Modeling the N&W freelanced at the height of their steam era in HO.
Daniel G.
ARTHILL wrote:Because its ten hobbies in one, its artistry, craftsmanship, fanticy and show off. It fills a lot of time and gives a sence of satisfaction and challenge no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are. And more, as attested by the following posts.
Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!
My Train Page My Photobucket Page My YouTube Channel
Sorry, could not resist
Model railroading is an ideal outlet for the modeler's inner control freak. Where else would you be able to play God to the extent of placing (and moving) mountains, laying out towns to YOUR design, choosing EVERY building, fenceline and telephone pole, then running trains to YOUR schedule or YOUR whim, without regard of the mundane considerations of environmental impact statements, NIMBY neighbors, irate citizens' groups, and shippers - or the crass necessity of making enough operating revenue to satisfy stockholders, creditors and financial analysts.
Don't you wish you could do that in your day job?.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - my way)
What's a day job?
Andre (retired since 2001)
Hi, Andre,
When you reach our stage of life, dealing with the real world is a day job!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - retired since 2002)
ARTHILL wrote:Because its ten hobbies in one, its artistry, craftsmanship, fantasy and showmanship. It fills a lot of time and gives a sense of satisfaction and challenge no matter how experienced or inexperienced you are. And more, as attested by the following posts.
Yup that sums it up pretty well, with a couple of minor corrections/changes...
It seems to have something for almost everyone and it's something you can share with your kids, a friend, a neighbor, or even a stanger. I like the electrical/electronic gadgetry of it and I like the scenery too. The wife likes the scenery also. She makes a great tree. The boy, so far, just wants to run the trains I think. I like finding and figuring ways to add realisim with animation. Layout sound is an area I want to explore in the future. Not specifically loco sound although if I can find a system that sounds BIG enough I might go for loco sound... It's a good hobby and a great passtime. It's something you can lose yourself in and forget the outside world. Considering the state it's in these days anything that allows one to do that can't be all bad.
As Art said, Model Railroading has so many facets, that when I get burned out doing something, there is always something else to do that is different enough to keep me stimulated and hard charging!
For example, I'm on my 3rd layout in 2.5 years. I'm so burned out building benchwork, laying track and wiring. My layout is now far enough along that I can put my soldering iron away and start playing with plaster and paint!
Model railroading is good. . .
Joe
mikesmowers wrote:I agree with you ART, there is one thing you left off your list, It gives you a place to spend all those extra dollars you don't have anything elece to do with. Mike
You have extra dollars? What the .....?????
Hi,
I sure do agree, having "played with trains" since about 1955!
I really enjoy all the different facits of the hobby, and how one can develop all those different skillsets needed to make a layout as best they can. I confess that while I am pretty adept at planning, benchwork, track laying, design, scenery, model building and basic electrical (DC) wiring, I am having a heck of a time getting the concepts of new fangled electronics into my head. But that is my challenge, and if it were all so easy, I would be doing something else!
And, as others have mentioned, it is my layout, and I can do what I please, and really only worry about pleasing myself. And over the years it has been my pacifier, but when train things are going wrong, I can just walk out of the layout room and shut the door.
I wish more of the young folks (including my 4 kids and many grandkids) would take up the hobby. It really is an excellent teacher and source of "I did it" pride. But they all would rather do other things, playing with stuff that somebody else made for them.
Hey, ENJOY!
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Bob Berger, C.O.O. N-ovation & Northwestern R.R. My patio layout....SEE IT HERE
There's no place like ~/ ;)
dale8chevyss wrote:Why do you think Model Railroading is such an awesome hobby?
d8c:
Because we all love choochoos and miniature worlds.
And even diesels sometimes.
Trains make your life complete. A day without trains is a day wasted. That is why.
For me it's not only the enjoyment of creating something over a period of time and haveing trains run threw it I saw as a Kid living a stone's throw away from the CP mainline in the Prairies and running beside the GP 7's & 9's waving like a lunatic as the engineer waved and pulled the horn for all of us, Over the years I have also made some Lifelong freinds that are in my club here we get together every Sunday morning at my layout and then that night at my freinds layout, we run trains, talk trains make plans for shows (this weekend in Kelowna,Yahoo) and generally have a great time, I also have made many friends at the shows that we see every year when we attend and always have a good story to tell or a good laugh, That it for me.
Mike
For me, it's "continuing education." After coming back to the hobby a few years ago, I discovered that I had to re-learn almost everything, because so much had changed. I've had to pick up information about DCC waveforms and electronic circuitry, but I've also learned how much fun it is to get my hands all gooey with plaster. The bits of information I pick up about railroads every day are fascinating, too.
For a lot of us "builders," there's a lot of satisfaction and pride in constructing a scale model of something that looks realistic. And then, there's the fun of sharing it with our fellow hobbyists.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.