# Feeling Overwhelmed- Again... Input needed...



## hoscale37 (Nov 20, 2011)

Hello all,

Just looking for some input- I have been working on my layout on and off since 2011/2012... just have been busy with work and personal life related things. With as much as I have going on with the layout- I am just getting to a point where I am feeling overwhelmed in trying to get things done. I sat down in the basement yesterday for almost 2 hours just staring at the layout and thinking about things, about things I want to do, about things that need to be done, and various other "projects" that have been in flux for awhile now. 

I have the following in progress projects that are in various stages of completion:

Inventory of all of my Rolling Stock/Locomotives
Building of the Plaster Mountain that I started back in August.
Scenery on the layout
Ballasting Track
Building of Buildings/Painting of Buildings
Building Rolling Stock that is currently in kits
Adding the 9.6 foot staging yard and wiring it
Moving the layout over in my basement for further expansion and correlating needed inclines to move from one level to another minus a helix due to space

I just have WAY too many things to try to get done and I am feeling way overwhelmed in the regard that if I want to move the layout, I have to move other things around in the basement to get this done. I have the space- it's just finding the TIME to do all of this stuff. 

Granted, I know that some will say to "Just take a break and come back to it in a few weeks"... Do I have TOO much on my plate here with my layout to the point that I am feeling overwhelmed by it all? As I mentioned, I went downstairs yesterday and literally stared at the layout for almost 2 hours without getting anything done/completed. It wasn't until last night that I went down again and started to work on putting together a boxcar that I bought almost 2 years ago at a show. 

Help. Am I doomed? Need some input and advice here to help me keep my sanity. 

Just feeling defeated at the moment....


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

I guess this is quite common...seeing too large and trying to swallow too much at a time.We see this all the time with newcomers that after seeing others empires start dreaming about their own and are already planning ahead for theirs before even pushing the first nail in.
I've started a layout two years ago that I have since torn down to downsize,finally realizing that I might very well never see the end of it.BTW,I'm 63.Model railroad empires,though most appealing,are very lengthy works of love needing a lot of free time to devote to them.
I've since rebuilt a smaller benchwork,but this time giving more thoughts to planning so that I don't get overwhelmed.I complete phases one at a time,not trying to jump to the next until time has come to do so.
My suggestion...have whatever completed trackage you have functional and run trains for a while and forget future expansions for now.Scenery too can wait,just as ballasting,kit assembly and so on.You need to re-focus and operating will do just that...you'll likely find flaws,possible improvements,etc to what is already there.Then you'll be in a position to know what are your best options...completing,enlarging or whatever.

I've been there,so overwhelmed that the layout sat idle for months.I just couldn't set my mind to it.The newer one,though smaller,is a huge improvement as it's progress is planned and I always know what I have to do,when I feel like it,that is.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Dear Overwhelmed;
Go down to the basement and start putting things AWAY. That's right put things away someplace where they are out of sight. You don't need any rolling stock for now. Put it all away. You don't need any structures right now either. Put them all away. In other words "clear the decks" so you can see what your dealing with.Stash all the kits away and out of sight and then take a break.
Now do you have a plan for the track? Doesn't have to be to scale or very pretty,you just need a plan for a guide line to what your building. You don't have to follow the plan just something to get you started.
Next get that table moved to wherever you want it to be and LEAVE IT THERE.
Next take your plan and start laying out the track. Start where you will have your power supply and controls and have them near a plug for power.
Now start laying the track. Forget about wiring and such,just lay out the track using a few tacks here and there to keep it in place but easy to move if you have to. Don't worry about sidings and other side line tracks,just get a main line together and then put an engine on it and run it.
Now you have an engine running and you can play with that in between figuring out what you want for spurs and secondary tracks. Maybe two loops around for two trains ect.
Next figure where you want turnouts. Install them and wire them up to work. Once you get to this part the layout will take ona life of it's own and you'll be adding things here and there as you go along.
Train layouts don't all get built in a few days. They take time and some guys never get finished like me. The main thing is to get the table in the right place and then make a plan just for that table.
So Make the plan, layout a mainline and run on it to find any bad spots. I've had to tear up track three or four times to get rid of a bad stretch of track. Get the track all running smoothly before you go to scenery and structures.
BUT FIRST MAKE A PLAN! If you don't know how to do that then post a picture of your table with dimensions and we will give you some help. We love helping guys out with plans. It's mo funner that way. Pete


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Hey man. This is a hobby. It's something enjoyable or relaxing
to do when you don't want to do any real work.

