world's greatest hobby? ?

[Phoebe Vet]

"

-----KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING ----- -----THE STANDARD RAILROAD OF THE WORLD----- -----WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?----- -----WHEN IT ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY HAS TO BE THERE OVERNIGHT----- -----SO EASY A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT----- -----EVERYWHERE WEST----- Poteet: You forgot: -----ROUTE OF THE PHOEBE SNOW----- I feel slighted.

[tomikawaTT]

CofGMike,
Well, since I called golf a sport, I'll debate the point. 

If being successful while dosed on alcohol and being fat makes golf not a sport (ie, John Daly), then how do you explain David Wells, baseball pitcher?  Or heck, Babe Ruth for that matter.  And have you seen the offensive lines in the NFL over time?  Is baseball and football not considered sports because drunk fat people make or made lots of money playing them? 

As for not demonstrating athetic ability while playing golf, that I disagree with.  Sure, it's not the raw power or speed that other sports use, but it's still a physical skill set beyond mere hand-eye coordination.  IOW, if you can pull a muscle playing it, it's a sport. 

Paul A. Cutler III
************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
************

How physically large the players are has no bearing on whether or not something is a sport.  (If you insist on disagreeing, I'll ask the Japan Sumo Organization to send over a Yokozuna to sit on you...)

IMHO, if the activity involves public competition for prizes and prestige, it's a sport.  (Am I imagining that Tiger Woods is making a lot more than George Bush?  )  That includes golf, gymnastics, marathon running and all those crazy things people do on water, frozen and otherwise.  To the best of my knowledge, the only people aware of any kind of model railroad competetion are model railroaders - and not even all of them.

So, what makes us think that model railroading is The World's Greatest Hobby?  If you define greatest as being the most all-encompassing, consider the full suite of skills required:

• Woodworker.  Everything from benchwork to card boxes.
• Metalworker.  Everything from cutting rail to erecting scratch-built brass.
• Electrical/electronics assembler.  Decoders and control panels don't wire themselves.
• Historical researcher.  Even if the history isn't what you model.
• Mechanical engineer.  Not licensed, but necessary to design/build/maintain things that move.
• Civil engineer.  Again, not licensed, but necessary for reasonable-appearing right-of-way and, especially, bridges.
• Landscape artist.  In three dimensions!
• Architect/City Planner  Which building goes where, and how is it designed/built/kitbashed?
• Financier.  It has to be paid for...
• Etc., etc, etc...

Model airplane enthusiasts don't model airports, stamp collectors don't model printing plants, coin collectors don't model the Mint and most video gamers can hardly play the things, never mind write the software.  But to be a model railroader, you eventually have to develop some level of proficiency in all of the above.

So, is model railroading, "The World's Greatest Hobby?"  No other hobby even comes close.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[Paul3]

CofGMike,
Well, since I called golf a sport, I'll debate the point. 

If being successful while dosed on alcohol and being fat makes golf not a sport (ie, John Daly), then how do you explain David Wells, baseball pitcher?  Or heck, Babe Ruth for that matter.  And have you seen the offensive lines in the NFL over time?  Is baseball and football not considered sports because drunk fat people make or made lots of money playing them? 

As for not demonstrating athetic ability while playing golf, that I disagree with.  Sure, it's not the raw power or speed that other sports use, but it's still a physical skill set beyond mere hand-eye coordination.  IOW, if you can pull a muscle playing it, it's a sport. 

Paul A. Cutler III
************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
************

[Anonymous]

Let's see. How can I stir the pot.

I'm a model railroader, play golf, and I'm an athlete. (9 times Ironman finisher.)

Model railroading is a great hobby but golf is a game, not a sport.  If an alcoholic, overweight man can earn a couple of 100K's a year playing pro golf, it's hard to call it a sport. I enjoy playing golf, but I demonstrate no athletic ability when doing so.

But aerobic full contact model railroading, that might be the next big thing.. I wonder if ESPN would be interested....

Mike Tennent

[Kenfolk]

The Mirriam-Webster definition of the word hobby:  a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

Probably why I like model railroading and don't play golf.

[andrechapelon]

Dave, is that from the Depressories collection?

A positive attitude: It's what keeps you from being naked on the roof with a deer rifle.

If you're not part of the solution, you must be in management.

There is no "I" in team, but there is one in "kiss my ."

OPPORTUNITY: Yes, that's your boss. No, that's not his wife.

Andre

[shayfan84325]

Model trains are the only kind of hobby store I've ever seen that are dedicated to only one hobby.

Okay - I saw one radio control airplane store but only one. There are lots of model railroad stores!

And the post office does not count as a stamp collecting hobby store!

 Paul

The Mirriam-Webster definition of the word hobby:  a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

I've seen lots of stores that support certain specific hobbies:

Fabric Stores, Hi-Fi Stores, Computer Stores, Photo-gear stores, Fly-Tying Stores, Fishing Gear Stores, Leather Craft Stores, Coin Shops, Gun Shops, Woodworking Stores, R/C Car stores, Macramé Stores, Home Brew Stores, Gourmet Cooking Stores, Bicycle Stores, and Golf Stores (it's not a sport if you make up your own rules like many golfers do).  I'm sure there are more, but I really don't think it is a valid argument to hold our Model Train Stores as evidence that we're something special.

