Are we approaching a "goof-proof" hobby?

[fiatfan]

With the highly detailed engines and rolling stock, the DPM, City Classics, Cornerstone, etc., buildings, nickel silver track that doesn't need to be cleaned as much as the brass, the easy methods for scenery, it seems to be hard to build a bad layout.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who developed the ground foam technique, the ones who first started using craft paint, and I'm sure you can all think of other things that make our layouts look realistic without much effort.

Just a stray thought that got away.

I would be curious to hear your thoghts on this.

Tom

[simon1966]

Well, looking at a fairly large burn on my index finger, from grabbing the soldering iron by the wrong end, I would say that this goof still has some work to do!

[mcouvillion]

fiatfan,

You would be amazed at how some folks can still get it wrong. I guess they don't pay attention or have 10 thumbs. It's remarkable. Some guys can do scenery (like Pelle Soeburg) that looks so real you can't believe it. Some do wiring, benchwork, electronics, or painting like masters. And then there are the few that can't seem to do anything right. Even when you take the time to carefully show them step by step, it doesn't sink in. Nothing is fully goof-proof and that is a shame.

Mark C.

[Anonymous]

Seems to me you can still goof, but it's not always as catastrophic as it used to be.


m

[Anonymous]

To me it seems not so much goof proof, but if you spend eneugh $$$ on it it will come out nice.

ICK!!!!!!!!!!!

James

[Anonymous]

Model railroading can be considered an art. Those who can get it right have the "right stuff", others may never get it right. It's one thing to buy all of this neat stuff, but blending it together into a realistic scene is something else.

Bob Boudreau

[dwRavenstar]

Before the age of the VCR and DVD we used to say that the only reason movies were better than books was because you couldn't spill coffee on a movie.

Still drinking coffee here, still holding the option of having a fresh mistake to learn from as well.

Dave

[RedLeader]

I don't think so. I think that the hobby is going all the way arround. Each day, with the technological advances, the hobby is getting more complex. A long time ago, detail wasn't important, cause tracks where 3 rails and rolling stock where considered toys. Now days is different. It seems like there is no excuse for having a "toy like" layout with all those super detailed locos and structures. I think now days the hobby ask more of the model railroader. So many kits, so many products, so many choises... It took almost 3 months to decide which DCC system would suit all my needs. I still mess up big time some times. With DCC is easier to control trains, but I already have a couple of broken handrails and couipler from a frontal collition...

[dave9999]

Model railroading is an on going learning process. You have to goof to learn
from the goofs. Just some goofs are bigger than others! But I do think that some
people, just like in other parts of life, are better at some things than other things.

Manufacturers are making it harder to make mistakes though. Dave

[Anonymous]

I think a "goof-proof" hobby wouldn't be very fun, one of the main reasons why this is such a great hobby is becyase you have to work with it to get it right, You can't get it right the first time, i wouldn't have alot of fun if i got it right the very first time

[mersenne6]

Goof proof???? It better not get that way ! If it does there will be a huge number of us who will never make any further progress in the expansion of our rail empire.....for example

"Jeez Honey, I guess I goofed and forgot to tell you about the new engine I put on the charge card!"

"Oh man, I goofed. I said I needed three cars for my reefer block but it turns out they only sell them in sixpacks."

etc.[:)]

[Anonymous]

I struggle with this concept as well.

I am planning on getting back into the hobby soon, but I'm not sure how to put my own stamp on it. You can buy perfect looking locomotives, track, etc. now.

It seems as if scenery and whethering are the only challenges left.

I think about this stuff a lot - glad someone brought it up. I'm thinking to have "my" own Model Railroad, I'll have to keep it very small, and try to do most of the work from scratch. This way I could experience what people got to experience years ago.

[steveblackledge]

a goof to one man might be a godsend to another

[Anonymous]

I don't know about the hobby, but some people (like myself) will never be goof proof. Just the other day while using an x-acto knife to remove some detail, the thought crossed my mind "if this slips I'll cut myself" and boom. I've been modeling one thing or another for 40 years and I really do know better. Just sometimes...!!! [censored]

[Anonymous]

As long as it requires a human to touch it, it will never be goof proof.

[davekelly]

If one learns from his goofs, I probably have a couple dozen PhD's by now. lol. Goof proof? Hardly. We just goof up things that modelers never even approached years ago. Kinda like we have diseases now that kill us off people never contracted 100 years ago because things like chicken pox, polio and even broken bones killed off our ancestors.

Goof proof? Never happen.

[camarokid]

Tom,
I don't think I will ever be goof proof. There are way too many possibilities for me to make a mistake, even if I read the instructions over and over again. I might be one of those modelers who has a problem with "The brain knows, but the hands refuse to follow". My minds-eye sees the finished result, but I don't quite know how to get the end product. Know what I mean? There really are times when I do things on the layout over and over until I get it right. Sometimes it will take a few weeks. But, the end result is well worth it.
Archie
Spring game is two months away.

[Jetrock]

CARRfan: Nobody FORCES you to buy that stuff, y'know. Those who want to put a personal touch in still have the options of scratchbuilding, kitbashing, doing custom paint or other detail work, or otherwise modifying or improving beyond the ken of the RTR-only crowd. And so far, aside from those with the means to build custom layouts, nobody does RTR scenery!

Skills like painting and scratchbuilding really aren't that hard, and aren't that demanding if you aren't planning on immediately entering contests or trying to get your layout in the professional magazines.

