Hello gang. I realize model railroading is supposed to be a relaxing hobby that you should be able to kick back and enjoy. But it seems that in the last few months, every time I begin working on something out in the train room, I start getting stressed, I guess because I want everything to turn out as perfect as possible. Right now, I've got several modern automobiles to paint and detail, and things like that use to not bother me, but here lately I'm almost tempted to pay someone else to do the work for me... The thing is, I don't have a stressful life (knock wood), and there aren't really any major issues hanging over my head. Maybe it's just a temporary case of lack of focus and/or patience.
Anyone else out there ever had problems like this ?.
Tracklayer
Maybe you need to take a break for a week or two, or it may be time to find another hobby.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
With the increasing emphasis on prototype accuracy, the increasing availability of information about everything from freight car colors to signal systems, and the extraordinary quality of the best modeling seen in the magazines and Allen Keller videos and, yes, on this and other forums, sometimes one can get stressed and even immobilized by anxiety. In part I think the reason is that the quality of what we build is no longer measured against the quality of what other people build, but against what we can buy -- at whatever price the market will bear. A modest example: I thought I had done a fairly decent job with my first batches of Proto 2000 freight car kits yeras ago. Then Life Like brought out the ready to run versions of the same cars. A bit deflating. Now there is a partly built Intermountain car on my workbench that is NOT progressing because the next step is both highly visible and irreversible. (Darn that ACC!) I won't say I am stressed exactly. But it's like stress. It ain't joy, I know that.
The problem can be summarized as this. To get anything done in this hobby you continually have to repeat over and over the wise phrase of Allen McClelland: "Good enough." We each have to arrive at clear notions of what is, for us, good enough, in each phase from benchwork to scenery to trackwork to controls to painting and weathering.
The stress comes from the equally wise phrase of the French philosopher and writer Voltaire: "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien." Or, as commonly translated, "The best is the enemy of the good."
Our fear is that while we are busy applying a "good enough" standard, we actually want to be applying a "perfect enough" standard. And that is stressful.
End of sermon.
Dave Nelson
Stress? Never heard of it. It's a hobby, nothing more. If I don't get enjoyment out of it I'll go and do something else for a while. Eventually I'll come back to it.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
Jerry SP FOREVER http://photobucket.com/albums/f317/GAPPLEG/
S T R E S S ? ? ? ?
You're not talking about broken # 80 drill bits; are you?
........ or those little Kadee springs vanishing into oblivian?
Nah..........
It's a relaxing hobby..... everything is just dandy........
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Tracklayer wrote:The thing is, I don't have a stressful life (knock wood), and there aren't really any major issues hanging over my head. Maybe it's just a temporary case of lack of focus and/or patience.Tracklayer
TL,
It could be an accumulation of a number of "minor" issues hanging over your head. Also, perfection can drive you batty, if you let it. Do you find that you place your satisfaction in life or self-worth on how well you do on your layout or projects?
Huh?...Times up? Okay, that'll be $50.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Are you in a hurry? Have you set a deadline for yourself? Do you feel time pressure to get the layout "finished" or up to a certain level? Is that what's bothering you, Bunky?
Well, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. Yes, there are things I'd like to get done sooner, but most of the time I take however long it takes to do the job. If I don't feel like working on something, I don't. If I need a part or a particular paint color, well, manana is another day, and I can pick it up when I'm out.
When I started building my layout 2 years ago, I thought I'd have it pretty much done by Christmas. And I still do. The only thing that changes is which Christmas. And the best part is that I don't care.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
dknelson wrote: With the increasing emphasis on prototype accuracy, the increasing availability of information about everything from freight car colors to signal systems, and the extraordinary quality of the best modeling seen in the magazines and Allen Keller videos and, yes, on this and other forums, sometimes one can get stressed and even immobilized by anxiety. In part I think the reason is that the quality of what we build is no longer measured against the quality of what other people build, but against what we can buy -- at whatever price the market will bear. A modest example: I thought I had done a fairly decent job with my first batches of Proto 2000 freight car kits yeras ago. Then Life Like brought out the ready to run versions of the same cars. A bit deflating. Now there is a partly built Intermountain car on my workbench that is NOT progressing because the next step is both highly visible and irreversible. (Darn that ACC!) I won't say I am stressed exactly. But it's like stress. It ain't joy, I know that.Dave Nelson
I have to echo what you have said. For my 1900-era pike, I had planned on (and bought the parts) to build a 4-4-0 from a Tyco General kit and possibly the Cary Pittsburg boiler. Now Roundhouse and Bachmann have come out with RTR 4-4-0s that are far better looking than I am likely to achieve after hours of hobby time.