With everything that you have on your to do list the one item that
attracted me as an easy answer: The rolling stock kits. You can pick up
one of these and spend a peaceful couple of hours assembling it.

While you are doing that, this or that on your layout might catch
your thoughts. Let your whim lead the way.

I hop from one train chore to another with wild abandon. There
are a number of things I SHOULD DO, but they fall into the
'that's not fun' category so they get put off; ike crawling under
the table to connect several lighted buildings to my lighting buss
or ballasting a difficult to reach section that requires me to climb\
ONTO the layout table.

Pick a small project that you can easily complete in your time sked.

Don't make it into work...aaaargh.

And, hey, there's nothing wrong with just sitting, pondering and
staring at it either. 

So with that, Don's amateur psychiatry session comes to an end. 

Don


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Good advice Dr. Don. For all of us. Pete


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## hoscale37 (Nov 20, 2011)

Norgale,

I have had the track running for the past almost 2 years now... the track has been up and wired and running for awhile. It's all of the other little things that I have been putting off, that need to be done, but I haven't done, and a matter of getting the other things moved out of the basement to create room for the 9.6 foot long staging yard that I bought back in April 2014 that is already pre-wired and laid track with a ladder track and 4 track staging yard. 

I've been running trains off and on, and maybe I do just really need to concentrate on one specific thing for a three month stretch and then move on to something else or something along these lines... 

Don- I believe you may have hit some things on the head, when it feels like "a job" it's no longer fun and I think I may be on that borderline. How do I kill that thought logic because I don't want my hobby to be a "job"... especially if I am not getting paid to do a hobby. I am sure that makes sense. 

I'm just curious- has this perception ever been covered in a model railroading magazine and what have others done to avoid stepping back from the whole thing and doing something small aside from building kits or the like.... ??


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## Dirtytom (Jan 13, 2014)

Got back to trian after four months and tried to start my waterfront, bayou fishing village. Stated over three times and was ready to quit. Got back to basic layout and added lights, more trees etc. Now back to fishing village and just going slow,, do not give up, this hobby is great for the mind and dexterity.

Good luck

DT


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## JNXT 7707 (May 5, 2013)

Bryan - some great advice has been posted. I guess everyone has their own way of looking at things. 
But as you see, most all of us has been where you are at one point, or to some degree. 
Best guidance I can give is not limited to trains, it works for anything - one step at a time. When I look at the whole big picture of anything, I'm likely to get overwhelmed. it's too much! But...focused in on one thing...one project...it becomes manageable. Hey look at it this way - if you did it all today, what would you do tomorrow?
At any given time, I have about 25 projects going. I rarely start and finish one at a time though, I make my rounds as I get burnt out on one. Then, later on - the project seems new again. Sometimes I'll do nothing but scenery and I'm all gung-ho for a week or so...and then it's back to detailing locomotives.Or passenger cars. Or...whatever strikes me. The fun is in the process for me, I am never 'finished'.
Do what is fun - what isn't, set it back. As you finish one project, then another - you start to see how easy it all was. 
Hope these observations help!


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

I've gotten "overwhelmed" too a few times. I just have to take one step at a time and finish one thing before I start another. Thing is there's no set way to do this stuff. It's all in what you want and what your comfortable with. Everybody has a different speed and way of doing things so whatever you do will be ok. Pete


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## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Lots of good advice already. I just have one thing to add.

Think about what part of the layout you want to do a really good job on -- either because you have skills in that area or it is what you like doing best. Then think about how you might short-cut other areas to help them get finished more quickly.

I have a lot of life issues that reduce my hobby time, too. The thing I really want to work on is realistic rural mountain vegetation and scenery. But to get there, I need to fix the track problems and finish the wiring and control panel, etc. So when I work on these areas, I look for short-cuts that will save time -- but still do things in a way that will satisfy basic functionality. As for structures and rolling stock, I don't spend a lot of time and effort on being precisely prototypical. As long as things are more or less prototypical, that is fine with me.

If we focus on making all aspects of our layout look and operate like those featured in Model Railroader, we will never get done.


