After buying, with much haste, the 75 year MR on CD collection, I am absolutely impressed!! I was so un aware that even back to day one, the detail that was put into model RR's by there creators.
When did the MRR hobby get the boring loop around the Christmas Tree stereotype? And when or who, for that matter ever referred to our trains as toys?
From what I see, even way back then, it never was boring nor were they ever toys!
Ryan
I first figured with your line of "with much haste", that you were going to say that you didn't like it and regreted it.
How refreshing to see you really have enjoyed it.
I think the "monikers" to which you refer are jealous envy and misunderstandings.
The "loop around the Christmas tree" caused some to THINK they were "getting into MRRing" because they had "model trains". Buy a few magazines like MR and voila, you have a "new" hobby member....
Some think that a Hyundai Accent as a "sporty car" while most would call it "cheap basic small car transportation". Some think if a car has A/C and power locks {as almost every model does now with power locks being a "safety feature"} that it is a "luxury edition". go figure.
I refer to my trains as my "toys"...but I call all my power tools and air-powered tools "toys" too...you know..."the difference between men and boys is the price of their toys". I even called my new minivan a "toy" for awhile...and MOH {My other Half} couldn't wait to drive it and would drive it down to the mailbox!!!!
NOW...MR forums here include the Classic Toy Trains forum {CTT}. YOu can access it from the top gray tool bar under the pull down menu of Trains.com sites. That is more for O and O27, S and the old TinPlate trains of yore. Many considered them "toy like" as they are not as scale-detailed as today's models can be in HO scale or N scale. O guage is catching up and detailing- to scale- its trains more and more.
And, of course, let us Not forget the loops of trains that went roundy rounder in the Departemnt store windows at Christmas!!! Everybody, especially kids {both old and young alike} , would drool over those!!!
This is all my meanderings, ideas and opinions.
But WE know the "true value" of the hobby and after spending 43.5 hours scratch building a yard shed to scale, design and aged to perfection, we know different! We also know what it is like to spend 5 hours kitbashing two built-ups together to get a third structure never thought of. Or to spend 20 hours building, gluing, painting and weathering a kit and making it "our own'.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Model railroading started with the boring circle around the tree & that stereotype remains today for the many people that didn't grow in the hobby. When people find out that I'm into model railroading they usually ask, "how many sets do you have?" Really hard to answer that for someone that was brought up on train sets. Then they tell me of the trains they have in the attic that they will have to get down "someday". Yes, most of us have come a long way from the loop around the tree. But even tho I have a large HO layout & a garden RR & an N scale trolley layout....I still have that "Boring" circle under the tree each year. Long live the loop around the tree.
I never ment to imply the loop around the tree is boring. Its a Christmas Icon. it just seems when the subject of model railroading comes up in conversation with "John Public" they seem to not be able to understand why some one would leave there train out all year long. You know, making us the weirdo's
Even in the first issue or MR, a nice layout was featured. and in consecutive issues, you could see things like lathes and such in peoples workshops. You know, back when people actually made stuff. This really impressed me.
I guess I, my self, was caught up in the mantra that model RRing was was just a bunch of seasonal ho scale 4 x 8 plywood central's until recently. I was surprised, pleasantly to see otherwise.
My hesitation in the purchase of the cd's was simply the 200.00 (and that I agreed to box up my hard copies to make room for her decorations in the family room)
I'm absolutely LOVING my 75 year collection. I have a fairly complete collection back to the 70's, and a few here and there between the 50's and 60's, Well, now I have them ALL. Once I get around to going through which of the paper copies are worth passing on I will donate them to whomever I can. I started reading with VOl 1 #1 on the DVD and am workign my way up to modern times. It's really interesting seeing the evolution of the hobby, and seeign the first appearance by authors who were still prominent 30+ years later.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I have my dvds loaded on two computers now and am enjoying doing some good research. Particularly the original Timesaver and some great articles on yards.
I think that trains and Christmas go hand in hand way back due to the idea of giving/getting one for Christmas. Just because a person may start out with O gauge toy trains(as I did) does not mean they won't get into modeling--as I did. Quite the opposite in my case, the larger less detailed units(easier to handle for young hands) actually encouraged me. BTW, my Dad was into HO modeling at the time.
Richard
I recently purchased the DVD collection as well. Now I spend hours on this beeep beeep beeep computer when I should be doing some more scene work!!
Thanks a lot!!!
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
When people find out that I have a train layout, some still ask me, "How big is your trainset?" I just invite them over to see it for themselves. When they see that it's 27'x29', they're usually pretty impressed. I live in a small town and attend a small church. Our church members now regularly ask if they can come see it, or bring their grandchildren.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Wonder why they won't play on stand alone DVD players? Seems this would be a lot more pleasurable then sitting in front of the computer. Bill
Because they are PDF files that need the Adobe reader application that the collection comes with to read.
My next computer will probbaly be hooked to the TV, to repalce the junky DVR the cable company provides, which would also allow me to surf fromt he couch on the big screen and yes, read the MR collection. However, the monitor on my computer, while significantly smaller than my TV, has a higher resolution.