Same is happening in HOn3. MMI is taking reservations for a 4-4-0. Do I make a reservation and wait and hope, or semi-scratch the model I want from various components and perhaps an FED base?
Not only the better RTR models, but the far greater knowledge of the prototype creates a similar "stress" as well. Some of the joy of watching my Roundhouse Overton set run disappeared when I learned that the Sierra Ry only built a combine and a coach; the baggage car and observation are pure fiction. Now I know the cylinders on the General aren't really right for a Pittsburg, I am further discouraged from the project.
It's not stress, but it's not the same joy I used to get from hand laying track that looked better than anything else around, and was cheaper to boot (Neither of those premises are necessarily true anymore, either.). Sometimes, lack of knowledge of the prototype is a blessing for an obsessive/compulsive type.
As my daughter says, "Dad, get over yourself." Let it be a hobby again. As David said, I need to let a "good enough" standard be my guide a lot more. As an example, I am trying to refrain from jumping in on a forum thread where some misinformation (according to me!) riles me up. And just because certain things were true on the prototype doesn't mean they have to be true in my parallel miniature universe. Finally, I need to base my build or buy decison on reasons other than whether the RTR looks better than what I can build.
let Model Railroading is fun be true again
Fred W
to Mister Beasley's post.
On those occasions when construction seems to be a chore, I set the spiking pliers and caulk gun aside and head down to the Strip (or the Fremont Street Experience) for a few hours of birdwatching - which is especially good right now, with temperatures in the warm but not overly hot range. Once reacquainted with the real world, I return to the train room refreshed and ready to tackle the next turnout or wiring challenge.
What kind of bird do I watch? Why, the big-chested, broad-tailed homewrecker, of course.
(I have a standing agreement with my wife of 47 years. If she notices that I'm not looking at nicely assembled young ladies, she can get me a seeing-eye dog - or, possibly, a coffin. I can look, but not touch.)
Chuck (dirty old man modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I love this hobby, but I have most assuredly been quite stressed by it.
I came upstairs near suppertime two nights ago, shirt off, sweating to the extent of dripping. I had been high up on the layout, very close to the halogen bulbs, trying to fix a weakly supported turnout that had begun to let the Duplex derail...just that afternoon! Finally, out came the pliers, and out came the offending track, turnout and all, in pieces...of rail, groups of ties, ballast,.....GGGRRRRRR!
But I'm feeling muuuch better now.
Tracklayer,
A lot of good points have been made by responders to your posting. I agree with most of what has been said. I'd just like to add some of my thoughts.
In my situation, I used to be a senior executive in a major insurance company and was in charge of all the IT for an organization of around 5,000 people. Just thinking about the stress I used to have makes me want to throw up. In the office by 7:15 a.m. and maybe out by 5-6:00 p.m. with about a million meetings and decisions in between. And, sitting in meetings with guys making huge bucks who couldn't make a simple decision to save their lives....that really drove me crazy.
Today, I'm retired and stress SHOULD be gone from my vocabulary. However, what I've come to realize is that we probably need a little stress to get our "juices" flowing. I remember attending a management training class where the guy suggested that you need a little "fire in your belly" to get you excited about doing something. I need to keep reminding myself that sometimes what I think is stress is actually that "fire in my belly". That little bit of adrenaline kick that makes you want to tackle a problem, whether in this hobby or in the "real" world.
Sure, there are times, like recently, when my 6-axle engines kept crashing off the rails and I thought it was a problem with a turnout, so I replaced it and still had the problem. Then, I discovered it was the track about 4 feet before the turnout that was the problem. This problem became a real stress producer. However, once I fixed it, I had learned something and felt some accomplishment.
I also have to remind myself that a philosopher once said (his name was Mondo), that "nothing in life worth doing is easy". I have a cousin who has never had an interest in anything but watching TV. He doesn't have much stress and certainly TV doesn't present much of a challenge, so he doesn't have much to fret over. Of course, he also hasn't exhibited much creativity and has almost nothing to share of any interest. In fact, now that I think about it, my cousin is about as interesting as a pile of dirt.
All the model railroaders I have met are interesting people and have lots to share.
Mondo
I've been working on the train room/layout for about 5 years now. There was never any stress because I worked when I wanted to. However, today I may have introduced a stress factor that will occur later this year or not. I threw my hat in the ring to place my layout on tour during the January '08 train show. Now I can take one of two paths: make a list of the things I want done in time for the show (stress), or do what I can at the pace I work and wing it (no stress). We all love to see completed layouts with DCC, sound, a full ops session and crew in place with signals, lights and all the bells and whistles that go with it. It has been my experience that when viewing one of these fine layouts that the actual owner did very little of the work him/herself. One of the crew did the electronics, another did the structures, while yet another did the custom painting of the locos and cars. Since I know what I want to accomplish, only I can build the layout to my liking. Thats not to say I haven't had ANY help but more in the form of a helping hand (hold up that end while I secure this end). But come January you will see trains running through scenery and raw benchwork. For the newbie that's a bonus as you can see what goes under all that scenery to make the darn thing work. Remember, ITS A HOBBY. No stress here.
tomikawaTT wrote: Chuck (dirty old man modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
As a guy I know used to say, "Who you callin' old?"
I think men, in general, enjoy a hobby like this because so much is in our control. You can't control the phone company screwing up your bill, the wife scheduling a day of shopping for the two of you (and forgetting to mention it until the last minute), or the kid deciding to use the wall for his van Gough replica. I really enjoy cooking because I control the process, taste, etc.
So, maybe the moral of the story is to re-exhert control over the process, to the degree possible. Maybe not.
I will answer with a definate "YES!!". A perfect example is the model of the '59 combined Super Chief/El Cap that I did. I found myself researching the train and equipment used on the train in an attempt to get everything "just right", to the point that it was causing me a lot of stress and taking too much time to complete. I finally relaxed my standards and commited to get an operational train completed in a reasonable amount of time. Once I did that, I found the project to be a lot more fun and finally got it done (it took about two years).
I still am not done with it, but it is because of circumstances that are out of my control. I am still waiting for the Hi Level lounge, and the steam ejector A/C detail from Train Station Products (which according to Mr. Wright should be out this year, but I ain't holdin' my breath).
Tracklayer wrote:Hello gang. I realize model railroading is supposed to be a relaxing hobby that you should be able to kick back and enjoy. But it seems that in the last few months, every time I begin working on something out in the train room, I start getting stressed, I guess because I want everything to turn out as perfect as possible. Right now, I've got several modern automobiles to paint and detail, and things like that use to not bother me, but here lately I'm almost tempted to pay someone else to do the work for me... The thing is, I don't have a stressful life (knock wood), and there aren't really any major issues hanging over my head. Maybe it's just a temporary case of lack of focus and/or patience.Anyone else out there ever had problems like this ?.Tracklayer
In response to your post, yes it does. Although my modeling skills have vastly improved over the years and my equipment looks great, I have recently been becoming more obsessed with the very minor flaws I make (and know exist) while modeling. Although I freelance, it seems I can't relax unless a project is done and looks absolutely perfect (an unattainable goal for every mortal). For example, I recently built a very detailed Large Scale trestle bridge and some rolling stock. They look super but I'm obsessed over what I consider minor flaws (knots in wood not modeled properly, wheels off by 1/2 prototype inches, colors might not be right etc). I envy the people who can say "good enough" and still have fun. Although I love what I'm modeling it seems the hobby was a lot less stressful for me when I built projects like The HO railroad That Grows over 25 years ago.
It seems that the current model railroading media stresses absolute perfection as a long term goal as opposed to the idea of having fun. I love scratch building but with all the extremely detailed RTR products available, why reinvent the wheel. IMHO I (we) could never equal the quality of some of those RTR products by scratch building or kit building them. If I went back to HO, I would probably use many more of those RTR products because of their super detailing that I couldn't achieve by scratch building. And let's be honest; when you total up the price of detail parts and the hassle of getting them, RTR is actually cheaper in the long run. This dilemma is one reason I model Large Scale and obscure gauges. Besides it being much easier to scratch build in, I want to build something that's not available commercially although I do use RTR equipment for some things (as I said earlier: Why reinvent the wheel?). I strongly believe that model railroading, as well as any other hobby, should be an enjoyable pasttime and not a stressful activity.
Nah. No stress over here :)
Well, at least not since it took me the better part of *3 hours* to install a Tortoise switch machine... It was supposed to be straightforward. That is, until I looked under the layout, and found a table leg in the way! Jacking up the layout, removing, cutting down, and reattaching the leg took the most time. Installing and wiring up the machine was the easy part :)
Whenever I feel that a project is getting on my nerves, I take a step back. Whatever I'm working on goes back in the box for another day. (This is why my kitbashed ex-PRR PS124 sleeper is taking so long.)
STRESS? WHADDAYA MEAN STRESS?!
Oops. Well, yesterday I was out in the garage tuning up a neat little M-75 4-8-2 I'd just gotten in from Caboose Hobbies. Just installed the Tomar track shoes, like I do on all my steamers, and was testing it out on the Deer Creek station trackage. Have a cross-over between the two main tracks, there. Loco went through the crossover with no problem, tender decided to take a hike down the turnout to the other track. Hm. Tried it again. Same thing. Double-checked the points (it's a manual turnout). No. Sinohara, points were aligned perfectly. Tender kept deciding it wanted to get on the OTHER track no matter what. Checked the trucks on the tender. Wheels in gauge. Both trucks riding flat on the rails. Picked up everything around the turnout for a clear view (station, water tank, 3 automobiles and a Maple tree--oh yah, and a little garbage can with a cat sitting on it).
