speeds..."? and other boring stuff. Most say "I don't want to bother with that, just tell me where to put them"...answer, "Where you think they look pretty". A few get into a dscussion. the best go further and work things out for themselves from the discussion... the issue is...do you want an image or do you want to comprehend what you are trying to represent. One is not better than the other. BUT... if you want to portray a diorama type ""historical"" image...like a battle scene, out -of-scale parts and signalling for Central Station on a logging line (If they don't do it there they do do it here) isn't going to fill the bill. Then again... if you want to do you own thing... design trains for the Goblin King if you want...then why not? We're supposed to enjoy it! Something I enjoyed... in a RR modeler's mag... description of a club meet forum in which an "expert" advocated total realism... use metal for metal, wood for wood... as he got on to describing scenery modelling and started shovelling mud his fellow club members started edging to the back. then he got to making rock cuts...authentically... with dynamite...
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