I'd say there are lots of great hobbies and ours is one of them.  I think it sounds silly to say ours is the greatest, because it is easy to determine that there are plenty of others that are its equal in terms of the pleasure brought to the participants.

[loathar]

Model trains are the only kind of hobby store I've ever seen that are dedicated to only one hobby.

Okay - I saw one radio control airplane store but only one. There are lots of model railroad stores!

And the post office does not count as a stamp collecting hobby store!

 Paul

Dedicated coin/stamp collecting stores used to be pretty popular when I was a kid. Haven't seen any in a loooong time though. There are sports trading card shops still going pretty strong. Comic book stores too.
And I guess if you want to call video games a hobby, I have 5 of those shops where I live in a city of 10,000 people.

[PMeyer]

Model trains are the only kind of hobby store I've ever seen that are dedicated to only one hobby.

Okay - I saw one radio control airplane store but only one. There are lots of model railroad stores!

And the post office does not count as a stamp collecting hobby store!

 Paul

[PA&ERR]

You just have to stand there while the other guy scores!

Reminds me of any number of parties I attended during my college days!

-George

[loathar]

I checked E-Bay last night. Model Trains had about 80,000 items listed. Stamp Collecting had about 180,000 listed. Now does that mean there's over twice as many people getting rid of their stamp collections as opposed to their train collections?? Hmmm...

[Dave Vollmer]

[tatans]

RTP: You're right, It never entered my dusty mind, things actually move, could that be the draw towards the hobby, by golly, I think you've got it, I guess a lot of other hobbies just sit there, trains come and go, thanks for the insight.

[R. T. POTEET]

In my books, a hobby ain't a hobby unless you do something more than just buy stuff and put it in a pile.

Unless you are my wife.

O-O-O-O-O-O! I know somebody who is just dying to sleep on the mad couch tonight!

Actually, my wife says substantially the same thing about all the magazines that pass into this house each month, either through the mailbox or through the hands of my local. These eventually wind up in cardboard boxes and she insists that that industry would fail if I stopped buying magazines.

Anyway, the purpose of a slogan is to give some kind of product recognition.

-----KEEPS GOING AND GOING AND GOING -----
-----THE STANDARD RAILROAD OF THE WORLD-----
-----WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?-----
-----WHEN IT ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY HAS TO BE THERE OVERNIGHT-----
-----SO EASY A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT-----
-----EVERYWHERE WEST-----

Model railroading is, indeed, "THE WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY" and you can tell everyone that R. T. POTEET says so.

Before I enrolled in the model railroading fraternity way back in 1962 I had tried my hand at constructing model ships - the plastic modern kind: I never did get into building elaborate sailing vessels - and I assembled an occasional airplane. I have never been a collector of anything; I have never been to a stamp show nor a coin show nor the like because I find no interest in those things. I will admit that when I go to one of my local hobby shops I always stop and examine the Second World War dioramas on display.

Ships - warships - would probably be the only thing to draw my interest - although I will admit that B-17s and B-29s will always turn my head.  I have seen some fantabulous warship modeling, but. . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . the Yamato does not level those massive 18.1" guns at the doomed USS Gambier Bay in the famous Battle off Samar. . . . . . . . . neither does HMS Hood dissolve in a massive explosion at the Denmark Strait . . . . . . . . . . nor PT109 get crushed beneath the bow of the oncharging IJN destroyer Amagiri . . . . . . . . . . nor David McCambell launch his F6F Hellcat from the pitching deck of USS Essex . . . . . . . . . .

These things can all occur to one with a fertile imagination and the constructing of those static models does leave the builder with a deep sense of accomplishment when he/she can sit back and admire their completed work. They also make impressive display models - I was on a tour of a layout at the 1984 Kansas City convention where the model rail had a glass-encased model of the heavy cruiser {i}USS Des Moines[/i] on which he had berthed in the early '50s and so detailed was this model that it captured more attention for me than the layout which I - and several others - found just a little on the mediocre side at best - but . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . this model, as well as most other ship or airplane or tank models, was static; I know that there are motorized examples of all these things but with rare exception model railroading is an animated hobby - THINGS MOVE - and they move through a realistic geographical environment which we label as scenery. It may be in the pale of imagination when we announce that that UP double stack is headed for Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb but at least the train is going somewhere and shortly we will no longer see it - which is what happens when we are railfanning trackside in Sneaky Falls, Wis. or wherever.

It was the animation and the scenery environment which first attracted me to this hobby - and for that matter still does.

This is "THE WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY" and R. T. POTEET says so!

[tatans]

It's true, no one really reads the posts, I had to go back 3 times to see if I really said any of those things: (and I didn't)  I said I love this hobby, by the way, it's the GREATEST, there. I said it !  now I know the origins and meanings of greatest.     hmmmmm, I wonder why, when I quoted how much this hobby means to me, someone would post: Am I in the wrong hobby and wrong forum ?????????  Also, I never realized myself just how huge stamp collecting is until researching it. Again: I like model railroading, I do not collect stamps.

