Greetings
It seems that I am amongst fellows as regards the flexibility of scale and time scales.
Having built my railroad last summer - a single line of just over 100ft. - I added a passing loop and sidings. As my stock expanded so did the loop and sidings. I am now going to alter the depot/station area for the third time making extra sidings a distance away and with provision for a portable cover in case of rain showers! Something we get often in the UK
Hopefully this will be the last time, but I suppose there is always something to consider in the way of improvements either to stock, track or scenery. I keep looking into the possibility of track doubling - providing the Head Gardener has no objections - there are certain plants which are her favourites At least the hobby doesn't become stale.
Alan, Oliver & North Fork Railroad
https://www.buckfast.org.uk/
If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. Lewis Carroll English author & recreational mathematician (1832 - 1898)
At the end of the day it comes down to enjoying what you do, what's the point otherwise? When anyone comes into this hobby mistakes are made and things have to be re-done, lets just hope that they aren't expensive mistake. Les, any questions you have then ask away, someone on here will have the answer - or know someone who has!!
Everything grows, this part of the railway is now no more, the level has been raised by approx 8" and nearer the fence there will be another raised section for a new circuit. It wasn't a mistake originally, all I could do then, still expensive though!
Cheers,
Kim
ElMik wrote: ...what is "right" or "proper"? and for whom? The scale police would shudder if they saw my layout, but it suits me.
Tom Trigg
I am with you on this Robert, if you can't do it properly best not do it at all.
Rgds Ian
GearDrivenSteam wrote:I didn't mean my post in a rude way at all....neither do I think I'm superior to anyone......actually quite the opposite. All I meant was that you can look and look for cheap ways to do things, but in the end you'll wish you'd spent the extra money and done it right. That's all, nothing more. Perhaps I should have expounded a bit more.....and I also maybe should've been given the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps someone COULD have asked what I meant, instead of slamming me, but that's ok.
I'm the guy you aimed it at, and hey, forget it! Let's all of us be peaceful--at my age I need it!<g> I'd like to suggest, in the gentlest, friendliest way possible, that some--well, me-- don't have the $$ to 'do it right the first time'. And that I'm entirely ignorant of most of the basics. I don't mind admitting it; I've found in my lifetime that shrugging and saying, 'hey, how do you do....' works wonders. People can be unintentionally terse. Guess how I know that? <g> No, Mr. Merritt, I've entered an expensive hobby without much means but time and due diligence, but I'd bet you've got a lot of good info to pass along. And 'live steam' has always interested me, but from a distance: I've got a small lathe, but no mill, so that part's pretty much a no-go for me. (And after a lifetime of using manual mills and lathes, I'd rather let that part go.) Please, let there be no thought of hard feelings.
Les Whitaker
So much for a quiet evening, I had to take a tow chain to my 3rd son who was busting snow drifts with his truck and lost. We had to get another 4 X 4 to pull him out.
kids will be kids. I got to share some of my old "fun" stories.
Is it REAL? or Just 1:29 scale?
Long live Outdoor Model Railroading.
Your second post is well thought out, well worded, and generally very good insight...the first one? It was concise and.... well, how about we all just pretend you never posted it? Meaning what one says doesn't always include saying what one actually means. I've stuck both feet in my mouth (keyboard?) a few times too. Annyhoo...c'mon over and join the merry crew at MLS chat, too!
I have found on this forum that there are a number of people that i regard as fools, but for the most they are very hepful and knowledgable blokes. We have one person that absolutely rubs me up the wrong way, very patronising and it is probably vica versa
Many peoples thinkings are worlds apart and that is what is so good about this hobby, there is no right or wrong way of doing anything and what works for John Doe, may not work for Fred Nerk.
I personally think everyone is wrong unless they agree with me and many other people are of the same opinion.
Be nice.
I learned it all from you.
I now eat sleep and drink trains, I have no life, no money but I love rolling around in the dirt in my speedo's smelling the pretty flowers while I run my choo choos.
Someday I plan to visit Rene at her office and walk in and show her I really do have yellow speedo's.... Then it will be photo time.
Les, never mind comments on forums, we have all 'said' something that we have regretted later. You read something and it is either of use to you or not, if it's of use then the forum has worked, if it isn't for you then it may be good for someone else. In the meantime get yourself some Aristo/USA/LGB track and get it on the ground, get whatever loco you have running and the rest will follow as sure as we all pay tax at some time or other. You'll find the hardest part is then behind you, the actual running of your first train. From then on it's your choice, expensive or not. My only word of warning is that by this time you will be well and truly hooked and beyond help. Look at Marty!!!
