Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
The answer is indubitably, unquestionably, without a doubt, definitely, certainly, absolutely yes.
Now it's time to tear it down and start over or make it bigger.
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Jim, as for me. I am now in the process of building the layout. I did notice that while the layout was in the planning stages, I bought a lot of stuff. I bet I have several hundred pieces of rolling stock and better than 30 locomotives. I think that once you get to the stage of building the layout and running the trains, it becomes less about buying and more about enjoying what you have. While the trains were piling up, my only joy was to keep looking for what next to buy.
dennis
TCA#09-63805
To answer your post question bluntly: NO.
But we live in a consumeristic/media saturated society. We approach the subject of "moral character and values" as if it was a bad thing. We have more so-called "conveniences" than any other society before, yet the news broadcasts and newspapers are full of stories of unhappiness. I often ask myself if all this "stuff" is suppose to make us happy, then why is there so much depression around us? I remember both John Lennon and George Harrison commenting that once they had their Rolls, furs, mansion and everything else fame brings, and yet realized they still weren't happy.
The other day I heard someone say they couldn't live without their cell phone. I laughed out loud and said the human race has been around for thousands of years. The cell phone has been around for a decade, so obviously the human race somehow did just fine before. At one time in human history, people actually had face-to-face conversations.
Take a look at this train business and the train forums. Stuff from the last catalog isn't out yet, and still some speculate and pine for what's in next year's catalog. The last decade has seen unprecidented advancedment in the 3-rail train hobby as far as detail, performance and electronic controls. And indirectly because of it (that and a lack of moral values) we have the resulting lawsuits that took down one train company and threatens to potentially take down another... maybe. There are some folks who like their trains so much, they hate everyone elses. There are others who fail to have the tolerance to understand that the "toy" trains they despise help to pay for the new product advances.
Yeah, it's fun to have some new trains once in a while. But I was out of work for a long time and learned hard way to do without an awful lot. So I've learned the hard way I don't need every new train itrem to enjoy the hobby. Nor do I need the latest electronic systems which are prohibitively expensive and from what I've personally seen, aren't always so reliable. I love the Neil Young/Lionel ad hawking the Legacy system in the OGR magazine. They should have shown Neil standing with a computer chipboard instead of a Lionel ZW. That gave me the best laugh I've had in a while. Legacy is going to revolutionize the hobby? I think not.
What actually might revolutionize the hobby is a change in attitude. Someone needs to address the larger potential mass market with less complicated, more clever affordable starter items. RMT doesn't ahve Lionel's name, but they've got the right idea. Lionel is trying in this direction too to give Jeery Calabrese some deserved credit. But already some are crying that by making more starter trains, that Lionel won't be able to make as many scale ones. Oh boo-hoo. K-Line learned this lesson the hard way... too much product on the high end doesn't pay the bills. I wonder which company is going to learn the same lesson next?
You hit the nail on the head Jim with your reference to the innocense of having the first train set running on the floor. That's exactly where it started for the vast majority of us. It's kind sad that some are either so blind or so utterly selfish (or most likely both) that they fear toy trains for kids will take away from the development and making of scale model trains for adults. That last line to me, is the sadest thing about the hobby today and just how selfish the adult buying market has become.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
Jim, I think you're onto something in regards to the newness of it. I guess it was about three years ago now that I got out Dad's postwar Lionels and set them up, after they'd been in boxes for more than 10 years. I hadn't spent serious time with them since the mid-1980s.
For me it was a whole new world to learn about. When Dad and I set them up in the mid-1980s, that really was the dark ages. The stuff was being made and sold, but we didn't know where to find it. In 2003, it was very different--punch "Lionel" into Google and see what comes up. Ditto the library card catalog. And guess what? There was a Lionel dealer about five miles from my house! And guess what? I went to high school with the owner's son! (Too bad neither of us ever brought up the subject of trains....)
I know my biggest problem now is that I need to commit to a layout. The tables are built, I know what I want the layout to look like, and the track is on the table and operational, and I have buildings in place but it all still looks so unfinished. I know what I need to do to get it to look finished (I know it's never "finished" but there's a great divide between "unfinished" and "presentable"), so now I just have to get there.
And yeah, that part seems a lot less exciting than seeing that 50-year-old train running on a loop of 50-year-old O27 track around a tree for the first time.
In the meantime, I've actually considered downsizing and selling off a few trains, mostly because my interests have changed a bit and I could really use the space.
These are interesting, thought-provoking responses. Besides my flip answer, of course, more doesn't necessarily equal better or more happiness. It depends on how you define and redefine your approach to the hobby: operator? collector? a little or a lot of both? switching back and forth? In any endeavor, the excitement of the new gives way to the mundane. What's neat about our hobby is its ability to absorb our creativity in all sorts of directions...
