MRA Editors

Jack Burgess on Building a Layout with High Standards

MRA Editors
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Description

Every modeler has their own preferences for building a layout, especially when it comes to building alone or with friends. Some use their railroad as an expression of their own unique creativity and standards, and so they build by themselves. Others prefer to be a part of a team and turn modeling into a group experience, and so they build with others. For expert prototyper Jack Burgess, there’s no question which he prefers—he’s a solo artist through and through.

In this segment, host Allen Keller sits down with master modeler Jack Burgess to talk about the methods he used to build his scale duplication of Yosemite Valley Railway. Jacks explains why high standards and intense perfectionism keep him from building a railroad with a team of modelers. He describes the building process as highly personal and describes the satisfaction that comes from doing your own research and bringing images to life. You’ll also learn how Jack plans to continue expanding the YV in the future and discover his process for picking which component he’ll build next. See how the master operates!

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One Response to “Jack Burgess on Building a Layout with High Standards”

  1. Charles Kinzer

    Nice looking stuff. Having consciously decided standards (and they don't necessarily have to be high, just spelled out) makes it a lot easier to make a lot of decisions down the line. You can usually just refer to your standards and the answer will be obvious. I notice at about 2:52 to 2:54 in the video that the left wheel on the mogul's pilot truck lifted up into the air briefly.

You've been building the railroad for 13 years all by yourself. Was this a lonely pursuit? Not really. I get a lot of satisfaction by sharing the railroad with people, either having visitors or I do have some people that I invite over to operate. I don't operate the railroad that much, but I do have a lot of people come over.

We have a little round-robin group that gets together every month or two. And so- But the actual construction was Jack Burgess. Yeah, yeah, the construction I do myself, partly because I have a hard time directing people and I have such high standards. It'd be very difficult to tell someone, "Well, build this. Ah, that's not quite what I want, I'll do it myself." You don't want to hurt their feelings.

Yeah, you kinda say, well. And if you do it, then it's the way you want it. Right. And you were what I guess a lot of people would say, you might be a little picky about things. But that's, you couldn't have built a railroad to this highest standard had you not been, could you?

No, I would say I'm more than picky. I was being nice . I set very, very high standards for myself in my modeling. And even structures that I have built previously that have placed in regional or local meets are now considered not quite good enough. And I've even replaced those with other models.

So your standard has advanced. What's good enough keeps going up. Yeah, and I understand people that have a good enough philosophy. And I think that works well for a lot of people. But my own standards are much higher.

And I actually put those down in writing probably 25 years ago, and said all cars will have full underbody. All locomotives will duplicate the prototype. All buildings will be correct colors and so forth. Most of the layout's finished. How much longer will you be working on it?

I figure maybe 30 more years. It looks finished. There's areas that I haven't done much except rough in scenery, but I have about 45 more buildings to build. Probably 25 or 30 of those are fairly substantial large buildings. Another 40 hopper cars to build, a lot of equipment.

So probably another 200 pieces of equipment. Well, you say this, now do you have this, do you have a timetable for this? You have, I'm gonna do six buildings a year and 10 cars or something. No. How do you approach it?

Whatever interests me at the time. Generally I will work on a project and before that project is done, I will be thinking about the next thing I wanna do. So if I'm doing scenery, I'll start thinking about building a couple cars. But you mean you don't stick to one thing 'til you get bored with it. And say "I can't stand this anymore." You're able to vary it enough say, "Well right now I wanna build some structures.

And maybe a month from now I wanna build some cars." You do, you're flexible. Right.

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