Can I Do This?
2 NOVEMBER 2010
More to the point, should I do this? No need for long deliberation; the answer is an emphatic "Yes!" And that is? Build an Nn3 layout.
As to the "can" part, that remains to be seen. But I really need to challenge myself. I confess I've slacked off the last few months. I can come up with any number of excuses to justify it—health problems, family woes, hurricanes, etcetera, ad nauseum. The bottom line is that I just need to sit down on a stick of dynamite.
Thus I've decided to make an official, complete, and permanent return to N Scale modeling. I've already heard from Z Scalers bemoaning my departure. But I have physical limitations that make modeling in Z too much of a challenge to be enjoyable anymore, and above all I must seek out modeling that will be the most satisfying. Otherwise, what's the point? Hobbies are not meant to be exercises in banging one's head against the wall, after all...
Granted, N scale is not significantly larger than Z, so I'm still working pretty small. But raw materials are far more plentiful in N than Z, allowing me to focus my attention on specific things, as opposed to nearly everything. And I'm not ruling out the possibility of moving to Horribly Oversize someday, but that decision is not on my long-range radar at the moment.
Consequently I've begun a new layout: The White River and Northern VI. Those with sharp eyes may notice that the initial draft of the plan looks quite a lot like John Allen's first Gorre & Daphetid, and they'd be right; I did borrow some aspects of his design. But I also blended in a healthy dose of my first WR&N; just to mix things up a bit.
There are more details on this nascent project at the updated WR&N; website. I hope you're inspired to follow along on my new adventure.