I’ve come to realize that the vast majority of my photos are closeups and art shots. That makes it a little hard to see how things fit together. To that end I just filmed a short overview/pan side-to-side video of the East Rail layout. You can see it HERE. (Recorded in 1080HD)
This video really shows how effective negative space is. I’ve read about is several times but it really hasn’t struck home until now. On the track plan it still looks a bit weird with so much “nothing” but the vacant gravel lot looks so natural in its place.
Another question about the difference between East Rail 2 and the original. The newer version has, if i count correctly, four turnouts instead of six and three industries less to switch. What impact do you feel this have, if any, on an operating session?
Anyway, thank you for all the work you share with us, both on the web and in publications.
1) I encourage people to be aware of the limitations of using two dimensional sketches to compose scenes. If at all possible, use mock ups. They’ll tell you a lot more.
2) Looking back on the original layout, six industries was just too many for something that size. It’s more than would be realistic to work in an operating session. I generally run for about thirty minutes at a time. Through trial and error I’ve found that four industries will easily give you that…”if” you pick the right type of industry.