I'll be in Southern California in Mid-September (15th-19th) for the Pacific Southwest Region's Convention in Glendale. I expect to drive from the Bay Area to So Cal, so I'd be happy to make a stop or two along the way. I'll be presenting my clinic on Designing an Op Session on Thursday, the 16th, at 3 pm.   If you are coming to the PSR Convention, please stop by and say hello. And if you're anywhere in the vicinity or along the way and would like to meet to discuss a project, please contact me.   I had a great trip in August to the East Coast and had the chance to meet a few of you in person. The only downside to the trip is that I now have a significant case of basement-envy! One of my upcoming layout design projects is for a 1500 sq. ft. basement that's been beautifully finished. It was fun to see the space where the layout will go first-hand ... I don't usually have the opportunity!

Ops Fun for One

Many people ask about what can be done to make operations fun for the solo operator. I think that there are a number of ways to add operating enjoyment after the layout is built, but the best way is to address the individual operator's needs is in the design process.   In my mind, four elements create enjoyment for solo operators: diversity in job roles; variety within each role; the influence of external factors; and a reasonable degree of realistic operating challenge. Click on the graphic at left (or here) to read a short article on these issues and strategies to address them.   One of my favorite schemes for providing this kind of engaging operating environment is to combine a small classification yard with an industrial switching area, offering both "ordering" and "sequencing" challenges. I've mentioned the two operations-oriented T-Trak modules I designed which have already been built by the client. These incorporate the "classification yard - industry switching" scheme and are working out well. A short article featuring one of my smaller designs incorporating this theme will also be in the commercial press early in 2005.

I've mentioned in the past that I am contributing to the development of an operating plan for a large mountain-pass SP-themed layout. The owner held the first "full" operating session recently and it was fun to see things coming together pretty darned well.   I've also been consulting with a couple of clients who are working through many ops questions, issues, and plans before their layouts are built -- seeking to avoid reworking in plaster and plywood what can be fixed with paper and pencil. We've considered everything from town layouts to staging flow to proposed timetables. It's a lot of work, but very interesting -- and hopefully a way to have a better "opening night", as one of my clients said. Ops planning projects can take many different forms, from conceptual design to complete development of the operating plan and supporting paperwork and instructions. More detail is available on the Operations Planning page.

Ops Plans

Layout Design After a brief lull over the summer, custom layout design projects are becoming a priority for clients again. And as I mentioned last month, a surprising number of inquiries are coming from clients who have already installed some or all of their benchwork. Definitely not something I expected to see when I began this practice, but each one has been a unique challenge.   Beyond the consulting projects I mentioned in the opening paragraphs, I'm also glad to be working on a couple new full designs:   - A large O Gauge pike combining traditional operating accessories and tinplate appeal with a few operations-oriented elements.   - A very large HO scale proto-freelanced traction (mostly) layout featuring elements of the Sacramento Northern and Central California Traction.   … with more in the wings for later in the Fall. I was hanging out with some model railroaders the other evening when one of them remarked, "Yep, I tore down my whole layout because of Byron's advice". Yikes! I made ready to bolt for the door if things turned ugly. Thankfully, he's happy with the form the new layout is taking and I think he'll enjoy operations more based on his new design.   How many of us are brave enough to tear down something that's already built because of the vision of something better? And how many more of us remain frozen in place, afraid to even begin lest we make a mistake? So much of what passes for discussion of model railroading on the Internet and elsewhere is just endless "paralysis by analysis". I'll probably write something on that topic someday, but in the meantime I'm going to head out to the garage to attempt to make a little progress.   If there's a way I can help you make some progress with a custom layout design, some operations planning, some consulting, or just a second opinion, please contact me today.   Copyright © 2004 by Byron Henderson