(This reply board takes forever to load up with all these little boxes)
Anyway, its hard to NOT sound strong on an issue in print. Many of us who have been around long enough ,get very tired when some lazy folks will bad mouth a method when they personally have not even tried it.
I hear this at club meetings from those who complain about how bad their trains run (once or twice a month) but have no interest in investing in the time and $$ to make their RR run good all the time.
I know folks who have said for the past 5 years, "yea , next summer I'm going to do it the RIGHT WAY and get some track down outside. "
Whats the "right way" which next summer are you talking about? these folks are very vocal and some of us (hopfully) only speak up to run interferance to keep them from discouraging new folks from tring.
Its a fun hobby, but you have to work out the bugs.
Dunrobin:
I'm posting a correction: I referenced you in another post as located in FL rather than BC. You sound so ... American! <G> (That is a joke! Apologies up front if it isn't taken so.) Anyway, my bust, and your reply gave me a needed boost, as the article referred to indicated nothing as an alternative.
Allen:
Thanks for taking time to express your thoughts.
Yup, I'm a newbie, I am. If you look up my replies to Walt and Ralph, you'll see pretty much my reasons for taking up G gauge. I'll add here that I like to be outside, and I like challenging problems. (But not overwhelming ones<g>). It's going to be a real challenge to build a RR on the sloping, washed ground I've selected. The RR, as envisioned, will be simple: mining and logging. Motive power will be 0-4-0's for the foreseeable future. I'm looking forward to scratchbuilding very much. (Again, please ref my reply to Walt).
I'm one of those who's been snowed on a good deal. Here at the banks of the Missouri and Mississippi, that is not unusual, but the long period of intense cold, with near-continuous snowcover, is.
Check out my rebuilding the Dixie D SL thread. I used a pylon type of roadbed. So far it's held up with zero problems!
http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/741319/ShowPost.aspx
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
Ralph:
Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts.
I once had a huge 027 Lionel layout. My wife was every bit as involved. Then babies started happening, somehow, and the RR went to pay for more immediately necessary stuff.
Now that I'm retired, I want to go back to 'playing with trains'. But in a way I couldn't with the Lionel, because it was collectible then, and kitbashing was a true investment in terms of lost revenue.
I want to build everything possible. I'm a retired XP machinist and have the necessary manual skills and a lot of the tools. It remains to be seen if I'm much of a 'finished modeler'.<g> (One who can build attractive-looking end items). I chose G after investing far too heavily while awaiting retirement, in HO. I can't see the durn stuff!<g> I want to handlay my own track. I'm working on duplicating an Aristo turnout. The frog is a bit of a headscratcher, but I haven't really sat down and studied it, yet. I'm still trying to get a test track together. I finally got to see a picture of a railbender, and will build one of my own 'soon'. First I want to see if I can adapt my roll bender. So, that's where I am: fumbling around trying to avoid re-inventing the wheel, and 'rushing ahead slowly'.
I too, had a background somewhat like yours. I always had boots, but we didn't have running water. Most didn't, in our neck of the Ozarks in the 40s-50s. But I wholly agree, that 'making do' mindset stays with one, and I've found it quite a good thing, over the years.
Greetings Les,
Many of us are easily bruised, but take heart - don't give the hobby up because of comments made, often well intentioned, but vociferous none the less. I subscribe to a few of the Forms and can say that someone has rattled my cage on more than one of them.
But I am in the hobby, I can still run trains but they are not dependant on any Forums or people in them. Nevertheless there is a lot to be learned in them all; and not always railroad orientated. For instance I know how much snow has fallen in many parts of the U.S.A. recently.
After a while you get to know some of the folk there and like any bar/club/pub whatever, you soon learn who it is that is has the most to offer in help and friendship.
