The Armchair Modeler And The Holy Grail

[andrechapelon]

Whom the model railroad gods would destroy, they first drive mad by providing a basement.

A clean, dry basement is the holy grail of just about any model railroader and the acquisition of said basement is bound to send the lucky acquirer of same into paroxysms of delight and dreams of model railroad grandeur. At least for a short time until reality sets in. Then and only then does it become glaringly obvious that old Lucifer has tricked one, and that what one thinks is supposed to be heaven is actually the other place. Trust me. I know whereof I speak. I recently acquired a basement. The fact that it is covered by some kind of structure (called a house, I think) and surrounded by nearly 2 acres of land is irrelevant. The only salient point is that I acquired a basement. A clean basement. A dry basement. A basement of such magnificent proportions as to satisfy nearly all my wildest dreams of layout building glory. Oh what a fool was I! I was Icarus flying ever closer to the sun and reveling in my newly won freedom. Wings, a basement, it matters not. It’s all false glory and ultimate doom.

The first thing I did after signing the papers on my lovely new basement was what any self-respecting layout builder wannabe would do. I measured its length, width and height. I then re-measured for the obligatory 8 times all the while whistling “Happy Days Are Here Again” before committing those dimensions to paper (well, at least length and width) and then began marking off where impediments to my would be empire might be located. You know. Impediments like the oil tank, the water treatment apparatus (we’re on a well), the stairwell, the boiler (we have baseboard hot water heat and the boiler provides hot water as well) and a few steel posts supporting whatever it is that’s located upstairs (I think it’s called a house). There were a few surprises there, but nothing I couldn’t work around.

Then I made the biggest mistake of my life. I asked myself what I would model in all that vast space given that I’m in HO scale.

My initial modeling inclination was San Jose, CA in mid-1954. Lots of steam. Lots of passenger trains. Lots of passenger train switching. The romance of the Coast Daylight and the Lark. Commuter trains running on short headways. I was stoked. Well, I was stoked until I calculated the cost of all those lovely brass Mountains, Pacifics and GS-4’s. Not to mention the 2-10-2’s and cab forwards for the occasional freight train and the odd switcher here and there. Even dieselizing the whole thing didn’t help because it was still too expensive. I gave up in disgust when I realized that the crew requirements for an operating session approximated those of a space shuttle launch and the cost of all that equipment exceeded the gross domestic product of India.

Not to be discouraged, I moved south to San Luis Obispo, where I could still have the Daylight and the Lark with the added attraction of helper service. Granted, I’d still have to shell out some serious coin for the motive power, but nowhere near as much as for a reasonably prototypical model of San Jose. I was in hog heaven for all of about 30 minutes. That’s when I discovered the fatal flaw. Just south of Horseshoe Curve, there was a wye for turning returning cab-forward helpers as the turntable in SLO wouldn’t take them. You can still see the grade for the wye from Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fit a wye with a tail track that would be long enough to turn a cab-forward. Not in the proper relative location and orientation anyhow. Without a properly oriented wye, the whole illusion would be shattered. My world was beginning to crumble.

Frantically, I tried other ideas. I tried Tehachapi only to discover I could either fit Caliente or the Loop, but not both and that there was no way I could model both Bakersfield and the Summit. Then I had a brilliant idea. I’d model the climb from Mojave to Summit. Fer cryin’ out loud, I’d lived in Mojave as a kid, surely I could figure out something. Even if the helper action weren’t as intense, there was always switching at the cement plant at Monolith. Not to mention the added attraction of Santa Fe power on either side of Summit. After all, not only was a 3751 class ATSF 4-8-4 available from Broadway-Limited, they had just announced they were going to do 3800 class ATSF 2-10-2’s. I didn’t realize it then, but I was beginning to slip into madness.

I tried to relax. I watched a video by Herron Rail Video on Maine Central’s Mountain Division. My prayers were answered. A helper operation powered by light Mikados. Short freights (prototypically probably no more than 35 to 40 cars long judging from what I saw). Only one wye (at Bartlett). Helpers returning backwards down hill. Pike sized passenger trains (3-5 cars) and a joint passenger operation with the Boston and Maine. Better yet, the pace of operations was sufficiently low-key that, in a pinch, the layout could probably be operated single handedly. It was doable. It was affordable. It was perfect. Well, except for that small fly in the ointment. I don’t know diddly about the Maine Central and I care less about the B&M (sorry, Dolkos, that’s just the way it is).

