Railroad Done..Now What?

K

kf4jqd

Active Member
Jan 13, 2001
1,176
0
36
54
Vonore, Tennessee Foothill's of the Great Smoky Mo
www.geocities.com
Hi Everyone:

I have never heard of anyone telling us what they do after their railroad is done. The last tree has been "planted". All the wiring is done. Buildings are in place. All the glues are dried up. Now what? :confused:

So now tell us what do you do after you are done. Do you show the railroad off to your friends and family? Do you let it set there and collect dust? Do you run your trains on it? Do you play an angry God and destroy it? Do you have other ideas to make settle changes? Do you just tear it apart and put it away. Now you can say,"I've done model railroading. Now what do I do?" Do you tear it all down and rebuild your model railroad world? Or do you say,"Andy my model railroad is so big that I will be long dead to finish it!" :eek:

Now you can share with us what you do! :wave:

What have I done? I have fixed my screw ups. Did some land scaping. I might tear my mountain down too! :eek:

Andy
 
I can't see how anyone could ever be really done? I always see room for more superdetailing, better scenery, redoing buildings to make them more real, pulling up the track and handlaying, another spur, more trees and brush, more trash, more people, more cars... more layout. I could see someone loosing interest and saying it was done, but I hope it don't happen to me. Fred
 
I agree with dash, you are never really done, there's always something else you want to do.

But your idea of destroying & starting over is something I have done a few times, wether it be to change the layout in the same scale or to switch to an entirely different scale. :D :D :D

I'm on my 9th layout now - in 20 years
 
"DONE"?????

What is that?

I know some fellows who have been working on their layouts for years and years... one fellow in our club is 75 years old, he started his layout 25 years ago, he just keeps adding or modifying. He says he always sees areas where he can improve the layout, plus he is big on operating the layout, he says there are endless varieties of ways he (and up to 3 firends) can operate the layout.

I cannot forsee my layout ever being "complete".
 
How about hitting the Virtual Disaster Button like on the Sim City games, and just wreak havoc on one area of the layout.:thumb: I bet pictures of Godzilla or a UFO ray-gunning part of your landscape would make for some awesome pictures!!!:eek: :eek: :eek: Then when the thrill of modelling all of the destruction is gone, you can rebuild with something new and improved!:D :D


R/
-doc
 
My HO switching layout is done as far as I am going to take it.I *might* add another mini scene or two some day-MAYBE. :D My N scale switching layout is finish except for adding some more cars,trucks and LPs. :wave: :D
What do I do? I sit back and enjoy the fruit of my labor and switch cars.. :thumb:
After all that is why I built the layouts and spent mega bucks on engines cars etc. :wave: :D
 
I finished one layout and sold it to make room for the next layout. Since then I completed a small portable layout that I'm now including in my larger home layout. I can see possibly finishing the scenery, wiring, and buildings in a few years, but the detailing will probably go on and on. Anyway there is always new rolling stock to work on, as well as projects for the club layout.
 
David and Brakie have the idea! You've built it...now its time to run it!! Have some fun learning about railroad operation and see how you can apply it to your layout. Set up trains to deliver and pick up cars, arrange train meets, whatever might fit with your particular scene. You've just created the stage...time for the play! :)
Ralph
 
You become the Railroad Baron and rule over your domain.

You dispatch trains, switch cars, transport grain, take over the interconnecting roads, fire crews, hire crews, act like a railroad mucky muck.

Smoke big cigars, enjoy fine meals, rare brandy, and a private railcar.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT'S NEXT .... WORLD DOMINATION, WHAT ELSE IS THERE !!!!! ???????????????
wink.gif
 
Done??? Ive never heard the word used in any sentance having to do with Model railroading.
Get out your surveying equipment and make them stockholders happy.Onward and upward,to the Ocean etc etc etc :D
 
If you intend to operate the railroad, it is never done.

I only know of one man who 'finished' his railroad. He had filled a car and a half garage with an HO layout. The day he 'finished' it, he stopped operating it and would just come out to the garage once or twice a week, turn on the light and just stand there and look at it, turn off the light and go back into the house. He had 'finished' it.

I have been working on my railroad since 1983 and it keeps changing as it tells me what it wants next. I may stop working on it some day, but I'll never be 'finished'.
 
Like others have said, we never get really to the point of saying its finished. My problem has been changeitis. I just nicely get going on a layout then decide I could do better and tear the old one down and start anew only to reach the "changeitis" point again. Will it never end?
 
Guys,Contrary to the popular beliefs model railroads can be finished ..look at the more famous ones. the AM,V&O,CMSF,Utah Belt,the Argentine Div just to name a few of the finish layouts.The layout at the club is finished. Now we all know most of the layouts I named has been torn down for many reasons but,still they was finish as far as the owners wanted to take them..So that old saying old" a layout is never finish" doesn't hold water with me. :D :thumb:
 
After a long layoff , Ive been back into this just over a year . Of the layouts that I've seen , two LARGE ones had been finished by their owners ( indivuals , not clubs ) . They were 8 or 10 years in the making . Interestingly , after being finished , both guys tore out a sizeable section of the layout and redid it . Amazing but true ....we are never finished .

Neil
 
brakie said:
Guys,Contrary to the popular beliefs model railroads can be finished ..look at the more famous ones. the AM,V&O,CMSF,Utah Belt,the Argentine Div just to name a few of the finish layouts.The layout at the club is finished. Now we all know most of the layouts I named has been torn down for many reasons but,still they was finish as far as the owners wanted to take them..So that old saying old" a layout is never finish" doesn't hold water with me. :D :thumb:
Click to expand...
A layout finished ... no way ... nature doesn't stand still so how can a layout
tongue.gif
rolleyes.gif
.

No wonder most of the railroads went broke
cry.gif
and what is left is headed that way
eek.gif
.

They all turned off the noodle
tongue.gif
when the "last" spike was driven
curse.gif
.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it even if proved wrong
biggrin.gif
.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom