After the initial excitement of getting the "big" L&SE layout up and running, I lost momentum and had a hard time getting going again; it's been a good six months since I did any work on it. At first I blamed it on getting busy with school and then the holidays. Then I built the Lockwood Creek diorama, followed quickly by the PNW caboose, and then the Amargosa Depot and the Desperados Waiting for a Train diorama. I had no trouble finding time or motivation for any of those projects, which led me the wonder if the problem was the layout itself.
I've been reflecting on this the last several weeks, and looking at other layouts and talking to other modelers at Gary Beatty's Mini Festa Fiesta this past weekend, I'm approaching some conclusions.
Clearly, I like building smaller, more focused projects, telling a small, focused story. The problem with the L&SE layout is that, while there is a story behind it, the layout is really one big, rather unfocused scene. At least as it stands, there is no natural division into smaller focal points.
When I was working on layout designs, I thought about doing an island or peninsula-style 4 x 8, or maybe something a tad larger. As much as 4 x 8's are maligned by "serious" modelers, part of the advantage is that with a view divider down the center, a 4 x 8 really gives you 16 feet of "frontage" -- 24 feet if you count the ends. Assuming a view block running down the middle, it's naturally divided into at least two distinct scenes, and you have to walk from one place to another to follow your train, enhancing the sense that the railroad is going somewhere. I opted for the along-the-wall layout because the benchwork was already there, and I wouldn't need to claim any additional floor space.
I spent some time looking at Eric Scott Willams' White Lightning & Yukon at Gary's on Saturday, and chatting with Eric. The WL&Y is, I believe, just 44 x 92 inches, but it seems much larger, and is really tall. I didn't take any pictures, but here's one I grabbed from Facebook:
So I'm back looking at some of my 4 x 8 designs again.
My last-go around, I drew a bunch of versions using Peco On30 track. I prefer the look of Micro Engineering's track, though their turnouts take up a little more space and they have a more limited selection of pieces. I redrew my favorite version with ME track, and one Walthers 20/24 HO curved turnout (PN 83062).
The station shown is the Full Circle Models one I just finished building. The turntable is the same size as the Kitwood Hill one that I have, and the mine is the Mount Blue kit. Other buildings TBD. If I can recycle all the track (which should be possible) I just need one more ME turnout (a left, if I'm counting correctly) and the one Walthers curved turnout. I might have enough flex track, or might need a few more sticks.
Here's one way it might sit in the room:
Here's a different room layout:
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