RR Layout Musings

Any design, by definition, is a compromise. The layout was a compromise, limited by the area I had to work with, my lack of experience with building a real layout instead of just an oval of track, and so on. I'm very happy with how it turned out, but there are things I'd like to change:

- More rail sidings, for train operations - picking up/dropping off cars, etc. I have a few sidings, but these were built in as more of an afterthought than as part of the original plan.

- Wider curves, to allow operation of larger and more varied locomotives and rolling stock. Larger equipment than I currently have, especially locomotives, will not stay on the track in tight curves. If you try to make a tight turn in a long vehicle, and you can't make it in one try, you have to stop and back up and try again. For a train, it's the same basic idea - only when it gets to the point that it can't make the turn, it jumps off the track.

- Better integration of scenery with the track design - the scenery got better as I went along, but there are things I'd go back and change, such as the huge mountain taking up half of the layout. Nice to look at, but very limiting in terms of train operations.

Unfortunately, the layout right now is pretty maxed out in terms of what else it can accomodate. Putting in wider curves, or making room for more sidings, would require tearing up and redoing much of the existing track, which I don't have room for given the current design. But now that I've built it, and see what I did right and what I did wrong, I know how to do better the next time around.

So, I'm working on a new layout design. Because I've put in so much time and effort into the current one, I'd like something that allows me to build on what I have, rather than start over from scratch. Right now, I'm not about to start tearing it up, because it's hard to destroy something you've spent so much time building. Maybe in about a year. And then, I can start running beauties like this: