Gunns wrote: ...In the museum restoration community "Thomas" is big Ju Ju. Often a visit by Thomas is the only thing that keeps the place in the black...
...In the museum restoration community "Thomas" is big Ju Ju. Often a visit by Thomas is the only thing that keeps the place in the black...
Yep, Thomas is definitely the rock star of the train world, the one who draws a crowd, the Cheetah Girls or [insert other latest teeny-bopper craze here]...
And you know what? Good! We've been a little too "Muzak" in this hobby for a little too long.
Rock on, little blue loco.
How's this for some Thomas respect?
http://www.railserve.com/jump/jump.cgi?ID=11529
Thomas GIF's!
Hey Jeff, Good Idea. After all, if an Athearn BB SD45 is worth $1200 to $1500 then I figure in 20 years the"rare" Thomas stuff ought to be worth at least 5 grand!!!
Tilden
Actually you can't really win the snickering thing... I am a member of a club restoring a 2900 series locomotive, and get the snickers about the 1 to 1 scale stuff when I buy N scale stuff for the model I am making of our work site. In the museum restoration community "Thomas" is big Ju Ju. Often a visit by Thomas is the only thing that keeps the place in the black.
Model what you want, vote with your feet if you have to.
Kevin
jeffshultz wrote:This has me wondering if I want to go out and buy some Thomas stuff... for the future. (no, nothing on the way or anything, but never too soon to start you know!)
Tilden wrote: Trevor, If it was between the manager and another employee, it might have been an "I told you this stuff would sell" look. A little payback to a doubting Thomas (sorry about that). Tilden
Trevor,
If it was between the manager and another employee, it might have been an "I told you this stuff would sell" look. A little payback to a doubting Thomas (sorry about that).
No respect for puns that bad....
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
Brian,
If it's the Bachmann loco there are no DCC plugs, you have to hardwire the decoder. The motor is isolated from the frame though so that's a help. Also, you don't need the circuit board that's in there, remove it. I think you'll find the color of the motor wires are the exact opposite of NMRA standard for DCC plugs. In an overly energetic moment I replaced them, for looks. Also, if you convert Henry, you might want to drill a hole through the metal frame to allow direct routing of the motor wires into the cab area. This will avoid the wires being pinched when you slide the body back on.
Don't know the layout of the Hornby loco's.
LHS owners can be tempermental. Perhaps many of them are in their business to start with because they're so "into" their hobbies and have strong feelings about them.
At a LHS around here, you get read the riot act if you call a non-operating unit a "dummy unit." When I was younger, I got into trouble for calling a graphic novel a "comic book."
It's a wierd part of the hobby culture. In general, I hear a lot of model train folks justifying themselves, as to why their layout is not "prototypical," or why they are using a fictitious line, etc.
In the end, we're all playing with toys.
Railphotog wrote: Well if you think of it, the Thomas the Tank Engine TV series seemes to be aimed at pre-school children. Most of the material offered for sale is toys. You tell them at the hobby shop that this is what you are modeling and they don't treat you with respect? Perhaps if you were to emphasize that you are building with your young son it might make things more clear? What if another adult said they were modeling a Sesame Street scene? Would you show a lot of respect if you were in the scale modeling fraternity?
Well if you think of it, the Thomas the Tank Engine TV series seemes to be aimed at pre-school children. Most of the material offered for sale is toys. You tell them at the hobby shop that this is what you are modeling and they don't treat you with respect? Perhaps if you were to emphasize that you are building with your young son it might make things more clear?
What if another adult said they were modeling a Sesame Street scene? Would you show a lot of respect if you were in the scale modeling fraternity?
That figures, coming from you, Bob. Fact is, your layout is just as make believe as Thomas or Sesame Street. They all are. I would have expected nothing less from you, though.
TGG wrote:On a time line, the Atlas S1 incident occurred first...
Did you consider the possibility that the jocularity displayed by the owner and manager may have had absolutely nothing to do with your purchases, or with you at all?
TGG wrote:Wow! I was just venting a little frustration and didn't expect many replies.
Sadly the "Hey Bob look at this..." winks and nods were from the owner to the manager, and I don't think I was supposed to notice. It wasn't like they stood back and openly mocked me. That would be suicide. I just got the feeling that because I wasn't buying high end brass, BLI or Tower 55 that I was something less than a "real" model railroader. It happened one other time as well, with the same two guys, and I was buying an Atlas S1 that was marked down in price.
I say Build Thomas!! I am lucky enough to have Cabbose hobbies in my backyard and they have a whole row devoted to Thomas!! It is great to see the kids there playing with the wood set. I am 24 and used to watch thomas on the local PBS station and loved it. I feel it is a very educational show that teaches kids today something that we lack as a country, and that is "IMAGEINATION" It is what this country was built on and our younger generations have less and less. But any ways off my rant now.
Curt
Sodor rules, dogs drool!
