Lone Wolf Modelers - Why or Why Not?

[UP 4-12-2]

uh, no.

John

[fwright]

I've had periods of "lone wolf" and periods of being in a group or club due to being in the service and moving frequently.  I find that I do a lot more model railroading when I'm involved with a group or club.  Being around other model railroaders gets me excited about the hobby and its possibilities, and limits my procrastination. 

I also learned a lot from participating in building club or other people's layouts.  I'd much rather learn what my preferences and preferred methods are from the mistakes of others instead of having to make my own.  I find that the hobby magazines, and to some extent the forums, tend to minimize the drawbacks of a particular method or material.  But actually trying it in person (on somebody else's layout) uncovers both the positives and negatives very quickly. 

I'm currently in a club - club in name only - that has many like-minded guys in it.  We have new members joining on a regular basis and almost no attrition, so we must be doing something right.  Yes, heated words do get exchanged at times.  And we do vote at meetings, although there is no formal club organization of any kind.  Meetings are twice a month at whoever volunteers to host the meeting.  Being a modular club, there is minimal club equipment (NCE DCC system, stanchions and rope to protect the layout at shows).  The kitty is kept full through passing the hat at meetings, and hosts are reimbursed for the refreshments they serve.

On the layout side, we have a standard that has become the HOn3 Free-mo standard.  We setup in point-to-point layouts, usually with branches.  We do a combination of prototypical ops with switch lists, and just plain running trains.  Some of the members have been published in various model railroading magazines.

We are always experimenting with different ways of doing things.  We have gone from fitter rails to butted rail joints at the module ends.  We have found that having the module legs separately assembled from the module makes setup and tear down much simpler.  We are trying to find out why our wiring/control system doesn't work for an entire show or work throughout the layout on initial setup.  I'm experimenting with grades that are not self-contained within a module set, and I'm experimenting with modified waffle module construction.

Bottom line:  my growth as a model railroader is much faster as part of a group than it was when I was a lone wolf.

Fred W

[galaxy]

UP 4-12-2

So who out there admits to being a "lone wolf" modeler?  Why or why not?

As for me, I am a lone wolf modeler basically for the following reasons:

1.  I live in PA but have always somehow preferred the southwestern U.S. desert regions--since I was a small child, when we had a large backdrop mural of Bryce Canyon, Utah, on the wall behind our train layout.  Here in Central PA, very few people have similar railroad interests, and I'm very sorry, but Brunswick Green or N&W heritage/Norfolk Southern Black just does not excite me--though I have tried multiple times--I am unable to retain interest in the local railroads.

2.  My favorite large Central PA train store has approximately 5 "Santa Fe guys" and about the same number of "Espee fans" as customers.

3.  The known Santa Fe guys in PA are all into pretty much their own thing:  Some steam era, some passenger operations mainly, a couple 1990's or later era; nobody that I personally know who lives within 90 miles of me is into the 1970's/'80's era, and I do not personally know any of the Espee fans at all, not a single one.

4.  The SFRHMS and the East Coast Santa Fe Modelers, for the most part, are into the pre-1971 era Santa Fe.  I did not find enough in those organizations of what I was interested in to keep me interested in being a member, period.  They are fine organizations containing some great people and wonderful modeler/historians, but just do not appeal enough to me--especially since I now prefer SP more.

5.  I had a pretty good friend who was into trains and tolerated my interest in the Southwest, but unfortunately he was bipolar, went off his meds, and actually took his own life almost a decade ago--leaving behind a beautiful wife and 2 young boys who miss him very much.

6.  Job/family/church worship leader time constraits somewhat encourage me to "do my own thing in my own basement".

7.  Local model railroad clubs do not allow child participation under age 12.  They also fail to grasp that at 13, boys like girls and stuff other than model trains, so they are losing many potential members.  I most certainly refuse to join if my sons are not welcome--and that has been made crystal clear.  Plus the guys are just plain weird--or weirder than me--lol.

John

 

I consider myself to be a lone wolf also, and you are far from alone, as your thread can tell you. I don't belong to any club or group who may tell me what I can and what I cannot do.

1} I live in Upstate NY at the PA border, but that has little to do with it. Well, maybe NOT,,,, I used to LOVE watching the CHessie cars go by on the EL RR by my house growing up, but also love STEAM. SO,  I loosely model B&O and all its incarnates: the C&O and the Chessie, and the CSX. I do NOT like being stuck in "ONE ERA", so I can change out things on the mini layout I have and then have a whole 'nother  perspective on "life" on the MRR. I also like to add the PRR Steamers, I dearly love their massiveness and Belpaire boxes! SInce the B&O DID allow trackage rights, I am well within "realistic" modeling.

2} since I DO do the B&O and incarnates, I rarely have problems finding stuff here. Strasburg, where we visit every 2 years or so, has a large collection of PRR and even B&O ETc. in stock.SO I can get what is available easily. Also nearby is the wholesaletrains.com's brick and mortar store. It is A DANGEROUS place to be for me, AS I spend MORE in the store than I should!

