Operations as the end all - really railroading

I agree with your comments 100%. I have been building a medium size branch line layout (11 x 29) for 4 years now and have just started getting into my own operations. I've operated many layouts over the years so have some experience with operation, but there is nothing quite as satisfying as having some friends over to the railroad room to bring the Placerville branch alive. Its as interesting as building a craftsman kit, laying out a town or scratch building a industrial building for a spur. It didn't start out that way as I love to build structures and love creating scenes AND that still gives me great pleasure, but not near what having 4 or 5 guests over to run trains. I'm creating a schedule, I have extras and fortunately for me, know some ex SP guys who ran the Pville branch in the 70's and 80's before it died. I just had my first fully manned ops session a few weeks ago and it motivated the hecht  out of me to ensure I don't have any derailments, had an order of trains, that people start to understand what I want and how I want it to run. It was a bit chaotic, the room a bit crowded for the space and I had one broken turnout when one of my not so great solder jobs came loose. But all in all it was fun.

As for Mike Calafone's layout and modeling philosophy I'm reading that now. Its very good for sure, but like everything with us humans I wouldn't do some of the stuff he is doing, especially over weighting cars. I can see where it works for him, but the Pville branch ran consolidations on 2% grade up to Pville on sharp curves and undulating track. I don't have the undulating track, but at 2% a 2-8-0 bachmann might pull 5 cars at double weight. That doesn't make sense for me here is all. 

Tom Ebert

Auburn, Ca.

What It Comes Down To...

What it comes down to, is what works best for you. I could never understand why anyone would just want to watch trains run around in circles. I did that as a kid, and it got old real fast, but that doesn't make it any less valid.

Now add even a single turnout and some straight sections of track so cars can be switched out, and all of a sudden the circle of track is simply the distance from one job to the next. I absolutely agree that operating in a realistic fashion is the way to run trains, but when it's your railroad, you do whatever calls to you.