Layout Parameters

"I like to think outside the box! When Pedro puts me in the box and I have to think, it is very hot."
- Peppy

Unfortunately we aren't all billionaires and have an aircraft hanger with a crew of fifty to help us build a layout. Those limitations force us to have parameters. Parameters are those boundaries that you can't or shouldn't cross.

On the Penoles Mines layout we have a few of them and it is always good to write them down and rank them.

Absolutes:

1. A team of six must be able to finish the layout in less than a year
2. The cost of the layout must not exceed $1,500
3. The layout must be transportable by a large pickup with an eight foot bed.
   

Guidelines:

1. It should have a lot of character and viewer appeal (so we can sell raffle tickets)
2. It should run flawlessly
3. Construction should not be too complex
4. It should make use of kits or simple structures to kitbash or scratchbuild
5. It must have a continuous run loop for display at a train show
6. It should fit in a small bedroom
7. It should fit through a normal bedroom door
   

The absolutes cannot be modified, stretched or changed. They are law. Just like when your wife says you can't put a layout over her coffee table, consider this from God and written on stone tablets. No way, Jose.

This layout is a show layout and a raffle layout. In order for our NMRA group to raise funds we build one of these each year. The last one was stunning and we made a ton of money on it. This one must be a show stopper to top the last one. The nicer the layout (and more unique) the more tickets we'll sell.

It has to be built in Buford, Georgia and then transported to the Galleria in Marietta, GA, then shipped to the new owner's house. So it needs to be mobile and it needs to be reassembled with a minimum amount of difficulty.

Since this is a fund raising project, we have to keep the cost down to make money. So, we have a budget. Often we all donate things to the layout and don't turn in the receipt as a donation, so our real budget may be slightly more than $1,500. Thus, all the absolutes.

The guidelines are not set in stone, but are definitely preferred and should be carefully considered before breaking them. Running flawlessly might be an absolute, but "flawlessly" is up for wide interpretation.

We may add to this list, but for now we'll start with this.

Comments? Questions? Be sure to post them!