10 year anniversary of building layouts and haven't finished one yet!

Jeff,

That is because building and working on layouts is fun!

The WVRR was started in 1983 and, while I have never teared the whole thing down, at least a couple times a year I usually re-do a couple sections.

Also, there are the Christmas Tree layouts every year. Usually Standard gauge, this year either Pre-War Lionel or Post-War American Flyer

What? ONLY 10 years? It took me 66 years to finish mine .

I’m not sure how I did it, but I have too much stuff!   When I started my prior layout, I had a massive sell off.  Before I tore up my last layout, I sold even more.   I’ve got my new layout roughed out.   I’ve cleared out most of my fastrack except for switches.   I replaced fastrack with Menards track.  I found even more things to get rid of.   I keep selling and selling and I still have a mess.  I’m down to 4 engines and less than 40 cars. Not a lot by most standards.   When you take everything off you’re layout tables and try to put it somewhere, it’s shocking how much you really have.  My prior layouts were just track everywhere.   One curve after another.  Trust me, I still have plenty of track on the table, but with this configuration, I have nearly a 30’ run before turning around.  

Chinatown99, I started on planning my layout On the topic in my signature line four years ago, started building 3 years ago. This is the fourth plan, third iteration of my layout.  I sold some trains and bought others.  If I am normal, you are normal!  🤪

I’ll try not to feel bad about it.  A repairman was gazing at my layout and made a statement on the value.  I told him I don’t have anything worth too much, just a lot of it.  

@chinatrain99 posted:

I’ll try not to feel bad about it.  A repairman was gazing at my layout and made a statement on the value.  I told him I don’t have anything worth too much, just a lot of it.  

Ha ha!  You are right!

I've done five layouts, all of which were finished.  But this latest sixth one is taking the longest to complete for some strange reason.... and it's the smallest of them all, only 4x8!

By way of contrast, I'm just the opposite. I have two layouts in my basement, both completed after five years of effort on each (in 2004 and 2019) and still running. I think it's a product of my long career in engineering, during which I was assigned to projects and was expected to stick with them until my part was done. My favorite parts of the hobby are layout and structure building and my approach is to start with well-defined concept (including track, scenery, structures) and follow through. If you like to build, the downside of completing everything on a layout is that there is nothing further on which to work, so these days I don't have enough to do except to run trains. It's a lot of work to finish a layout, but it's worth the effort. Nonetheless, if you enjoy continual experimentation on your layout, that's how you should pursue the hobby.

MELGAR

I have had 5 layouts in my life, the 1st was a nice trestled layout with grass mat on a 4' by 8' plywood board built by my father, and the other four were built by me in my current home. The 1st 4 were 027 and the last (my current layout that most of you have seen because I post a lot of photos and videos on this Forum) is O Gauge, which I much prefer.

Building the layouts was an exhilerating experience. If I was better in calculus at college, I would have become a civil engineer and loved it. After a hard days work, I would retreat to the basement and work building the layout until the wee hours of the morning. It took me about 6 months to build my current layout 25 years ago when I was in my mid 40s. I had a lot more energy then, than I do now.

I mention this because I think I'm typical. Although I'm sure some of you are iron men and women in your senior years, which I much admire, many of us seniors slow down and don't want to work as hard as we did before.

Now I like to run the trains and tinker with my current layout, mostly with the scenery, which I find relaxing and a little creative. The thought of starting from scratch and putting forth the time, energy and money to build a layout sounds like a daunting task and way too much hardwork.

If you think you may be like me, and want to build your dream layout, the best time to do it is when you are still young, IMO. Arnold

I didn’t realize finishing was an option.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I have had 5 layouts in my life, the 1st was a nice trestled layout with grass mat on a 4' by 8' plywood board built by my father, and the other four were built by me in my current home. The 1st 4 were 027 and the last (my current layout that most of you have seen because I post a lot of photos and videos on this Forum) is O Gauge, which I much prefer.

Building the layouts was an exhilerating experience. If I was better in calculus at college, I would have become a civil engineer and loved it. After a hard days work, I would retreat to the basement and work building the layout until the wee hours of the morning. It took me about 6 months to build my current layout 25 years ago when I was in my mid 40s. I had a lot more energy then, than I do now.

I mention this because I think I'm typical. Although I'm sure some of you are iron men and women in your senior years, which I much admire, many of us seniors slow down and don't want to work as hard as we did before.

Now I like to run the trains and tinker with my current layout, mostly with the scenery, which I find relaxing and a little creative. The thought of starting from scratch and putting forth the time, energy and money to build a layout sounds like a daunting task and way too much hardwork.

If you think you may be like me, and want to build your dream layout, the best time to do it is when you are still young, IMO. Arnold

Arnold - you are so right: when you are younger, you don't have the time nor the money; as you get older, you have more time, and maybe more disposable income, but definitely less energy!

Right now I have some time, a garage full of lumber and a plan. Just running low on energy!

I have started and torn down 4 layouts in the last 8 years and haven't come close to finishing any.  I am about to start my 5th this month.  During that span I have sold and bought more than I would like to admit.  My wife thinks I'm nuts, but hey, I'm having fun.  The new layout is projected to be 5 x 11.  Much smaller than the 8 x 16 that I tore down last year.  I have high hopes that I will finish this one.

Try 10 years on the same layout and still not real close to scenery.