Has Anyone Reached This Realization Too?

[MAbruce]

It’s been three years now since I came back into the hobby after a long absence. The last time I “dabbled” in model railroading was way back in my late teens to early 20’s. My current layout is by far the furthest I’ve ever taken a something to completion. It certainly doesn’t measure up to the high standards that I’ve seen, but I have far outdone anything I have ever attempted before.

Since I got back into the hobby, I’ve joined a club, subscribed to MR, attended several MRR shows, and have participated in some operating sessions on some fairly serious (and extravagant) layouts. In short, I have immersed myself pretty deeply in the world of model railroading.

I’ve enjoyed seeing some superb and breathtaking works of art. I’ve been inspired by intricate layouts. The people I’ve run across are often nice and accommodating. While I have enjoyed most aspects of model railroading, an uneasy feeling about it all kept nagging at me. It’s something I found difficult to define.

It took me a while, but I figured it out.

I reached a point where I found it difficult to relate to ‘expert’ modelers. These are the people that seem to live, breathe, sleep, and eat railroading. They have spent many years and likely thousands of dollars on this hobby, often plan “railfan” trips, have railroad “sanctuaries” in their homes (complete with a library of Railroad history books), spend significant time with on-line MRR forums, and either host or regularly attend operating sessions. They are often very nice, accommodating, and knowledgeable people that are true experts at their craft. I very much admire their work, and am yet I am troubled by it at the same time. I’m troubled over the incredibly high level of commitment it requires in order to achieve the level of skill they have. I personally find it difficult to justify this level of immersion into something that is considered a ‘hobby’ – something that’s supposed to done with one’s ‘spare’ time. I’ve seen that some have vastly different interpretations of what ‘spare’ time is.

I now wonder if all those wonderful layouts featured in publications like MR (that we aspire to) may actually be doing more harm than good. Have they raised the bar so unreasonably high that unless you commit your life to the pursuit of this hobby you will have little hope of emulating that level of work? This may sound ridiculous, but maybe those pictures should come with warning labels that read: “Caution: in order to reach this level of modeling, you must first be prepared to spend countless hours and lots of money.” It all reminds me of when I run across magazine ads that feature people that have had plastic surgery and/or their picture airbrushed. It may be pleasing to look at, but they set a standard that is unreasonable and/or impossible for a vast majority to achieve.

As for me, I’ve given up any aspirations of achieving ‘expert’ modeler status. I just can’t justify spending the time, effort, and cost it would take get there. I think it involves a level of obsession with trains that I personally consider unhealthy. I like trains, but I don’t want or need to know how many grab irons to place on a particular locomotive (and what year it was re-numbered, re-painted, and in what scheme using what shade of a particular color). Each person sets their own set of priorities in life. I’ve come to the realization that while I could easily get caught up in this hobby, my priorities are elsewhere.

[cacole]

Yes, I realized several years ago that most of the layouts featured in MR are by people with far more disposable income than I would ever have. I don't own any brass engines, and probably never will. I don't have fleets of custom decorated locomotives and rolling stock, nor do I spend an inordinate amount of time custom decorating an already over-priced boxcar by adding rivets, grabs, all of the brake detail, etc. And I don't own a Unimat lathe and make my own parts. If visitors to the club's open houses don't like what I am running, that's just too bad. We've been unfortunate to have a couple of "rivet counting nit-pickers" in the club over the years, and they have been asked by the membership to remove themselves. We're there to have fun, not criticize each other.

[ndbprr]

Ah yes! that is the great dilemma. To aspire to be a virtuouso pianist or CEO of a major company or professional baseball or football player takes time and committment. Most don't make it deciding at some point that the effort required isn't what they really want to do. On the other hand do we wi***o say that we will not grow any more and we choose not to learn anything else? couple that with the fact that most of us are dysfunctional to the point we prefer the soltitude of a basement or room with inanimate objects to people in the first place and you have a real problem. Lucky is the person who finds that one thing in life that stes them free and time is no object or skill or funding or family or faith. At the same time they are cursed by missing out on all the other things life has to offer and the true purpose of life as presented by the faith of choice. Jealous? - not at all. have it in perspective? - I think so. I do what I can and enjoy what I have done. Have I made the same mistakes on the five I have built? - not at all. DO I aspire to be world recognized for my effort? - somewhat. Will I be? Only if my railroad is the one that survives for archeologists to muse over in 10,000 years. Do I aspire to bigger and more trains? - Of course but it doesn't rule my life and a one dimensional person is a bore most of the time unless it is a topic I wi***o discuss.

