Anatomy of a train club layout
I have spent the last week doing lots of building for our train club layout. We have a show in about a month, and need to have it basically finished by then, but of course it will evolve over time. And after feasting my eyes on the new layout, even in it’s unfinished state, it got me wondering how the club got to the point we are at, displaying these amazing layouts every year for so many people to enjoy.
So how does one make a train layout like those amazing ones you see at train shows? The short answer: people.
From my experience with M>ltc, it’s better to find a group of like-minded people, and just do any old stuff for a while – just keep building what you build, and showing them, and getting together as regularly as you can. Keep talking about putting together a layout, but don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t seem to be happening. Everyone has their own priorities, in life and LEGO building.
After a while, when you find the right group of people, it will start to come together. Don’t try to do something amazing for your first show. M>ltc’s first display was nice to look at, but nothing spectacular.
One thing to notice is scale – LEGO is inherently not easy to scale accurately or consistently, so it’s easier not to try. Sure some of the scale modellers will scoff because the clock tower is higher than the mountain, or the trains are too tall, but you can never please everyone.
Anyway, gradually you’ll learn better ways to do things, and the tricks to making a layout look even better. It’s much better for you to learn them yourself as you go than having me (or anyone else) tell you, because every trick is unique to your layout. And it also keeps the interest up, which can be hard with any group of people.
Anyway, I’ll just close with a pic of our little group – the membership fluctuates somewhat, but these are currently the “core” members. Enjoy.
April 17th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
Awww Ross, you arent in the “core” pic… and I must say, nice write up… I have been enjoying watching the progress of M>tlc… its been fast and impressive growth. Also, like I said at Lugnet, I really love the humour you guys seem to squeeze into the layout.