And as we've spoken about when the weather in northern climes gets warmer, sometimes it's great to take a break and play with something else..
I find it interesting that these very forums serve to accelerate some of our connections and related angst about the hobby - how we learn about what's new, what fellow enthusiasts think about new and old items, etc. Whereas in the past, we might've delved into our hobby more as individuals - visiting with fellow hobbyists occasionally, going infrequently to a hobby shop or reading a semi-monthly magazine or working with a local club..
One other thought, something that adds to the ability for me to maintain a high interest is that this is a hobby that I can share with my kids. My son is 4 and daughter is 2. I look forward to many years of hightened interest because of them. This hobby is one way that my father imparted lots of knowledge on me while I thought we were just having fun. My son already knows about soldering and electrisity (No, I don't let him do the soldering), but he is learning new things. I may have numerous post war items and many items from the 70's, and to a lesser extent, new items, but they are all new to my kids and the new command and digital items are new to me. I am not only playing trains, I am learning new skills and refining old ones not used in some time. For this and other reasons, it is exciting. I do plan on buying more (as my wife lets me), but I intend to slowly work into the more expensive items. Still kinda hard to spend over $500.00 for one engine.
Dennis
Interesting stuff. The way we all jump in, collect a lot of trains, build a layout, and then what?
My own experience was HO modeling, then O-27, then expansion with TMCC, then I discovered pre-war trains. For a few years I was just fascinated by old tinplate and I still am. But for the last year or so I;ve gone back to the more modern sound equipped trains. Each change brings with it alot of history and learning.
My latest diversion is military trains. The Lionel MPC stuff that is very reasonable to collect. It's mainly for my 7 year old who is into playing army with army men and related toys.
And as far as getting back to basics my kids and I still like setting up floor layouts(especially when mom is working on the weekend). We try to get as many trains running all at the same time - O gauge, G, HO. It helps to have alot of cheapo set transformers to get them all runnin.
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
When you get down to it, toy trains are a hobby, a diversion from stress, boredom or the ills of life we all face. It's nice to have diversions, but they can't really produce long-term happiness or contentment. In fact, any hobby can become unhealthy if it keeps us from the more important things in life.I enjoy trains as a way of relaxing, as a reminder of the excitement of childhood, and a way to be creative. I have discovered that there is definitely a point where more becomes less - too many trains for one person tend to end up on shelves gathering dust. Like Allan, I've thinned out my collection and have had fun selling off some of the shelf queens and focusing more on finding and purchasing very specific items. I'm not criticizing anyone with a large collection or large layout, but for me, less is more. I can appreciate my smaller collection and focus more on a smaller, more manageable layout. My only real regret is that there's no one close by that enjoys the hobby the way I do. I hold out hope for future grandchildren with which to share my trains.
jaabat wrote:And although I greatly enjoy many aspects of the hobby, I find myself sometimes almost pining for those first few weeks when Thomas and the NYC Flyer raced exclusively around our den's floor. Maybe less was more in some way. Or maybe I just want to relive the newness of it all.Jim
If you still have your first starter set, what's stopping you from setting a track up on the floor and running it?
Yes, the newness of this hobby does wear off after awhile and we begin to feel discouraged. That's when it's a good idea to step away from the hobby and focus on something else for awhile. There is nothing wrong with buying more trains as long as you don't mess up your budget and buy stuff you really like.
Speaking as one who, for most of his life, had more trains than he had layout space to run them on, there comes a point where either one of two things happen:
In my case the answer was 1. I have not quite stopped buying rolling stock, but now I buy to fill specific requirements or recognized needs, a car at a time. My reward came a few months ago - absolute title to a two car garage for layout space. Now under construction, a layout that will be able to store almost the entire roster in hidden staging. My "cast of thousands" will finally have a suitable venue to produce the dramatic operations I have dreamed about - with room enough in the wings to hide the players not involved in the on-stage action.
Chuck (a very happy camper)
Jim:
Perhaps it's a matter of now having your layout complete and the ongoing challenge is now gone. So what do you do to keep the excitement going? Add to the fleet, which may be becoming unfulfilling. If I ever finish my layout, I think it'll be like a "what now"?
Trains can bring lots of enjoyment and bring back many good childhood memories, but it sounds like it is time to get out of the basement and experience real life. I live in Minnesota, so for about 7 months out of the year I'm experiencing the lakes and the woods. I do enjoy winter activities (snowmobiling/ice fishing), but do get overly excited about trains prior to Christmas. I am fortunate enough to have a large home, but to dedicate a usuable space just for trains that will seldom be dabbled in is riduclous. I set up an "O" scale/guage train around the Christmas tree every year. The pictures I've seen of some Christmas tree layouts are fantastic. I personally opt for spending 40 hours making a Christmas tree look elegant, and 5 hours max.on a train to compliment the tree virus the opposite.
