Are we approaching a "goof-proof" hobby?

[Anonymous]

I have been modelling in some form or another for almost 30 years (I'm 39 now). I believe that goofing up is part and parcel with the hobby. It's what makes each and every layout unique and what puts your very own signature on that layout.

I had to relay my yard track 3 times before I could run my engines smoothly through it. Goofing up is a love hate thing. It's part of what makes it a sustainable hobby, and it's part of what makes you P.O.'d sometimes. Like others have said before, the manufactures supply us with things to help create a world in miniature, but they can't make us build them or place them "goof free".

Trevor

[vsmith]

As long as theres Scenery, there will be Screw-ups!



...always remember the old saying
"Design a system that even a Fool can use and only a Fool will us it..."

[Anonymous]

Nope, I still goof things up all the time, not all bad though, I blew up the origninal decoder and had to replace the decoder in my Atlas, so I gained ditch lights by the time I was done...

[Jetrock]

Model railroading is no more becoming "goof-proof" than computer technology! Sure, unlike 30 years ago, you don't have to order a computer kit and assemble it yourself with a soldering gun, then enter programs in octal using front-panel switches (or, if you were really cool and high tech, a paper-tape or card reader), and hook it up to a VT100 terminal to see what was going on, but back then we didn't have to worry about computer virii, spam e-mails, spyware, etcetera, and if you didn't like the way a program worked you could break out the code and change it yourself.

Of course, there was already Microsoft to worry about then, but since it was just two guys in a college dorm they didn't yet have a legal department to stop people copying their software...

QUOTE: Originally posted by pedromorgan

i hand make alll my track, i make all my own throttles i even scratch build rolling stock but i cant doo scenery to save my life! i just cant seem to get the hang of it.

Peter

I'm sort of at the other end of the spectrum...I can do scenery almost instinctively and love weathering and superdetailing. I can scratchbuild but generally prefer to kitbash kits, and use flextrack and store-bought throttles because the idea of handlaying track gives me the hives and my electronics skills are feeble at best--my layout still uses one-cab control, with electrical routing done by manipulation of Peco "insulfrog" switches!

[grayfox1119]

Have no fear, we are a looooong way from a goof proof hobby.

[davekelly]

Goof proof? Not as long as folks like me are in the hobby. Now, if someone could make "Daveproof" stuff, then I'll be the next Pelle!

Yup, it is a competition. I noticed the gentleman above that took three tries to make the underframe of a car. Well, got ya beat, my last attempt took about 6 tries (I say about, because after the six try I figured I was close enough). Ooops, wait a minute, that's not something to brag about. Never mind.

[fiatfan]

Outstanding replies, everyone!

I don't think there is a right answer to this. Sure, we all make mistakes, burn ourselves, sma***humbs, spill paint, etc., etc. With the materials and techniques available today, anyone can build a layout that looks fairly realistic to an outsider. The art comes in to play in how you assemble all of these components.

I really appreciate everyones contributions to this topic.

Tom

Aside to CK - I'm countin' the days!

[AggroJones]

"Are we approaching a "goof-proof" hobby?"

Nope.

[jcgisel]

As long as I'm in the hobby you can be sure that there will be goofs. But they are my goofs and each one helps me get better....... but not perfect.

[BRAKIE]

Yes,In many ways I believe the hobby is becoming more user friendly and by following the instructions dang near goof proof.Today anybody can have a great looking layout by using the many easy to use products.DCC is no longer a hassle for the newbie..All one has to do is buy the DCC equipped locomotives and connect 2 wires from a DCC starter set to the track address the locomotive(s) and go..Even if you use DC by using two power packs, a Atlas controller and wire some sectors for block control you can run two trains its as simple as that all by following the instructions on the back of the package..

