Claire
There is a way to salvage track and other stuff that has been laid down. When I redid a module I salvaged the track and switches by soaking old towels with windshield washer solvent and laying it on the track. It softens the glue in the ballast and took a little putty knife and an old brush. The track and turnouts were reused on another module after a little cleaning. The ballast is not reusable but the cost of it is small. Saving those $20 turnouts was great.
Good luck and welcome to the hobby.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
Do not worry too much about finished or not finished; I have had maybe 6 or more layouts (a couple large ones) and never finished any of them, mostly due to moves to a new job. There is always something more to do on a layout, large or small / big job or small - you will know when the time comes to take it apart and start over. Salvage what you can, put the rest in the dumpster and don't look back, except at your photos.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Clair,
I enjoyed your layout and your website is very interesting too!
One thing I didn't see mentioned in the responses (maybe it was buried in there somewhere) was to just add on. Not sure how much space you have to devote to trains, but the tradition of adding on to an early layout is a strong one - google John Allen. His Gorre and Dephetid started out small and eventually filled his basement from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.
As long as you're having fun, you're doing it right!
Eric
I wish I was a headlight
On a northbound train
You should see some of my disasters! lol!
I had to change plans about 5 times before I came up with something that worked. From what I saw I don't think that you'd have that difficult a time as i had---or others for that matter.
We be a friendly bunch here--don't be afraid to ask what, to you, might seem a dumb question. We answer them!
And yes, keep those buildings etc---they'll always come in handy---for kitbashing and who knows what all else
Have fun!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Don't feel bad. We all need to start with a clean slate at least once in our lives. It isn't just in this hobby, it could be our careers, relationships, or other pursuits.
I have kind of started over in this hobby and the main thing I have learned from is that it has been a great experience. I saw your work and you have done many wonderful things with your diorama. Don't destroy all of it. You should keep the structures, vehicles, and figures. If you are a subscriber to Model Railroader, you can search the Track Plan Database and get a general idea of how you want your trains to move.
And last, but definitely not least, always feel free to ask questions on here. I look forward to your progress. If you can build a diorama like you did, I can't wait to see what you are going to do with your trains.
Will
Dear Trains.com wonderful people,
So. I should have joined this forum many ages ago. The posts I got in reply to my query were 1) helpful 2) nice and kind 3) terrifying. Because most of you said the same things: start over! I went and looked at my oval "island" and thought "Yeaaaahhhh..." Then I thought "oh no." then I thought "wait a minute... this hobby is not about being FINISHED with it. In fact, being FINISHED would be the worst thing possible... so why not?"
I'm still in denial, though. I think about all those dollars spent on the woodland scenics stuff and weep silently. Then I rationalize: "But I could keep the oval and then just... you know... do some other stuff around it..."
One of the first replies I got was about "are you into the scene or the train"? And at first I was just into getting a model of my city (clearly Baltimore=Detroit). But now I'm kinda into the train. I mean, if nothing is moving on the whole layout what's the point? and if it's going in circles, what's the point? I can have switching and multiple engines!
Baltimore's a big train town, as you know. When I was younger I used to go sit on this hill near Mt. Royal Station and watch the CSX freight trains run under the antique train-shed down there, or sneak down into the tunnels where the passenger trains ran and watch the faces go by. (NOT SOMETHING I RECOMMEND FOR THE YOUTH OF TODAY!) I think I made some mistakes in building this layout but as you all said, that happens all the time. So--I think I need to rethink it all.
The links are AMAZING--I searched so long and hard for these kinds of articles--why are they not in Google? And all of your layouts are unreal. I can't even believe half of this stuff you all do.
So, in conclusion, I plan to spend a lot of time here lurking about and learning and THEN tear it up, and will keep you posted.
(I am on Facebook if you want to friend: http://www.facebook.com/claireccarton)