Our work at TrainWorx is not limited to building layouts or products for layouts. Many train enthusiasts have the passion and the talent to build their own layout, but look to our crew of Traingineers to collaborate with them to evaluate and refine their plans or suggest alternatives to enhance operations or add visual excitement to their model railroad experience. As guys who ” play” with trains as well as design and build them, we enjoy suggesting unique ways to view operations and routing, selecting industries and destinations to highlight the journey or choosing scenic vignettes to establish space, place and time.
This past week , I had the pleasure of traveling to an area that I had not been to before – the Chesapeake Bay area – to visit with a couple who I met at Spring York. They are in the process of building their own layout and asked me to fire up the creative process with them to get the most out of their plans and guide them in the scenery building options they are exploring. A great space, a workable trackplan, a great selection of track and a willingness to be open to enhancement suggestions delivered a most enjoyable day’s efforts with excellent results. We pushed the space vertically to include three effective levels of track; created an exciting and practical track plan requiring little additional trackage and a more efficient use of existing inventory & space; sketched some very exciting new visuals – and best of all created new train friends all around! I will be documenting the ideas this week and looking forward to my next visit to evaluate progress – and enjoy more fresh crab & shrimp as well!
Whether at Train Club Conventions, Train Shows or RailFan events , everywhere I go I have the opportunity to experience the best thing about this great hobby – the people who enjoy sharing their enjoyment of model railroading and the love of toy trains. It can be a childhood memory of the trains we saw or had the opportunity to ride, or a newly discovered appreciation for the machinery of the modern railroad that we see every day. Whatever the source, our enjoyment of these images of power, commerce, and passage become icons that we want to include in miniature detail in our own railroad worlds – and most importantly, share in the fun of creating them with other like-minded friends.
We have some spectacular projects underway at TrainWorx right now that will be the center of conversation for a whole lot of train friends in the weeks and months ahead. At the same time, we are always interested in talking to our train friends about the spectacular train layouts they are envisioning . I’m looking forward to the journey, every day!
