"Rivet Counting".....Some Perspective

[bnnrailroad]

This whole thread takes me back about 20years ago. My dad was talking to a co-worker one day about our "model railroad". It peaked this fellows intrest. One night after work, he stopped by. When he saw our pike, he offered a whole bunch of suggestions. A side note here: at that time, our pike 30+ years old. It had no hills, mountains or rivers. It was (and still is) 4 interconnecting loops with a trolley line. The houses were placed in a random fashion. There were no roads.

The next day, he stopped at my dad's desk, dropped about 10 books and 2 VHS tapes. He told my dad "Watch these with your sons. I think you will see why I made the suggestions I made last night".

The next year, we modified the pike to where it is now and the "model railroad" bug had bit us big time.

Right before I left home for my tour over sea's in the First Gulf War, my dad asked me to design a new layout for the house they had just moved into. We had some ideas. He wanted to use what had and expand it, I wanted to start over. Unfortunately, we never got started.

So, for now, I have the old pike. I'm looking to build a new layout. I'm not a rivet counter or detail hound. I want to have fun and run trains. I want to do switching.

I do want it to look some what real or look like it could have been.

Isn't that what the hobby is about?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rayw46

If your models are not static, that is you run them on rails, then you're playing with toys. The difference between modelers is their intensity. Evidently, some modelers are wound tight as a drum; others are as loose as a goose (pardon the metaphors).

Once again, here's somebody who has taken it upon themselves to annoint us with their definition of model railroader. Draw an arbitrary line in the sand and say "everyone on <this> side is a model railroader and everybody on <that> side merely plays with trains." Sheesh.

Guess what? I have no layout. My trains (the things with which I occasionally play) are in boxes on the top of a closet. Yet I am still a model railroader...

[MrKLUKE]

.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MrKLUKE

What everybody else does in this hobby makes absolutely no difference
to me but I hope they have a good time! I am a self-proclaimed "RIB COUNTER"
and I consider that someone who aspires to become a "rivet counter" but, at the
same time, doesn't mind taking a few fantasy detours every now and then. I
would NEVER want everybody to be the same kind of modeler because that
would be a boring world for sure. "RIB COUNTERS" try to get the major details
right but they might slip up on a few minor ones. After drinking several large
glasses of Cruzan rum and Coke, this all makes perfect sense to me. Hehe.
[:o)]

Jeff (MrKLUKE)

I'll bring the rum, you bring the Coke and ice...

[Anonymous]

Excellent post Mondo

A brief story about "rivet counters" that is only slightly off topic.

Many years ago I was in a missile squadron up in Washington. We had an MMT (Missile Maintainance Technician) assigned who was one of those "I-know-everything-and-if-you-don't believe-me-I-will-tell-you-everything" individuals. I will admit that he was pretty knowledgable about the Titan I missile and their missile complexes. But it took him six weeks to find the Imperial 400 valve.

For the uninitiated, you found the Imperial 400 valve after you were done shaking "it" and reached up for the handle to flush it - that was the Imperial 400 valve.

I offered this short vignette to raise a two cents worth observation - most "rivet counters" will, sooner or later, choke on a gnat. Their's is not perfection; somehow knowing a great deal about some particular detail gives them a sense of superiority. Ask them about the Gazornan Factor (Robert Heinlein wrote a short story about a (sinister) computer that self-destructed when it tried to perform a calculation utilizing the Gazornan Factor - there, of course, being no such thing.

I'm in N-Scale. I body mount couplers because I find them more reliable particularly when pushing long cuts of cars; most, I suspect, run with truck-mounted couplers. I don't pay as much attention as I should to car weight. I have a long term project to eliminate cast on detail, particularly stirrips and handholds, from my freight cars and replace them with detail parts. I don't really care about how many ribs or panels a particular class of boxcar had/has. The Seaboard and Western Virginia Railway runs most of its equipment (including locomotives) straight out of the box, at least initially. And I do enjoy favorable comments about my efforts. I would hope they would be inspirational to other modelers.

What you do with your railroad is your business. I may find a caboose to be somewhat of an anachronism running behind an AC4400 - you can be an idiot if you want to. I enjoy the hobby - when I bring something home from the hobby shop and put it on the track and watch it go through curves and switches I get a real rush of satisfaction - and start thinking about body-mounted couplers and .........

[marknewton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cmrproducts

People no matter how accurate you get a model it is still a model and therefore it is a toy.

You're doing it again, Bob, presenting your opinion as if it were unassailable fact.

QUOTE: Anyone that is not a modeler will look at your model and only see a toy. (ask any wife, girl friend, sig other) and see what an answer you get!

Their answer is irrelevant. It's up to the individual modeller to define their models, not non-interested persons from outside the hobby. FWIW, if I ask my wife, who is also a modeller, I know what answer I'll get.

QUOTE: You can believe what you want and try and tell everyone modelers and non-modelers alike that this is not playing with toys but you know that it is still a toy!

Yes, Bob, I can believe what I want. I believe I disagree with your opinion. I believe you might have some difficulty accepting that...[:)]

[Anonymous]

I like this post
Some guys think they have direct phoneline to god[}:)]

QUOTE: Originally posted by marknewton

QUOTE: Originally posted by cmrproducts

People no matter how accurate you get a model it is still a model and therefore it is a toy.

You're doing it again, Bob, presenting your opinion as if it were unassailable fact.

QUOTE: Anyone that is not a modeler will look at your model and only see a toy. (ask any wife, girl friend, sig other) and see what an answer you get!

Their answer is irrelevant. It's up to the individual modeller to define their models, not non-interested persons from outside the hobby. FWIW, if I ask my wife, who is also a modeller, I know what answer I'll get.

QUOTE: You can believe what you want and try and tell everyone modelers and non-modelers alike that this is not playing with toys but you know that it is still a toy!

Yes, Bob, I can believe what I want. I believe I disagree with your opinion. I believe you might have some difficulty accepting that...[:)]

[fsm1000]

I like somethings realistic, like things I can do such as wooden buildings. But if I had to make absolutely everything super detailed and ultra realistic I would go nuts or be God.
For me my intention is to have fun. And while I have nothing against the Thomas engines I myself prefer something a bit more realistic.
Also, have you ever seen the face of a child when 'thier' engine [Thomas] is running on your layout? That to me is priceless and no amount of rivet counting could ever replce that.