Is it modelling or playing?

[bbmiroku]

Does it really matter?

Some people on this forum tend to pooh-pooh the circle choo-choo, on account of 'lack of real railroading'.  Maybe there's a poor individual who can't afford all the fancy craftsman kits, and makes due with already-completed models, gets them from yardsales, or just imagines they have buildings.  Are you going to shun them for lack of money?  Or maybe they live in an apartment and don't have the room for a big fancy layout that takes up a couple hundred square feet.  If they have a section 4'x8' to spare they may consider themselves lucky.  Will you shun them for lack of space?

If you run a 15" circle of track with a small train and one or two cars, you are still a model railroader.  It's not just 'playing with toys'.  These people (of which I was myself until a few years ago) are making due with what they have, and should be welcomed with open arms.  If they set up for Christmas and take it down on New Year's, THEY ARE INCLUDED.  Put up your nose and snob us off if you can sleep well at night, but we are legion (and I mean that in yesteryear's sense, that there are many of us, not that we have a hundred fb accounts and can troll you by ourselves).  We keep box sets on the shelves and in most cases keep trains alive in a store that would more than welcome getting rid of the stock and devoting shelf space to something else.

If you worked on a real train in a steel mill only, were you part of the Locomotive Brotherhood along with the cross-country engineer?  Yes.  Why should modelling be so "unprototypical", when everyone is hyping on how realistic model railroading is.  So whether you have a boxset and nothing else, or if you have an entire room devoted to your hobby, YOU ARE A MODEL RAILROADER.  Remember, if you can, the days of the passenger train, and take the words of the conductor to heart...

AAAAAAALL ABOOOOOOOARD!

Now let me just put away my soapbox....

[Trainman203]

How you have fun does not matter.  Life's too short and difficult.

I myself have more fun than anyone ought to, reliving my days as a youngster along a Missouri Pacific branchline.  I enjoy a certain amount of replication within reason.  I enjoy prototypical operation.  I enjoy recreating things that bring back great memories.

What I DON'T like is being stereotyped as pursuing a childish activity , as compared to a multitude of other so called "mature adult activities," usually involving a ball or speed for speed's sake.  Model railroad museums that are actually dioramas with operating toys only perpetuate this stereotype of model railroading.  The NMRA has been trying to counter this for years but the public continues to regard model railroading as some kind of disorder.  With prototypical railroads no longer in their former status of legend and glory,  there's little to counter the current disrespect model railroading gets.  So, then, craft type model railroading slips into eclipse, warranting an article in the Wall Street Journal, anyone else see it?

I should say that the four wood craftsman kits I bought were $19.95 each. A lot less than almost any plastic building for sale today. 

I could go on, but that's enough, I'm off my soapbox too.  Time to have fun and go run a prototypical 1945 steam powered local freight, do the setouts at the team track, and switch the MP interchange.

[Terry Toenges]

Since I like old steam but not any one railroad in particular, I'm an "imaginable historian" so it doesn't sound like I'm just playing with trains.

[Trainman203]

The respect thing is a big deal to me.  You don't hear that adults who build model boats or airplanes or cars, or work on real boats, airplanes, or cars,  are "playing" with them.

[bbmiroku]

The sad thing, trainman, is that what I was talking about I've seen on this very forum.

[rogertra]

Look no further than "The Big  Bang Theory" to see how the general public views Sheldon's fascination with model railroading.

Cheers.

Roger T.

[Trainman203]

I watched it, I won't glorify it by posting a link.  I'm at a loss for words.  There was an episode on CSI years ago where some psychopath had a basement full of trains that were running whether he was there or not.

I don't watch TV any more.  Gotta go put on my engineer cap, yell "choo-choo!" and run my train set. 😂😂😂

[bbmiroku]

Yes...  How the public sees us is what I was talking about...




I mean how some of you view the rest of us.

[Trainman203]

I myself view everybody here as someone who wouldn't be here if they didn't like trains in some form.  Everyone starts somewhere and gets to some level they are comfortable with.  Myself, I'm not going to add underbody brake rigging no one will ever see, install scale size couplers that will never work well, hand lay track and switches, do interior detail on cabooses, etc etc etc.  I like looking at that stuff but producing it is another issue.  I do inanely adjust and maintain operation of equipment to perfection though.