[twhite]

MAbruce--the only way to enjoy this hobby is to ENJOY it. Don't think that because you feel your efforts don't reach up to the guys that get their stuff featured in MR or RMC, that you're out of the loop. I certainly don't aspire to that kind of glory, simply because I'm having too much fun with what I'm doing. If I suddenly turn up with something--a bit of scenery, a particular paint job-- that looks wonderful and gets me a lot of compliments, well okay. If I don't--well, okay, too. I remember one particularly sloppy paint job I did on a steam loco, once, and a friend asked me "How'd THAT happen," and I shrugged and told him it that it was a rush job by local volunteers down at the roundhouse to get the loco back in service because of a power shortage up the line. He just scratched his head and I just chuckled, and the loco was never mentioned again. In other words, take this hobby up for the enjoyment of it. Don't start comparing your efforts to the other guys, compare it to where you ARE, currently. Doing a project to the best of your ability means that the next project will probably just naturally get better, without your having to resort to kicking yourself. You say you're just back into the hobby--don't know how long you were out, but so many things and products have improved the hobby in just the past ten years, that it fairly boggles the mind. Maybe that perfect scene you envy isn't the result of scratch-building at all, but just good usage of today's super-detailed market products. It could be that what you thought might have taken hours of the most painstaking work actually went together in about an hour from a couple of commercially available ready-to-go products. So ease up on yourself and enjoy. Remember, it's YOUR model railroad, not the other guy's. And by the way, welcome back to the hobby. The guys on this forum are all here to help each other. Remember that.
Tom

[Fergmiester]

You mentioned a key word, that being Obsession. Most of us are Hobbiests, however some of us have become Obsessive. You may have brought me to my realization by posting this thread as I too have become obsessive over this past year and this hobby of our has become more of an obsession for me. Is this a bad thing? Potentially yes as I may loose sight of the other things that matter around me. I will just have to watch myself and pay attention when spoken to. What may keep me in check is the fact I have my fingers in far too many pots and I'm not willing to give those up.

Variety is the spice of life, speaking of which, I gotta go as I have to get supper ready!

[cwclark]

everything we do in life can be out done by others...but then again..a person is his own best (or should i say worst) critic...I think you have aspired to levels in this hobby that you don't even know you posess but are hard on yourself because you aren't a Lynn Westcott or a John Allen...I do know what you mean...i look at my work sometimes and say that i'll never do any better...but the main thing is that i'm happy with what i do and it brings me enjoyment...then i see people around me look at my work and they are awe struck...so what happened?...I was trying too hard to be hard on myself and didn't stop to think that the layout is an acceptable accomplishment to others and then it brings me more joy to see that they are impressed with my work....don't be so hard on yourself..if you are happy with what you do then let it go...I too went all out one time with the railfanning, clubs, and operating sessions, but it wasn't fun to me...the club, for one, was so worried about who was going to be president, or treasurer, or head pin counter that they lost sight of what the whole thing was about...I got away from the club scene as fast as i could...the hobby?..just do it!..do it to the best of your ability and be happy with it...so what some guy knows how to build a real working steel mill in HO scale...big deal!...as long as you are happy at what you do, nothing else matters...and don't worry about what the others say, think, or do...Chuck[:D]

[simon1966]

I too will never have a basement empire like some in MRR. However, I love to look at the pictures and the attention to detail that the really great modellers achieve. I find it to be an inspiration for me to create at least small scenes on my layout that strive to meet the level of the experts. Of coure they so far have fallen short, but I hope to become a better modeler as a result. I have found the MRR community to be very welcoming, friendly and willing to share advice.

[Anonymous]

I live in Northern Minnesota in a very rural location. The people whom have seen my layout, are less than 20 or so. Given my "audiance" (which doesn't exist) you could wonder why I try to do things as well as I can. The simple answer is; I do it for me! I read about the hobby and admire other people's work because I find enjoyment doing so.

Don't grade yourself and don't listen when you think others may be grading your work! Don't worry, be happy!! That's what it's all about!

