“How long did it take you
to build your layout?” –
Part 1
B
ut of course, explanations are in order here. Before I
sat down to write this column today, I was exchang-
ing e-mails as usual with a nice group of modelers,
all layout builders. What started out as a discussion of trees
eventually morphed into a discussion of priorities, and it got
me thinking about the above question, something I must have
been asked hundreds of times in the past.
The honest answer is that it depends on what point you count
as The Starting Point. Because at this point in time, precious lit-
tle is left of the original layout I began about 23 years ago after
building my present house. In essence, the layout has largely
been totally rebuilt in-place over time.
The original layout was my first large layout, and occupied half
the basement, with my office and utilities consuming the bal-
ance of the remaining space. It was the first large layout I’d
ever built, and by the time I got all my track installed and had
it running, we soon identified many operational issues that
Getting Real column
by Mike Rose
I’m still not sure how to answer that question!
Getting Real Column - 1
