You can see the three loops of track, which will enable three trains to run at the same time, and the part completed base for what will be the upper level of track, which is swallowing a vast number of grey plates.... Bricklink will do well out of me methinks later in the build! The rolling stock that's in shot is there so I can check clearances etc as I build. Some locos etc, for example, my Duchess of Sutherland, overhang the corners much more than others, and with numerous pillars etc to hold up the top level, it's crucial to check that everything that will run through the tunnels etc won't crash into them. Sadly, the Duchess overhangs so much she'll only be running on the much more visible top level. Oh well... :-)
Space is a significant limiting factor in this layout (as of course, is budget...), and to get 3 loops on each level meant I had to bring them quite close to the edge of the baseplates. That in turn means there isn't a huge amount of space for landscape etc, which means that the hills the tunnels run through will have the "chopped off" look to them at the edge of the layout. It also limits the scope for detailed work around the mouths of tunnels, which are often sloped rather than flat-fronted as I've built them. Of course, most tunnels on the real railway networks don't have another track doing directly above them either!
That said, realism isn't top of my list of priorities for the layout. Getting something up and running after a year without, and doing some serious building is. Ultimately, once this layout is finished*, it won't run very often, just on special occasions when I can take it to a venue big enough to set it up, such as school fairs and the like. So why am I building it?
I believe God has given each of us the ability to be creative, and for me one of those expressions of creativity is through lots of little bricks. I love the act of building, of creating something that is just an image in my head. I've no real idea what the finished thing will look like, it will evolve. But ultimately, I want to share this with other people, let them enjoy what I've created. In my head, it works. In my head, it will get out the door of my flat in one piece. In practice, there'll be challenges, broken sections (that can be repaired), and a vision that seems at times beyond what I think I can achieve.
But isn't that what God asks us to do? Catch hold of a vision, a mission, and go for it? Accepting that there will be difficulties, and at times it will seem impossible for us to achieve. And for us on our own, it may well be impossible. I know I'll need help to get these sections out the door. But where something seems impossible, faith steps in. Grasp the vision, go for it, and walk in faith.
* Finished? There will always be room for improvement, a tweak here, a touch there. I'm not convinced a layout is ever finished, it just reaches a point where I'm happy for other people to see it while I work on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment