To Everything, there is a season....
What is a timeline? A
timeline is simply a chronological list of events (real or imagined)
that had an impact upon your railway. Just like the name of a town
anchors the railway in space, a timeline anchors it in time, giving an
extra dimension of reality.
Do I need one? No, most model railroads go through their entire existance without a timeline, or have just a vague unwritten one.
So why would I want one? Rather than a monster
created by someone with OCD, a timeline is actually a useful tool for
any modeler who seeks to give their layout an authentic feel. In the
real world every place and everything has had something that came
before what is now. A timeline encourages you to think about the 5 'W's - Who? What? Where? When? Why? . As you start to justify
things based upon the 'historical' record, it: 1. decreases, or makes
you give a reason for the inconsistancies on your line. 2. Decreases
the likelyhood of impulse purchases that you don't know what to do with
once you get them home. 3. Provides points of reference, which
makes telling the story easier than having to make everything up as you
go along.
Unlike a real timeline, you can revisit events on your model
timeline to tweak them to better suit what you want to do today. Making
it sort of a living document.