[Cox 47]

Goof proof? Hey this is supose to be a hobby. I have seen layoutsWhat is a goof where the builder had what I might have thought were "goofs" but he was perfectly happy and having the time of his life. What is a goof ? Well back to working on my new Pen Central steamer! Cox 47

[Bikerdad]

I tend to agree with Tom, aka FiatFan. We are approaching a goof proof hobby, in the sense that the realm of possible goofs has been reduced. Of course, the modeller who deliberately decides to go totally old school and uses only the 1950s MRR mags as his references will have more goofs, with potentially more catastrophic consequences, but many of the goofs he risks are foreign to the modern modeller. As noted by others, even as we reduce the scope of goofs in one area, we give rise to new opportunities of oopsies in another. While its unlikely any of us will inadvertently burn the house down with a goofed up homebuilt powerpack, modellers in days of youre didn't have to worry about accidently reprogramming all their locos at once. [:I]

However, we will never achieve goof-proofness, because we remain human. We will still wear danglings sleeves that send rolling stock crashing to the floor, we will still leave the door open so the cat gets onto the layout, we'll still ballast the moving parts of our turnouts, forget to throw a switch, sneeze when weathering, lose that tiny detail part, etc..

Finally, the abiltiy to "assemble" a layout without goofs doesn't mean its a great layout, only that the technical aspects are competently executed.

[Eriediamond]

Goof-proof??? Nope, in fact I tend to think with all the technology entering this hobby, we are subject to more "goofs" then ever before. Sure, the products are better and higher quality than they ever were, but think about it, years ago some of use started out with a Lionel, Americanflyer or Marx train set. Now they were basicly realy goof proof. Attach two wires to a track clip-on and you were railroading. As we progressed over the years, look at what we are doing now and look at what new modelers are starting out with. Just look at the new modelers questions on this forum and the technical answers given and you will see my point here. Is all this technology bad, no, but it sure makes it difficult to some one just starting out. By the way, I would like to voice that I too, like KenLarson sometimes tend to see this hobby as a competition, and it shouldn't be. Nuff said. Thanks, Ken

[Leon Silverman]

I equate people who think this hobby is "goof-proof" with people who are "know-it-alls". These are people who have reached a stage in their lives where they simply cannot learn anything new. Just as a child might be able to blank out the memory of traumatic event in his life in order to cope with present everyday living, a person who has saturated his brain with knowlege to the point where he cannot learn anything new adjusts to this situation by assuming that since he cannot learn anything else, he must KNOW -IT-ALL and acts accordingly.
Stating that this hobby is goof-proof reveals identifies a person who cannot or does not want to improve his knowlege of the hobby or industry.

[Anonymous]

Nah...! The 'goofs' I see others make helps improve my own comfort level with this great hobby. (I wish I could stop seeing this as a competitive sport!)

If everybody could instantly get a 'perfect' layout like the ones that Model Railroader writes about - we would lose the 'long-term dream' aspect of modeling. [2c]

[Virginian]

Not hardly. There are enough posts from individuals showing up that I am confident we will never get there.
Grabbed the WRONG end of the soldering iron !!?? THE WRONG END !?!?!?! Man I can't believe anybody did that...

besides me. Man that smarted. Flux doesn't work near as well as butter either.

[CNJ831]

I see the hobby as really little more goof-proof than it was decades ago. Yes, the materials currently being offered are highly improved but most of the modelers are still from the same old stock. Those with considerable artistic and craft skills will build incredibly impressive layouts that may far exceed those seen in past decades. However, those hobbyists with average or below average skills in these areas will continue to build layouts that look only passable by most standards and , at the low end of the scale, some will be little advanced beyond Lionel layouts of the 1950's.

Advancing technology does not create goof-proof model railroading...only lotsa money and having an expert do all the work for you will accompli***hat!

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

I think we're finding new ways to goof in some areas. It's pretty hard to do serious damage to anything using standard DC control - worst case scenario is hooking the track to the 16v AC switch machine output but so long as you notice the mistake and correct it quickly it shouldn't do any harm. However, with DCC you have the opportunity to blow bulbs or melt bodyshells due to having too high a voltage going through them, or the option of smoking decoders if you don't make absolutely sure the motor is properly isolated from the track. I think we're seeing a whole new swathe of possible "goofs" becoming possible here!

