The Five Year layout building plan

Those of you poor demented souls that have not managed to avoid my ramblings in the current RM (tucked at the back beyond Junior Modeller) will have noted me taking a pop at the one subject modeller. This is of course very tongue -in-cheek but I do believe that a little of the other once in a while in scale and gauge terms is a very good thing. And a glance at the sidebar top left will show that this is something I've done repeatedly over the years. As far as I am concerned there are just too many things that I'd like to have a crack at and just not enough life to do them all. So I stick to not sticking and build small-ish, finishable layouts in order to scratch multiple itches. My usual building accomplice Nigel Hill has often be heard to mutter 'we can sit down with a dozen ideas and soon narrow it down to twenty.' And this can be the problem. Which is why about 18 month ago we drew up a 'five year plan'.

Why five years? Well it's not too long, and yet it gives enough scope that several things can be worked on at once - one could be at the layout build stage, another at the stock construction stage. And those shopping trips to shows have direction, so although we are in the midst of Norway (and North Wales) in HO we're keeping a eye open for suitable 7mm figures. Therefore the whole thing becomes quite efficient. So what are the five? The order was (note, was):

1. American HO. Probably called Wendy as they all seem to have to have girl's names.
2. Norwegian HO. Svanda
3. Wales 1980s Rhiw
4. O-16.5
5. O Early British

The reasoning behind the choices was based partly on cost, partly on using up what was in the cupboards and in the case of 1 -3 a common fiddle yard could be used saving time and effort.
Regulars will note that this neat list isn't what has actually happened. The American and the Norwegian should have been first as Nigel has a roomfull of Scandinavian stock and I had all the Einsford Mill stock all filed away in biscuit tins waiting to be used again. What did happen was that I bought some stock applicable to Rhiw and got a show invite which wound that forward on the list, and then the planning on Svanda hit a point where it could be started. So the order has changed.
Then there are the wildcards. Possibles extra to the list include: 4mm light railway, SR branch, the much discussed here AoC GWR branch, East Anglia diesels, 3mm, city trench and I do get the glad-eye with Bavarian tank locos - though I'd need to sell the house to buy any. So even if and when this list is finished and if I can resist my 009 junkie status there are at least two more five year plans available to me; which would probably see me out.

So as an addenda to my grumpy-faced photo in RM the concept of a five year plan in theory for those with railway wanderlust is good - there is SO much out there now and the world is our lobster.