Island layouts

[steinjr]

Sure, modular can be flexible. But what would be the specific advantage of having a hub-and-spoke (or "plus" or "star") shape layout with a fixed center and a fixed number of flexible arms, compared with just putting together flexible modules in whatever pattern happened to fit the desired purpose at any given time - long and narrow, doughnut-shaped or generic "octopus" shaped or whatever ?

I was viewing it more to suit MountainMan's seeming preference for an island-type layout, and one that, because of room shape and features, was fairly restrictive as to layout placement. So all of the various interchangeable modules would be restricted in size and shape, and would always be assembled in the same configuration. The layout size and shape wouldn't vary, but the theme of the layout could.

That makes sense.

One could also do that on a smaller scale than having replaceable modules (or maybe really replaceable sections in this case) - just have "jigsaw industries" or "jigsaw scenery" (i.e. pieces of scenery and buildings on a baseboard that could be lifted out as a unit and replaced as a unit with another jigsaw piece). Ian Rice and Byron Henderson has described such jigsaw pieces.

Also, replaceable sections with tracks on them doesn't have to be at the end of the layout - you could have a jigsaw piece with tracks and scenery and buildings anywhere on a layout, and just lift the whole scene out and replace it.

Of course - if you were to run tracks across the edges of jigsaw pieces, it would demand a stronger alignment mechanism than jigsaw industries or jigsaw scenes, and probably throwing the turnouts from the top rather than having under layout turnout throwing mechanisms, but it still should be doable.

Smile,
Stein