[Anonymous]

I also love looking at the work of the "masters." I don't know if I'll ever get to that level, but I sure do enjoy it when each project gets closer and closer (in another 50 or so years I might make it to even "half way there" lol). No one says yours has to be as good as the ones in the mags. You've already said how much you've improved in only 3 years. I bet 20 years from now you'll be what you consider now an expert and not even know it!

I do think that the magazines would do a disservice to us, however, if they didn't show the works of "experts." It lets us see what is attainable, should we decide to go for it. Also, any how-to article by one that has been in hobby for years and is considered an "expert" is probably the result of years of experience and "learning the hard way." Why repeat someone else's mistake. Also, a true expert has the knack of making something that looks really difficult to do, not that hard. I loved watching the video of Malcom Furlow and I can't remember his name (*blush*) showing how to do scenery. These guys are experts!! And they made it look so simple that I actually tried it. Was my result as good as there's? Not by a long shot, but it was much better than my previous attempts.

[Anonymous]

I think MR magazine is like all specialty magazines i.e., muscle mags, car mags. They exist to showcase the ideal, the standard, the upper levels of potential (and to sell advertising). How many guys pumping iron ever become a Swartzenegger? That's not realistic, but it provides one crucial thing that propels the enthusiast: inspiration. So let it be just that, and enjoy yourself.
True, it is easy to get carried away and become 'obsessed'. That's what our wives are for. They help bring us back to the rest of the world ("honey, if you don't come upstairs right now I'm turning off the lights!") [:D]

[Anonymous]

Oops. Forgot to add this.

I don't consider alot of these folks obsessive. I consider them passionate. If you look around you'll see the same attitude in lots of other situations. The guy who spends all day Saturday, every Saturday mowing and weeding his lawn, the folks who spent two year's salary on a vehicle and then hours each week washing and waxing it and putting on every little do dad available, those that don't just put photos in an album, but make every page a work of art (visit the scrap booking section of a craft store).

Another way to look at the "obsessive" types in this hobby is to compare them with some other folks you know. There are people that spend more on a TV than I spend in a year in this hobby so that they can spend 20 to 30 hours a week watching it. There are people that spend there free time at a bar, or those that throw away their income on drugs and other things. What do these folks have to show for their time and money? Us - we have a train layout filled with modeling projects that give us big time smiles - whether they are shake the box kits, or massively detailed - corrrect number of rivits - scratchbuilt efforts.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MAbruce

It’s been three years now since I came back into the hobby after a long absence. The last time I “dabbled” in model railroading was way back in my late teens to early 20’s. My current layout is by far the furthest I’ve ever taken a something to completion. It certainly doesn’t measure up to the high standards that I’ve seen, but I have far outdone anything I have ever attempted before.

Since I got back into the hobby, I’ve joined a club, subscribed to MR, attended several MRR shows, and have participated in some operating sessions on some fairly serious (and extravagant) layouts. In short, I have immersed myself pretty deeply in the world of model railroading.

I’ve come to the realization that while I could easily get caught up in this hobby, my priorities are elsewhere.

Remember this Tip. This is a hobby and you should have fun and enjoy it at any level you feel great about.

I built a layout many years ago that turned out to be a mess, and I have run at several clubs the past thirty years. The one thing I still do is enjoy the models and detail them according to what I want at the time.

If you want to start a detail project on a certain type of engine, start the project and work on it only when you feel like it. One of my projects took almost twenty years to complete, but I am very happy with the end results. I showed some of the detail to friends over the years and I am sure they never expected to see the engine back together. I am not sure even I was able to complete it at times, but the project would only be worked on when I really was interested.

Like you, I have my priorities in other places and your work and responsibility should always come first.

Just enjoy the time you spend with this hobby.

[robengland]

fabulously thoughtful posts guys!

my hobby has certainly reached obsessive level. sometimes this bugs me, other times I'm glad i've got something to be passionate about instead of just working to live. Sure it is a kinda odd thing to get passionate or obsessive about, as compared to say urban reform or saving the poor or environmentalism. All that time and energy and money doesn't add one iota to improving the community, but neither do most artisitic pursuits.

