My industry planning book is now live and available from Amazon.
Model railroading is an escape from our daily lives, an opportunity to be transported, for creative expression. If you’re in the game and building something, you’re doing things right. As fun as it is to share our work on social media and through the occasional visit from a friend, it’s generally a solo endeavor. The only person you need to satisfy is yourself. To that extent, it makes sense from time to time to take a pause and reflect on whether there are tweaks we can make to deepen our level of satisfaction. In other words, strive to be better at being selfish.
That was my intent with the book. It’s highly editorialized and meant as food for thought, not the end all, be all. There is no real right or wrong. Read through it and ponder. Consider and apply any ideas that increase your enjoyment level. Pass on the rest. Some key points I tried to make:
-Be intentional in your decisions as opposed to slipping into them by default.
-Do some soul-searching as to what you want the layout to do for you. Don’t just plop something on the wall. Do you want to feel transported to a specific place? Do you want a vehicle for operations? Do you want a platform for satisfying construction projects?
-The composition tips chapter is one of the more important ones.
-Be wary of falling into the “cool kits” trap, the tail-wagging-the-dog approach to design.
-Have reasons for the industries you select and move beyond the old 1970s approach of defaulting to a coal mine, pier, and sawmill.
-Understand the importance of kitbashing in moving your modeling forward, especially from a design standpoint.
-Get out in the field, take in the fresh air, breathe……and carefully observe your theme to truly see what’s there.