Craftsmanship, artistic skills and care in creating things are vanishing in our culture--model railroading offers quite a few ways to carry on that tradition.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock


Craftsmanship, artistic skills and care in creating things are vanishing in our culture--model railroading offers quite a few ways to carry on that tradition.

Building the layout is a lot like woodworking. There are techniques you can use to hide mistakes--or as one carpenter put it, the difference between a craftsman and a apprentice is the apprentice makes his mistakes look like they were meant to be that way.

To me it is a matter of patience. The more patience you put into a project, the more refined the outcome. Each of us gravitates to our own level of patience.

[pedromorgan]

i hand make alll my track, i make all my own throttles i even scratch build rolling stock but i cant doo scenery to save my life! i just cant seem to get the hang of it.

Peter

[Roadtrp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

Craftsmanship, artistic skills and care in creating things are vanishing in our culture--model railroading offers quite a few ways to carry on that tradition.

And that is why the hobby will never be goof-proof to me. Although over time I will slowly improve my skills, I will never be an artist like those with the best layouts are. The truly great model railroads reflect a natural gift of artistry and craftsmanship that I will never have.

[trolleyboy]

I don't know goofing is part of human nature.It's fun to laugh at yourself as long as you learn from the experience.There are some things I'll never do completely right,but as long as we have our own expertise we can end up helping each other out. My 2 cents TB

[dehusman]

I don't think we are getting closer to a goof proof hobby.

Just read these forums. Not meaning any offense, but these forums are full of people who don't knowhow to do things. At least they are smart/brave enough to ask a question. But a lot of the time they are here because something isn't working for them. Frankly they've goofed.

I am working on casting my own freight cars from resin. I am about to remake a mold because the first mold didn't turn out well. The master I am using is the 5th version of that master. I've had at least 3 versions of underframes and other sub-castings. While you are free to consider them my "goofs", I consider them as part of the learning process. I went into the project knowing that it was complicated and that i would not succeed on the first shot. I am expecting that I will have to make several passes before I get things to the way I want.

What I think is different is in this RTR world, people expect perfection on the first pass. I'll take the longer path and enjoy the trip.

Dave H.

[willy6]

"Goof-Proof", I don't think so.Did you make the right cuts on your benchwork? OOPS!
Did you wire that block right? OOPS! Did you let the glue dry? OOPS! Did you install your DPDT switch backwards?OOPS! Are you married and your wife controls the budget?OOPS!..............................need I say more.

[Anonymous]

I think we're finding new ways to goof in some areas. It's pretty hard to do serious damage to anything using standard DC control - worst case scenario is hooking the track to the 16v AC switch machine output but so long as you notice the mistake and correct it quickly it shouldn't do any harm. However, with DCC you have the opportunity to blow bulbs or melt bodyshells due to having too high a voltage going through them, or the option of smoking decoders if you don't make absolutely sure the motor is properly isolated from the track. I think we're seeing a whole new swathe of possible "goofs" becoming possible here!

[CNJ831]

I see the hobby as really little more goof-proof than it was decades ago. Yes, the materials currently being offered are highly improved but most of the modelers are still from the same old stock. Those with considerable artistic and craft skills will build incredibly impressive layouts that may far exceed those seen in past decades. However, those hobbyists with average or below average skills in these areas will continue to build layouts that look only passable by most standards and , at the low end of the scale, some will be little advanced beyond Lionel layouts of the 1950's.

Advancing technology does not create goof-proof model railroading...only lotsa money and having an expert do all the work for you will accompli***hat!

CNJ831

[Virginian]

Not hardly. There are enough posts from individuals showing up that I am confident we will never get there.
Grabbed the WRONG end of the soldering iron !!?? THE WRONG END !?!?!?! Man I can't believe anybody did that...

besides me. Man that smarted. Flux doesn't work near as well as butter either.

[Anonymous]

Nah...! The 'goofs' I see others make helps improve my own comfort level with this great hobby. (I wish I could stop seeing this as a competitive sport!)

If everybody could instantly get a 'perfect' layout like the ones that Model Railroader writes about - we would lose the 'long-term dream' aspect of modeling. [2c]

[Leon Silverman]

I equate people who think this hobby is "goof-proof" with people who are "know-it-alls". These are people who have reached a stage in their lives where they simply cannot learn anything new. Just as a child might be able to blank out the memory of traumatic event in his life in order to cope with present everyday living, a person who has saturated his brain with knowlege to the point where he cannot learn anything new adjusts to this situation by assuming that since he cannot learn anything else, he must KNOW -IT-ALL and acts accordingly.
Stating that this hobby is goof-proof reveals identifies a person who cannot or does not want to improve his knowlege of the hobby or industry.

[Eriediamond]

Goof-proof??? Nope, in fact I tend to think with all the technology entering this hobby, we are subject to more "goofs" then ever before. Sure, the products are better and higher quality than they ever were, but think about it, years ago some of use started out with a Lionel, Americanflyer or Marx train set. Now they were basicly realy goof proof. Attach two wires to a track clip-on and you were railroading. As we progressed over the years, look at what we are doing now and look at what new modelers are starting out with. Just look at the new modelers questions on this forum and the technical answers given and you will see my point here. Is all this technology bad, no, but it sure makes it difficult to some one just starting out. By the way, I would like to voice that I too, like KenLarson sometimes tend to see this hobby as a competition, and it shouldn't be. Nuff said. Thanks, Ken