[Maletrain]

I suspect this thread got started because somebody felt put-down in some way.  That is shame, because this can be an enjoyable hobby at all levels of skill and participation.  There are obviously some people who have skills beyond most of us, and I admire their  results and realize that they appreciate having their results admired.  Most of the really skillful modelers are pretty gracious about helping others improve their own results, rather than put-down people who are not (yet, maybe) as skillful.

And, many people have skills in one area but can only admire the results of those who are more skillful in other areas they just don't seem to "get".  There are a lot of areas where skill can be developed in this hobby, and nobody that I have ever heard of has it all mastered.  Even the masters share tips and even help each other.

So, who are the people who make us feel inferior?  Sometime, it is just ourselves.  And, that is something we need to address within ourselves.  What is good enough for us to be happy with?  If we enjoy a feeling of satisfaction from making a train run or look a certain way, then we are successful in having a nice hobby.  But, if we feel like we need to be the best at it, or some aspect of it, then we are in a competition, not a hobby.  There are those who compete in modeling contests who are doing that as their hobby - the key is how they feel about the competition.  If they are really competing to make themselves better, they will get the satisfaction of seeing their skills improve. Only if they feel that they must win each contest will they make themselves unhappy - which is not the point of a hobby.

I think the only real problem is the few people who feel that they are inferior and try to make themselves feel better by making others feel even more inferior.  Unfortunately, a few people with that type of personality appear to participate in just about every human activity.  So, we just need to recognize it and learn how to deal with it.  I turn the tables on them by asking how they would do something that they have criticized in my work.  Sometimes, I actually get good answers that I learn from.  Sometimes, I get boring lectures.  For the boring lecturers, I ask to see some examples of their work that illustrates the points.  That last step really separates the blow-hards from the competitive personalities.  They guys who really do have something to be proud of will be glad to show you, while the others usually will quickly find something else to do instead of continuing the discussion. 

The key for your own happiness is to remember that it is your hobby that you get to do however youchoose to do it.  If somebody feels the need to tell you that you have the wrong number of rivets on the bottom of the tender for the engine with that road number, you should feel free to say "Oh, I don't care about that," and change the subject.  You don't have to care just because he does.

[Bucksco]

hob·by1

noun

noun: hobby; plural noun: hobbies



1. an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
"her hobbies are reading and gardening"


synonyms: pastime, leisure activity, leisure pursuit;


The key word here is "Pleasure" - enjoy yourself and don't take it too seriously!

[James in FL]

We all have different skill sets.
I'd like to think I am pretty good at scratching and bashing.
I am mechanically inclined, with a background in mechanics and machining and welding.
Still, I am nowhere at the level of Johnathan or Sid, and maybe a few others here, on their level of attention of detail.
But, I don't try to achieve their level, but I do admire it.
And I really like their posts.
I am secure within myself.
I really don't give a snap about what others think of my modeling.
I please myself, I'm the only one who counts.
It's my railroad, I'm the one that looks at it every day.
And at the end of the day, playing with trains gives me a feeling of peace, and satisfaction.
It takes my focus off the real world.
Yes, I play with trains, and so do all of you.
You may have a different label you put on it, to justify it in your own mind.
Serious modeler comes to mind, whatever that means.
Serious about playing with trains I guess.
It's all good, and I would agree with any label you put on it.
Why so defensive?
Why do you worry of what others think?
I think your focus could be better off spent somewhere else, like on the pike.
But that's just IMO.
Like Yardy says: "enjoy".

I do.

[Trainman203]

I thoroughly enjoy playing with my scale models that I put a lot of time and money into so that they would be reasonably accurate historically, something a museum might want .... if museums were actually interested in historically accurate scale model railroads any more.

However...... while playing......

I'm just not going to wear an engineer cap and yell choo-choo while running them as fast as they can possibly go.

[Terry Toenges]

When my great grandkids are over and watching my trains, I've been known to utter a few "choo choo"s.

[Trainman203]

There's a time and a place for everything.