GEEEZ TrainsRme1. It is your Model Railroad. I’m on my second one in over 30 years and correct me if I am wrong but isn’t it a," HOBBY", that takes us away from the worlds preasures? I don’t care what I am working on with my layout. It is absolute relaxation for me. Oh, and one other word. “Patience”.
Doug
THE LONE LION…
If I cannot do it myself then I will not do it. It will not be done.
LION does not bite off more than he can chew…
well that is not right either, LIONS gobble up big bites, and if he cannot chew them, he will swallow them whole.
LION has spent more than a year on a detour that has led to the building of new automation and a new modelboard for the layout of him. NOW him must 1) Finish the signal installation; 2) Repair/Rebuild certain equipment (subway cars); 3) Then get to work on the scenery and cosmetic issues.
If LION has trouble with this, him leaves it be and goes to do something else, it is a wonder anything ever gets done at all.
No wait… NOTHING IS DONE, all is in progress.
So it will be.
Please pass the Wildebeest.
ROAR
As stated at the beginning , I was venting here, my layout is coming along slowly, but it is making progress, I’m the type of person that wants to share, and hopefully spark someones interest in model railroading, ie, neighbors and friends, It is very relaxing after a hard days work ( I’m a bus driver here in Portland) to work on my layout, I welcome the help that I get from the forum, there will always be someone that can help you with a problem that you come across, so yes, we are really never alone, Sometimes I would like to see a more be done quicker, but sometimes I have to shake myself and realize that quicker is not always better, I want this layout to look and perform at it’s best, with confidence, my goals will be reached, I have visited other clubs and got some great sound advice, I go to local train shows and swap meets when they come and have great fellowship with fellow model R R DERS, I wish I could join a club, But I have to go to work at 0’ dark 30 in the morning, and they meet at 7:00 or 7:30 in the evening, so Saturday and Sunday is the only time, I have a couple of friends at work that are as we say "RAILNUTS and we swap war stories, one was the president of the Columbia Gorge railroad club, I’m very thankful for this hobby and I only hope that it just gets stronger throughout the years.
Many of us are lone wolves because we have to be. It is not easy finding people of like mind, even in an urban setting. As for NMRA, some areas are good and some are why bother, I live in one of those areas!!! As for clubs, most are too far away or have two many restrictions as far as time being limited to one night a week and one full day (three local clubs, one now defunk, are that way).
What an interesting post. I really would be interested to understand what kind of help you think you need and aren’t getting. I get the impression from reading your post that you don’t want help at all, but companionship. If you really do need help with a task that you can’t do yourself, because you need another pair of strong arms or a third hand, then your circle of acquaintances must be a bunch of surly cusses, if they can’t stop by and help you for a few minutes or an hour. But as I said, I don’t think this is the case.
It sounds to me like you have caught the bug, and are trying to share your enthusiasm with others who don’t share it. Like many people with a new interest, I’m sure you are brimming with enthusiasm, and are probably turning people off who don’t really want to be told about your new hobby / layout / scene / equipment etc., ad nauseum. What you descibe sounds exactly like me and my sons, when they have a new computer game, or have discovered a new video thread on YouTube. In their minds, if I would only experience it, I would see that it’s as wonderful as they think it is, and I would be hooked too. In my mind, I don’t have any interest in sharing their new discovery, but my manners prevent me from saying, “NFW”, so you know what I say? “We’ll see.” My advice, make sure you are not badgering these people. Mention model railroading briefly. If the person has any interest, he will express it, and you can go from there. If he doesn’t, no amount of encouragement on your part will create it – continued discussion of the subject will have the opposite effect. Neither of my oldest two boys have any interest in the hobby, nor does my wife, and that’s ok. When I do something particularly satisfying, they are polite enough to descend into the dungeon and ooh and ahh for a few minutes, and that’s the extent of their involvement. &n
I live out in the country and my local towns population is less than 6000 and our local University doubles this amount when in session!
I must be the luckiest person alive as we have a local Active Club and average 20 members.
