Train Layout Museum

As I reflect on this, as an old-timer beginning my 7th decade, I may have subconsciously decided to downsize by being focused.

First, I focused on the Northeast, including the NY Central, PRR, New Haven, B&O, B&A, B&M, etc.

Then, about 3 years ago I started focusing on The Put.

Although I started out with diverse interests in trains throughout our great nation, I haven't bought anything Western or MidWestern for over 5 years. For instance, I have only a couple of Postwar Santa Fe engines that I acquired many years ago.

Narrowing my focus deepened, indeed enriched, my enjoyment of the hobby. For instance, I have a lot of books and publications about the history of the NY Central, The Put, the New Haven, etc., including an excellent book entitled The Forgotten Railroads of Westchester County that I bought at The Big E train show several years ago. I find it very enjoyable to read about the history of my favorite railroads and I know that many of you, who often include interesting historical information about the prototypes of the models in your Forum posts, feel the same way.

IMO, this approach can be a great way to downsize one's purchases, collection and layout, while enhancing one's enjoyment.

Honestly, I can't say my downsizing has reduced my purchases yet, unless it's just starting to do so. That's because I have bought a lot of Northeastern locomotives and rolling stock since COVID started. However, my goal is to purchase less, but still acquire what I love (I'm particularly interested in the Boston & Albany at the moment), and I'm having as much fun today with the hobby as I ever have.

Also, notwithstanding my focus, I have not yet downsized my collection or layout, for that matter. In fact, I have substantially expanded my layout during the past 18 months, and my collection continues to grow, maybe at a lower rate, because I hardly ever sell anything. That's because I love virtually everything I have. LOL.

I think my above comments are a bit contradictory because, I confess, I am a very strange, maybe a better adjective is crazy, hobbyist. LOL.  But, my point is that being focused may help those who need or want to downsize, to do so without reducing their enjoyment one iota. I think that is a very good thing to keep in mind as we enter our golden years.

Now, for those among us who are young, I say dream big, and build an empire, especially if you can well afford to do so. LOL, Arnold

You have conjured up another juicy topic, Arnold. When I began building layouts in the 1970's, I built German-themed "N" scale layouts following plans in the Arnold Rapido layout book. I had never been to Germany, I just liked the look of German trains and I admired the high level of performance and service of European railroads compared to the declining American railroad scene.

But there was no real emotional, visceral connection to what I was doing. That didn't happen until I bought a Lionel R-27 subway set. That triggered a flood of memories and emotions in me, since I was born and raised in NYC and have been riding the subway my whole life. I resolved to build a layout befitting the subway set.

Since then I have been researching books and the internet for details regarding stations, track, and the right "look" of a NY subway in the 1960's. You could say that I've been trying for a model that could someday end up in a museum. It hasn't been hard for me, because the subway is in my blood and I already know how it should "look". I think the emotional connection I have to the subway will make for a better model, maybe one of "museum" quality.

So if one wants to build a "museum" quality model, it helps to pick a subject that resonates, that reaches deep down into one's memories and experiences. The rest comes naturally.

Arnold, if I understand correctly = transforming home layouts into museum exhibits? If that is right, I think you're on to something that is very interesting; although my idea is a variation, such as a public layout or revenue business with a museum-quality layout as an attraction. Obviously, this would require a business plan and some deep pockets, both of which I don't have Nevertheless, as I endeavor with my day job, I continue to brainstorm the idea with family and my girlfriend as a retirement project. She's convinced that my baking recipes could bring in customers, yet this alone would likely consume all my energy, and the train part would be rinky-dink, which defeats the goal.

BTW: the one layout you described sounds like it may be one that I've visited a few times over the many years, located in Easton, PA I was probably last there more than 10 years ago, and it was wonderful. The big speakers transmitting the freight train sounds blew my socks off .

Liberty Science Center has a 1:32 scale home layout depicting the Jersey Central system between Hoboken and Maunch Chunk that was donated by its creator. It is well worth a visit. The quality of the modeling is tremendous and depicts actual structures and locations.

https://lsc.org/explore/exhibitions/great-train-set

Arnold, I think I can relate to your concept as I am focused on a few key railroading areas and trying to make them historically accurate with some artistic license.  Primarily now I am working on the Boston area as I spent a few years there and all of the downtown railroading history is gone.  My model of this area is attempting to replicate historical buildings there as well as the freight and passenger traffic running through the 1950s.  I cannot say my model will be accurate enough to be used in a museum without some serious tweaking but I do try to replicate scenes from the wealth of historical photos of the time.

My furthest along work is Fish Pier.

@EmpireBuilderDave posted:

Arnold, I think I can relate to your concept as I am focused on a few key railroading areas and trying to make them historically accurate with some artistic license.  Primarily now I am working on the Boston area as I spent a few years there and all of the downtown railroading history is gone.  My model of this area is attempting to replicate historical buildings there as well as the freight and passenger traffic running through the 1950s.  I cannot say my model will be accurate enough to be used in a museum without some serious tweaking but I do try to replicate scenes from the wealth of historical photos of the time.

