Oregon Joint Line N Scale

[davefoxx]

At the risk of further TRW thread drift, I started thinking further about @coldriver’s statement, “I've learned that building the layout is way more interesting than having the layout!”  So, if you could have your dream layout built for you free of charge and you didn’t have to lift a finger, what would you do?  I know I couldn’t be satisfied with that.  There’s something about building it myself.  In my view, it’s not always the destination but the journey to get there that makes this hobby so appealing.

DFF

[EJN]

At the risk of further TRW thread drift, I started thinking further about @coldriver’s statement, “I've learned that building the layout is way more interesting than having the layout!”  So, if you could have your dream layout built for you free of charge and you didn’t have to lift a finger, what would you do?  I know I couldn’t be satisfied with that.  There’s something about building it myself.  In my view, it’s not always the destination but the journey to get there that makes this hobby so appealing.

OTOH, this is a direct quote from one of Tony Koester's books (The Allegheny Midland - Lessons Learned):

"Realistic operations are more than icing on the cake. In fact, I see operations as the cake, everything else is pure decoration.
As much as I wanted to create the visual tapestry of the Appalachian ridges and valleys, the main point was to simulate the daily work of a busy
coal hauler that also had to handle heavy overhead (bridge) traffic and a pair of passenger trains with dispatch."


I was kind of surprised at @coldriver's statement, because it is clearly designed for operations. For those who do not read the MRH forums you might be unaware that the layout was featured in the June 2023 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist and the article did touch on operations.

https://online.fliphtml5.com/buups/mdzd/index.html#p=1

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[mu26aeh]

Make me happy now,  never again .... 😕

[Dave V]

At the risk of further TRW thread drift, I started thinking further about @coldriver’s statement, “I've learned that building the layout is way more interesting than having the layout!”  So, if you could have your dream layout built for you free of charge and you didn’t have to lift a finger, what would you do?  I know I couldn’t be satisfied with that.  There’s something about building it myself.  In my view, it’s not always the destination but the journey to get there that makes this hobby so appealing.

DFF

You know what? Me neither. I feel like it wouldn't be my "dream layout" if I didn't build it myself. Even the crap I don't enjoy as much (wiring, soldering track, etc.). It's all about the build for me.

[Jbub]

You know what? Me neither. I feel like it wouldn't be my "dream layout" if I didn't build it myself. Even the crap I don't enjoy as much (wiring, soldering track, etc.). It's all about the build for me.

It's the difference between creating art and buying art...

[coldriver]

OTOH, this is a direct quote from one of Tony Koester's books (The Allegheny Midland - Lessons Learned):

"Realistic operations are more than icing on the cake. In fact, I see operations as the cake, everything else is pure decoration.
As much as I wanted to create the visual tapestry of the Appalachian ridges and valleys, the main point was to simulate the daily work of a busy
coal hauler that also had to handle heavy overhead (bridge) traffic and a pair of passenger trains with dispatch."


I was kind of surprised at @coldriver's statement, because it is clearly designed for operations. For those who do not read the MRH forums you might be unaware that the layout was featured in the June 2023 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist and the article did touch on operations.

https://online.fliphtml5.com/buups/mdzd/index.html#p=1

(Attachment Link)

I've surprised myself - I would have counted myself in line with Tony K going into the OJL.  I always wanted a big ops oriented layout but wasn't particularly keen on building one, in part because I didn't believe I had the skills to pull off what I was envisioning.  But I typically only averaged four op sessions per year (it was a big effort prepping and getting a crew together for a 12 to 15 operator session) which left a whole lot of time for me to be alone with the layout between sessions.  Ultimately, I found building those big scenes to be so enjoyable that it started to feel like the op sessions (and those Youtube videos I was producing) were getting in the way of the construction fun I was having.  And it really felt like a big let down once all the big scenes were complete - I had all sorts of goals to work on body mounted couplers, loco detailing, etc but I got very little enjoyment out of those efforts and quickly abandoned them. 

[Ed Kapuscinski]

(and those Youtube videos I was producing) were getting in the way of the construction fun I was having. 

Noooo! Say it ain't so!

I really enjoyed those. They're some of the most entertaining model railroad ops content out there.