Going out on a high!
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| Hornby Magazine for October 2016 |
Hello everybody, I hope you are all well. For those of you who do not already know, another article covering the construction of the Corkscrew-Lines has been published in Hornby Magazine. The October edition features a 6 page step by step guide to using the DCC Concepts Powerbase system with OO Gauge stock. I was particularly happy with this article and especially the use of the photos showing the helix and even managing to sneak a small photo of the layout onto the front cover. This is the current edition of the magazine which is now on newsagents stands - although the next edition is published on the 13th of October so you'd better be quick if you've not already purchased a copy. This will almost certainly be my last article showing the current layout as I have reached a momentous decision - the Corkscrew-Lines mk2 is being dismantled.
Those of you who know me personally will be fully aware of the problems I have been experiencing over the last few years with an ongoing back and lower lumber disc condition. Since the Corkscrew-Lines were started I have had back surgery and extended periods of debilitating sciatica and whilst I am currently fit and well I know that I am always going to be susceptible to further issues so I need think very carefully about my long term health and wherever possible I need to ensure I try to reduce the risk of aggravating my condition. This unfortunately is completely at odds with continuing with the current version of the Corkscrew-Lines. When I started work on the layout and committed to the large, multi-level OO Gauge project back in February 2011 there was no reason to think I would be unable to see it through to completion - albeit over a decade or so. As things currently stand however the project has pretty much ground to a halt. A combination of long lean-in distances, stretches to the upper level, protracted bending to fully access the lower level and the sheer bulk and weight of the baseboard sections when transported are not conducive to looking after my health going forwards.
Putting it bluntly, this model railways lark is supposed to be a thoroughly enjoyable hobby which helps to relieve the stresses and strains of the real world problems we all face. When the hobby starts to cause you physical pain and discomfort and you start avoiding working on the layout because it hurts - as I recently found to my cost during a ballasting session on the lower level, then it is time to stop and re-evaluate what you are doing and why. Over the last month or so I have of course desperately looked at ways I could perhaps adapt the current layout or change certain features to make ongoing maintenance and construction easier. It became increasingly obvious that if I diluted and pared down the current scheme and incorporated my revised ideal baseboard heights and depths that the resultant layout simply didn't enthuse me enough or excite me enough to proceed. Having reached this difficult conclusion it was extremely poignant that on that very day the latest edition of Hornby Magazine plopped onto my doormat. Talk about life twisting the knife!
So where do I go from here? Having decided any further work on the Corkscrew-Lines mk2 layout was pointless I thought I would mull over what aspects of the layout had given me the most pleasure and how I could try to incorporate the best ideas and most successful aspects of the current layout into its successor - oh yes my friends, rest assured - there will indeed be a Corkscrew-Lines mk3 - Hellfire! I particularly enjoy the challenges associated with the complicated construction methods for the baseboards required on layouts with multiple decks and I cannot imagine I would ever build a layout that didn't have a sense of actually going somewhere with a long mainline run and a feeling of purpose.
I am going to keep my powder dry for now and not reveal fully what I am up to in the garage but I will confirm I have actually started work on the new layout. My new adventure follows many of my now established themes. It is certainly overly ambitious - which is surely my trademark and I wouldn't have it any other way. This time however it will be constructed as a series of much smaller "chunks" which can receive partial scenic treatment as I proceed (I am conscious that I never reached the stage where scenic work was started on the previous 2 layouts!). There will as you would expect be complicated and unusual woodwork and a different twist on the multi-level approach. I have no doubt many of you will be surprised by the actual railway subject and theme I have chosen to model and I am fully aware that many will perhaps be disappointed that the new scheme is such a radical departure from the previous versions. All I ask is that you keep an open mind when I eventually go public and you let me try to win you over. Please remember this change of direction was enforced due to pragmatism over long term health issues. I didn't welcome it and I didn't want it but I have now started to embrace the changes and my modelling enthusiasm and desire have returned after many weeks of doom and gloom.
So there you have it my Corkette chums. After over 5 years of regular updates I will now be leaving the blog dormant for a few months whilst I decide if I am to continue with it or choose a different medium to update the great unwashed as to my Corkscrew-Lines progress and adventures. I hope you have enjoyed the updates and I want to thank everybody who has contributed, supported and encouraged me along the way - you know who you are! It has been great fun - Dreadful!
That's all for now Folks!
Corky!
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