If you return to the LHS you might share your impressions with the owner/manager to make them aware of a situation that is probably afflicting their business on other levels beyond your experience there. The Disney people addressed their public by stressing to the staff that the public were guests at the theme parks and that the staff was expected to treat them as guests. Your impressions may be a little over sensitive, but no less valid. Retention of a customer is the most expensive aspect of business and probably the most over looked. While they may spend large sums to advertise to attract new customers (ie. new $s) through the doors, little is spent in retaining those individuals once they have visited.
I terms of your modeling, I cannot think of a more rigid prototype to follow, or better reasons to pursue it. The inter action between a father and son is priceless. The learning aspects are innumerable. The reason railroads grew up and continued to exist was the need to move people and products from a point of origin to a logical destination. Gather up milk from the farm, take it to the dairy, pick up bottled milk and ice cream to be delivered to the camp grounds for the picnic which the trains had hauled passengers to attend. Sounds like an economic microcosim to me, and you thought you were just "playing trains" with your son!! I wonder if the snickerers at the LHS have as good a grasp of the "island" that they model?
I hate the "it's your railroad do what you want" theme. I don't expect that you will run a Big Boy or Challenger on your version of Sodor pulling a stack train of intermodal containers, but your son may develop an understanding of why those containers are going by in the real life trains he may see. What ever your course of action with regard to the LHS, continue to enjoy your time with your son!
Will
Thomas the Train is a bit creepy for me! A talking train? Ranks up there with clowns! Just kidding! Anyways, who cares what those guys think. It is great bonding time with your son and may perhaps get him turned onto modelling trains later in life. Go for it and enjoy!
TGG wrote:. The funny thing is, (and the point of my post) when I go to my LHS, the staff give me the impression that I'm not as respected as other model railroaders because of my choice of "road". I've seen the raised eyebrow, and heard the little snickers. To be honest it seems a little immature to me. I mean they had no issues when I was dropping big bucks on a HO scale, DCC/Sound equiped, CN F3A-B. If the store wasn't so well stocked, I'd probably take my business elsewhere. Am I being overly sensitive or do you think this is as wrong as I do?
The often quoted saying of, "It's your railroad and you can do as you please" may be true but in doing so, remember that at the same time it comes with the caveat that you can't expect your work to be taken seriously by everyone else either.
CNJ831
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/4309
'My name is Jon, I'm 43 and I model Thomas the Tank Engine' (Thomas Anonymous)
Model whatever you like. After all, we're all only 'playing with toy trains'. Those snickers will come from the non-modelling fraternity anyway.
Happy modelling,
Jon
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Next time you go to your LHS, ask them what they are laughing at?. Is it me or my dollars? No matter what they answer they lose. If they are laughing at you then you wont be bringing your dollars to them anymore. If they are laughing at your dollars, well you won't bring them back.
Many years ago, at a time when I had little funds to spend on my hobby, I came across a dealer who told his assistent at a train meet not to waste time on me as I had not much money to spend. Until then I had spent a few dollars at his shop. Now that my economic situation is so much different He does not get one cent from me. Best of all he knows why.
Anyway you do your own thing and enjoy this great hobby.
kchronister wrote: twcenterprises comment about a 1:1 Thomas reminded me... I've taken the kids to ride on the 1:1 Thomas twice now, over at Strasburg. I think I get more of a charge out of it than they do. They dig the ride, then want to know if we can go buy a new piece for their Brio-style Thomas wooden train set. I just want to go have another ride.
twcenterprises comment about a 1:1 Thomas reminded me...
I've taken the kids to ride on the 1:1 Thomas twice now, over at Strasburg. I think I get more of a charge out of it than they do. They dig the ride, then want to know if we can go buy a new piece for their Brio-style Thomas wooden train set. I just want to go have another ride.
Let's hear it for "purists" everywhere!
Japan has its own Thomas knockoff, SL-man, part of a preschool superhero cartoon. When the tourist-oriented Otaru Railway temporarily modified a C11 class 2-6-4 into SL-man, bright red paint, white wheels and "arms" growing out of the side tanks, the Japanese railfan community was incensed! How DARE the owners desecrate a real, operating Japan National Railways locomotive, even temporarily? (On the other hand, the kids and a lot of parents loved it.)
I remember when the 1:1 Thomas visited Nashville. The base for the visit was the original Tennessee Central station, and it was wall-to-wall folks! A lot of them took the opportunity to take a look at the club layout which was also on display.
I, too, have encountered a few individuals of questionable manners at shows and LHS. Once, after I mentioned my choice of prototype, a parlor patriot sneered, "Watzamattuh? America ain't good enough fer ya?" When I flipped out my military ID and asked what branch he'd served in, he got VERY quiet.
So, for all the modelers who wish to get off (and well away from) the beaten track, more power to you, and good luck in creating your dream.
Illegitamati non carborundum!
Chuck (modeling central Japan in September, 1964)
Hey Trevor,
I am in the middle of converting a Thomas engine to DCC...and I just say PSHAW to those who snicker. My son love two engines... Thomas and my lionel Challenger and heck, that is one of the big reasons I model railroad... so I can have some fun with him! Quick question, does the Bachman have a DCC plug or did you "wire it". I have a lil cheapo thomas with a wire wound motor that I am having difficulty getting to work right... (the motor I think)...
Brian