I try not to let the hobby impact my time with my son. it does a bit, but I figure that is balanced (so far) by the fun and interest he gets out of the hobby too - it's great to have something to share.

certainly the lawns don't get mowed so often and I really must fini***he garden wall, but most of the jobs my wife wants done get done eventually so i figure I'm not too out of control :-)

it depends on your own personality as to how hard you attack this hobby. me I am a perfectionist and i like to create to impress others. combine those attributes and yes you do end up with a pretty ambitious approach to it. that's what satisfies me. if running trains around an old pingpong table turns you on, good for you. we all choose our own level.

yes MR does tend to run a lot of what I call "layout porn" (sorry to the more easily offended members). but they don't always; they also run the $500 layout stories. And if you look closely at some of the home layout features, some of them are pretty rough but have been made to look good by selective photo locations and excellent photograsphic skills. kinda like the airbrushed (human) models referred to earlier. get Lou Sassi or Malcolm Furlow to photograph your layout and it would look pretty schmick too.

me, i want to be another George Selios. Can i match him? I doubt it. Do i enjoy pushing myself to that? you betcha

[Big_Boy_4005]

Maybe the key word should be BALANCE. Each person needs to find his own level. I struggle with this issue every day. I am in a unique position these days, because I don't have a job, and don't necessarily need one to survive. Many people might envy my situation, but it isn't as easy as it sounds.

I have gotten to the point in my life where, I have the space, I have the time, I even have most of the materials I need to build my dream layout. I have the plan, and I've started construction, but I can't seem to keep motivated and moving forward.

I think there is such a thing as a saturation point with any hobby. A point at which it stops being fun and becomes something of a chore. That is the point you don't want to reach. If you find that it isn't fun anymore, stop. Take a break, most of the time the desire returns. It doesn't necessarily take a lifetime of devotion, at the expense of everything else to have a fun model railroad. That's where the balance comes in. Everyone is different.

Those photos of beautiful layouts we see in the magazines are intended to inspire us, and show us what can be accomplished. But if we aren't careful, they can have the opposite effect.

It's kind of like the guy who sees a pretty girl, but is afraid to ask her out because he thinks she'll say no. He's afraid he isn't good enough, so he goes through life, only getting what he thinks is worthy of, but perhaps not what he really wants.

On the other hand, how many of us married supermodels? Think carefully, and ask yourself, would you really WANT to be MARRIED TO a supermodel?

We create train layouts for one purpose, to please ourselves. There will always be some people who are better at it than others, so what!

I do this hobby for two reasons, first, I like to create things. That alone gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. I built this with my own two hands. Second, OK so I built this, that's nice, but it is more fun to share it with others. That is a big part of what brings me here.

I think this is one of the most important parts of the forum. It is the perfect place to share your thoughts and acomplishments with people who share your interest in trains.

[BRAKIE]

Listen I been in this hobby for 53 years..I consider myself a basic modeler that is advanced in some things and average in some things and so/so in other things and never consider my self a expert . I find what works for me and stay with it..I do not believe in experts for many reasons but believe in knowledgeable modelers..There is a difference.

[eastcoast]

I thoroughly agree with all.
My key to success is to enjoy my time on my layout
and have fun with it. I am not an expert but I do see
area I am good at and also things as I practice, I get
better at doing. I would LOVE to have my work in the
pages such as MR, right now I am just enjoying the
fact that I do have a layout to begin with after so many
years of couch dreaming and moving constantly. You
don't have to be an expert modeler, you don't need to
please anybody else but yourself. Be happy with you
can and have achieved and look forward to what you
can do with so little time inbetween life. I know I am
doing all I can to live a dream, and now, I just take it
ONE DAY AT A TIME, OR EVEN ONE HOUR A WEEK.
I love just walking in the layout, just to look, and smile.
Ken

[jfugate]

After nearly 40 years in the hobby, you could perhaps consider me to be one of these "experts" I suppose, although I don't have MMR credientials or anything like that.

I never consider the hobby to be a "competition" by any stretch of the imagination. I am doing the hobby because I enjoy it, plain and simple. If I tire of things for a while, so be it. For example, after pressing hard for the National in 1994, I took 18 months off from the hobby completely ... hardly went into the basement at all.

The bug eventually came back and I'm currently having a ball on the Siskiyou Line and have been for going on 9 years now. But hey, it's just a hobby. I enjoy it, and if tomorrow the ceiling was to fall in on the layout ... well, it was fun while it lasted!

