I was wondering how many people run their trains only for fun. What I mean is it seems like a lot of die hard train guys are so caught up in the “way the prototype does it” it takes the fun out of it. I watch a lot of you tube videos and people leave comments like, that locomotive will never carry those cars on that mountain and things like that. I know my layout will be a horror to you guys but me and my 6 year old love it. I take the collecting cars and locomotives more serious than the actual running.
If it wasn't fun, I wouldn't have almost shelled out $5K over the last four or five years. But I do enjoy trying to make things as real as possible.
Peter
I do it for fun---I may try for prototype but that does not stop me from having fun doing so--Those that get into it and take it so seriously they turn it into a doctrine/dogma could be having their fun in a different sense---
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
I am sure what you meant is that if you were to run a "prototypical" layout (usually meaning with operations) it would be no fun for you. And you would know! On the other hand, if those who would be unhappy watching a layout run the way you enjoy it had to do their layouts your way, they would be hopping from one foot to the other in about two minutes, and that long only out of courtesy.
We should each do what pleases us.
-Crandell
Strictly for fun with an eye on detail.
Serious, but it gives me pleasure, so I guess I am having fun being serious.
Bob
I actually hate it,when i'm mad at myself I force myself to ascend the cellar stairs and run trains,just to teach myself a lesson.
collectthem I was wondering how many people run their trains only for fun. What I mean is it seems like a lot of die hard train guys are so caught up in the “way the prototype does it” it takes the fun out of it
In my dictionary: a hobby is defined as "an activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure." I suspect that pretty much everyone of us who runs model trains in some way are doing so because we are having fun doing so
People might be running model trains in different ways.
Your idea of what is a fun way to run model trains is not necessarily the same as someone else's idea of what is a fun way to run model trains, and their idea of what is a fun way to run model trains is not necessarily the same as your idea of what is fun way to run model trains.
And your (or my) idea of what is a fun way to run model trains can change over time, or change with circumstances. My youngest son (who is 7 years old) enjoys running trains in a different way than I (who is 43 years old) do, on the same layout.
Some people get a lot of enjoyment out of super detailing engines and rolling stock, some get a lot of enjoyment out of creating scenes that look as similar to a real place as they can make it look, some get a lot of enjoyment modeling prototype practices when switching (e.g. spending a little time waiting for air pressure to build in brake lines before starting the train moving, some get enjoyment out of tweaking motors or controllers so their train accelerate or slow down in a way reminiscent of the real thing, some get enjoyment out researching time tables and train orders from their prototype railroad.
Some gets most enjoyment from just watching their kids run their trains flat out, with a big grin on the faces of their kids as the trains careens past with a mixed set of engines and rolling stock from different countries and different eras with the thomas the tank engine at the head of the train.
There are many, many, many ways to enjoy the running of model trains.
If you get fun from running model trains your way, you are doing something right - for you. If someone else gets fun from running model trains their way, they are doing something right - for them.
That you can run model trains in different ways is not a problem - it is one of the things that makes model railroading such a fun hobby - you can enjoy the same hobby in so many different ways, and it doesn't necessarily have to cost you a single dime extra to try to run things in different ways, and see if that way of running things also bring you enjoyment.
If you want to. And if you don't want to run your trains in the same way as someone else does, then you do it your own way instead.
Either way - keep having fun!
Grin, Stein
It's all fun. My main layout is an attempt to replicate the Ma&Pa including operations, but underneath part of the layout I am setting up some ovals where I can just watch the trains run in circles in several scales.
Enjoy
Paul
Loads of fun. Had an ops session last night with 20 guys running around like a fire drill, trains all over the place. That to me is the fun part of the hobby. I'll be over at one of the guys place next week running his. So everyone has their own enjoyment out of the hobby.
Larry
http://www.youtube.com/user/ClinchValleySD40
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52481330@N05/
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/page/1/ppuser/8745/sl/c
Well, I enjoy operating sessions a lot. "Serious" operating, you would call it. Just to an extent though, I would say my operations are of medium complexity. I have a lot of fun with it, and many of my friends do as well.
