How to get ideas???

[ashbash2010]

Every time I start a layout I run out of ideas. I place a few stations, few building then I cant think of anything else.

I'm currently working on a route and have a terminus station at the corner of the board (for which is going to be a residential area) and I would like to place a industrial area somewhere but cant think of how to connect these together... :'(

How do people get ideas to build great layouts???

 

[pware]

A few basic suggestions ...

1. Fire up Google Earth, go to a major (or minor) city, one with a railroad through it obviously and one that shows reasonably high definition images in Google Earth and follow some of the lines to see how a real railroad is geographically organised.
2. Load up a few routes in Trainz and see how their designers have laid out the stations, industries and lines

Before you start on any layout you should have a plan as to ...

1. the type of railroad - specialised (e.g. mine, logging), industrial, commuter, mixed, long distance, shunt yard, etc.
2. the type of geography (flat, hilly, mountainous)
3. the era (steam, steam/diesel transition, diesel, futuristic)
4. prototypical (real) or fictional - the latter is not always the easiest to do

Experiment ... no one need ever see your disasters (I have had many)

Peter Ware

 

[mezzoprezzo]

How about a bit of rural landscape in between your town and industry?

You could then, as your rail track progresses, gradually reduce amount of line-side residential stuff, run the line through a bit of "green belt", and then have your industry.

You could then jump around the the different areas developing whichever bit takes your fancy. I do this quite a bit and have never, ever, become bored with World Building.

Use ground undulations, cuttings, tunnels, bridges, textures and trees. Everywhere has trees, even industrial landscapes.

Use the DLS too. I look in there daily, either to find an asset I want to add, or just to see what's new. New assets often provide inspiration.

Good luck!

Cheers
Casper

 

[GaryP]

Leave a little room between your city and whatever else. I'm in the process of adding onto California Dreamin (shhhh) and my city needs a powerplant. Since I don't have a nuke I'm using coal. I added a baseboard and fell into the same trap as you so I'm putting a small mountain and a park between them. Add some water, it's faster then landscaping.