Layout as Antilayout

The weather has been unusually pleasant for the last few weeks, consequently model building has been pushed to the side. However, winter is now definitely on the horizon, so I'm getting things organized for hunkering down in the workshop when the snow eventually flies.

One task is to get the layout ready for the next phase of construction. I think it might take 6 to 8 months to get it into some sort of baseline state as far as looks and features are concerned. It has been in a sorry state for awhile, so I figured if I got it cleaned and tidied, I'd have it in a positive condition as a starting point, which would put me in a good mood as I get going on this next phase.

While busy cleaning up I got to thinking this layout is more antilayout than layout. You may recall I wrote about Bill Schopp's concept of the anti-layout, but I'm starting to think that is a specific instance of a more general concept I call the antilayout. I define antilayout as a layout that goes against the grain of layout conventions, and not just here and there, but in overall design and execution. An antilayout isn't nontraditional just for the sake of being contrarian, but because it is the only way to express what the builder needs to express. With this layout the goals are many and don't involve the usual things such as the ability to simulate railway operations or delivering power by functioning overhead wiring, but instead it provides: loops so I can watch streetcars run, a place for displaying buildings (and is very reconfigurable as the mood strikes), a setup for photographing city and seaside scenes, and lightweight construction so I can move it around and take it places. Antilayouts are idiosyncratic and reach beyond the somewhat juvenile refrain we hear these days that goes something like, "it's my layout and I'll do as I please". This being said, I need to tell you that if you are looking for helpful, realistic, and generally applicable layout construction advice, you need to look elsewhere.