Kindest regards, Clark Anderson
In my case, every time I get a new engine or rolling stock I feel like a littlke child on boxing day. That feeling is addictive sometimes. I now made an appointment with myself to not buy any new rolling stock or locomotives untill my layout is finished (as far as a layout is ever finished). I'm now building a tunnel and a street viaduct over the track and running my steamtrain makes the smoke run in the tunnel, giving a very nice cloud when the train moves out of it. Immediatly I started to look for yet another steamengine..
Thus, I have to get a bit of control in this, otherwise I have a huge amount of engines with only a dozen or so cars to share with them on a layout of barely 5 square meters. I already have 11 locomotives and can't even find track enough to set them aside on my layout. Some engines are still on the attic in boxes, while the train room in the garden is finished up 2 months ago. More trains don't eqaul more hapines, but opening the box when a new item arrives will always give a nice excitement.
I don't think more means more happiness, its better IMHO to stick with something you like but I'm not typical in that reaction. A lot of my bike riding friends seem to change bikes one a year and still want this, that or the other whereas I like my faithful bike and ride it into the ground which can take years!
Well its the same with trains and I have virtually no money to spend on it, except what I call the 'slush fund' which is money I've kept from housekeeping. So when my kids gave me my first set last Christmas, I got a switch and some more track and picked up two old engines of the Atlantic type from a junk shop because I need 3 to run a railroad. A goods train, a passenger train and a shunter.
So I spent some happy times rebuilding, converting and repainting them and now I have three 'new' engines, three passenger coaches and two goods cars. All I need now is a bigger power pack and maybe some more switches and track enough to run all three at once.
'Carpet central' doesnt get laid except on rainy days, so most of the rest of the time I either fix or modify or make lineside accessories and such, maybe fine tuning the locos a bit and an awful lot of reading, writing and sketching about train ideas, layout plans and so forth.
I did the 'buy everything in sight' as a youth with Dads help and it didnt make playing with trains any more fun, so I devolved to my childhood roots and with my young co-driver we get a session a month or so and the fun of that not to mention the work it takes to set it all up and take it all down before bedtime, is enough to keep the two of us 'hungy' for more. If you take away the 'hunger' it becomes just another collection of things.
I've built big fixed layouts and I was never satisfied, I came to the conclusion that I was getting my pleasure from the setting up, modifying and making do, like using books for bridges and tunnels and making stations from building blocks. Thats just my take though, its only right for me.
For 20 years, I only had a Christmas layout, so every year it came out, it was "new". Two years ago, I started a small 5x8 permanent layout, which is 90% "finished". Because my main interest is "scenics", there is always someting new to do:
*When I decided to construct a "flea market" area for my layout, it took over 3 months to find all the items to have "for sale" (eBay, train shows, bead shops, craft stores, flea markets, etc.).
*I've done interior detailing for some "up front" buildings, with at least one more to go.
*I joined a modular club last summer, so now I'm building modules that take months to scenic.
*My passenger cars contain over 100 MTH figures that I carefully painted. A new set is on order, so here we go again!
When my 2 year-old Grandson visits every week, I have a FasTrack loop set up on the carpet. We turn down the lights, put our heads on the floor, and watch the train go 'round and 'round. Many would find this boring...we don't.
Buying a new train takes a very short time, and the "newness" wears-off quickly. My next project will be to use my other hobby, stereo/3-D photography, to take pictures of my, and our modular club, layouts in 3-D. Joe
Don
Happiness is a pursuit. Even more money, as people that have become instant millionaires have said, does not make you more happy, it just gives you more options to look for happiness in other places. More train stuff gives you more options. I enjoy having more trains then when I had less. I don't think I'm a bad person for enjoying the fruits of my labor. I don't look down on people with modest collections or those with collections larger than mine, they're all my kinda people!
My 2 cents,
Rich F.
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
wallyworld wrote:Some of this stuff is the pent up desire to return to a simpler time or to relive, recapture frankly, a set of self comforting feelings that relieve stress.
You hit the nail squarely on the head there, at least for me. If it weren't for that, I don't think I would be into trains at all. The trains themselves, for me, take me back to a simpler time, and I've tried to make my layout look like someplace I would have liked to live, except it doesn't exist anymore (either it all got torn down to build big-box stores and McMansions, or the buildings are all vacant and burned out today).
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