For my part I know I can leave the Forums anytime - but I can't leave the trains
Walt:
I knew up front G Gauge was expensive. What I didn't know about was the steep costs of 'prep work' for laying roadbeds. The one article I was referencing talked of a prohibitive--to me--investment in wolmanized lumber, concrete, etc. I didn't realize that so many of the pictures one sees are built in such manner and 'banked' or filled after to create the roadbed. Moving tons of dirt are out of the question. As someone pointed out, the old saying, 'cheap as dirt' is a misnomer. Anyway, I have acess to literally tons of free dirt. But I 'ain't' moving yards of it. Can't, and don't want to anyway.<g> So I posted to see if and how others had accomplished the feat of laying track (or building roadbeds) that was less labor-intensive. And lo, what comes back but a very nice, concise reply from a gentleman in FL. There is in fact a much cheaper, less labor-intensive way.
I know there are jerks in every hobby. My experience has been, however, they tend to be the most vocal. I wanted to know if this was one of those boards. It appears not to be--though I haven't finished running the list of posts since last night.
Thank you for taking time to post your thoughts.
When our club does shows and visitors or new folks come up and ask Qs. Sticker shock is one part that we always have to deal with. many times we do point them in the cheapest route just to get them to try the hobby and see if its for them.
I also tell new guys NOT to bring their wives to my house until they have started in the hobby.
I don't want to scare them away when they see my train room.
I also tell them I have less money in my RR than my brother has in his two large jetskys with trailors and the new gargae to store them in .
Nobody gets into a hobby to SAVE money! You can indeed spend as much or as little as you can afford. I started with a B'mann set; I still have it and use it every day. My current railroad was built with odds and ends and recycled materials. I've got relatively little money into it, but I did spend money. I can also lay down the plastic and get what I want, but I keep my expenditures to a minimum. I view the hobby as a ratio of fun vs. money spent. If I can spend 2 weeks building something that cost $10 in materials it's more of a value to me that spending $600 on a RTR that took no time at all. Personal choice, that's what it's about.
On the subject of the monk and wealth, my church sent a container box of donated items to our missionaries in Africa. In that box was the usual assortment of clothing and cookware, but somebody had donated a men's bicycle- nothing fancy, just a single speed men's bike. A few months later we got a letter from the missionaries- evidently the village was so excited about the bike that they had a 3 day dance and celebration! It seems that now their chief could ride to the tribal councils in 1/2 a day instead of taking the usual 3 days to walk. A simple bike that nobody here really wanted- perhaps it was the wrong color......
Seing the comment by Ralph about the lack of shoes recalled to my mind a dear friend who was a Head Teacher at a school in what in now Tanzania. He was in fact a monk.
One of the children once said to him "Father you must be rich"! He thought for a moment and reflected that as he was a monk he did not own anything he had - all the few things he had really belonged to his Order, including his clothes.
He said to the child "why do you think I am rich then"? The child answered but Father you have TWO pairs of shoes.
The Home of Articulated Ugliness
Les,
This forum and this hobby (large scale) are no different from any other undertaking. Most of the folks I've met who enjoy the hobby and most of the forum members are "good guys". However, there are exceptions, as there is everywhere else. Some folks have the resources to go "top shelf" and don't always stop to consider that not everyone is as fortunate.
Garden railroading can be an expensive proposition. All of us know and understand this and we all went into it with our eyes wide open. I think the point that's being made is that if the cost of doing things "right" is too steep for one's income, then it's probably a good idea to stop and reconsider before one gets in too deep.
But, this is a very diverse hobby. You can buy an inexpensive starter set on sale and a loop of track and plop it on a level piece of ground and have a ball. You may actually get more satisfaction out of your starter set than the guy who's invested many thousands of dollars and still isn't satisfied because he just can't ever reach perfection. After all, most of this hobby is in your head, it takes on life in your imagination.
If you love trains and you like to play with them then do it and don't worry about anyone else.
Walt
Les, I think you will find that there are people who like to pretend they are superior in EVERY hobby. Some are immature jerks, some just forget that there is a real person on the other end of the internet connection, and a few might even be creepy crazy like Norman Bates (Don't think I've actually met any of those yet, tho).
However, MOST people in the hobby are friendly, helpful (if a bit opinionated), and fun to "talk" to. Please, before you decide to chuck the hobby, try dropping by the My Large Scale (MLS) chat some evening between about 10pm and 1am eastern...you'll meet a bunch of the good 'uns--they even occasionally discuss trains (instead of food)!
If that guy's post is reflective of even a sizeable minority of the people in this hobby, I want to get out before I get in any further. That's where I'm coming from. He's forgettable. But how prevalent is his attitude?
Les
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