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## jesteck (Apr 15, 2014)

Bryan, it's easy to just sit and stare at the whole thing for a couple of hours, thinking about what still needs to get done and making yourself more and more frustrated the longer you sit there staring. Result? Another couple hours shot and no change on the layout. If you go down with a slightly different mindset- pick a simple chore, like ballasting a small section of track that you know is good- and go down with the sole intent to get that section ballasted, even if it's only 3'. Grab a beer, soda, iced tea, or other beverage of choice, do NOT plug in the powerpack, and just get started on the job at hand. If you concentrate on that one thing, you avoid all the other mind numbing distractions- and by the end of your night's work, you'll probably find you have accomplished many times over what you had originally intended to get done that day. That is the time of the evening to grab an adult beverage and survey your growing empire, not when you first go down to attack it; AFTER you have accomplished something.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I'll just add to what has been said, which is all good advice.

First of all, forget speed. Rome wasn't built in a day. You have no deadline, no due dates, you're not getting paid by the foot, and St. Peter is not going to turn you away because the layout isn't done. Like you, I have a million other demands on my time, and it's not unusual for me to go a week or more without getting anything done. So what? Prioritize the jobs you must do to get trains running. Now you have a layout. Everything else is gravy. Do it or not, as the desire takes you.

Secondly, you've got to eat the elephant with a teaspoon. Break each of those tasks down into bite sized pieces. If you only have an hour each night, then break them down into tasks of approximately an hour's duration. Write all of these steps down on giant checklist. Then just start knocking them out.

And finally, this is a hobby. If it's not fun and relaxing, it's not a hobby. Maybe you should take up RC airplanes, golf, stamp collecting, or classic car restoration instead. (I'm kidding, but see the point?)


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

hoscale37, I'm in about the same position as you. A bit burned out and overwhelmed. 
I'm retired and have all the time in the world but not the ambition so I have read with interest all advice presented here and good advice it is. Some of which I'm already doing. 

Start a small project something that you enjoy and you'll be surprised at how often you complete it an than start something else. Let the worrisome things go for a time.

Or tackle the biggest worrisome thing and just get started. Maybe start moving a few boxes and things to get the room you need for your expansion, just a few today and maybe some more tomorrow. Pretty soon a plan will come to you. :thumbsup:
Look at the little picture not the big problem. 

If I had you list of things to do that's where I'd start. Get you layout set in stone so you don't have to worry about doing other things and saying "Can't do this till I move the layout". Once that is accomplished many of the others things will fall into place.
When I get burned out I run trains for a day or so and if you get that switch yard in place it'll be more fun. A little inspiration. :smilie_daumenpos: I love switch yard operations. 

If you're anything like me it's the getting started that's the hard part, once started I'm good to go, a few boxes today, some more tomorrow. A little progress goes a long way. 
As you can see your not the only one to face this situation. 

Good luck with whatever approach you decide to take. :thumbsup:

As for your last question. Anyone who starts a large layout is a few marbles short to start with so there is no hope, you are doomed.  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Magic


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Just had a potential revelation here. Is there perhaps someone in your life who is pressuring you because of all the money and time you have invested in your layout? My wife, fortunately, gets it. She herself has many craft projects in various stages of completion. She may get them done some day, she may not. She understands that my model railroad (including various dioramas I have planned), fantasy miniatures, and woodworking projects may never get done, and she's ok with that. Well, mostly. The woodworking projects are usually for her (bookshelves, cabinets, Adirondack furniture, etc.) and she eventually wants them done so she can actually use them, but other than that, she sees how much time I spend working and supporting Boy Scouts and understands that I will do these other things, or not, as the desire hits.

My mother, on the other hand, wants to see my layout whenever she visits, and usually says, "Well, you haven't made any progress" (which I can usually rebut by showing her what has changed). But if I had this kind of pressure all the time, I think it might get to me. Depending on the source, that may be harder to resist, but hopefully you're not in that situation.


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## tr1 (Mar 9, 2013)

*the worlds greatest hobby has it's drawbacks including frustration.*

There's really no more that needs to be added here, except, maybe, being able/willing to compromise.
Regards,tr1
And good luck.


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## hoscale37 (Nov 20, 2011)

I don't have any pressure from my wife- she encourages me to go downstairs and work on the layout. She often wonders why I don't work on it more. We have been together since 2001 and married since 2003 (just celebrated the 1th anniversary at beginning of September). My wife gets it, and she does crafting and beading jewelry herself- so she knows the time that goes into the hobby. She can easily go into a Hobby Lobby or Michael's and easily drop $40.00 on supplies; so the feeling is mutual. I have been known to go a train show and drop that amount at a show on rail cars and supplies.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I've been busy as all get-out as well and haven't touched the layout in close to a year. 

