Modeling Cliches to Avoid when Building your Layout

[nachoman]

It's hard to say... where do you draw the line between cliche and "poor practice"? E.g. cliche is too many tunnels in a prairie layout, but overly tight curves combined with AutoMax car carriers is simply poor practice that will lead to operational headaches.

Andrew

Good point. There are the things that everyone seems to have to have one of on their layout, and then there are things that many people do that makes their layout unrealistic.

I think the thread I saw on the Model railroader forums labeled all as "pet peeves". But no matter what we call them, they are all things we should consider when we build a layout. Many are unavoidable, but can be controlled or can be minimized. We also need to consider the context of what our layouts are trying to achieve. A "train wreck" scene seems much more hokey on a layout that is obviously striving for prototypical accuracy. If one wants their layout to look a little more "whimsical", the train wreck fits right in. The goal for my layout is to not be entirely prototypically faithful - I want it to look like a model railroad. Therefore, there could be justification for a few steep mountains, rickety bridges, and overweatherd rolling stock.

And many of these "cliches" are must-haves on any layout open to the public. People love the gimmicks, and putting few on will increase the popularity of the layout.