It was then that I realized that the madness was taking hold. I began making an enemies list, headed by Tony Koester and Bill Darnaby, those mavens of timetable and train order operation. Paul Dolkos joined them next, for the crime of writing “ How Big Should Your Layout Be?” in Model Railroad Planning 2004. Paul was joined shortly by David Barrow, the evil genius who came up with dominoes and minimalist scenery. Ted York made the cut for his Cajon Pass layout, followed by Keith Jordan, who gave us “The Colorful Surf Line” in the August Model Railroader. Keiths’s offense was a layout plan that, with some fairly minor modifications would actually fit in my basement. He must have known that my second love was the Santa Fe and that I could be easily swayed in my weakened condition. There are others sure to make the list. People like Allen McClelland, Eric Brooman and Andy Sperandeo. I’m not sure, however, that I’ll ever be able to complete the list. My wife informs me that there are some nice gentlemen who want to take me away to a more peaceful place. Apparently they have a model railroad there. In the basement.

[brothaslide]

Buy a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood and slap down a oval, run trains and get back to the "light".

[Big_Boy_4005]

Great story, I hope it has a happy ending, it should. I find myself in a situation where I share a few of your troubles. I went out and built a basement, and put a house on top. 1700 square feet unobstructed, except for 3 posts, which don't bother me.

One thing that I don't do, is dwell on what all of the big name modelers say. Every situation is different, and each person needs to find a design that makes him happy. The secret to layout design is not to try to be literal in your interpretation of a particular scenario. There is no way to fit everything into any amount of space, and if you do, it may be impossible to build.

In my case I've started construction, but the task seems so daunting. The space is club sized, but so far I am working alone. I know that I want people to come over and help operate it, but I may need to find a group to help with the construction.

I work very slowly, with a basic design and things kind of fall into place. So far I am very pleased with my results. If I can do it anyone can, the secret is to get out of the armchair. Good luck.[swg]

[Anonymous]

"You engli***ype cannot fool us with your silly knees bent running about."
I love how you put it in story form. It made me laugh while keeping my interested. Some say that planning is the hardest part. It's like standing on the side of a bridge with a bungee cord wrapped around your leg. The hardest part is stepping up and jumping off after that you get a great rush. I'll echo big boy and say that do waht makes you happy not what others say.

My problem is not that I can't fill my space. That I will go into the basement and say I can move something and expand. I fear one day I will build a helix up to the main floor of the house and then all heck breaks loose. I'm also scared I won't be able to find operators close to me and I won't be able to run my layout to the fullest. Good luck and happy modelling.
Andrew

[DonaldAgne]

Great story! Maybe MR will hire you as a staff writer and will let you build a layout in their basement with their funds. But, then again, with all the enemies you have made there, maybe not[:)]

[fec153]

Thanks for the laugh. Good story. Welcome to the asylum.

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Big_Boy_4005

Great story, I hope it has a happy ending, it should. I find myself in a situation where I share a few of your troubles. I went out and built a basement, and put a house on top. 1700 square feet unobstructed, except for 3 posts, which don't bother me.

One thing that I don't do, is dwell on what all of the big name modelers say. Every situation is different, and each person needs to find a design that makes him happy. The secret to layout design is not to try to be literal in your interpretation of a particular scenario. There is no way to fit everything into any amount of space, and if you do, it may be impossible to build.

In my case I've started construction, but the task seems so daunting. The space is club sized, but so far I am working alone. I know that I want people to come over and help operate it, but I may need to find a group to help with the construction.

I work very slowly, with a basic design and things kind of fall into place. So far I am very pleased with my results. If I can do it anyone can, the secret is to get out of the armchair. Good luck.[swg]

It will have a happy ending, eventually. I've only been in possession of a basement (34' 7" x 24' 7" interior dimensions) for just under 4 weeks. Not even enough time to let the wood for construction season before starting. And the basement does need to have proper lighting installed as a first step. Fortunately, it's of modern poured concrete construction and the walls don't really need to to be studded and sheetrocked. I haven't decided what to use as a backdrop material yet, but that seems to me to be a non-issue. In any case, I doubt I will start constructing anything for several months.

Actually, what I'm finding is that having a useable basement after having none for years (I'm a Californian who now spends 6 months a year in Maine) is akin to culture shock. There are so many possibilities. And I'm like you, if it has flanged wheels, I Iike it.

Regardless of what I might decide is the theme of the layout, there are issues of practicality that need to be addressed, the first of which is the fact that a rural location in a relatively under-populated state might make it difficult to assemble an operating (and/or construction) crew on a regular basis. That means I have to think long and hard about the scope of the layout. Size, per se, is not the issue. One could have a large layout dedicated to a more or less low traffic branch line (e.g. SP Monterey, or Santa Cruz or Santa Fe San Jacinto branch) or a short line. Even a fully freelanced railroad probably needs to have relatively modest traffic levels to be practical in my situation. We'll see. I've just joined the only model railroad club within a 60 mile radius and it will be interesting to see how many members show up week after week, especially those, who like me, have to drive at least 40 miles one way just to get there.

