Considering a redesign or relocation of your garden RR?
Having seen abandoned garden RRs for all the wrong reasons, I offer the following - which I posted under a previous topic.
One BIG question any designer of change may ask is from what point in the yard is any revised railroad going to be seen? Do people expected to walk up to the layout or is it designed to be clearly seen and enjoyed from a nearby patio? Is there a nearby patio? Are there places to sit and watch? Is the design requirement from one member of the family – an accomodation to “allowing” a section of the yard for trains? Here’s my take on the critical need to speed time discussing BOTH the location of the layout and its configuration and the place from which it is to be observed:
1 - If the layout can be seen in its entirety without any head movement by the observers, it may soon be boring - such as staring at a small acquarium. Note the difference between watching train movement on an “L” shaped dog bone layout and looking at a 20 x 10’ layout from the same distance patio. If the entire 20 x10’ can be watched in one static glance, and the dog bone can not, one choice is percieved as “animated” and the other may not.
2 - If the layout can not be part of a social evening because guests walk to the layout, see it, say a few comments, hear a short speech from the host, and then return to the event location – patio, family room, etc. for the evening – the entire “see the train” event can become a few short minutes visit and efforts to lengthen that visit seen as an intrusion by the “other host.”. Anyone ever heard, “now, let me show you this!” The immediate response: “Later, dear, dinner is served!” A layout integrated into the social climate, running or not, is a garden easily visible from the social event location. Now, guests can watch or comment as they wish. Hosts can easily shut off the train if it proves a distraction (at least off with the sound) thus leaving only the garden and parked trains as stimulation and a compliment to the host and guest’s surroundings.
Our layout is a two-level garden feature directly off our patio. Both the patio and train area are designed to be integrated. After the trains have run for a while, and it starts to get dark, a street car makes its back-'n-forth trips on a single line after the other two trains are long shut down. The overly stated brillant lighting in the street car illuminates the plants traversing along a brick wall – a super visual effect during dinner. Because of the simple wiring and stainless steel track, there is no monitoring the operation such as at one of our friend’s layout: “Hey! Dad! The train’s off the track” as the host leaves the patio dinner table to walk across the lawn to shut down the derailed event. One more of those interruptions and there may not be another “train at dinner”. Because their train is clearly outside of the social event area, any maintenance is seen as a big social interruption – besides, the guests have seen it already during their arrival show 'n tell, and have stopped watching because it is simply too far away. Having areas near the garden RR whereby guests can take their social drinks or meals to the trains makes sense if the layout is integrated into and a compliment to a large yard. Obviously, people do eat in groups if there are locations to do so.
Any hobby that is a social distraction will be a source of conflict in a family – guaranteed.
Okay, that’s my take. I know if I hired any designer, or wanted a new garden RR layout, I would make clear the criteria of location in the yard related to where social gatherings are occuring before any pencil was on paper.
What’s your experience?
Wendell
