WHAT MAKES MODEL RAILROADING "The Greatest Hobby in the World"?

[Anonymous]

It's time to discuss this.

Just so everyone is CLEAR on this concept.

You can't just go on and on working on your Pike, without some Clarity
as to what makes it special as compared to other Hobbies or Crafts.

It's good for everyone here to know where this Hobby stands,
and where he or she stands in the hobby.

[SpaceMouse]

John Allen made it great.

[sneaking off to a big tree, climbing up, and waiting for the stuff to hit the fan]

[GAPPLEG]

My participation alone makes it great, it allows others to pick on me for not going dcc.

[tstage]

All the aspects and skills that make up MRRing:

-Carpentry - benchwork, kit building
-Electrical - wiring, DCC, switches, decoders, LEDs, signaling
-History - learning about RRs and what and where they were
-Prototyping - learning why RRs did what they did
-Design - layout --> benchwork and trackwork, scratch-building
-Civil Engineering - laying out roads, towns, and railbed
-Mechanical Engineering - keeping locoomotives and rolling stock running
-Architecture - designing and creating believable towns
-Botany/Biology - study of fauna and flora
-Geology - study of rock formations

...just to name a few.

Tom

A few more to ponder:

-Culture - the life and times of a particular era
-Observation - seeing things around you in a new and unique way
-Art - modeling, weathering, painting
-Archelology (recent, that is)
-Research - studying all the above

[cwclark]

[#ditto] not to forget it's just plan fun and challenging too!...chuck

[Anonymous]

All of the above, plus I like it simply because it's the most practical way to create a realistic world in miniature, with working models/lights/animation. It is very difficult to do the same with model cars and even more so with planes. Building any kind of models is great, but when you try to take the realism beyond the individual model and into an actual realistic "setting", that's where model railroading shines with its nearly endless possibilities and relative ease.

[MisterBeasley]

I can create my own world, with my own rules. I can work on wiring when I want to, track when I want to, scenery when I want to, or I can walk away when I want to. There are enough aspects to the hobby to keep me busy for a long time, and I'm always finding out about new options.

[DigitalGriffin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tstage

All the aspects and skills that make up MRRing:

-Carpentry - benchwork, kit building
-Electrical - wiring, DCC, switches, decoders, LEDs, signaling
-History - learning about RRs and what and where they were
-Prototyping - learning why RRs did what they did
-Design - layout --> benchwork and trackwork, scratch-building
-Civil Engineering - laying out roads, towns, and railbed
-Mechanical Engineering - keeping locoomotives and rolling stock running
-Architecture - designing and creating believable towns
-Botany/Biology - study of fauna and flora
-Geology - study of rock formations

...just to name a few.

Tom

A few more to ponder:

-Culture - the life and times of a particular era
-Observation - seeing things around you in a new and unique way
-Art - modeling, weathering, painting
-Archelology (recent, that is)
-Research - studying all the above

Yeah what he said....

And it's very relaxing. Until you realize Goof Off is not the way to remove tape residue off clear styrene plastic windows from a discontinued kit. [#oops]...Not that I've done that mind you...[:O] Although it does make a very nice and realistic textured frosted glass.

[MAbruce]

What makes it the greatest hobby? All the gorgeous groupie chicks! Silly question... [:D][:D][;)]

Seriously, For me it's the challenge of learning multiple skills to pull a layout together, and the satisfaction I get when something actually works. Nothing like watching a 30 car train headed by a trio of locos, pulling weathered cars, smoothly rolling through a set of turnouts without leaving the rails.

[IRONROOSTER]

All of the above, plus you get to play with the trains.[swg][swg]

Enjoy
Paul

[Anonymous]

One phrase immediatly comes to mind.

OH OH ITS MAGIC, YOU KNOW OH OH OH PLEASE SAY THAT IT AINT SO!!!

James

[davekelly]

What makes it great? The smile and feeling of self satisfaction I get every time I finish a project. Can't ask for more than that!

[RoyalOaker]

all of the above,
Plus.
Knowing that I will never be done with my layout.

I will always have something to do.

I can look at what I have just done and enjoy it.

I can look at what I have done 10 years ago and also enjoy it.

I can pass on the skills and joy I have learned in the hobby to my kids, even if they never get involved with model trains.

[mondotrains]

I have to ditto what most have said above.

I'd like to add that this hobby makes me feel like a kid again. In fact, this weekend is the Amherst Train Show in Springfield, Massachusetts and I won't sleep any better this Friday night than I did when I was 5 years old, back in 1953, waiting for Santa to bring me my first train set. I can't wait to buy some new fun things at the show and bring them home to play with. I'm especially looking to get some of those real neat tractor trailers and cabs that Classic Metal Works just came out with.

Happy Railroading Guys/Gals,
Mondo

[ereimer]

you get to buy all the tools and stuff you always wanted but never had an excuse for before [:D]

[Anonymous]

Well, this will make me wildly popular, I'm sure... But my answer is "Not a darn bloody thing."

