What Now !!!!!

[JeremyB]

Hi Guys

This may sound like quite a stupid question, but What Can I do On My layout now? Let me further explain I have a 4X8 layout that's pretty much done I have bascially all the scenery done and alot of buildings but I don't know what to do now. I live in an Apartment and starting over again would be quite a project in itself ( AND I HEAR PEOPLE SAY THEY DON'T HAVE SPACE,LOL ) anyways back to my question does anybody have any advice that can get those creative juices going again.

Jeremy

Ps I know that you guys can't see the layout, but any advice would be great.

[leighant]

What to do? OPERATE. You can have an interesting one-hour operation putting a train together on one side of the layout where there is a spur that represents a connection with another railroad. Put together a train of the cars that need to run to the town represented by one or two spurs on the other side of the layout. Run around the layout two or three times to represent the trip. When you "arrive" in the other town, switch the cars into spurs where they are needed and pick up cars that are loaded going somewhere else or empty going somewhere to be loaded. If you don't have a runaround, run the loco all the way around the layout to get at the correct end to run cars back in the opposite direction. When you return to the starting terminal, switch outgoing cars to the interchange track. And you are running a railroad. WHAT ELSE TO DO? Superdetail. If you have built the buildings and scenery you need, add detail. Fences around the houses and mailboxes and electric meter boxes and a doghouse and streetsigns on the corner and...and...and...

[Anonymous]

Hmm, get some more locos or rolling stock. Or try investing in some diffrent buildings ex: take off some of the buildings and put new ones on. (if you can)

[AggroJones]

Weathering. I'm artistically inclined and specialize in weathering. Start aging everything on the layout. Begin with some of the rolling stock to get your feet wet. Tinker with washes, drybrushing, airbrushing, brush streaking as you master how to create certain effects. Start on your less important cars. As you practice, you will get better and better results.

TTFN

[Dough]

Do your powerpoles have wires? If so, do you have drop downs to each building? Did you see the recent post about this?

[Anonymous]

Add more details, just imagine yourself living there and see if anything's missing. That's how I found out those alleys were a little too empty! (by the way, detailing the interior of structures is a very good idea, just add some lights so it can be seen)

[Hawks05]

add onto it. wether it be another 4x8 piece or smaller just add another piece to the layout and expand it. weather stuff. operate it. i mean thats what you did it for right.

[dehusman]

Many good suggestions.
Improve your car building skills. Challenge yourself with some more difficult kits.
Weathering is an art, try different weathering techniques.
Try scratchbuilding some structures or cars.
Install DCC as a prelude to some thing bigger.
Use a list or car card system to operte your layout.
Use the time to do research on your favorite RR, buy books, both RR histories and picture books.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

My favorite thing to do, Go back and add detailed lit interiors in all your structures. Its a nice relaxing fun project that doesn't take up any more layout room and gives you an extra chance to show off your creativity.

another thing that might be cool Install a couple of operating two aspect signals.; They can be made with a couple of Bachmann, Signal Kits, two Grain of what bulbs, a swtich control box and an Atlas Stnap relay. and it allows you to not only run your trains, but give your self the role of dispatcher and give your self permission to run your train to.

James.

[Anonymous]

Make sure to include some privys. If you can make a scale copy of MR or Trains, so much the better! Make sure to include other paper, keep the reading material intact.

Maybe DCC, so you might could crash into each other if you are not careful.

And detail detail, detail! Maybe you did crash, put some debris around, figures inspecting the mess, and a crane, or sideboom, depending on your era. The old John Allen, and lately Coal Belt stories (can't remember the fellow's name) are always fun to read.

Wonder what's coming in April...?

[Anonymous]

Build a new industry. Just adding a spur line and a simple 1x1 or 1x2 square foot addon and you can add some new rolling stock to your layout and increase your buisness without to much space. Try something like a Walthers Northern lights power plant with all the details and have one of the walls removed flu***o the edge of the layout so that you can easily see inside.

[Anonymous]

Jeremy:

Look at your people. Do you have enough of them doing the right things to look lifelike? Most of the prepainted ones look like wedding cake toppers... Try dulling the clothing. Put on hats where appropriate. Paint a patch on a childs bum or knee. Have some children playing a game...Tag, ball, Red Rover...whatever comes to mind..

Puts some animals around...particularly birds...nesting...a hawk on a telephone pole...birds drinking from some standing water. Cat stalking the brids...dog shaddowing the cat...any little tableau.

Add interesting details to each building...make a point of having one eye arresting detail for the observent...little private jokes work well...know a terrible cook? Use their name on the window of the diner :) Know a Bumbstead woodworker...he gets the hardware store. Use period appropriate names on your passenger cars....name the club car after President Clinton...the dining car after President Taft...the possibilities are endless...or nearly so.....

How about digging us some of the infrastructure....dig a ditch to put in water or sewer lines...or open an existing lines ditch to do repair work....Same with track work....Make some MoW cars...a good way to get into scratchbuilding...take some old horrid car and convert it....how about having your shop people do it near your lines shops?

Add some pools of water or standing oil....all layouts are too dry to believe....How about a small pool near the water or oil tanks....Do these tanks have realistic plumbing showing? I seldom see anyone cleaning up....make a rake and put some poor guy to work.....Plant some trees...and have a work gang doing it....

Break a window or two...pull off some shingles....peeling hand bills on walls....or on a utility poll...Make your rail empire look lived in!!!!

Good Luck and have fun

Randy

[JeremyB]

thanks for all the suggestions everybody