After a gap of about 12 years I have decided to build another model railway. I got bogged down and lost my mojo last time, because I got over ambitious and was building a full scale four our branchline, and did not realise how time consuming that is, and how you are in the midst of people who do not play trains, they model them. I am this time going to ensure that it is more fun. In the interim I have been playing war games, where I have been constantly told that I am a railway modular as I like to have realistic scenery, and not representative stuff, but what I have learnt is that if its fun its not what I want to do. So I am just starting agian. I have got the books out again and have stared researching. 
I am very predictable in what my theme will be. I have spent all of my life in the Thames Valley travelling in and out of Paddington, from Windsor, Slough, Wycombe and Marlow and my interest is and always will be GWR. I also got told last time that was I was doing was a cliche. Now I really do not care, cliche or not its what I like. I have yet to decide if I am going to go OO or EM. I will use flexi track and make the turnouts, unless the promise of bullhead rtf is available soon in which case that may well swing it!
 . I will not be looking to have loose heel turnouts just something that works. My focus will be on having something that is an interesting model, it will not be a model of an actual station because I want to have license to do it without having errors pointed out to me by those more knowledgable than me.
One of main reasons for resuming is that I have seen and heard some DCC models with sound and it restarted my interest
Having already seen some of the wonderful work on this site I shall be seeking inspiration from you all. Once I start to build I shall share some pictures and look for helpful advise.
Thanks
David

Welcome, David.

Don't listen to nay sayers and negatories.

You obviously have a clear idea of what you want to do, so just do it.

We'll all be watching and travelling along with you.

If you get stuck, put your hand up; otherwise - enjoy the journey

Like it says up the top, it's your model railway.   :thumbs

Hi David,

Welcome to the forum and welcome back to the world of model railways, which can be so stimulating on many levels. Enjoy the research and let us know where you're going with the excellent GWR theme. You know it makes sense, despite other railways being available! (Tongue very much in cheek btw)

As winter approaches, I'll be cracking on again soon with my GW plank layout and enjoying some modelling.

Al the best,

Bill 

Rule 1, It's your railway and you run / do as you wish.
Rule 2. See rule 1.

Me I'm GWR EM, roughly 60Miles to the west of your area., if you're going to build the points then you may as well.

Enjoy yourself…

Hi David, from chilly Essex.

:Welcome


I used to be that other shade of green, but I've recently gone blue and as The Q says, Rule 1 always applies.


Ed

Hope you get what you want David.  Be careful if you go EM, I tried and got bogged down converting RTR steam locos and lost my mojo for over a year.  Converting wagons and coaches is easy enough.  I imagine converting bogie diesels isn't too bad either.  I don't have a problem building track having done a fair bit of that for the club layout.

I've eliminated all the bother by going O gauge.

John

Welcome to the club David.Hope your mojo is ready to go again.

Welcome David. I went through a similar experience and eventually realised that I was being over ambitious. When I decided that I was going to have one more try at building a successful layout or give up I went for something much simpler.

It was never my intention to exhibit my work but I have now attended 20 exhibitions and have a full diary of booking stretching into 2018. All with a simple cliched GWR branch.

Go for it, accept there will be times when your mojo disappears, usually when you come up against a problem and can't see a way to progress. The best solution then is to seek help and here is a good place to get it. It worked for me.

  

Nothing wrong with a cliched branch Nick.  Your layout is an inspiration to me.  My O gauge layout is going to have a similar track plan.

John

[user=565]Brossard[/user] wrote:

Nothing wrong with a cliched branch Nick.  Your layout is an inspiration to me.  My O gauge layout is going to have a similar track plan.

John

Thanks John, you are right. I was only responding to the Krimson's reference to being told that what he was doing was a cliche. 

A warm welcome from Mackay David.

Hi David
 Welcome to the club  from Adelaide. 
 Regards  Ted

Hi David welcome to YMRC, Welcome back to model railways.Follow your heart your dream, s will come true, enjoy your build

Enjoy Forum, s

Best of Luck

Noviceman

Hello David,

Welcome to the club,

nothing wrong with a GWR layout!

Jeff

Nothing at all wrong with a branch line GWR layout  ;-)
Welcome back, the fun is just beginning.

cheers

Hi David,

Welcome to the club.

Nothing like a branch-line to bring out the best and worse in people. Especially when it's the GWR. Now what's interesting about GWR branch-lines is that nearly all of them were originally not GWR, they were built by private railway companies with their own ideas about what worked for them and their clientele.

There was tremendous resistance from the GWR Board of Directors about developing branch-lines after the expensive broad gauge debacle, and management got around this by taking minority investment positions in these private endeavors, knowing full well they would eventually take them over.

Which means no boring architectural uniformity, interesting (and not always efficient) track diagrams, and lots of make do and mend situations. Many of these idiosyncratic features were preserved well into BR(WR) days. Plus lots of scope for frelancing and "what might have been".

The Thames valley is rich pickings, you're spoiled for choice. And it's your model railway.

Nigel

Welcome to the club David.  :cheers

Having been somehwat stymied during the summer months due to accidents, pressures of work and my, rather too ambitious, layout, I know exactly what you mean about losing one's mojo when you realise the enormity of the task ahead.

Cliched or not, some of the finest layouts I can recall have been sleepy little, I'm sorry to say, GWR branchline layouts.  I'm firmly "from't north" and "dark satanic mills" but am man enough to admit I love those branchlines.

Looking forward to watching it progress.

Hello David, welcome to the club from me down on the edge of a sunny Solent. Good to have you with us.