To each his own...
Everything I do in this hobby is fun...but it's a different feeling when I run the trains...a feeling of contentment is the only way to describe it. It's relaxing and I get a sense of pride from my accomplishments on the layout.
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
Fun? You mean this is supposed to be fun? Surely you jest!
The next thing you'll be saying is that this is supposed to be just a hobby!
We've got to do something about all these heathens around here...
The Greatest thing about this hobby is it's diversity.We all have a different enjoyment "level" shall I say.From the person who collects trains to the one who has a plywood prairie oval with 15"curves, to the most ellaborate basement layout. And then there are clubs. Operation of all of these range from "let'em go" to "just run 'em without getting serious" to the "most detailed prototypical session you can get" We all get along, (for the most part), because actually it's like socks. Whatever color socks you choose to wear has no bearing on my socks I choose to wear. BUT, we all have one thing in common. We are having FUN! I fall into the not too worried about prototypical accuracy. As long as to the average person it looks right. And since I freelance. I can always make it up if I Reeeaaaly want something not too terribly "wrong" My operating sessions consist of me and the dog, playing with trains. If you will, we are all just a bunch of kids playing with trains. Ain't it great to be a kid!
Todd
P.S. I have not yet, however, made the Varoom, varoom noise as I place vehicles on the layout.
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
As others have implied, our beloved hobby is both broad enough to enjoy (read: have fun) on many different levels.
collecthem, I'm one of those that aspire to the "prototype" camp because it helps me to understand why the railroads did what they did and why. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it's an educational hobby.
I like to build structures and model facilities in the days of my line (New York Central - early 40s) because it brings this great railroad to life for me and I can't go back in time to see what it was like. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it's an historical hobby.
I also find enjoyment (read: have fun) researching articles, pictures, and any media that will help me capture the "flavor" of the NYC on my layout. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it's an archeological and artistic hobby.
I'm learning for the first time about how to properly lay roadbed and track and wire my layout in order to operate lights and turnouts and DCC. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it's an challenging hobby.
So you see, collecthem, I enjoy (read: have fun with) MRRing for a number of reasons. That's not to imply that the way you or anyone else enjoys the hobby is necessarily wrong.
A few years ago I had the opportunity and privilege of visiting the Great Smokey Mt. Railway Museum in Bryson City, NC. The museum has a very large and extensive collection of Lionel and American Flyer locomotive, cars, and memorabilia on display, which is quite remarkable to see all in one place. They also have a fairly large O-scale layout (~24 x 60?) that runs constantly during museum hours.
I will freely admit that 3-rail O-scale is not my my cup of tea. Even so, I still enjoyed watching trains "fly" around the layout and seeing how the designer of the layout modeled trees and terrain and buildings. What was even more enjoyable (read: fun) was watching the faces of the little kids AND "big" kids, as they walked through the door and saw the layout for the first time. The "big" kids were easy to pick out because they were the ones pointing and laughing (read: having fun) and reliving the days when they were "little" kids again.
So...let me rephrase my initial statement, if I may: Our beloved hobby is both broad and deep enough to enjoy (read: have fun) on many different levels. How ever deep you desire to dig and enjoy the MRRing is entirely up to you and your preferences.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Fun? Derailments, train not running, cars coming uncoupled in turns, etc, fun????? YES!!!! This is a hobby that tests your mind.
Sometimes I run a train, and then sometimes its all scenery work.
I get burned out when I work, and work, and work on the layout.......but get me near the "Real Deal", I am ready for more layout time!!!
Its a fun hobby, which you learn alot about.
"Rust, whats not to love?"
Yeah, I'm a lone wolf. Mostly, I enjoy scenery. I like my trains to have a realistic stage. But, I'm not a true prototype modeller, at least not yet. I enjoy picking up information about how the real railroads did things, but it doesn't bother me if I can't comply with all the real rules.