[willy6]

"Goof-Proof", I don't think so.Did you make the right cuts on your benchwork? OOPS!
Did you wire that block right? OOPS! Did you let the glue dry? OOPS! Did you install your DPDT switch backwards?OOPS! Are you married and your wife controls the budget?OOPS!..............................need I say more.

[dehusman]

I don't think we are getting closer to a goof proof hobby.

Just read these forums. Not meaning any offense, but these forums are full of people who don't knowhow to do things. At least they are smart/brave enough to ask a question. But a lot of the time they are here because something isn't working for them. Frankly they've goofed.

I am working on casting my own freight cars from resin. I am about to remake a mold because the first mold didn't turn out well. The master I am using is the 5th version of that master. I've had at least 3 versions of underframes and other sub-castings. While you are free to consider them my "goofs", I consider them as part of the learning process. I went into the project knowing that it was complicated and that i would not succeed on the first shot. I am expecting that I will have to make several passes before I get things to the way I want.

What I think is different is in this RTR world, people expect perfection on the first pass. I'll take the longer path and enjoy the trip.

Dave H.

[trolleyboy]

I don't know goofing is part of human nature.It's fun to laugh at yourself as long as you learn from the experience.There are some things I'll never do completely right,but as long as we have our own expertise we can end up helping each other out. My 2 cents TB

[Roadtrp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

Craftsmanship, artistic skills and care in creating things are vanishing in our culture--model railroading offers quite a few ways to carry on that tradition.

And that is why the hobby will never be goof-proof to me. Although over time I will slowly improve my skills, I will never be an artist like those with the best layouts are. The truly great model railroads reflect a natural gift of artistry and craftsmanship that I will never have.

[pedromorgan]

i hand make alll my track, i make all my own throttles i even scratch build rolling stock but i cant doo scenery to save my life! i just cant seem to get the hang of it.

Peter

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock


Craftsmanship, artistic skills and care in creating things are vanishing in our culture--model railroading offers quite a few ways to carry on that tradition.

Building the layout is a lot like woodworking. There are techniques you can use to hide mistakes--or as one carpenter put it, the difference between a craftsman and a apprentice is the apprentice makes his mistakes look like they were meant to be that way.

To me it is a matter of patience. The more patience you put into a project, the more refined the outcome. Each of us gravitates to our own level of patience.

[Jetrock]

CARRfan: Nobody FORCES you to buy that stuff, y'know. Those who want to put a personal touch in still have the options of scratchbuilding, kitbashing, doing custom paint or other detail work, or otherwise modifying or improving beyond the ken of the RTR-only crowd. And so far, aside from those with the means to build custom layouts, nobody does RTR scenery!

Skills like painting and scratchbuilding really aren't that hard, and aren't that demanding if you aren't planning on immediately entering contests or trying to get your layout in the professional magazines.

Craftsmanship, artistic skills and care in creating things are vanishing in our culture--model railroading offers quite a few ways to carry on that tradition.

[camarokid]

Tom,
I don't think I will ever be goof proof. There are way too many possibilities for me to make a mistake, even if I read the instructions over and over again. I might be one of those modelers who has a problem with "The brain knows, but the hands refuse to follow". My minds-eye sees the finished result, but I don't quite know how to get the end product. Know what I mean? There really are times when I do things on the layout over and over until I get it right. Sometimes it will take a few weeks. But, the end result is well worth it.
Archie
Spring game is two months away.

[davekelly]

If one learns from his goofs, I probably have a couple dozen PhD's by now. lol. Goof proof? Hardly. We just goof up things that modelers never even approached years ago. Kinda like we have diseases now that kill us off people never contracted 100 years ago because things like chicken pox, polio and even broken bones killed off our ancestors.

Goof proof? Never happen.

[Anonymous]

As long as it requires a human to touch it, it will never be goof proof.

[Anonymous]

I don't know about the hobby, but some people (like myself) will never be goof proof. Just the other day while using an x-acto knife to remove some detail, the thought crossed my mind "if this slips I'll cut myself" and boom. I've been modeling one thing or another for 40 years and I really do know better. Just sometimes...!!! [censored]