I suppose I am an Operator.
However, there has been some building. Some successful, others not so and resulted in my seriously re-considering my abilities. Not to mention the wasteful consumtion of funds/supplies and paint poured into it.
I am learning. Put me down at 85% Ops 15% build.
Well I found out you had to be both..Gotta build a home layout, freight cars,structures,add scenery etc before you can operate..
On the other hand you can join a club and bypass the layout building,track laying,scenery work etc and go straight into operations if you use RTR engines and cars..The building part is still there if you build car kits and help with club projects.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I am definitely much more of a builder as I love to scratchbuild and super detail structures, rolling stock and individual scenes. Building the layout is the most enjoyable part of the hobby. Although I like to build, I prefer my locos RTR - out of the box and onto the tracks - the less tweaking necessary, the better. I'll customize my locos at MY leisure.
Although I love to scratchbuild, I have never had the patience or desire to build craftsman kits or any other type of kits that require a bunch of "Mickey Mouse" type assemblies eg. rolling stock trucks and drilling holes for grabirons (in the smaller scales). I like to scratchbuild because I can do it my way instead of following a set of incomprehensible and incomplete instructions indigenous to most kits.
Everything I build must also run and function perfectly - even if it means omitting or compromising the details.
I like the term "modeller" to describe myself. The benchwork part is more on the "builder" side, and I'm glad that's behind me, for now. It's when I get down to the scenes that fit in a square foot of layout space that I get most excited by the hobby.
It may be just the phase of construction I'm in now, but I will spend weeks on a DPM kit, which may be nothing more than 4 walls and a roof, plus some window glazing. On the other hand, if I put together a piece of rolling stock, all I do is put it together.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go lay some plaster cloth...
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
95% builder/modeler. When I was in R/C planes,for 20 years it was build,test fly .get proficient with that plane then on to the next. With trains, which I also did while building planes, its kinda the same, athough the models are easier to collect. Considering the size. On my layout I often tear out track and benchwork to try new schemes. I never was much good at planning.
On my own layout, I spend the vast majority of my time modeling, but...
I'm a regular operator on two large model railroads.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
Simon Modelling CB&Q and Wabash See my slowly evolving layout on my picturetrail site http://www.picturetrail.com/simontrains and our videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrCrispybake?feature=mhum
As I was reading down this thread, my initial thought was that I'm both a builder and an operator. Then, after reading Bob's post, I realized that I'm all three - Modeler (Love to kitbash unique rolling stock,) Builder (Love the engineering challenges of my double garage filler layout, currently under construction,) and Operator (As soon as track is in place, there are wheels rolling on it.)
I guess that makes me a model railroader...
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I prefer the term "modeler" to "builder". I take "builder" as someone who builds layout after layout after layout (I know a few!). I am a modeler. I build mostly rolling stock and add them to my shelf collection. I do have two pairs of HO scale modules, and operated them occasionally with our club, but they were built a long time ago and I don't do anything much with them these days. Of course I'm also a photographer, which is a big part of my hobby too.
I am also currently a "collector" of On30 rolling stock, would someday like to build a pair of modules or display layout in this scale.
I do operate at local friends' layouts, but I'm not overly enthusiastic about it, I mostly like to socialze with other model railroad friends at the sessions.
Whatever you are, as long as you are having fun, that's what matters!
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
I'm builder AND operator.
This engine is my private roadname engine. It has got ESU loksound. And I like running with such an engine the train, Extra 512!
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
I enjoy both building and operating, also the tech side with the dcc and learning that aspect. I am trying to get more into detailing and weathering but will never be a rivet counter.
Jeff
I'm just an overaged kid who likes to play with trains living in the body of a man who gets satisfaction from building things
.
Ted M.
got trains?™
See my photos at: http://tedmarshall.rrpicturearchives.net/
Both, but right now 80% builder, and 70% of that is scenery. I'm into year 2 of a five year plan on a moderately sized layout. When I want a change from construction I run two trains in hundred foot long circles while operating a third. After the next 20 feet of mountain line is installed and sceniced I expect to build the yard. Then operations should increase to 50% or so.
I think that most of us will have some mix of interests, and to those who've not yet started their layouts - do so! You will never be sorry.
Karl
The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open. www.stremy.net
I guess I'm a builder/operator (would that be like a singer-songwriter?) I enjoy just about every aspect of the hobby. Building trees is a necessary evil, though. That's pretty tedious, but when you model an Appalachian coal hauler, there's no getting around it.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
orsonroy wrote: Put me down as a builder.
Put me down as a builder.
don't forget to show us that Mikado after it's painted.
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
90% operator and collector here. My N scale layout is Unitrack on grassmat with LL stand up trees. Most structures are built-ups. Do not have a lot of patience with kits and have several half builts in cobwebs.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JR7582 My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcfan/
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.