Partly reposted from Friday, 6 April 2018
New layout thoughts
There is always the 'Five year plan' to consider.
Regulars will know that this has become a bit of a joke recently as it took eight years and didn't get completed. The original FYP was the following:
1. American HO switch yard or similar.
2. South Wales 80s OO.
3 Norwegian HO secondary line.
4. Small 0-16.5 as a warm up to...
5. O gauge early or light.
2, 3 and 4 got built. . 1,2, and 3 were originally designed to use a common FY which worked to a degree with the Rhiw yard being quickly transferred to Svanda. That's the history, but what about the future? Here's the possible new list:
1. American HO switch yard or similar.
2. Something Southern Region (possibly Kentish) in 00.
3. Rhiw Mk2. The first version was abandoned after a few shows and the RM article for various reasons, but mainly the front operation which is just stupid as far as I'm concerned.
4. N gauge WR. A revisit of the Unnycoombe stock with a slight lean toward the diesels.
5. Son of the AotC.
Now 2023
The above is what was originally planned and then the review of this in 2018, for no particular reason it's worth seeing what got done and what didn't (and why not). The Five Year Plan was a list of possibles drawn up by self and Mr. Hill to try and maximise what was in stock and avoid flights of fancy and buying frenzies. To some extent it has been a great success in that it channelled the planning and kept costs down to a ridiculously low level. I don't take this point too seriously, but Mr. Hill will actually work out what his modelling costs him in a time/material/spend ratio... it's pence. Really. Pence.
From the original list only the American was not built, the O gauge could be said to have been done under the Peco-funded layout Oake. This never made the intended Warley show due to Covid, but boxed ticked.
The second list: American again, the AotC Mk2 is very unlikely and the Unnycoombe Mk2 has, like the O gauge been covered by a recent Peco build: Half Acre. As an aside, the other Peco layouts were returned to me; this one ... disappeared. This leaves the SR, and it is this which has been getting quite a bit of thought as between us we have all the rolling stock. This would yet again be lashed to the 2011 built Rhiw Mk1 fiddle yard and probably be the same sort of scenic footprint.
There are questions though: as I have asked in an earlier post, is it worth building a new exhibition layout in 2023? Or should I just give up on this and build an 009 layout around the room? In any case the Five Year Plan has been somewhat of a winning idea, long live the Five Year Plan.
Last thing first...009 round the room would be fun. I remember drawing out a sketch for a WHR Nantmor-Aberglaslyn Pass-Beddgelert pastiche around the walls of my hobby room (which became the nursery) over 30 years ago. Just being able to watch the trains going a bit of a distance would have been great. Exhibition layout...I really don't know the answer to that one. Time will tell, I suppose, so it might end up being 2024.
ReplyDeleteList. You've got through a lot more of it than I would have done. I suppose the most notable gap really is the US H0; I still have fond memories of Einsford Mill.
I haven't really got a list of long term projects, but there are things I'd like to have a go at, also finishing some of the micro layouts would be good.
Can't see me doing a FYP or similar until we've moved and I know how much space will be available, I only know that I want to build a few decent sized layouts.