Lo, behold! Dip in the turnout! Now where exactly did THAT come from? The turnout has been in place for 2 years with nary a problem and suddenly it's got a DIP? Has there been some sort of secret earth movement under the yard at night when I'm asleep? I mean, after all, this IS California, even though Carmichael's supposed to be MILES from any major faults!
Leveled the dip. Braced under the turnout points with a little piece of scrap styrene. Loco and tender ran through the crossover perfectly. Decided to try it with some cars. Same thing. Decided to try it with all of the locos that were currently in the yard. Perfect.
Of course, I never did get to find out how many cars my little M-75 could pull, last night. But as Scarlett O'Hara always said: "Theah's ALWAYS tomarrah!"
Now I can hardly wait for some OTHER little thing to pop up!
Stress? Well, yah, but hey, it's still fun.
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Tracklayer wrote: Hello gang. I realize model railroading is supposed to be a relaxing hobby that you should be able to kick back and enjoy. But it seems that in the last few months, every time I begin working on something out in the train room, I start getting stressed, I guess because I want everything to turn out as perfect as possible. Right now, I've got several modern automobiles to paint and detail, and things like that use to not bother me, but here lately I'm almost tempted to pay someone else to do the work for me... The thing is, I don't have a stressful life (knock wood), and there aren't really any major issues hanging over my head. Maybe it's just a temporary case of lack of focus and/or patience.Anyone else out there ever had problems like this ?.Tracklayer
Actually your burnout is self inflected..You found your answer when you said:"I start getting stressed, I guess because I want everything to turn out as perfect as possible."
That has cause a lot of good modelers to burnout or quit the hobby.I was like you years ago and realized that I was no longer modeling for myself but,what others thought and I wanted to be better then them.How ridiculously foolish I was! I realized I had to please nobody but myself and that was the main thing after all its a hobby a mere past time that should be enjoyed and not a source of stress.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I know exactly what you mean.......sometimes it seems like nothing works right, nothing fits right and everything that can go wrong, is going wrong [Murphys Law].....at times like that, I will take a break......might be a day or two, or a month or two......anytime your hobby starts to cause you stress, you need to step back for a bit and do something else. Otherwise you won't be enjoying yourself and it will become ''work'', and thats something I definitely do not want my hobbies to become.
Thanks for all of your input guys. Like some of you have said, I think I just need a break. Maybe after a couple of weeks away from the hobby I'll feel rested up and ready to go at it again for a while. I recently did some small detail work for a friend of mine that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back...
Tracklayer wrote: Maybe after a couple of weeks away from the hobby I'll feel rested up and ready to go at it again for a while.
Maybe after a couple of weeks away from the hobby I'll feel rested up and ready to go at it again for a while.
Now there is stress, having to be away from the train room for a couple of days. Heck, I feel stressed when I have to take a day off to put up the doggy fence.
Oh yeah...right now, big time.
After years of collecting HO stuff, researching, planning, and investing LARGE sums of money (building a second floor on a garage for a train room as an example), and having every attempt at building a layout thwarted by "externals" just before or as layout construction started, I had given up on my near life-long desire to build a layout. At that point I wrote off all that I'd invested...time and money...as a huge waste. My wonderful wife has always supported my model railroading interest from day one. Her first Xmas present for me when we got married was an HO locomotive. All during my "resigned to never gonna happen" years, she kept after me not to give up on my dream, in spite of our worsening space and financial situation...due to my disability we're now making due with less than half the space and 1/3 the prior income.
Then N scale caught my eye (Kato's Super Chiefs specifically). I was tempted to take the N plunge, but held off remembering the great HO waste, and held off. Finally around the beginning of the year, my wife convinced me to take the plunge...she gave the go-ahead to build a small portable layout in our dining room...she convinced me we'd manage the cost some how. Now, after investing a bunch of money in Unitrack, a couple locomotives and those Super Chiefs..money that could have been put to better use...I've run into a block. I can not come up with a plan that will fit my tiny bit of space and not be something that I know I'll be unhappy with if I build it. I'm spending several hours a day playing on Xtrkcad to no avail. More and more it's looking like it's going to end up being another never gonna happen waste...only this time when waste is even less affordable. <sigh>
Reality...an interesting concept with no successful applications, that should always be accompanied by a "Do not try this at home" warning.
Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.
"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."