[dehusman]

Having met several modelers that have had model railroads published in magazines I think you are assuming that they spend all their time, money and efforts on their modeling. I don't believe that is true.
Also have friends that are avid golfers, restore antique cars, ride motorcycles, fly ariplanes or any other adult hobby or sport, I don't think that "expert" model railroaders spend more time or money on than the people with the other hobbies. The golfers spend hundreds of dollars on clubs and greens fees a month, the motorcyclists spend weekends riding to meets , the antique car folks spend gobs on their cars and take them to car shows and meets.
Just because you got to a op session once two or three times a year doesn't mean you eat sleep and breathe model railroading. You can build a detailed layout without "dedicating your life" to the project.
If you feel this way could it be you that is taking this too seriously and not the "expert" modelers?

Dave H.

[tstage]

This has been a very thought provoking thread. I've enjoyed the answers.

With any interests, endeavors or aspirations in this life, you have to keep everything in perspective. Even before I got into this hobby, I already saw the potential in myself to go waaaaaaaay overboard. (Guess it sorta comes with the territory of being perfectionistic - which I would assume is the make up of many of us here in this hobby of ours.) I determined not to allow myself to go that far. Even with that realization, I do find myself being tempted and pulled in that direction.

Bottom line: People are MORE important than things.

MRR is a hobby; NOT a reason for existance. MRR is also not be an excuse to avoid responsibility. Not many of us in our last dying breath will have regret over not spending enough time on our layout. It will be people and relationships that really matter in this life.

Enjoy this hobby; it's an endearing and enduring one. Include your family, if and when at all possible. Above all, keep it in perspective! The Bible puts it better than I can: Read Matthew 6:19-21.

Tom

[jfugate]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

Bottom line: People are MORE important than things.

Enjoy this hobby; it's an endearing and enduring one. Include your family, if and when at all possible. Above all, keep it in perspective! The Bible puts it better than I can: Read Matthew 6:19-21.

Tom

Tom:

Well said. That about covers it for me.

People also last longer than things, and if you believe the Bible, the one eternal thing in our daily lives are the people. All the rest of it is just "kindling", as my wife likes to say. [:)]

Fun kindling, to be sure, but kindling just the same.

[JerryZeman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MAbruce

It took me a while, but I figured it out.

I reached a point where I found it difficult to relate to ‘expert’ modelers. These are the people that seem to live, breathe, sleep, and eat railroading. They have spent many years and likely thousands of dollars on this hobby, often plan “railfan” trips, have railroad “sanctuaries” in their homes (complete with a library of Railroad history books), spend significant time with on-line MRR forums, and either host or regularly attend operating sessions. They are often very nice, accommodating, and knowledgeable people that are true experts at their craft. I very much admire their work, and am yet I am troubled by it at the same time. I’m troubled over the incredibly high level of commitment it requires in order to achieve the level of skill they have. I personally find it difficult to justify this level of immersion into something that is considered a ‘hobby’ – something that’s supposed to done with one’s ‘spare’ time. I’ve seen that some have vastly different interpretations of what ‘spare’ time is.

I now wonder if all those wonderful layouts featured in publications like MR (that we aspire to) may actually be doing more harm than good. Have they raised the bar so unreasonably high that unless you commit your life to the pursuit of this hobby you will have little hope of emulating that level of work? This may sound ridiculous, but maybe those pictures should come with warning labels that read: “Caution: in order to reach this level of modeling, you must first be prepared to spend countless hours and lots of money.” It all reminds me of when I run across magazine ads that feature people that have had plastic surgery and/or their picture airbrushed. It may be pleasing to look at, but they set a standard that is unreasonable and/or impossible for a vast majority to achieve.

As for me, I’ve given up any aspirations of achieving ‘expert’ modeler status. I just can’t justify spending the time, effort, and cost it would take get there. I think it involves a level of obsession with trains that I personally consider unhealthy. I like trains, but I don’t want or need to know how many grab irons to place on a particular locomotive (and what year it was re-numbered, re-painted, and in what scheme using what shade of a particular color). Each person sets their own set of priorities in life. I’ve come to the realization that while I could easily get caught up in this hobby, my priorities are elsewhere.

Well, I guess I fall into your catagory of "obsessive".

I work in the railroad supply industry. I pursued this line of work because of a lifelong interest in railroading.