But when I get around to it - it will still be there (just in need of a little dusting and track maintenance.)

Could be worse - I'm contemplating tearing down and starting over for the 3rd time. Wife isn't happy about it, but if it's what I need to do to have the layout I TRULY want, then so be it.

This is a lifelong hobby and any of the big layouts take a LONG time and are still never done.


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

A lot of good points were given here. I am probably in the same boat. I have been working on my layout for over 25 years and it is no where near complete. It will probably never be completed because as you move along in the hobby, you will gain experience and skills, and will probably always be upgrading something that you know could be better. 

About the only time I really have to work on my layout is during the winter when it's to cold to partake in a lot of outdoor activities. I have other hobbies besides model railroading so you have to manage your time. I had a period of close to ten years when very little progress was made. 

One problem I had was having no hobby shops at all where I live. If you look at your entire layout, it can be overwhelming. What I do is to concentrate on smaller projects that will eventually come together and your layout will come together as a whole. I have to order all of my supplies on line and this does help as I will select a certain part of the layout, order what I need and complete one small project at a time. Eventually the small areas you work on will all come together and thing will move forward to the next project.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

One thing I'm planning on doing with my "new" layout will be to simplify the trackage to make it easier to finish, landscape, etc.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

My railroad empire started in early 2011 after getting cranked up over a simple circle around the Christmas tree..........just thought it would be a great way to get thru another cold Michigan winter!
Well, what started very small has now evolved into a pretty busy 10'X10' layout that is rarely touched between early May and late October. Now, as October is almost here, I find myself once again hot-to-trot and ready to get back to work. 
During my railroad "off season" I spend lots of time thinking about what I want to accomplish during the winter months. This year my targets include some weathering and installing awnings on the commercial buildings in the "downtown" area, along with adding some more detailing here and there.
I'm blessed to have my railroad in a 30'X40' heated building in my backyard, which allows me to keep it mostly separate from my daily life. It's so relaxing to "go out back" for a few hours, pop a cold one, and spend some time relaxing on the railroad with no pressure to finish anything in any sort of time frame.
Life is good!
Bob


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

WOW! All this yacking and not one layout picture. Figured there'd be one at least. Bryan how about some shots of what your doing since this thread is about you? Pete


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

OK, here are some layout pictures.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

With pics like that - no WAY should you get discouraged. Looking fantastic


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Very nice Chet. Love the trees and all the detail you have there. Looks great and thanks for posting the pics. Pete

Just noticed "class of 59" on the bridge. That was my year for graduating high school. Neat.


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## Brakeman Jake (Mar 8, 2009)

Wish I was there...may be I'd be a bit overwhelmed too.Right now,the benchwork is just completed and the layout is a moderately large pink valley,so that I can't be overwhelmed...no choice on what's to be done.Actually working on track plan and will likely spend the winter installing tracks.....


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

You must be getting old. It's the class of 55.
Click on the caboose ride in the signature and take a ride through the layout. It is still under construction and has quite a ways to go.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Ok 55 it is. Your older than I am. Ha!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Very nice! I have that same fat guy fishing in my stream!

Seriously, now. Make a list of projects, in bite-sized pieces, and start knocking them off.


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

CTValleyRR said:


> Very nice! I have that same fat guy fishing in my stream!
> 
> Seriously, now. Make a list of projects, in bite-sized pieces, and start knocking them off.


That guy sure gets around doesn't he. Sure must enjoy fishing.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

The fat guy has a twin brother!  Right now he's sitting in a boat on a lake on my layout hoping to snag a bass or two.  Based on the way he's reclining, it's highly possible he's tipped a brewski or three. 
Bob


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

raleets said:


> The fat guy has a twin brother!  Right now he's sitting in a boat on a lake on my layout hoping to snag a bass or two.  Based on the way he's reclining, it's highly possible he's tipped a brewski or three.
> Bob


 I think you mean a Bass or two, as in Bass Ale!


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

I find that exercises relieves stress. 12 ounce curls fit the exercise requirement...


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Your lake isn't complete till the fat man drinks......no that's not it, sings that's it " the fatman sings". :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Holy sinker Fatman where are the fish? :laugh:

I'll go sit in the corner now. 

Magic


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I looked real close last night and, sure enough, there was a large cooler sitting in the boat! 
Bob


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