It Ain't Over...

...'till it's over. In this case, I'm referring to the town of Naughtright on the James River Branch, which has endured yet another substantial series of revisions. (I can hear some of my regulars chuckling; others may be rolling their eyes.)

As often happens, it came about by accident. I was about to dust off a partially-finished structure so that I could reassure anyone who might have thought the layout was dead—particularly myself—that it was yet alive and kicking. But my choice of project instead inspired a major reorganization of the town (I've spelled out all of the gory details here).

Some may wonder about the whys and wherefores behind all of these revisions—they never seem to end. This apparent indecision is not due to a lack of confidence in a design, or an unwillingness to stick to a plan. Basically, until one sees an object in the flesh, one may have a hard time visualizing how it will work with other objects sharing the space.



It's easier for some modelers because they're happy just plunking down models as they emerge from their workshop. But the crux of the situation for me is that I'm an artist (I have a baccalaureate in art, no less), and so I tend to scrutinize things much more than most people. Mix artist with modeler and you've got a potentially volatile combination!



Thus I'm not happy until I see something that not only looks plausible, but has a visually pleasing composition. This has resulted in an endless stream of revisions since the day the layout was conceived—and at one point included the whole layout itself!

Naughtright will settle down when all of the buildings are finished, and probably not before. When that happens, I'll be able to evaluate the town as a whole; so there may yet be more revisions on the way. Once I'm happy with the arrangement, I will at last start making foundations and allow the buildings to stay put.

Meanwhile, anything could happen—and probably will.