Most of the next few months to a year are going to involve a lot of thinking and multiple iterations of drawing up "givens and druthers" lists. Some things will be constant, like the era (steam/diesel transition). Others will be negotiable (e.g. passenger train switching is desireable, but not a have to have). Whatever I end up doing, the last month or so of brainstorming has been instructive in that I've managed to define the upper and lower limits of traffic density for my prospective layout. SP's line from San Luis Obispo to Santa Margarita in the early 1950's is at the upper end and the Monterey Branch is at the lower end (I just gotta have a passenger train that's longer than 3 or 4 cars). I use various SP lines as a benchmark as I am most familiar with the SP, not because I necessarily will build an SP oriented layout.

Andre

[Isambard]

Ah André Chapelon, I weep for you; although I am not sure whether the tears are from tristesse or laughter! Your namesake would have appreciated the challenge that you face. Courage mon Brave!

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Isambard

Ah André Chapelon, I weep for you; although I am not sure whether the tears are from tristesse or laughter! Your namesake would have appreciated the challenge that you face. Courage mon Brave!

Balderdash! My namesake only had to deal with steam locomotive design. A basement would have driven him to distraction.

Come to think of it, your namesake would had been driven stark raving mad by the prospect of trying to model a 7' gauge Great Western in a basement, Monsieur Brunel. Especially if you wanted to include the Saltash Bridge.

Lessee now. 7' gauge in OO scale is 28 mm.

Andre

[Anonymous]

That's funny, I had the similar thoughts with only 8X9 feet. It nearly drove me mad. It took several years and lots of therapy to get something figured out and to keep me from running down the street screaming in my undies [:D].

Seriuosly though, you'll get it figured out. Consider yourself envied by some of us space challenged modelers. Although I'm not too sure what would happen to me if I had that kind of space. I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't appreciate seeing me screaming naked down the street.[:D] Good luck to you. Your gonna need it[:D][:D] Thanks for the laugh.

Jeremy

[Isambard]

QUOTE: Originally posted by andrechapelon

QUOTE: Originally posted by Isambard

Ah André Chapelon, I weep for you; although I am not sure whether the tears are from tristesse or laughter! Your namesake would have appreciated the challenge that you face. Courage mon Brave!

Balderdash! My namesake only had to deal with steam locomotive design. A basement would have driven him to distraction.

Come to think of it, your namesake would had been driven stark raving mad by the prospect of trying to model a 7' gauge Great Western in a basement, Monsieur Brunel. Especially if you wanted to include the Saltash Bridge.

Lessee now. 7' gauge in OO scale is 28 mm.

Andre

Ah, but in HO 7' gauge is only 24.5 mm! However I have noted that the tide runs against broad gauge, thanks to George Stephenson, therefore his 4' 8 and 1/2 " standard gauge may have to apply in the end. The Saltash Bridge, while magnificent, would be a bit too much for any of the river crossings on the Grizzly Northern, although the CPR's bridge at Stoney Creek could be a possibility.

Isambard

[Anonymous]

andre, if you like santa fe you might consder the AT&SF north south line through oklahoma. not exactly california but with some unique but modelable features and some grand looking trains in the tranistion era. it would also be operational ( I think ) with a modest crew.

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Oklahoma Train Nut

andre, if you like santa fe you might consder the AT&SF north south line through oklahoma. not exactly california but with some unique but modelable features and some grand looking trains in the tranistion era. it would also be operational ( I think ) with a modest crew.

You talking about the line that went through Paul's Valley, OK? That's a possibility, I suppose, especially since MR ran a series back in th early 80's on building a layout based on the line. IIRC, the Texas Chief used that route, so it is a possibility. I do like Santa Fe's 1050 class 2-6-2's which were kinda plentiful in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. And Bachmann's 2-8-0's can be cobbled into a pseudo-2500 series Santa Fe Consol.

Andre

[Fergmiester]

I had to stop myself from reaching for the gun, then it dawned on me "I don't own a gun, darn" then I thought about turning on the gas, but alas I have electric heat so I did the next best thing

CHEERS!

Go freelance, it's less painful!

Regards

Fergie

[Anonymous]

There are options to the dilemna proposed in the opening thread. I thought I was going mad for the self-same reasons. I decided to let things sit and fester while I wandered off and blew an entire summer fishing in all my spare moments. Through it all, possibly sucking up some type of osmotic swill, I hit on the ideal (for me anyway) solution. Only use part of the basement. Yes, absolute heresy. So I then tried to fit the entire Great Northern into 12'x24'. Back outside, shoveling snow this time. In the end, over nearly 2 years, I finally decided to use the smaller space with the spaghetti bowl track plan substantially reduced and the scenery potential exponentially increased. Time has taught me I made the right choice, at least for me. I am not overpowered by the self imposed need to work like a dog forever to fill an auditorium (well, you know what I mean) sized space. I have ended up with a layout I have been able to build in a single lifetime without blowing a gasket. However (as in HOWEVER), I do not suggest that anyone contemplating reconstructing a full division of their favorite prototype should not proceed forthwith. This is, after all, a hobby that promotes individuality in every real sense.

