Great article!

Congrats on your first column in print (pixels?), Verne! It's very interesting and enjoyable!

Dittos, Verne!

Ray would be a tough act to follow, but you did admirably!

Thanks...

Thank you both for your kind comments!

Very well thought out

Very well thought out article, Im sure most of us can relate to it, in someway or the other.

Regards Phil

Great job Verne!  About time

Great job Verne!  About time I get mine turned in.....

Michael

Re-invention

Great to see this 'in print' Verne.

Very useful information, which will be a lifesaver for quite a few people out there.

We should never be scared to re-invent.

Rob Clark
Cornhill & Atherton RR

Enjoyed the story Vern

Thank you

Re-inventing

Thank you, gentlemen. It was not the easiest article I have written, because I had to distill my thoughts and describe them. Hope it made sense.

My wife and I went out for Chinese food tonight, and my fortune cookie said it all:

"Don't scrap everything! See what you can salvage."

I guess that's a good lesson in life!

That's one "spooky" fortune cookie

Never buy what you can build, never build what you can steal, and never steal if you can buy a little material and build the thing you actually need.

Last fortune cookie I had said. . .

. . ."You will be hungry an hour from now."

Sorry, Verne.

Heh...

That's a good one, Paul!

My wife's cookie read:

"Ignore the previous fortune." 

Great ideas

Verne - I appreciate your sharing the process you went through to move from one layout to another; an inspiration that we don't have to stay wedded (or stuck?) to a previous incarnation of our ideas.  Looking forward to subsequent installments as the new railroad empire unfolds.

Bill

Thanks, Bill

Thanks, Bill. It's quite liberating when you have a small railroad to be able to change directions without the serious downside of invested time and material in a 'dream layout'. I've always found the changes to be worth it in the long run, both in the fun of building something new and in keeping things new and interesting.

I hope you and others find my thought process and suggestions encouraging and inspiring, change can be a very good thing!

Inspiration

Verne

Your track plan was an inspiration for me. I have been thinking, designing and becoming frustrated with my 10' x 10.5' space and coming up with a working On30 track plan.  I hope to use a bit of your design on my future layout. I do know there will probably be a Frijolene tank car running on the rails.

Mike

Hmmm, an idea!

  You know, maybe there's a market for Frijolene decals, Verne. I would sure decorate a Blackstone HOn3 tank car with a set, just for the fun and enjoyment under the auspices of Rule #1.

 I like that one, Verne!

You can do a lot

You can do a lot in 10x10 with On30, Mike...so dive in and have fun! The key is being really decisive on what your priorities are, as the space is a limitation on how many scenes you can effectively incorporate into your plan. I am glad you found the track plan helpful!

Paul, considered that, might make decals available, not sure yet. As for the fortune, who knows, might do that!