friend joked my headstone could feature the epitaph “Here lies
a model railroader who stuck with it”) but what would be the
point of spending time, effort, and money to build a layout that
I didn’t find truly satisfying?
Prototype CV or Freelanced SNE?
There’s no better fuel for the model railroad Internet to erupt
into an all-out flame war than the “prototype vs. freelance
debate.” Suffice to say the prototype freelancing concept
works, and I certainly enjoyed it. It made it possible for me to
model a steam-era railroad on a fairly limited budget. I simply
wanted to do something a little more prototype specific this
time around.
I will add one cautionary note for any of those freelancers who
are still reading. A prototype-based layout, especially on a
relatively seldom-modeled road like the CV, will be a one-of-a-
kind unique creation. However, with the quantity, and quality
of product available today you run a real risk with any type of
“freelancing.”
When faced with a large layout to populate with everything
from rolling stock to structures, I fell into the trap of purchasing
commercial products that look “close,” or were “good enough
for now” – even if they really look nothing like their full-sized
New England counterparts. The risk is the resulting layout soon
looks like another version of everyone else’s.
Not this time. Focus is my new watchword. If it isn’t appropri-
ate for the time and place I’m modeling on the chopping block
“A prototype-based layout, especially on a
relatively seldom-modeled road like the CV,
will be a one-of-a-kind unique creation.”
