My Railway's settings
Now to narrow things down alot so we can see what I wish to model.
As will many people I feel like modelling what I know, which is the state in which I live, Victoria. I havn't lived here all my life, but so far it has been the longest I have been in one place.
What sort of railroading do I wish to set the model in ?
Let's say I like mainline action with trains passing though my railway. Like the famous stage comparison, my railways is only but part of the bigger picture with train arriving, passing and departing to/from far off locations. I wish for single line operation with a few passing loops as well as stations. I wish the railway to be able to be controlled by a CTC panel.
Despite this railway not being a prototype modelling prospect (which appeals to me greatly), I still look at Victoria as the inspiration. CTC is used only from Melbourne-Albury , a line far too hard to model easily since it has broad gauge and standard gauge next to each other, and the stations not really allowing me to model them well.
So I know what style I'll model the railways to. Now, the location. I have prefered the open plain style countryside to the west of Melbourne. Where the railways generally run through flat countryside serving primarily the agricultural regions, especially grain.
But that does not mean I am limited to traffic that would serve these areas as the mainline passes through. My railway is but a portion of the whole system.
Another areas is the era. I will not be locking myself to one era, though my rollingstock mainly represents 1980's to 2000. Like today's operators on the real railways I will have my varied loco roster, and allocate locos according to their capabilities. This does mean Steam train will mix with the Diesals, mainly as preserved units.
That is where the branch line would be appealing to me - I can run it as a "preserved" railway - with all the headaches that may cause the main railways !!!
But I do not intend to run this railway one way. That would be boring over time. I'll change the focus by what is on the layout.