Last night, I worked on a house for a corner scene on my layout. I got the place pretty much put together, at least enough to place it on the layout and measure the space for it's final position. But, while doing this, I spilled some of my bottle of CA accelerator in the work room, and decided I would turn out the lights and let that dissipate for a while. It was time to stop modelling for the night.
So, I ran some trains. Just for fun. I started up the freight that was on the main, and just sat there and watched it run through the scenery. I powered up the switchers, dropped off a pair of tank cars from the freight, and added a couple of TOFCs, just for fun. Then, I watched that train go through the same scenery, and enjoyed it just as much every time around the loop. When one of the flat cars started to derail, though, I was not having fun, so I pulled it out of service. It's going to need new trucks. I went down to the workroom to swap out the old plastic wheels, and remembered why I had left the workroom a while earlier. Oh, well, tomorrow I'll be buying trucks and maybe some more CA accelerator at my LHS. Sometimes, I go to the LHS just for fun, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I have different kinds of fun with this hobby, sometime going to the LHS is fun, sometimes working on scenery is fun, sometimes switching cars out from industries is fun. Other times I like to just put a nice train together and let it run around while I'm doing something else.
And sometimes I get out my AHM CF7 with the horn hooks on it and just let it run, sometimes at full speed. It's a loco from when I was a kid and I like to run it hard till it gets hot and I can smell the brushes!!! Sometimes that's my kind of fun.
I run car cards and waybills, write up switch lists, and fuss over smooth operating track, and decent looking scenery. To me, that's where the fun lies. Setting up an operating scheme and then making all the preparations to make it work well does involve some research and some work. But once it's done, it makes running trains a whole lot more fun, at least for me.
Think of it as building your own board game. (I think Neil's editorial this month touches on that). Imagine for a moment playing Parcheesi or Clue without any rules. Would it be fun?
Also, consider the enjoyment a group of operators can get out of a well organized operating session... Everyone is working on individual tasks, but they all are working together in a cooperative effort following the established rules of the game. Like any team sport, it makes it more fun. How fun would it be to have a bunch of guys over to just take turns setting up their train and everyone standing there watching them run in circles? Maybe for some, but not for me.
The fun for operators comes from the challenge of the complexity of "the game." The fun for proto model builders might come from the challenge of adding that extra detail. The fun for collectors comes from the challenge and thrill of the hunt. I suppose for a "fun runner" there is the enjoyment of time spent on something you enjoy doing, and perhaps the time spent with others doing it... and maybe in that scenario the fun comes from a certain lack of challenge (which might be a nice break from an otherwise challenging life).
So, to each his own, but don't say that proto operations aren't fun...
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
collectthemWhat I mean is it seems like a lot of die hard train guys are so caught up in the “way the prototype does it” it takes the fun out of it.
If the "way the prototype does it" wasn't fun, I wouldn't do it.
Simulating the prototype is fun for me.
By the way, I find no fun at all in collecting anything.
Hi!
I'm 64 and been playing with trains since I was under 10. I model the ATSF and a bit of the IC in HO during the transition era. I am very serious about not having anything on the layout that was not in existance before the late '50s.
I operate for fun. Actually anything I do relating to model trains is for fun. And while I love to run them slow and easy and imitate proto operations, I still can race a couple of trains around the double main - just like slot cars.
The beauty of the Hobby is that you can do what you want - for its yours to do so!