Dave, what your trying to do to make your layout a "museum of sorts" by focusing on the Boston area is very similar to what I am trying to do with my layout to make it a "museum of sorts" by focusing on The Put in the Bronx, Westchester and Putnam Counties in NY.

What we also have in common is that we do not aspire to have a "museum quality" layout, as nice as that would be to have.

The late Bruce Manson, who I only knew from the McComas & Tuoy Pennsylvania Suite video, said "this layout (his layout) is for my enjoyment." That's just the way I feel about mine.

Occasionally, I have a visitor who appreciates it, like a recent vusitor, who is an historian of The Put and who took photos years ago of The Put that have been published in books. He said about my layout: "there is a lot of eye candy here."

I was ecstatic to get such a nice compliment. Arnold

My layout is definitely a museum of sorts. It captures a sliver of the steel industry in Youngstown. It's almost like a tribute to our heritage here. It combines a lot of key elements that made the Mahoning Valley interesting in terms of the steel industry and even includes some of the families that held the power back in the day. I think it's fun to create a world like this!

@EmpireBuilderDave posted:

My furthest along work is Fish Pier.

Hope you have fun with your marine railroad project, Dave.

I had a great time with mine last year:

Arnold

@BillYo414 posted:

My layout is definitely a museum of sorts. It captures a sliver of the steel industry in Youngstown. It's almost like a tribute to our heritage here. It combines a lot of key elements that made the Mahoning Valley interesting in terms of the steel industry and even includes some of the families that held the power back in the day. I think it's fun to create a world like this!

Well stated, I totally relate to what you say, Bill, and wish you the best with your Youngstown steel industry museum of sorts layout. Arnold

fwiw: I had copied the designation "museum quality layout" from a chap who was interviewed about his TW Designed layout that was featured in a TM DVD; it kind of stuck, though I have to admit the word "museum" has (for me) connotations of static, dust, and even death, the latter stemming from my internship at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where every day I walked through the museum gallery showcasing numerous and exotic stuffed (dead) animals and those very creepy Egyptian mummies in order to get to the lab where I worked. It's funny how some memories and the feelings that you felt decades ago stay with you.

At any rate, I doubt my layout building skills will ever rise to the level of creating "museum quality." And, given the implications of the word "museum", I'll strive for "interactive exhibit"

Arnold-

Thank you for bringing up this interesting discussion. I like the idea of being more focused, as it allows me to be more restrictive in scope, thus limiting the number of what ifs related to scenery, and aids in making purchasing decisions that reflect more specific goals. This is great how you are modeling the area very close to where you always lived!

I run postwar, MPC, and LTI equipment consisting of primarily east coast road names (PRR, N&W, Virginian, etc...) and my layout theme is the Appalachian region around the 1940s-60s, but no specific line or geographic location. I reside in the midwest, but used to live in Virginia, so I like modeling coal trains and having them run through the mountainous and green terrain, crossing over each other, and running through tunnels. I will incorporate coal tipples, a coal-fired power plant, and maybe a small steel-related industry, so the trains can pick up and deliver coal to customers.

@Paul Kallus posted:

fwiw: I had copied the designation "museum quality layout" from a chap who was interviewed about his TW Designed layout that was featured in a TM DVD; it kind of stuck, though I have to admit the word "museum" has (for me) connotations of static, dust, and even death, the latter stemming from my internship at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, where every day I walked through the museum gallery showcasing numerous and exotic stuffed (dead) animals and those very creepy Egyptian mummies in order to get to the lab where I worked. It's funny how some memories and the feelings that you felt decades ago stay with you.

At any rate, I doubt my layout building skills will ever rise to the level of creating "museum quality." And, given the implications of the word "museum", I'll strive for "interactive exhibit"

Paul, I appreciate what you and others have said about museum quality, but that is not what I had in mind when I started this topic and mentioned museum of sorts.

I aspire, not to museum quality because I don't think I have the modeling skills to create that, and choose not to devote the time and effort to acquire such skills.

For me, museum of sorts means narrowing my focus and adding features to my layout so it's kind of a replica of a particular railroad at a particular time and location. Arnold

I mentioned in my OP that one of the highest and best uses for having a train layout is to have one focused on a particular railroad in a particular geographic area during a particular time frame.

I just want to acknowledge here that there can be other highest and best uses for building, and having, a layout.

For instance, IMO another highest and best use is to create a layout to entertain those who are not as fortunate as us, such as the infirm at hospitals.

Another highest and best use for building a layout, IMO, is to have a modular layout to set up, and entertain, those at a nursing home, a soup kitchen, a prison, or anywhere else where there are people who are disadvantaged.

Arnold