Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Master Model Railroader--still relevant and important?

14145 views
109 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,859 posts
Posted by maxman on Friday, December 1, 2017 9:58 PM

Nope.  Try again.

  • Member since
    January 2011
  • 893 posts
Posted by PennCentral99 on Friday, December 1, 2017 11:17 PM

maxman

Those of you who have difficulty with the appellation MMR used after someone's name will enjoy this.  Today I saw a car with an ad for Annie R******, CPO.

Anyone care to guess what a CPO is?  (Googling is cheating)

 

If we were in the Navy, it would be Chief Petty Officer.

But in the example you gave, it's Certified Pre-Owned (like they really need to certify that someone already owned the car before you.......it's still USED

Terry

Inspired by Addiction

See more on my YouTube Channel

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,859 posts
Posted by maxman on Saturday, December 2, 2017 9:24 AM

PennCentral99

 maxman

Those of you who have difficulty with the appellation MMR used after someone's name will enjoy this.  Today I saw a car with an ad for Annie R******, CPO.

Anyone care to guess what a CPO is?  (Googling is cheating)

 

 

 

If we were in the Navy, it would be Chief Petty Officer.

But in the example you gave, it's Certified Pre-Owned (like they really need to certify that someone already owned the car before you.......it's still USED

Terry

Nope.

It stands for "Certified Professional Organizer".  You can Google that.  Evidently special training is involved because "not everyone can do it".

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, December 2, 2017 9:40 AM

maxman
It stands for "Certified Professional Organizer". You can Google that. Evidently special training is involved because "not everyone can do it".

.

Do you mean they get paid to put things away?

.

This thread just went way Off Topic, but it is more fun now!

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Maryland
  • 12,897 posts
Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Saturday, December 2, 2017 11:53 AM

SeeYou190

 

 
maxman
It stands for "Certified Professional Organizer". You can Google that. Evidently special training is involved because "not everyone can do it".

 

.

Do you mean they get paid to put things away?

.

This thread just went way Off Topic, but it is more fun now!

.

-Kevin

.

 

The world really has lost its mind........common sense is not so common any more......

Sheldon

    

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Saturday, December 2, 2017 12:57 PM

Before this gets too far off track, it's worthwhile to point out that some certifications are really about gaining income as much as the documentation of professional skills.

I mentioned that some MMR engage in model railroad related business because the skill sets and knowledge base provides them the resources to do that.

But the MMR is pretty much not about making money, but about volunteer contribution to the hobby. It's possible some do get reimbursed for lodging and meals in exchange for their services judging contest at conventions they might not otherwise attend. I just don't know. But adding MMR is not about the money for anyoe as far as I know in contrast to most of the examples being cited here. The exception to this is Scouting, where the volunteer ethic is very much like that of the NMRA, People do it becaue they think it's worthwhile    in and of itself, not because of the money  

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,859 posts
Posted by maxman on Saturday, December 2, 2017 10:44 PM

SeeYou190
Do you mean they get paid to put things away? . This thread just went way Off Topic, but it is more fun now!

I didn't look to deeply into what they do, but my impression is that they don't actually put anything away.  I think you pay them to tell you how to put your own stuff away.

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Maryland
  • 12,897 posts
Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Sunday, December 3, 2017 7:10 AM

maxman

 

 
SeeYou190
Do you mean they get paid to put things away? . This thread just went way Off Topic, but it is more fun now!

 

I didn't look to deeply into what they do, but my impression is that they don't actually put anything away.  I think you pay them to tell you how to put your own stuff away.

 

That's really funny......

Sheldon

    

  • Member since
    December 2008
  • From: Heart of Georgia
  • 5,406 posts
Posted by Doughless on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:22 AM

Bayfield Transfer Railway

Part of it, of course, is what one's objectives are.

My primary and strongest interest in the hobby is operations.  I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to learn how real railroads do certain things, including a lot of time working to become at least halfway compentent at dispatching by timetable and train order.  I want a layout with "good enough" rolling stock, track, and scenery that I can have satisfying and enjoyable operations on.  If I had to choose between a layout with scenery and no operations or operations and no scenery, I'd pick operations every time.

I also am 62 years old without a current place for a layout.  If I am very, VERY lucky I've got thirty good years left.

Spending time on anything that does not directy affect my desire to have a "pretty good" layout that has fun operations makes no sense to my personal viewpoint.  I've done enough operations to know that during operations, the fine underbody details of a car (for instance) are irrelevant.  As I once observed, "if you can see the underside of one of my freight cars, things have gone seriously wrong."

If building models for the sake of building models is what's fun for one, then one will look at the question differently.

In this as in so many other things, the key to success is proper management of expectations.

