New awesome post from Lance Mindheim

[chuck geiger]

https://www.shelflayouts.com/post/the-hidden-trap-of-icon-driven-design

[mmagliaro]

I rarely remain focused enough on things like this to read them, but my oh my... it was a quick read, and very true.
To me, it's a way of thinking about "givens and druthers", but watching out what one puts on that "druthers" list.  Our list of "druthers" always includes those "icons" - the major scenic features we think we *must* have on our layout, or in a scene.  It rarely includes mundane things like, "enough parking", or (heavens!) "open space".
--
This happened several years ago when I built my current layout.  I have a large open meadow area between the base of a mountain at the back, and a small stream, bridge, and the mainline at the front.  After showing some photos of it here, some people (including myself) started pondering "cool things I could put in all that space".   But one forumer (I am sorry, I cannot remember who), said, "No!  That open meadow MAKES the scene!"   I thought a lot about that, and decided he was dead right, and it remains an open meadow to this day.  By leaving it open, the *REST* of the scenic elements around it: the trestle, the stream, the little structures in the helper yard: all "pop" with interest.  And nothing is "crammed".

Anyway... thanks for posting the link.  I enjoyed it.

[Dave V]

Boy that cuts close to home.

The Rio Grande Southern has a disproportionate number of "icons" for a 162-mile line, and I tried to squeeze a bunch in. And yet, in reality, the "average" mile of RGS track was wandering through alpine meadow or cattle pasture with no other sign of humanity to be seen. I regret the lack of negative space on my layout, and it's probably right on the threshold of being too much for the space.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

"Model nothing".

It's almost my mantra. Almost.

But yet again, it's why Lance is my guide... always one step ahead.

[Dave V]

"Model nothing".

It's almost my mantra. Almost.

But yet again, it's why Lance is my guide... always one step ahead.

You guys just need to get a hotel room already!   

[wm3798]

At least he didn't talk about guiding his lance...

I think we're all guilty of putting 10# of sh!t in the 5# bag.  My WM layout was chock a block with "Must Haves" 
Fortunately, one of them was the big valley with the bridges motif, which was placed on the big peninsula so it broke up the crowded Cumberland scene and the busy paper mill scene with a fair amount of Big Scenery with nothing for the trains to do but cruise through it.



Lee

[Dave V]

I’ll be real though. If I had had more space, I almost certainly would’ve tried to add more stuff. There were two other signature scenes that I wanted that were high on my list but didn't make the cut... Vance Junction and Dallas Divide. With Vance Junction also comes all the Telluride traffic. And I still would have kicked myself for not having enough negative space.

At least I didn’t violate the “track passing just once through the scene” rule on the RGS. The Colorado Midland on the other hand…

[Ed Kapuscinski]

This is another good one: https://www.shelflayouts.com/post/artwork-or-game-plan-evaluating-published-track-plans
"Artwork or Game Plan? Evaluating Published Track Plans - Just because a track plan illustration is pleasing to look at from an artistic standpoint doesn't mean that it's a viable design. "

[SAH]

The answer to the "Hidden Trap" conundrum is found in his "Take Me to Malabar" piece:  Select a prototype that interests you (for any number of reasons) and pick a piece of it you find compelling.  A benefit of doing so he does not touch on is the time and money saved by narrowing your focus.

[Kentuckian]

Quite a bit to ponder here. Thanks for posting.

[basementcalling]

"Model nothing".

It's almost my mantra. Almost.

But yet again, it's why Lance is my guide... always one step ahead.

@coldriver, Dean, has been doing this for a long time, and it's one of the things I love about his layout. He maximizes the middle of nowhere look N scale allows by having lots of negative space scenes, some of which are spectacularly executed. Lance definitely advocates for it well on his blog.

[randgust]

I've seen that creeping in over the years, and it's a good thing.

I think that it's even influenced me, a bit.   My last T-trak module that was at Altoona - Thompson (and there's a build thread on that) is by choice, typical and unremarkable.   It's just trees, hills, and riverbank, with a couple of culverts.   Typical of the miles and miles of PRR running up the west bank of the Allegheny, with not a whole in-between in many places.   Yeah, I've done a bunch of 'highlights' in my other modules, but Thompson was the first time I deliberately 'modelled nothing' just to be typical.  People seemed to like it.   It is also relatively ageless for era.



Link:  http://www.randgust.com/THOMMOD26.jpg

But, I have to admit, if I had another 8' of linear space on my ATSF layout, would I do 8' of flat featureless desert or model the Canyon Diablo bridge, which is  the only thing of 'oh, WOW' west of Winslow?   That's when it gets tough.   Lance would do desert, that's typical.  Me, I'm still leaning bridge!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've seen that creeping in over the years, and it's a good thing.

I think that it's even influenced me, a bit.   My last T-trak module that was at Altoona - Thompson (and there's a build thread on that) is by choice, typical and unremarkable.   It's just trees, hills, and riverbank, with a couple of culverts.   Typical of the miles and miles of PRR running up the west bank of the Allegheny, with not a whole in-between in many places.   Yeah, I've done a bunch of 'highlights' in my other modules, but Thompson was the first time I deliberately 'modelled nothing' just to be typical.  People seemed to like it.   It is also relatively ageless for era.



Link:  http://www.randgust.com/THOMMOD26.jpg

But, I have to admit, if I had another 8' of linear space on my ATSF layout, would I do 8' of flat featureless desert or model the Canyon Diablo bridge, which is  the only thing of 'oh, WOW' west of Winslow?   That's when it gets tough.   Lance would do desert, that's typical.  Me, I'm still leaning bridge!

I'm still mad that was on the back side in Altoona. Maybe we just need to arrange a bespoke photoshoot some day.

Oooh, or... want to come to MARPM next year? We're talking about doing a "Mid Atlantic Prototype TTRAK Meet" there.

[RockGp40]

Oooh, or... want to come to MARPM next year? We're talking about doing a "Mid Atlantic Prototype TTRAK Meet" there.

What weekend will that be, Ed? I want to plan early if possible. I don't see the date on the web page.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

What weekend will that be, Ed? I want to plan early if possible. I don't see the date on the web page.

I think it's still TBD, but I think @AlkemScaleModels is leaning towards the same weekend as Timonium again.