Building Layouts made famous by others

[Philip H]

Friends,
Since there has been a great deal of discussion the last several days about version of Lance Mindheim's CSX Downtown Spur that are currently in construction, I thouhgt it might be fun to see how the Railwire community looks at building a layout based on someone else's layout.   

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I like this!

I think building something to someone else's plan is a smart idea, if that plan scratches the itch you have.

Personally, I wish I could go that route, since it means that someone's already figured out lots of the variables (how many staging tracks do I need? Do I need a crossover here? etc...)

But personally, I'm looking forward to the ops planning that I'm doing in prep for "the big one".

[shark_jj]

The key to a successful trackplan is one that meets your long term modelling interests.  If it doesn't you will quit on it just about the time you get to whatever part of the hobby you find tedious, be it tracklaying, electrical, or whatever.  I still find that the legendary John Armstrong had it right with his Given and Druthers process.  If you go through his process and discover that your greatest interest lies in modelling the CSX in downtown Miami and Lance has captured it perfectly, great, go for it.  If it isn't, then just use Lance's work for inspiration. 

The only common thread in model railroads is the engineering side where there are only so many ways you can lay track, run wire, etc.  What makes a model railroad stand out is the personal artistry we bring to it.  Copying someone else, be it Lance, or John Allen, or Allen McClelland is exactly that a copy.  You may do it better than them, you may not.  When we visit someone else's layout it is that personal artistry and touch that makes us take notice.  It is what allows you to showcase what you do best, be it scenery, structures, rolling stock, or locomotives or all of them combined.  I have seen some spectacular model railroads which are just several loops because the builder loved structures and rolling stock, had no interest in operations, and just wanted a place to showcase his building skills.  I have seen others that are plywood centrals but are a blast to operate.  Think of the simplicity of the many variations of the Cat Mountain and Santa Fe by David Barrow.  A great plan is one that meets your interests.

[asciibaron]

I like this!

I think building something to someone else's plan is a smart idea, if that plan scratches the itch you have.

i'm not a big fan of building to someone else's plan.  using another's plan for a jumping off point is fine - i'm using some ideas from Pelle Soeborg and some others i have seen over the years, but my layout will not be an exact copy of their plan.

there are a few reasons i think it's a bad idea:

1. it's not very creative and it's not "your" layout.
2. their plan represents what they want from the hobby - it might not met your desires and you won't find out until it's too late.
3. part of the fun is the process - from begging for space to finalizing the scenery - the journey, for me, is a huge part of the hobby.
4. you'll never learn why their layout is setup the way it is - why is that 3 way turnout there and this turnout facing that direction?
5. the personal artistry only works if you are building an animated diorama and not a railroad.  if i copy Lance's trackplan and never operate like he does, than my awesome scenery might look great, but i might as well ship it off to a museum.

that's my take.  mix and match and hack plans, but don't just build the same thing that someone else did.  i'm looking at you Vollmer  ;D

[Hiroe]

You missed the best option for the poll: "My plan will eventually be published in the hobby press, inspiring others to build their own copies of it!"

[Mark5]

There was no option for mine - I always design my own. (I took the "they publish plans?" option)

Mark

[Dave V]

The original portion of my layout is heavily based on a project railroad Lou Sassi did for Model Railroader.  While it had everything I wanted visually, I didn't really consider operations until after it was built.  As it turns out, I've been very disappointed with how it operates.

I'm remedying that by first building a yard extension to allow for either passive or active staging.  Once that's complete, I'll be relaying track on the old layout to better address how I'd like to operate it.

[wm3798]

I always, ALWAYS work backward from the space that's available, which pretty much precludes any mimicry of an existing plan.  Even the very first layout I built was a pretty heavily modified version of an Atlas book plan.

There are three primary factors that drive my designs:  

• Available Space
  
• Prototype Scenes I want to Model
• Operating schematic

That being said, the style of my layouts have been heavily influenced by guys like the Reid Brothers, Gordon Odegard (the Clinchfield in particular), and dare I say it... Tony the K (ops and Appalachian ambiance.)

So overall, no thank you, I'll roll my own...

Lee

[davefoxx]

MR's Carolina Central.  'Nuff said.

DFF

[Sokramiketes]

If copying a famous layout gets someone out of their armchair, I don't know why there should be any fuss about it.

I've seen a lot of gridlock from newbies who think their track plan might not be right.  They get stuck in perpetual design phases... Not Good. 

I've often eyeballed the two published small N scale layout trackplans from Mike Danneman as potential Z scale layouts.  For N scale modules, I just copy the prototype.  For the CGW home layout it was all new, though one town was inspired by Donaldson on Frank Ellison's Delta Lines.  For the Pokie, I did worse than steal a famous track plan, I stole the benchwork.

98% of modeling is copies of others' models.  That's why it's so refreshing to catch new techniques and artistic styles.  Lance is creating a whole new artistic style with the new layout. 

[eric220]

I think you're missing a valuable option in the poll, which a number of people seem to have alluded to:  "I have no interest in recreating someone else's work, but they provide valuable inspiration."

That's definitely where I fall.  I have downloaded a number of MR trackplans that I think are interesting, for one reason or another, and I consult them for ideas as I plan my layout.  Every layout that I have ever built has been defined by the space that it's in: around the walls of a bedroom, in a coffee table, or in a basement.  Each has unique requirements, and none have been "based" on a published track plan.  Of course, I'm sure I'm not the first to use the up-and-over modified figure 8 in the coffee table, but I worked it out on my own through trial and error, and that was part of the fun (at least for me).

[asciibaron]

The original portion of my layout is heavily based on a project railroad Lou Sassi did for Model Railroader.  While it had everything I wanted visually, I didn't really consider operations until after it was built.  As it turns out, I've been very disappointed with how it operates.

winner winner chicken dinner

[Wlal13again]

MR's Carolina Central.  'Nuff said.

DFF

Same here, with a few modifications added that I wanted..

[asciibaron]

MR's Carolina Central.  'Nuff said.

where is that layout right now and what mods did you do to it?  did you leave it as published?

[Nelson]

There was no option for mine - I always design my own. (I took the "they publish plans?" option)

Mark

Yeah, that's an option that needs to be added to the poll