"With some trepidation I start a thread showing the progress on my layout. Trepidation because starting a thread means some level of accountability - but almost everywhere on this forum there are great encouragers and helpful tips so I don't want to miss out. Also, there are some things I do that might help others. I just don't want to realize halfway through that there was something big I wished I had/had not done. But life without risk gets you no train layout!"
Dan, that paragraph hit the nail on the head!! In January, 2017 I started what became my Blackwater Canyon Line topic for the same reasons you did. I hoped to gain ideas for my new layout build, and offer encouragement and ideas to others. Now 50 pages later, we went through 50 pages of idea swapping and encouragement. Your layout design sounds like my "Plan C". It would have been the ultimate for me. Alas, our older daughter and her husband had mildew and rodent troubles in the lower level of their 100+ year old house, so we are storing some of her furniture and mostly to my chagrin her refinished circa 1900 upright piano. They don't have the money to fix the house right, and neither do we or his parents who were forced into early retirement like we have been. The piano was the kicker because we could only store it in the middle of my layout area. So, we redesigned to her former 11x11 art studio off the old family room where construction had started on Plan C. Plan D has been under construction for over a year now and I saw you have joined in the fun.
I said all that to say it seems you and I have similar ideas except my layout is situated in the mountains of West Virginia following the former Western Maryland line. Yes, a level of accountability. To keep the discussion going, it takes time to take photographs, write up what you did, and answer folks comments and questions. I have had almost unanimous encouragement from the great folks on this forum. I can only think of one comment that could have been taken as harsh in 50 pages, and he may have just been blunt. Yes some folks will challenge you, but it is for your own good and the good of the layout!
Welcome to the "ongoing layout build topic owner club"!!!!!!!