My only hobby is model railroading. Basement sized railroad, and lots of Great Northern and Northern Pacific brass steam. Yes, I do spend a sizeable amount of money on this hobby, and I'm thankful that I can afford to do this.

I spend a fair amount of time doing hobby related activities, which include reading / contributing to on-line forums, running trains on some of my favorite 3DTrainstuff routes in MSTS, or actually hauling my butt down into the basement and getting something done on the railroad.

Almost all of our family vacations have been railroad related in one way or another. Trips to the Grand Canyon by train, Chicago to Seattle by Train, fly to Denver and spend a week exploring the Narrow Gauge loop, complete with three days of train riding on the C&TS and D&S.

My family shares my passion for trains. I have my children building Accurail car kits, gluing down scenery on the railroad, and operating my railroad. I hope to expand their capabilities. My daughters and I are presently building two O scale Intermountain 55 ton hoppers. This presently taxes their skills, but that is how skills develop.

The railroad in the basement is made to what I consider to be fairly high standards. Will it ever get into MR? Probably not. Do people come over and like what they see? Yup.

Some big differences between people like me and the rest of the population are:

1. I don't have a Harley, Corvette, or boat in the garage / driveway or docked at the slip.
2. Since we haven't had a professional hockey team in Chicago in quite some time, I no longer spend exorbitant amounts of money securing seats for my wife and I. I couldn't care less about every other professional sport, including NASCAR.
3. I also couldn't care less about vacationing in Bermuda, Cancun, Ratland / Ratworld, or any other fun in the sun location. Give me the San Juan mountains, the UP of Michigan (with all of it's neat mining relics, abandoned roadbed that are trails), or the Cascades any day. Luckily, the family feels the same way.

The hobby has enabled me to find numerous ways to assist my children's education, especially when the electricity units in Science class come up. All of my children have a better understanding of science, geography, geology, social studies, and math due to what they have learned due to their exposure to model railroading and the vacations that the interest spawned.

As far as the layouts that appear in MR, they better be well executed, or I wouldn't continue purchasing it. I want MR to inspire me to do better, and provide ideas that I can incorporate into my railroad.

I also disagree that this hobby requires copious quantities on money to secure enjoyment. If I had to model on a budget, I sure wouldn't have picked the prototypes that I have, but I would sure as hell still be modelling, and spending just as much time doing it. The only thing that would change would be the focus. Instead of GN and NP mainline steam in the 1950s, I'd be doing a small D&RGW narrow gauge layout, or a 1950s era secondary mainline with smaller plastic steam ( I love the Bachmann and Lifelike steam offerings). You are correct, this hobby does require an investment of time, and I'm glad to make that investment.

It also doesn't take an abundance of skills to succeed in this hobby. I regularily swap horsepower-hours with a friend. He likes to bash buildings, I hate it. I like to paint brass steam, he doesn't. I like doing scenery, and do it pretty well, he doesn't. He built my helix, I was dreading the job. If you belong to a club, in all probability there are people that are willing to share the sweat to jointly achieve goals.

We all have to make choices in our lives as to what is important to us. My priorities are my family, and my modelling, and given my families interests and understanding, the two regularily go hand in hand.

Unhealthily Yours,
Jerry Zeman

[mondotrains]

Wow,
Just when I thought this forum was getting boring, I came across this thread.

I understand the basic concern that was posted....does it take an obsessive person, with tons of money and time to build a moder railroad. I think the answer is definitely NO. As others have already responded.....there are a lot of other pursuits that can cost a lot more than MRR. We all have to decide what amount we can afford. I've often said that if I had gotten into model railroading when I was working and making a large salary with lots of disposable income, I probably would have had to buy lots and lots of brass locomotives, because that's what people with a lot of money do....they spend it. I've also said that I probably wouldn't have had any more fun with those brass engines than I have had with plastic ones, in fact, some of the fun may have been lost because I'm the kind of person that worries about "investments".

I was downsized from my company and thrown on the street several years ago and luckily for me, I had just discovered model railroading. It gave me a focus and provided much of the satisfaction I got when I was building computer systems. For me, MRR appeals to my need to be creative. For instance, I just completed building an old Revel kit called "Superior Bakery". I'm sure many folks out there have had fun building this kit and certainly I've seen this building on many layouts. It was fun for me to detail this building with my particular skills and using my concoctions for adding mortar lines to the bricks and weathering the whole thing. My goal was to end up with a model that was just a little bit better than I've seen before....not to say the others were no good, but pursuit of excellence is something we all need.