May your 10,000 ft mainline never kink, may your trains never derail, may your track be self-cleaning, may all your electrical connections function forever, and may you never have a switch machine failure.

Tom

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

I had to stop myself from reaching for the gun, then it dawned on me "I don't own a gun, darn" then I thought about turning on the gas, but alas I have electric heat so I did the next best thing

CHEERS!

Go freelance, it's less painful!

Regards

Fergie

Are you kidding? With freelance I gotta come up with my own diesel paint scheme, I gotta decide which part of the country my pike would serve. I'd have to come of with a name, a numbering scheme for freight cars, a classification system for steam locomotives, a color scheme for passenger cars.......

In short, I'd have to invent reality.

Oh wait a minute. I'm being driven to madness anyway.

Never mind.

Andre

[Anonymous]

fantastic post - best of luck

[Fergmiester]

QUOTE: Originally posted by andrechapelon

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

I had to stop myself from reaching for the gun, then it dawned on me "I don't own a gun, darn" then I thought about turning on the gas, but alas I have electric heat so I did the next best thing

CHEERS!

Go freelance, it's less painful!

Regards

Fergie

Are you kidding? With freelance I gotta come up with my own diesel paint scheme, I gotta decide which part of the country my pike would serve. I'd have to come of with a name, a numbering scheme for freight cars, a classification system for steam locomotives, a color scheme for passenger cars.......

In short, I'd have to invent reality.

Oh wait a minute. I'm being driven to madness anyway.

Never mind.

Andre

You will find the following truths as you pursue the Holy Grail Track.

Madness is a state of mind

Most of us MR's will eventually attain that state or get a real life as the stress is too great.

Never look away for too long, for if you do the layout before you will compel you to tear it down and start from scratch. And yes they will come!

But only to take you away.

Regards

[johncolley]

Hello, you have my sympathies. Here is a trick which might help you solve your dilemma. A good friend did it with excellent results. Look south! The great majority of layouts look north with west on the left and east on the right. Make a drawing of your basement, make a bunch of copies and try some sketches of your layout the opposite way, North (railroad eastbound) to the left and South (westbound) to the right. If you have a large basement also try doing some mushroom plans ala Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Line of the SP. There are many paths to reach your goal, grasshopper!

[andrechapelon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by johncolley

Hello, you have my sympathies. Here is a trick which might help you solve your dilemma. A good friend did it with excellent results. Look south! The great majority of layouts look north with west on the left and east on the right. Make a drawing of your basement, make a bunch of copies and try some sketches of your layout the opposite way, North (railroad eastbound) to the left and South (westbound) to the right. If you have a large basement also try doing some mushroom plans ala Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Line of the SP. There are many paths to reach your goal, grasshopper!

John,

I had a whole long reply with multiple modeling scenarios I was going to post when I inadvertantly lost it all. So here's the (really) short version.

I want to stay away from complicated construction, so a mushroom or just isn't in the cards. A partial double decker is a possibility, but only if I do a helper operation and possibly not even then.

Most of the prototype areas I would consider modelling actually run north to south, so facing south isn't actually on option. Freelanced locations are a different matter, but even then, I find that I tend toward fictional lines that run more north/south than east/west. In any case, I also look at the possibility of trying a different orientation. Example follows.

In the August, 2004 issue of MR, Keith Jordan's plan for the ATSF Surf Line is oriented so that a person standing in the middle of the basement is more or less in the Pacific Ocean. I checked the plan versus my basement, and, were I to build the plan, it would fit much better if it were oriented so that the operating crew is looking at the ocean from the land side. The re-orientation is really only a problem at San Clemente, which has bluffs above the track (nice if you're in the ocean, not so nice if it forces you to look down at the track from the land side on a layout). OTOH, I don't consider San Clemente to be worthwhile operationally and I would also eliminate San Onofre (for the same reason) and give more room to San Juan Capistrano and the citrus packing plant there as well as letting Oceanside expand a bit (I also prefer the post war era to pre-war).

As for my "dilemma ", it's actually quite fun. It allows me at long last to consider seriously what kind of a layout I want to build. IOW, all the things I've thought about in the past as being things I might like to do are now forced to face the test of reality. Ultimately, it's going to be a process of elimination. I basically know what I want the theme to be, it's just a matter of deciding on how best to execute it.

Andre