YES!!!!

I've been eagerly/impatiently waiting for this! So excited!

Mike in CO

Actors are people too!

Just because "Bill" is an actor that is no reason to say that he isn't a real person. We actors are people too!!!

That said... That was an excellent start to the TOMA video series, and I look forward to the next installment. The TOMA concept is sort of familiar to me. In my late teens, when the traditional 4x8 layout ceased to be practical in our new apartment, I repurposed the lumber to build a pair of 18x48-inch modules in HO-scale for my bedroom. Alas, in those pre-internet days, the loss of the (better) of the local hobby shops put a damper on that plan. I revisited the concept a few years ago, only in N-scale that time. Another move resulted in new plans, and this time I "carpe diem-ed" myself into building something in N-scale, but.... the 24x48-inch module sort of morphed into a 40x80-inch multi-leveled table.... and there's a shelf around two walls of my spare bedroom that, if ever cleaned off, could be home to an HO switching layout.... and there's about 24x73 inches of spare MDF that might be a future home to an O-scale 2-rail layout (thanks to MRH putting the idea of a small O-scale switching layout in my head!).

So, I guess what I'm saying is that TOMA could lead to the need for an intervention... or an episode of Hoarders!

Keep up the great work, gentlemen!

This series has been a lot of fun to do

Have been looking forward to this since you announced it.

I enjoyed the first installment and look forward to the rest of the series. 

I noticed that you said "If I were rebuilding..." which got me wondering how long ago you actually started working on the series. What is the time lag between concept and filming/editing? Some people probably think you wander into a studio and say "let's do a video on this today", and throw it up on TMTV. 

As to this particular video, I would have liked a little less of the history of track planning and also the background of the Vermont. While both important, I thought too much time was taken on them. I would have liked an overview of the proposed track plan when the Railroad is complete, and how many modules there would be and the order of construction. I'm sure you'll cover these in upcoming episodes, but I would have loved a little taste of it in this first installment, just to whet the appetite. No doubt others will have different views. Which is as it should be.????

Keep up the good work.

This series was started back in October

Excellent episode!

I really enjoyed the first installment and look forward to the series.

Fascinating!

I found the whole of the first installment fascinating, and am already looking forward to the series. I suppose the thing is these days with the Internet, people have come to expect something new every day or week, unlike when some of us were youngsters back in the last century and had to wait for a magazine to come out each month, and if you wanted information, a reply could be several months coming!

With this series and the various postings on Joe's layout progress / ideas, it is making me think again about my next layout too!

TOMA and pre-fab T-Track modules

I'm not sure why the TOMA video made me think of this.  

I know a lot of guys don't like the benchwork part of the hobby. For narrow benchwork, and certainly for a lot of N scale modules, The pre-fab T-track modules might be a suitable solution for some.

A few of the guys in our N-trak group also do T-trak and use the modules from this company.  I'm sure there are others. I have a pretty good wood shop, and frankly, given the time and material costs, these really don't look that expensive.

I'm not saying you need to build T-trak, but I'm suggesting the wood modules could be used as the base for anything.

A few of these and some shelf brackets from the home center could give someone a pretty quick start.  Especially if you don't have a shop or tools handy.  If I were in an apartment or other limited space I can see using a couple of the 3 or 4 foot modules to make a pretty nice little layout. They look like they'd be a better solution than the often mentioned hollow core door.

gs

Admin - feel free to move this if you think it's not appropriate for this thread.  Thanks, gs

TOMA-Freemo

I'm kind of disappointed that the TOMA discussion here and on TrainMastersTV has given so little attention and credit to the Fremo/Free-mo standards and gatherings, which I feel have done quite a lot to demonstrate the practicality of building a model train layout segment by segment.

Creating shared modules is another way of expanding the hobby value of a project that is manageable by an individual who may not have a lot of space available at home, and may have a busy life with family and work obligations.

Obviously, if the layout segments are meant exclusively for use at home, there's no need for the common interface and connectivity that Freemo requires but these are not difficult requirements.  Freemo set-ups at national and regional shows display a high level of craftsmanship and a lot of creativity.

People following the TOMA path should think about incorporating one or two Freemo sections into their home layouts.  Model railroading has always had a strong thread of sociability and sharing.

See the layout in Springfield

Anyone attending the Amherst Railroad Hobby Show on January 28th/29th should plan to stop by the MRH booth in the Better Living Center to see the finished layout sections.

Here are some photos to give you a sneak peek of where we're headed with the TMTV series.

"People following the TOMA

    Yeah, I'd certainly check into the freemo action in my area and build to their standards if there was local interest. Seems like a great way to expand the utility of a small layout along with minimizing the expense of building something suitable for operations. A couple of personal modules depicting a favorite location could be linked up to freemo layouts representing the rest of the railroad  network......DaveB 

My version of TOMA

We will be shooting a TMTV video clinic on the end of SL1 and the rise of SL2 soon and I will be pushing to have Barry get it up fairly quickly.

I'll be discussing the good, the bad, and the ugly of SL1 and also cover my version of TOMA that I'm thinking of using with SL2, which is somewhat different from what this series will be doing. Both have their place - and since TOMA is an approach rather than any one specific technique, this will serve to illustrate how many different techniques can be employed under the umbrella of "the TOMA way" to do a home layout.

Looking forward to this series

I just saw the video this morning and I am so excited about this series. I am "Bill", except for the age. We are currently living in an apartment and the Model Railroading bug has bitten me again. I've been wanting to build a model railroad since the 1970s. At one point I got as far as getting the bench work built. Something always seems to have stalled my progress.

I had planned on building a small shelf layout until I reviewed our lease and discovered that anything larger than a small nail "for hanging pictures" in the wall was a violation of our lease agreement. This has come at just the right time.

@joef

I have not really started on my layout yet.  Need to finish prepping the area.  You had convinced me to go with spline roadbed,  I can't see that it would be the correct choice for TOMA.  So, are you going to use something other than spline for your new layout?  And, am I just jumping the gun, so to speak, as it'll be addressed in the upcoming videos?

Bart Hollis

I am hoping to still use spline

PVC huh?

That should be interesting!  I'll be watching.

Bart