Through the years, I've learned much and from many about this hobby, and I thought it would be good to have a place where we could give credit to just a few of those whom we've learned from. For me it would go something like this:
First and foremost, I learned to love trains from my grandfather and father, as I'm sure many many others have too. I remember sitting out by the Big Four mainline, watching Conrail freights go flying by, and hearing their stories. It's because of them that I am in this hobby.
Next I learned about scale from reading about John Allen's Gorre & Daphetid. No, not about HO scale, but putting everything into perspective. Trains are huge in real life, but mountains and building still tower over them. It's a big world, and building focused on the world is a great way to find realism.
Allen McClelland showed me, through the pages of MR, what can be done within reason. The V&O was powered largely by off-the-shelf engines rebuilt and repainted. Unlike John Allen's handbuilt steamers, this was something that seemed much more possible to me, I could, with enough time, drive and learning, build something that I could really be proud of, and enjoy greatly in the process.
Joe Fugate's Sisikiyou Line, as well as his comments on the forum here have helped me to understand the operations side of the hobby far more. I grew out of watching a train go in an oval very early on. My first layout was a figure-8, but it only stayed that way for about a month before I took it down and built a flat switiching layout (totally without any scenery, all that was imaginary) that I found far more interesting. Even on my new layout, I'm not planning it for continuous running. If I'll be operating alone, I'll still be playing around in the yard, making play money as I play trains.
Tony Koester I've got to thank for his articles in MR, always keeping me thinking and imagining my model world in new ways.
Space Mouse, thanks for teaching me how to make my passenger equipment (kinda needed on a commuter-based layout) much more realistic. It's amazing how much more the little things can make such a difference in how realistic a model looks. A slight tweak or a new coat of paint can make a model.
Everyone else on the forum has also helped me learn uncountable new things, every day I come on here I learn something new about the hobby. It makes me wonder how much longer it would have taken for me to gain as much if this were times before the internet.
Finally, but second only to the first in her teaching, I have to thank my longtime girlfriend. Whom is on her way to full conductor at Amtrak, for both being there for me in this hobby and reminding me everyday that railroading is a story of people. Without the real life railroaders out there every day making the system work, we would have nothing to model.
So those are just a few of the people I've learned from in the hobby, a big thanks to all of them and now let's hear yours.
Cheers!
~METRO