We need to see what other folks who are more skillful are doing because it gives us something to aspire to. I used to think those "experts" were all nerds and came out of their basements squinting due to all the time they spend "down there". However, my layout is becoming much like theirs and I only spend an hour or so per day. It really doesn't take that much time to get a great looking and fun layout.

Mondo

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JerryZeman


Well, I guess I fall into your catagory of "obsessive".


Some big differences between people like me and the rest of the population are:

1. I don't have a Harley, Corvette, or boat in the garage / driveway or docked at the slip.
2. Since we haven't had a professional hockey team in Chicago in quite some time, I no longer spend exorbitant amounts of money securing seats for my wife and I. I couldn't care less about every other professional sport, including NASCAR.
3. I also couldn't care less about vacationing in Bermuda, Cancun, Ratland / Ratworld, or any other fun in the sun location. Give me the San Juan mountains, the UP of Michigan (with all of it's neat mining relics, abandoned roadbed that are trails), or the Cascades any day. Luckily, the family feels the same way.

I totally agree with all of Jerry's thoughts, but the selected quote above fits me perfectly. One minor exception is that we do have professional hockey and baseball here, (sorry Jerry [;)]) and my son likes both in addition to trains. We have actually cut down on the number of games we attend per season.

I'll go one step further though, and that is within model railroading, I have chosen to focus on one scale. 20 years ago I was into any and every scale of train, and one day I just woke up and said 3 rail O was going to be it. No more N, no more HO, etc. Suddenly limited resources go much farther.

Even though this may sound very narrow minded when it comes to interests, it doesn't have to be. I like photography, I take pictures of trains. I like wood working, I build benchwork. Of course the list goes on and on. In the end I take a variety of interests, and tie it all into my love of trains.

This is part of the beauty of this hobby. It can incorporate all kinds of skills and interests, if you are willing to really get into it. Spend time and focus on what you like, but always have fun.[8D]

[MAbruce]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage


Bottom line: People are MORE important than things.

MRR is a hobby; NOT a reason for existance. MRR is also not be an excuse to avoid responsibility. Not many of us in our last dying breath will have regret over not spending enough time on our layout. It will be people and relationships that really matter in this life.

Enjoy this hobby; it's an endearing and enduring one. Include your family, if and when at all possible. Above all, keep it in perspective! The Bible puts it better than I can: Read Matthew 6:19-21.

Tom

I had not planned on posting further to this topic, but Tom’s superb reply was part of a conclusion I was reluctant to fully express. I am always reluctant to bring “religion” into discussions here, but it’s hard when the “priorities” I referred to involve exactly that. The Matthew passage pretty much sums up why that uneasy feeling kept nagging at me. Tom, thanks for being bolder than I.[tup]

[Jetrock]

Every hobby has their foaming adherents--in sports there are those guys who can quote endless statistics about their favorite players, go to every game, and their homes are filled with thousands of dollars in sports paraphenalia. Obsessive comic-book fanboys make walls in their parents' basements of long-boxes of "collector" comics they'll never part with, Ultima Online players fall behind on rent, work and hygiene developing their characters, and so on. Some folks are just drawn in that direction, and I suppose model railroading is no different--it isn't unique in that respect, and I suppose that maybe an obsessed model railroader might at least have something to show for their obsession.

Every hobby also has their professionals--folks who, through talent and luck, reach the top of their hobby fields, enough where they can make money at it. Sports professionals count in this category, for despite the amount of money made by sports pros, and the seriousness with which so many people take such things, it's essentially still just a pastime, a game, a hobby--but one that is pursued with life-or-death seriousness by far more people than model railroading! I don't think that many kids were deterred from joining Little League teams because they couldn't hit home runs like Mark McGwire or whomever--I'd imagine that kids who like sports are inspired by watching the pros do their thing, rather than being discouraged. As a kid I was utterly uninterested in sports (still am) but reading Model Railroader as a kid inspired me to work towards that "pro" level of skill, even though my modeling skills didn't measure up quite yet!