ENJOY !!!!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
MisterBeasleyYeah, I'm a lone wolf. Mostly, I enjoy scenery. I like my trains to have a realistic stage. But, I'm not a true prototype modeller, at least not yet. I enjoy picking up information about how the real railroads did things, but it doesn't bother me if I can't comply with all the real rules. Last night, I worked on a house for a corner scene on my layout. I got the place pretty much put together, at least enough to place it on the layout and measure the space for it's final position. But, while doing this, I spilled some of my bottle of CA accelerator in the work room, and decided I would turn out the lights and let that dissipate for a while. It was time to stop modelling for the night. So, I ran some trains. Just for fun. I started up the freight that was on the main, and just sat there and watched it run through the scenery. I powered up the switchers, dropped off a pair of tank cars from the freight, and added a couple of TOFCs, just for fun. Then, I watched that train go through the same scenery, and enjoyed it just as much every time around the loop. When one of the flat cars started to derail, though, I was not having fun, so I pulled it out of service. It's going to need new trucks. I went down to the workroom to swap out the old plastic wheels, and remembered why I had left the workroom a while earlier. Oh, well, tomorrow I'll be buying trucks and maybe some more CA accelerator at my LHS. Sometimes, I go to the LHS just for fun, too.
Hi Mister Beasley,
I'm probably a lot more like you.I too am more of a "lone wolf" but enjoy the hobby, and get a lot of fun sharing the fun with my girlfriends Grandkids, and watching their eyes and faces as they watch the trains running around the layout.It takes me back to a day long ago, when I first got interested in model railroading at a Sears and Roebuck store during the Christmas season in 1956 when my Granddad put me with the conductor -engineer running the Lionel trains in the store display windows.
Granddad managed the roofing and hardware dept, and took me to work with him one Saturday and when I kept talking about the trains, he took me over and introduced me to the "conductor-engineer" and they put me on my own stool, and pretty soon the conductor-engineer let me run a train.
What a fun I had!!!
So now I'm still sharing that fun with the young ones! They are well behaved, and have never broken anything, and are fascinated with the trains! I also share my other hobbies with them, one being RC airplanes, and they get a huge kick out of this also, and I also am a private pilot and have taken them to the airport to watch the airplanes come and go, just like I did when i was a kid.I was the proverbial "fence hanging airport kid".In fact I have a favorite documentary-movie about general aviation and a friend of mine who is a well known professional actor and pilot,donated some of his time and also narrated a a part of the documentary, and specifically focused on the youth of today, who just like himself( he too was an "airport kid" when he was young) are fence hangars. He goes outside the fence at the airport he is based at, brings them inside, and shows them around, and opens his hangar up and shows them his airplanes.And there is one other actor-pilot who I don't really know, I've only been briefly introduced to him, but he is the national chairman for an aviation program called "Young Eagles" who takes a HUGE chunk of his time and otherwise busy life and gives selflessly of himself to kids from all over this nation to try and make a difference in their lives.Next time you watch a Harrison Ford movie, just remember what else he does!
See the point I am trying to make here, is these kids are the future, and if we don't share with them, maybe inspire them a little, then how can model railroading or even aviation survive?If all you do is hang out with your buddies, go to operating sessions with those our own age, what will eventually happen to these hobbies?
My girlfriends Grandkids are growing up in a tough world and their parents are getting divorced, making it even tougher, so maybe, just maybe I can put a few smiles on their faces, and maybe put a small flame of inspiration in them.
I have my own airplane, which is all apart right now doing a restoration on it, but when it's done, I intend to take them flying!
I own and fly a vintage 1946 Ercoupe, two seat single engine airplane.But the hangar isn't heated, and I can't do much during the cold season, so I focus on my train layout.I hear of so many guys on the forum who say don't let the small ones around the trains, but I don't believe in that.I think back to when I was their age, and those people who made a difference in my life and shared with me.So this is how I have fun! There are those times I walk away from it for awhile, and yes, I've spilled CA before too LOL!
My layout is far from complete, and I am still laying new track, adding to the scenery, but I still enjoy just running the trains and when I have the little ones around, it's even more fun!
TheK4Kid
Wow, I love all you guys answers. I understand now. I guess what I’m saying is, some take it so serious, and they force their type of “fun” on others like the video I mentioned. I have a follow up question…
When did the hobby evolve into such a complex hobby with the realistic sessions and people taking it EXACTLY as prototype? I also understand the different levels of fun, I don’t think I can find the “toy train” look fun, you know the type with all the Christmas shacks, huge loud operating buildings and things like that.
collectthemI was wondering how many people run their trains only for fun. What I mean is it seems like a lot of die hard train guys are so caught up in the “way the prototype does it” it takes the fun out of it.