[Dave Vollmer]

Golf is more like a job than anything else.  Nothing goes how you want it to, you're getting angrier by the second, and when its all over you're glad to be leaving

Truer words were never spoken...

Yet why do I keep going back for more punishment???

[BlueHillsCPR]

Incidentally, the last tally I saw addressing the current top 100 most "popular" hobbies in the U.S. did not even find model railroading making the list

CNJ831 

Well that's good, 'cause I hate just following the crowds and doing what's "popular!"

 

[NittanyLion]

be allowed to kick an opponent's ball in golf (that would be cheating). 

Yeah, apparently you're not allowed to defend the hole, what kind of crap is that?  You just have to stand there while the other guy scores!

Golf is more like a job than anything else.  Nothing goes how you want it to, you're getting angrier by the second, and when its all over you're glad to be leaving

[andrechapelon]

Incidentally, the last tally I saw addressing the current top 100 most "popular" hobbies in the U.S. did not even find model railroading making the list

CNJ831 

Well that's good, 'cause I hate just following the crowds and doing what's "popular!"

Be of good cheer, Dave. You're going against the grain of popular sentiment. After all, the hobby is dying and you're one of the the few, the proud, the people who absolutely refuse to let it go gently into that good night. You come not to bury model railroading, but to praise it.

Andre

[Paul3]

tatans,
Um, the WGH compaign has been going on for years and you just noticed?

As others have said, "greatest" doesn't mean "largest".  It is entirely up to personal preferance as to what makes something the "greatest".  To me, what makes it the "greatest" is all the skills one can demonstrate with one operating layout: carpentry, model making, electronics, computers, artistry, engineering, research, history, etc., along with the skill to operate in a prototypical fashion.  I cannot think of another hobby that has more.

BTW, it's ironic that you've picked stamp collecting to compare with model railroading.  The funny is that Kalmbach did the same thing 30 years ago in their movie, "Model Railroading Unlimited".  Check out the 1:00 - 2:00 mark of the following Youtube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09kM1AdjP40

shayfan84325,
Golf is something that I would not call a hobby, it's a sport.  Collecting baseball cards is a hobby.  Actually playing baseball is participating in a sport.  There are no actual rules when building or collecting model trains ("It's my layout and I can do what I want," is an oft used phrase), but one isn't about to get 4 strikes in baseball or be allowed to kick an opponent's ball in golf (that would be cheating). 

Paul A. Cutler III
************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
************

[pusscakes]

Maybe you're in the wrong hobby and on the wrong forum????

[3railguy]

I like model railroading, it's fun and interesting, and educational, but now I'm seeing "WGH" bandied about lately, are they referring to "stamp collecting??", it certainly cannot be model trains. In the U.S. alone there are 20 million stamp collectors,

LMAO.

 20 million stamp collectors in the US? Did you read that in the Star tabloid? And where does it say "greatest" means "biggest"? If you are looking to stir the pot, find something interesting to stir it with.

[loathar]

In fact, the hobby of stamp collecting in the U.S. is in the order of 10-15 times larger/more popular than model trains

And 10-15 times more boring...

[shayfan84325]

I don't know how one determines the greatest hobby, hamburger, etc.  I do contend that to be in the running the appeal should be similar regardless of one's gender.  The fact that so few women participate in model railroading cause me to feel that it cannot be the greatest.  I don't know what is, but I think golf might be it.

I'm not a golfer, but I can see what people love about it:  It's social, persons of varying skill levels can enjoy it together, men and women can enjoy it together, there's always room to improve (even Tiger has never had a perfect game - 18 strokes for 18 holes), skill is more important than gear, and it's something you do outdoors in what amounts to a beautiful park.  It would not surprise me if there are more golfers than stamp collectors.

For me it's not important that model railroading be the greatest, best, or any other "est."  I enjoy it and find it fulfilling.  For me, that's enough.

 

[Dallas Model Works]

In my books, a hobby ain't a hobby unless you do something more than just buy stuff and put it in a pile.

Unless you are my wife.

 

[Dave Vollmer]

Incidentally, the last tally I saw addressing the current top 100 most "popular" hobbies in the U.S. did not even find model railroading making the list

CNJ831 

Well that's good, 'cause I hate just following the crowds and doing what's "popular!"

[tstage]

There are an estimated 20-22 million stamp hobbyists worldwide.

CNJ831

Okay, that figure is more plausible to me...

Tom 

[CNJ831]

In fact, the hobby of stamp collecting in the U.S. is in the order of 10-15 times larger/more popular than model trains (assuming one includes the entire fringe element in our hobby). This is based on a 2004 report in Linn's Stamp News, one of that hobby's leading publications. There are an estimated 20-22 million stamp hobbyists worldwide. Incidentally, the last tally I saw addressing the current top 100 most "popular" hobbies in the U.S. did not even find model railroading making the list

CNJ831 

[tstage]

P.T. Barnum is credited with the phrases "Greatest Show on Earth" and "There's a sucker born every minute."

Actually, it was David Hannum who was the real author of the often-credited saying given to P.T. Barnum:

http://www.historybuff.com/library/refbarnum.html

Tom