I am also a recent returner to the hobby, and I show some of the signs of incipient foamerness--I volunteer at two railroad museums, am building a fairly formidable railroad and model-railroad library, have spent a couple thousand on model railroad stuff, and spend considerable chunks of my free time reading about, working on, talking about, and watching trains, real or HO scale. But I also play with my band, am involved in community organizations, maintain a pretty darn nice marriage (even if we did spend our last anniversary weekend at a railroad museum) and budget myself so model railroading doesn't eat too deeply into my monthly budget.

But I must admit that I get a pretty darn big kick out of the trains. It's fun--and fun is the bottom line here. On my deathbed, I may not look back and kick myself for not spending more time on my layout--I hope to be glad for the experiences I enjoyed in life, and since I enjoy trains I certainly think I'll be glad for the time I spent railfanning and model railroading and volunteering at railroad museums, for the joy they brought me, and hopefully a few other people as well.

[n2mopac]

It has been said here a thousand time by a thousand people--this is a hobby to enjoy at whatever level you deem feasible, practical, comfortable, appropriate, etc. Your level of time, energy, effort, investment etc. may vary greatly from another's. That doesn't make you wrong or them wrong, it make you different. I greatly enjoy what I see in MR, knowing that as an avid modeler with a limited budget of time and money I will be able to reach some of those "standards" and not others. I can still enjoy what others have done, be inspired by it, and enjoy what I can do as well.

Ron

[BRAKIE]

quote

MRR is a hobby; NOT a reason for existence. MRR is also not be an excuse to avoid responsibility. Not many of us in our last dying breath will have regret over not spending enough time on our layout. It will be people and relationships that really matter in this life.
Tom.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,I hope and pray when it comes my time to leave this old world I die with a throttle in hand and a smile on my face..I can not think of a better way as I do not want my family to stand around a hospital bed watching me slowly die in front of their eyes..Yes Tom I don't want my kids to suffer though that.I pray to God that he takes me quick like he did my late wife..You see there will be 6 carrying,some crying,some shoveling and then my kids can get on with their life without remembering me slowly dying.

[Anonymous]

As said in the comic strip "For Better or Worse" a few years ago - "Model Railroading isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important than that!"

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

i feel the experts can be as obsessive as they please,.. as long as they dont tell me im doing anything "wrong" such as too tight curves/switches,.. running locos from one road hauling cars from another,.. running gp-38's instead of a brass 2-4-88-2050-90 (or whatever) which requires 500 foot radius trackage,.. as long as they respect me and what I want to do with MY railroad,......

[vsmith]

MAbruce, been there also, seen the Master Modelers and their amazingly detailed layouts and locomotives, thought I would never be on equality with these guys and would never have a magazine quality layout, but as time went on and I modeled more and more and had an epiphamy!

WHO CARES!

Maybe I'll never get published, maybe I'll never have fellow modelers talking about by models, I realized that without the internet, NO ONE outside a family and a few freinds would ever now I was even doing a model RR.

Its something I do for my own enjoyment. I push my own modeling skills as far as I can, each time I get a little better, each project gets a little more ambitious. and Lo! I find my skills are getting a little better each year and I am now beginning to push myself towards scratchbuilding the models I want but can't afford. I only spend a few hours a week on my hobby. My layout is into its second year from laying track, havent got very far since downsizing it, worried? Nah, I'll be back on it soon enough.

I found that the BIGGEST SINGLE SKILL you can possess in model railroading is Patience! If you keep modeling and keep pushing your skills and dont be affraid tom really screw up a project, you'll find one day you've completed a project thats as good as anything the Master Modeler can produce. Maybe I'll never be able to blow out outstandingly detailed and weathered models models like Malcomn Furlow does, but thats OK, I'm not Furlow. I know that, I'll find a level that I'm happy with and take pride in my own accomplishments.

I do indoor large scale 1/20.3, which means that I'm often taking an engine that look more like a toy and trying to make it look like a real engine, cars same deal. Its something that while some in LS are happy to let their bright shiny plastic models rattle around their layouts, I feel compelled to bring that level of realism to my stuff that forces me to try things like weathering, I use drybrushing and if I'm patient I get good results. I dont use an airbrush although some modelers will insist thats the "right way" to paint or weather something. I dont worry about what is the "right way" to do something. I use what ever works for me to get the job done.

I take comfort in the fact that one of my inspirations, Joe Crea's indoor large scale Pitkin Tram layout is over 20 years old and still not finished!

Patience! It will get there soon enough....[:D]