That IS fun for some of us. For some of us, running it like the real thing is interesting, and "just running in circles" isn't enough.
And for some of us, just casually running "whatever I like" is fun and relaxing, without the seriousness of actually copying the real thing.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
collectthem Wow, I love all you guys answers. I understand now. I guess what I’m saying is, some take it so serious, and they force their type of “fun” on others like the video I mentioned.
Wow, I love all you guys answers. I understand now. I guess what I’m saying is, some take it so serious, and they force their type of “fun” on others like the video I mentioned.
I've been involved in lots of operating sessions, some more formal than others, but I've never seen anyone "force" another person to do so.
collectthem When did the hobby evolve into such a complex hobby with the realistic sessions and people taking it EXACTLY as prototype?
About 50 years ago (longer, if you consider Frank Ellison, but he was a pioneer). It's been a part of the hobby for a long time. As more information has become available over the years on how the prototype works, and as more real-life railroaders come into the hobby, folks have refined their understanding of operations. And some choose to put that knowledge to work in creating purposeful operating sessions.
collectthem I also understand the different levels of fun, I don’t think I can find the “toy train” look fun, you know the type with all the Christmas shacks, huge loud operating buildings and things like that.
I don't understand what you are saying. For example, O Gauge trains are a very active part of the hobby and many people in that segment of the hobby enjoy running their trains with operating accessories and the like.
It's perfectly OK if you want to run your trains "just for fun". No need to look for justification from a forum. But there are also a lot of folks who find more formal operations challenging, rewarding, and fun. There's plenty of room in the hobby for all points on the spectrum.
ByronModel RR Blog
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
Well if you separated out model railroaders with one extreme being modelers who make sure the magazines in their N-scale lounge cars are correct for the month and year they're modelling, and the other being guys sitting on their frontroom floor running train on an oval of track going round and round, most of us are somewhere in the middle.
In my case, I'm interested in history (railroad and otherwise) and like things to look as correct as possible whether they're based on something real or just a "could have been" freelanced item. I also like trains to run smoothly and operate well at slow speeds. Being able to create a realistic facsimilie of a real railroad and it's operations is fun, though maybe "satisfying" would be a better term.
Right now my layout is a shelf switching layout, and I find I enjoy picking up and dropping off cars quite a bit. I'm sure I'm not doing it exactly like the prototype, but I think it's reasonably close. Of course, what I have now is only "part one" of a fairly large basement layout that will always have industries and such to switch, but will also eventually offer the option of setting two trains running on a double-track mainline and just sitting back and watching the trains (especially passenger trains based on real trains of the past) run.
collectthemWhen did the hobby evolve into such a complex hobby with the realistic sessions and people taking it EXACTLY as prototype?
Minton Cronkhite was doing this in 1938. There's one starting point.
Of course we all have our hobby desires and one size doesn't fit all..
Now then...
As for me watching a train run endless circles gets boring after the first few laps...I perfer prototype operation using car cards and waybills on ISLs..
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
collectthem some take it so serious, and they force their type of “fun” on others like the video I mentioned.
Nobody is forcing people to post their words, pictures or videos in a *public* place that is *designed* to encourage others to comments on what is posted.
And nobody is forcing the original poster of the video you mentioned to read and follow any unwanted advice they may be getting in such a place.
My advice would be that if some person knows that he or she has a personality that is such that he or she cannot handle receiving comments or suggestions, then this person should seriously consider not posting stuff in places purposely designed to solicit comments from others ...
steinjrMy advice would be that if some person knows that he or she has a personality that is such that he or she cannot handle receiving comments or suggestions, then this person should seriously consider not posting stuff in places purposely designed to solicit comments from others ...
Exactly. But you know that most people who do are really just looking for validation from others and don't want to hear criticism of any kind.