 

That pretty much sums up my opinion.  I responded earlier in the thread about the term itself being foreign to me, and I've been in the hobby for 40 years.  It seems to be a designation for those folks in the hobby who have interest in representing individual pieces of equipment with prototypical precision.  That's never been something that's interested me so that is probably why the term is foreign to me.

To add another thought.  After reading this thread it seems obvious that the NMRA has simply set an achievement standard for those interested in that aspect of the hobby.   How seriously a person takes that standard as part of their ego, status, or competition within their chosen circles is a matter of personal choice.  The NMRA can't be responsible for that, so I don't see why the NMRA should be criticized for estblishing the MMR designation.

- Douglas

  • Member since
    January 2008
  • From: Big Blackfoot River
  • 2,788 posts
Posted by Geared Steam on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:37 AM

maxman

 

 

 
SeeYou190
Do you mean they get paid to put things away? . This thread just went way Off Topic, but it is more fun now!

 

I didn't look to deeply into what they do, but my impression is that they don't actually put anything away.  I think you pay them to tell you how to put your own stuff away.

 

Mothers have been telling children that for ages. Big Smile

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Sunday, December 3, 2017 9:07 AM

Douglass,

Good observations, but I'll offer up a couple of points that suggest that the AP and MMR that's part of it is less of an "achievement standard" than it may be a systemized assessment of the application of the development of one's skills.

If you want a focus that is more exclusively on prototype, then there are the Railroad Prototype Modeler's (RPM) Meets. These involve some NMRA members, but lots of other folks, although interestingly enough it's NMRA-sponsored insurance that sometimes covers these public events, another one of the ways in whcih the NMRA supports the infrastructures of the hobby.

While there is a lot of attention to prototype practices in the AP and MMR, not all models involved need have a specific prototype. What's important is the skill in building and their conformance to the applicable design and standards. This could involve a model of a prototype that is decorated for one's private roadname, for instance. Other models may have no actual prototype, but are constructed using designs and details that reflect documented prototype practices.

I would say there is a tendency to see the MMR designation in use more recently. First, there are simply more MMRs around now than there were in its early days.

Second, it is something that has to be earned (any initial awards to well-qualified hobby pioneers who may or may not have filled out paperwork aside -- remember the Flintstones pitched cigarettes back then, too, and we no longer see that happening either), so its use engenders some respect within the NMRA community because we know the effort required to achieve the MMR. Whether others care about that or not is their business, but the notion that the MMR is "one of the negative things that the NMRA does TO the hobby" seems pretty unfounded.

Finally, use of the MMR does promote it and the AP program as a whole. Again, pretty easy to ignore if it bothers you. It's just one of the things we do, but also one that people find interesting and rewarding in the sense that it does develop ones modeling skills. Mostly, as several have noted, it's about competing with your own last best efforts and only applies to competition with others if one chooses to participate in contests. The AP and MMR supply volunteers for contest judging and clinic development and presentation in many cases, so these efforts are a vital part of what sustains the NMRA's volunteer infrastructure.

 

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
  • 7,667 posts
Posted by rrebell on Sunday, December 3, 2017 10:48 AM

maxman

 

 
SeeYou190
Do you mean they get paid to put things away? . This thread just went way Off Topic, but it is more fun now!

 

I didn't look to deeply into what they do, but my impression is that they don't actually put anything away.  I think you pay them to tell you how to put your own stuff away.

 

Yes they can be paid to put things away or just advise and you can do this job by word of mouth, yeh I know someone that dose this and they get paid good.

  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Milwaukee WI (Fox Point)
  • 11,439 posts
Posted by dknelson on Sunday, December 3, 2017 4:57 PM

And whether you are a model railroader with stuff, or a railfan with slides, books, collectibles and stuff, who wouldn't benefit from better organization?

  Maybe I need to find me one of these CPOs.

Dave Nelson

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:46 PM

My wife srofessional organizator skills without the initials after her name.  To the initials, she would surely say, what a load of ..

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:47 PM

duplicate filter not working today

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:47 PM

duplicate filter not working today

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Sunday, December 3, 2017 8:48 PM

duplicate filter not working today

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Monday, December 4, 2017 3:01 AM

dknelson

And whether you are a model railroader with stuff, or a railfan with slides, books, collectibles and stuff, who wouldn't benefit from better organization?

  Maybe I need to find me one of these CPOs.

Dave Nelson

 

I think that's called a Railroad Professional Organizer or RPO?Clown Wink

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, December 4, 2017 3:07 AM

I think this thread is now completely off track. Is there anything that hasn´t been said? If not, let´s rest the issue!

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 10,582 posts
Posted by mlehman on Monday, December 4, 2017 3:29 AM

Ulrich,

I think the fact that we can have a contentious but civil exchange of views on this topic and then still be able to poke a little fun at ourselves is the sign of a good discussion. I'm sure there's more to be said, but sure, let's try to keep it on topic -  mostly.

Mike Lehman

Urbana, IL

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!