I keep seeing Michael McCarthy’s layout in the pictures on the right on the home page and I’m admiring his approach: get something running no matter what the apparent limitations.
Wow. It wouldn’t hurt me to take a few pages out of his book!
John,
I am struggling with this also. I realize that building the layout of m dreams will take time. Better to get a loop of track down and a loco to run around it then I can add, build, and improve.
I built a practice loop, then I added a return loop. Then I took out the practice loop and made a point to point with a reverse loop on each end. I elevated the second half and wish I could raise the first …
Point is; evolution is good.
John
Thanks
I agree that’s how I started. Get some track down and take it from their. Plus you can have trains running while building the expansion. I have seen to many people spend years building the layout before ever running. I would never have the patience for that lol…
We tried to explain that idea to Stacy. He was going to build an empire, but we all told him to get some track down and play. To just build and not play tends to make the whole thing become work, and then it just languishes, unfinished.
Definitely, I easily tend to fall in to the group that Shawn just mentioned (years building before…), but that’s also why I try to do pointed easy things too. I spent years planning and getting or homes yard built and landscaped, and now we are moving.
Full story: http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/22298/the-railroad-that-never-quite-ha
Fortunately, I put down a simple (one track) dog bone in the yard to play with while I was planing and building. I learned a lot from it and got to run a little too. I’m hoping to have my ruby bash done by spring so I think I’ll probably put a little 4’ diameter based layout out in the yard while we try to sell the house. It’ can’t just be all work for them, there has to be some use and enjoyment from that too.
Originally, I thought that working on prepairing roadbed to insure track would work right when running trains was the way to go… I always thought that derailments on un-level, un-even track might aggravate them enough to put a damper on the hobby…
However, a few friends have had the idea to lay track and get something running and enjoy running a train… They accomplished this and were happy with the results, then they could work on and maintain/expand as they liked…
Guess there’s pro’s and con’s for every method…
So, I say ““do what you feel and enjoy it””…
I subscribe to the “Just do it” camp as well. My first outdoor track was just a loop in the dirt. But I learned quite a few things from that simple loop. Version 2 moved indoors and kept me busy while I decided what I wanted to do outside. Version 3 (the basis of the current layout) happened when my youngest noticed that the level of the indoor track was even with a window across the room from which the railroad escaped to the outdoors.
My first loop…
John take the advice of the responders here and get something going. No one started off with the best layout ever, it was a learning process, even more so when playing in the great outdoors.
This was phase 2 of my RR. Phase one was a pile of rocks and dirt.
Dig that crazy grade… I had no idea. The run was lengthened to ease the grade.
(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/capecodtodd/_forumfiles/aBeforeshot.jpg)
Here is a photo of phase 3. Getting better all the time.
I do wish I had started with wider curves throughout the RR. I have replaced most 5’ diameter with 8’ and the 8’ with 10’ wherever I could but there are 2 tunnels that have the tigher curves in them.
Another thing is when you do start to build be sure to take a break and run a train even if it is only to the end of the line where you are working.
Happy RRing
I built my GR a little differently. When I retired, I knew I was going to move my small layout from the basement to the outdoors.
I finally had a track plan I liked. I acquired the space I needed in the back yard. I roughly knew from the track plan how much track I needed and turnouts.
So I was going to build it like a major backyard landscaping project. I estimated the fill and ordered in over one hundred yards of pit run fill. I already had the boulders from a sewer project down my street.
Meanwhile all the track was ordered.
I broke ground one morning in October and didn’t stop until all the fill, boulders, canyons, etc were built. All the concrete was poured for footings. It took me about 2 months.
That winter was spent in the shop building all the trestles and bridges.
The following April the track was laid and the bridges installed.
Now I could run trains and start to plant and build buildings and features at my leisure.
I knew that if I didn’t build it all at once, I probably wouldn’t never finish it the way I wanted.
The idea of “getting some track down” wouldn’t work in the long run. Track would be in the way of future expansion, etc.
I dunno John. I think your “just do it” moment came when you built indoors.
It doesn’t matter if indoors or out; getting some track down somewhere and running a train starts the creative juices flowing. My true beginnings (Version 0 if you are keeping score) were around a Christmas tree with just a 4 foot circle. The next year that expanded to add a three track stub yard for some switching fun.
Cape Cod Todd nails it right here - ‘I do wish I had started with wider curves throughout the RR.’
Build the biggest radius you can fit or afford or both- space taken up like this can never be big enough.
My 28 foot diameter track fits in my 30 foot wide backyard, and I can run ANYTHING on it.
tac
Ottawa Valley GRS
You are right, Jon. I hadn’t thought about that. I had a basement layout for 20 years, prolly.
Carry on guys! Never mind me. Get some track down, either inside or out.
I’m at the other end of the spectrum, if it can be planned I plan it — to the best of my abilities. Which means there have been one or two items where the plan was proven insufficient. as they say “SH”. 
I say toss some track down and get something running-not saying do not do your research. Just don’t spend years planning and complaining about scales and standards.
Coming from a few decades in HO, I was in Andy’s camp, worried about uneven track, derailments etc. Then one day I decided to throw caution to the wind, laid a dogbone loop down to see what would happen. I was and am amazed at how resilient the large scale trains were in overcoming imperfections in track work and other items.
Several, such as Brother Greg and George Schreyer have created excellent websites with tips to make your pike a lot more reliable and fun to operate. (I thank them both, refer to them often.)
As time as gone on, I have made adjustments here and there, broaden a curve, up-sized a switch etc…nothing that the real railroads have not done.
Last Saturday I was in Cajon Pass noting that the evidence of a reroute (result of derailments) is slowly being reclaimed by nature.
Most important, have fun, enjoy the hobby and try to bring others in.
Once you put some track down then the bug hits. Build build. Later RJD