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The inspiration for Taft Yard came from a visit to this location in 2004.
In 2003, the family holiday incorporated visits to theme parks in Orlando and beaches around Miami. I had tantalising glimpses of Taft Yard from the freeway crossing the line on the journey to and from Orlando International Airport. I had seen coaching stock in the very vivid Tri Rail livery nearing Miami on Interstate 95 and south of Fort Lauderdale I saw a long freight with Florida East Coast motive power.
On my return, I researched railfanning sites to find out more about what I had seen.
For the 2004 family holiday in a Kissimmee villa, I was able to plan some time to explore the local railway scene and I spent 2 days at various locations. Taft Yard succeeded in holding my attention though frequent loco movements and intensive marshalling of trains by radio controlled locomotives.
My existing layout, Whitley Bay Quayside, had been showcased in Moderail and was due for retirement. With colleagues from the North East Area Group of DEMU, I had made a significant contribution to an exhibition layout, Roundtrees Sidings. This had used most of my modelling time and energy for a six month period and was successfully exhibited in June 2005.
The completion of these two modelling projects left a vacuum in my modelling world and I needed a new project. Christmas 2004 had witnessed a visit from Santa with a Lenz system in his sack. I was exploring DCC with my British outline models and I was intrigued by on board lighting possibilities and sound. To stretch my capabilities of DCC, I purchased a Broadway Imports Limited SD 40 on Ebay. It was in CSX livery and by co-incidence it had been renumbered to a loco I had seen in Taft Yard!
A layout themed in Florida with elements of Taft Yard would appear to meet my modelling motivation - decision made!
Modelling time was spent with paper and pencils creating and modifying designs for the new layout. The most appealing of my many plans was reworked and a detailed full size plan was made.
A further visit to Napa and Palm Springs in California was carefully researched and planned to include visits to various places to soak in the railway atmosphere, take photos of infrastructure in addition to trains and to take plenty of video footage to view for inspiration as the layout evolved. |
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(318 hits)
Collection 01 Original Planning Stage |
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