PJB posted:BPARS - I happen to generally disagree with much of the conventional wisdom in terms of how to stay interested in a layout. I'm not in my golden years, don't enjoy fixing things that don't function the way they should upon arrival, and can't immerse myself into a fantasy that allows me to see a toy train go in a circle, arrive at the same station over and over again and get excited that in my mind the train is moving from station to station down the line. A turntable is a nicety, but watching it go round and round has only so much appeal, given the point is just to put a locomotive back on the main line to go round and round back to that same station that didn't really hold my interest for long to start with. I used to enjoy watching the warp in my vinyl records as they'd go round the turntable when I as 8 - that wore off too.
Having said all that, I think the enjoyment for anyone who requires some intellectual stimulation, is purpose - as John Armstrong and Linn Westcott will tell you in their many published articles and books. A yard that actually functions as a yard in terms of creating pre-ordered consists. Sidings where cars from that consist can be dropped off and retrieved by another train. A schedule where the turntable takes locomotives out of service and replaces them with others - all for pre-defined schedule or purpose. Oh, and risk factors - like needing to side a slow moving train to allow a hot shot to pass, or a grade crossing where you need to ensure scheduling before a collision between two trains occurs. All of this also has the benefit of a multi-player scenario, which always makes things more fun in my mind.
The difference? One requires imagination to "imagine" things that aren't there - and this holds interest only so long, at least for me. The other puts you in the driver's seat and in a control position - both in deciding what will happen and then in its execution.
Just my two cents...
Peter
Peter, I like what you are saying a lot. Do you have an example of what your layout is like so I can get an idea of what you are talking about?