NOW - NOT all of our members are Local as some drive almost an hour to attend and work on the Layouts!
YET - we seem to have and know way more modelers that will come to our Operations sessions (we individual Layout Owners have) and will no problem indriving an hour to get to them!
WHAT is wrong with the rest of the country - that it is such a problem to drive a little to attend a Club or an Individual hosting an Operations Session!
We started our I-80 Group - a Group that wants to go Operate on anyones layout and we will drive 3 hours one way to attend a session (Eastern PA) !
WHY does everything have to be in your backyard and complain that you don’t like the way things are!
There are way more modelers out there than everyone believes as we are hearing about them in our part of the Woods (Western PA) and we are 80 miles north of Pittsburgh - 80 Miles south of Erie, PA and 80 miles from Youngstown OH !
YET we have over 100 modelers that regularly will Host an OPs Sessions during the week and weekends!
I just got home from one in Warren, PA and we had over 15 guys there running trains all afternoon!
In 2 weeks we will make a trip to Erie for another OPs Session and there will be another 15 guys there.
We just are NOT afraid to jump in the car and
Remeber this is a hobby, something you are doing for your own personal enjoyment! Give others very little heed and do exactly what you are most interested in doing. It is not a race to get a layout done; or, build a model, it is about personal time doing what you love to do! Don’t attempt to please anyone, but yourself. Stop doing things you don’t like doing and do the things you love!
While I like taking my little layout to shows to share, I am pretty much a total lone wolf when it comes to building and maintaining it and my incomplete indoor layout. Quite frankly I doubt I could find many who share my hobby and/or political viewpoints and believe me when I say that it does invariably become an issue eventually. We’re all opinionated and I have already have head bashing with folks I get along great most of the time… except around elections.
Also the lack of shows saps my interest. I once could look to 3 shows a year, but now one is gone probably for good, another isn’t until next june, and the other may not come back until 2016. On top of this we have moved stuff from the house to the garage, so much stuff I really have no more access to my indoor layout, it has stuff all next to and over it. So I am a bit “lacking the passion” at the moment.
[banghead]
[tup]Thanks for the pep talk guys, I just had a VERY productive day on the layout, laid some track in my yard, painted a large hillside, did some wiring work, All went very well.
Being from Texas, I have yet to come across a fellow mrr that I disagree with politically. Having said that, I am pretty much a lone wolf. I am someone that wants stuff done the way I want, so I prefer to build everything myself.
Come on mike , didnt know I was that critical of your layout ,
Well until you throw me out [:P]
AKA blackz28
Nah, he was referring to me. [(-D]
Bravo, NP2626!!!
I’m mostly a lone wolfer also. I an an electrical/electronics dunce though, so am lucky to have a couple of friends to advise or install for me. The rest I’ve done myself for the most part.
NMRA division groups meet in the evenings mostly, hopefull before your shift. Maybe you can try one if you havent’ yet. They don’t usually involve the dues, politics, rules of order, etc. that more formal clubs do.
Sometimes you can get a non-model railroader to help even though they could care less about your layout in gerneral. You probably won’t convert them but a good lunch or dinner or beverage sharing or trades for work on their projects might give you the physical help you need. (Bench work,(carpenters) wiring, (electricians) etc.)
It’s much nicer, of course to have the comraderie of fellow modelers over general population folks, but I started my layout about 5 1/2 years ago and I’ve received an amazing amount of helpful advice here that’s not only kept me going through frustrations (you will have short periods of burn-out) and inspired me to get back to work. The members here really do provide a “virtual” helper/friend who can help you, just not physically pick up those 2X4s or help you plaster/resin your mountain range.
Glad you got your “2nd wind” back. I live in WA state and if you would like someone to occasionally talk model railroading with and keep you enthused (hopefully) feel free to drop me a line via “conversations” private messages.
Tell us a bit about your layout? Size, era, locale, scale…
Hang in there. Sometimes it’s lonely but still very rewarding as a pastime. I know guys who post “anti-rivet counting” placards on their layouts 
Jim