3} I pretty much do my own thing as described above.

4}  There are plenty,I am sure, for the B&O anyway, and probably the PRR around. I just don't go in search. Again I don't like being told what I can nad cannot do.

5} Sorry to hear about your friend. I am bipolar, I am on meds. YEs, when I am off them things get nasty nand are NOT very pretty, , OR when I develop an intollerance for a med that was working wonders for me, and have to stop taking them. Fortunately I have an OH who is very supportive, and has put up with and tollerated my "foibles" when things go awry. I have attempted about 7 times to end mine, but for one reason or another, I have survived.. I have never spoken about doing it to anyone, so it is only after I have made the "error" of trying that anyone, including MOH, {now twice} has found out. I think I have learned I must be here for SOME reason. Dunno yet what it is?

6} I don't have a basement, but do have a spare BR with trains in it. I, too, like to have "free time access to my trains" whenever I want, not on Tues. and THurs. just cuz it IS those two days... BUT I DO suggest you watch just how much you  "do your own thing in your own basement",as it can lead to blindness, you know, and I once got caught doing my own thing in my own basement. It was embarrasing to say the least. we all need private space for "doing our own thing", though sometimes it cna be done in public.

7} I must admit to not having any children, and cannot tolerate other's children. ESPECIALLY when they misbehave, act up or cause trouble. The neighbor's kids area handful outside our house and a nuisance for sure being destructive to our property often. SO you get little sympathy form me there, but I do understand the "father son thing". I look at it this way thouhg, if you "make it crystal clear" that you will not join my club if your sons are nto allowed, then I say :good riddance to you" to you. YOU might be missing out on somehting you may belong to well after those boys have married those skirts they are chasing, and have gone off to their own life, and to work and give you grandchildren {hopefully NOt too early, mind you}  whom you can then make play with trains to get the new generation into it.

Maybe you are weird, but so am I. Aren't we all? I mean some of us MRRs DO hide in damp dark dingy basements, or garages, or spare BRs creating our own little worlds where they like us and know us well there...

[TMarsh]

 Well I’m a Lone Wolf I guess if you wanna name it, because I really don’t know anyone who “models”, though I am pretty friendly with this one guy who has an O scale setup, but doesn’t model. Not sure what to call it, it’s not the toy train look, not the model railroad look, not the plywood prairie operations look. He has a train set I guess. He’s happy whatever it is and that’s all that counts.  I do go to a kinda LHS in nearby city of Springfield that has a club and a lot of stuff…a LOT of stuff on the shelves. Sometimes I ask myself if they don’t just have one of everything in the Walthers catalog.  But after a couple minutes of talking to them casually, scares me off from further other than casual visit the store to shop type chit chat. I wouldn’t say they are weird as some would say, just very interested in trains and model railroading. Me, well I like Model Railroading. I like trains too, but quite frankly I’m not all that knowledgeable and really don’t want to learn all that stuff to “fit in”.  It seems some people think it’s a crime to feel that way, but I haven’t been arrested yet.

Time. Even though I am retired, I really can’t schedule any set meeting or activity other than my monthly Church meeting, and even that sometimes requires an explanation why that commitment is more important than their “needs”.  I just have too many odds and ends type things and little projects that at this point I couldn’t participate in and be fair to others. If that makes any sense. I learned too late that once you retire, tell no one.   

Structure and requirements of a club would drive me nuts in that for a relaxing and enjoyable hobby, to me and again this is me, not what others should like, I would want to step into my trainroom and get away from all the rules, structure and chaos and be in my little world that I control what happens and when. I don’t want to have to follow anymore rules than I have to and I certainly don’t want to have to answer to someone for what I did, listen to someone explain why I need to do it different than what I want or why I didn’t do something in a timely manner, or take a vote on how something will be done or if it will be done. Just doesn’t sound like fun to me. I’m definitely not knocking it, it just isn’t for me. I like to bowl, but being on a team lasted 1 season. They took all the fun out of it by being (trying actually) Pro Bowlers.  Play to win yes. Most definitely. But getting THAT wrapped up in winning is just not fun to me. Then the requirements, you must spend this, you must do that, it’s your turn for who knows what. All necessary for a successful club I know, but, like I said, if you like that stuff, great. It’s just not for me. And no, I’m not trying to be a rebel, or too cool to play with others, I just want something to enjoy and relax at or it might as well be another job.

To each their own and there is definitely room for all. I understand in a club there must be structure as with any group effort, I’m just afraid, like so many things I’ve been involved in over the years and through descriptions others have given on various clubs, they would get a little over zealous for my liking and it would take the enjoyment out of it for me. I want to be able to be accurate when and where I want, to make up what I want, and to most important, change my mind when and on what I choose. Again my opinion and not meant to blast clubs in the slightest. Some love Brussels Sprouts….some can’t stand ‘em.   

Maybe I’m better suited to be called an Independent Model Railroader. Yes, I like that better.