Yes, it's a great hobby. It's the greatest hobby in the world... for me. For my friend Jeff, golf is the greatest hobby. For my friend Andy, his classic corvette is the greatest hobby. For the guy in the alley, shooting smack is the greatest hobby... but I digress...

I think the slogan is pompous and obnoxious. It smacks of "my hobby is better than your hobby" which I don't like any more than I like the endless discussions of what makes a "real" or "serious" or "genuine" model railroader.

When I see "World's Greatest _____" on anything, my first thought is "BS" and my second thought is "lazy ad agency couldn't come up with a good, targeted, tied-in, relevant slogan"... (I'm in advertising, FWIW, so I'm insulting my own profession there). It's tired, trite, overused, boring and meaningless.

Yes, model railroading IS a great hobby. So are some others. I can give many reasons _I_ think it's superior, but they really apply only to me, my outlook and my situation. It's more comprehensive, skills-wise, than many hobbies. It can be a better "whole family" hobby than others. It can be engaging for decades without getting old or repetitive. It gives the satisfaction of "creation" that many hobbies don't. There are many, many things that make it great...

I could also put forth reasons that it isn't the be-all-end-all of hobbies. Many hobbies are expensive, and so is model railroading. There are certainly cheaper hobbies. One could argue that since its denizens are often closeted in basements, attics and spare rooms for hours on end, it's less inclusive than other hobbies. It could be argued that it's not as health-friendly as, say, hiking, camping or rollerblading (and if care isn't used around some of the materials used, it can actually be unhealthful).

I'd suggest that ANY hobby has its lists of pros and cons, and that these lists are not uinversal, that a hobby's value and luster is innately tied up in the person involved. So is it the greatest? I posit that NO hobby is THE greatest.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kchronister

Well, this will make me wildly popular, I'm sure... But my answer is "Not a darn bloody thing."

Yes, it's a great hobby. It's the greatest hobby in the world... for me. For my friend Jeff, golf is the greatest hobby. For my friend Andy, his classic corvette is the greatest hobby. For the guy in the alley, shooting smack is the greatest hobby... but I digress...

I think the slogan is pompous and obnoxious. It smacks of "my hobby is better than your hobby" which I don't like any more than I like the endless discussions of what makes a "real" or "serious" or "genuine" model railroader.

When I see "World's Greatest _____" on anything, my first thought is "BS" and my second thought is "lazy ad agency couldn't come up with a good, targeted, tied-in, relevant slogan"... (I'm in advertising, FWIW, so I'm insulting my own profession there). It's tired, trite, overused, boring and meaningless.

Yes, model railroading IS a great hobby. So are some others. I can give many reasons _I_ think it's superior, but they really apply only to me, my outlook and my situation. It's more comprehensive, skills-wise, than many hobbies. It can be a better "whole family" hobby than others. It can be engaging for decades without getting old or repetitive. It gives the satisfaction of "creation" that many hobbies don't. There are many, many things that make it great...

I could also put forth reasons that it isn't the be-all-end-all of hobbies. Many hobbies are expensive, and so is model railroading. There are certainly cheaper hobbies. One could argue that since its denizens are often closeted in basements, attics and spare rooms for hours on end, it's less inclusive than other hobbies. It could be argued that it's not as health-friendly as, say, hiking, camping or rollerblading (and if care isn't used around some of the materials used, it can actually be unhealthful).

I'd suggest that ANY hobby has its lists of pros and cons, and that these lists are not uinversal, that a hobby's value and luster is innately tied up in the person involved. So is it the greatest? I posit that NO hobby is THE greatest.

about no hobby being the best. if some guy says that it would be a good marketing campaign then that is not ok. if i go out and randomly ask 1000 people what their favourite hobby is and model rr'ing came up as first then i would accept it

i would immeaditeally exclude illegal hobbies, such as street racing from the list and would probably not include hunting too.

just my thougts

[Anonymous]

tstage says it for me.

Just add:
"Artistic"
"Take it to whatvever level you want"

[Anonymous]

To me its the best winter hobby that I can think of. In the summer I dont work on it much because of alot of other things that I do. My summers our filled with my horses and my trojan Sportfisherman but my winters is definately all model railroading. Its like therapy, I can escape into my own little world where I am the king and create anything I want. Not to mention the fact that the look of trains is almost as good as landing a nice striper out of the chesapeake Bay.

[davekelly]

kchron,

I know were you are coming from but I don't think this is meant as a "why my hobby is better than your hobby." Kinda like when I say "MY SON IS THE GREATEST KID IN THE WORLD!"

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly

kchron,

I know were you are coming from but I don't think this is meant as a "why my hobby is better than your hobby." Kinda like when I say "MY SON IS THE GREATEST KID IN THE WORLD!"

No he isn't, mine is! [:D]

Actually, I should have been clearer that I wasn't talking about this post, but the slogan itself. I actually think this post is an interesting one and worth discussing. I probably didn't mean to come on as strong as the post ended up coming out... And in general, I think it's great that so many folks here are posting what THEY love about it themselves! Including me, though it's sort of buried in my novellette post... But that's what it's all about.