I was wondering how many people run their trains only for fun. What I mean is it seems like a lot of die hard train guys are so caught up in the “way the prototype does it” it takes the fun out of it. I watch a lot of you tube videos and people leave comments like, that locomotive will never carry those cars on that mountain and things like that. I know my layout will be a horror to you guys but me and my 6 year old love it. I take the collecting cars and locomotives more serious than the actual running.
If it wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t have almost shelled out $5K over the last four or five years. But I do enjoy trying to make things as real as possible.
Peter
I do it for fun—I may try for prototype but that does not stop me from having fun doing so–Those that get into it and take it so seriously they turn it into a doctrine/dogma could be having their fun in a different sense—[:-^]
I am sure what you meant is that if you were to run a “prototypical” layout (usually meaning with operations) it would be no fun for you. And you would know! [:D] On the other hand, if those who would be unhappy watching a layout run the way you enjoy it had to do their layouts your way, they would be hopping from one foot to the other in about two minutes, and that long only out of courtesy.
We should each do what pleases us.
-Crandell
Strictly for fun with an eye on detail.
Serious, but it gives me pleasure, so I guess I am having fun being serious.
Bob
I actually hate it,when i’m mad at myself I force myself to ascend the cellar stairs and run trains,just to teach myself a lesson.
In my dictionary: a hobby is defined as “an activity or interest pursued outside one’s regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure.” I suspect that pretty much everyone of us who runs model trains in some way are doing so because we are having fun doing so [:)]
People might be running model trains in different ways.
Your idea of what is a fun way to run model trains is not necessarily the same as someone else’s idea of what is a fun way to run model trains, and their idea of what is a fun way to run model trains is not necessarily the same as your idea of what is fun way to run model trains.
And your (or my) idea of what is a fun way to run model trains can change over time, or change with circumstances. My youngest son (who is 7 years old) enjoys running trains in a different way than I (who is 43 years old) do, on the same layout.
Some people get a lot of enjoyment out of super detailing engines and rolling stock, some get a lot of enjoyment out of creating scenes that look as similar to a real place as they can make it look, some get a lot of enjoyment modeling prototype practices when switching (e.g. spending a little time waiting for air pressure to build in brake lines before starting the train moving, some get enjoyment out of tweaking motors or controllers so their train accelerate or slow down in a way reminiscent of the real thing, some get enjoyment out researching time tables and train orders from their prototype railroad.
Some gets most enjoyment from just watching their kids run their trains flat out, with a big grin on the faces of their kids as the trains careens past with a mixed set of engines and rolling stock from different countries and different er
It’s all fun. My main layout is an attempt to replicate the Ma&Pa including operations, but underneath part of the layout I am setting up some ovals where I can just watch the trains run in circles in several scales.
Enjoy
Paul
Loads of fun. Had an ops session last night with 20 guys running around like a fire drill, trains all over the place. That to me is the fun part of the hobby. I’ll be over at one of the guys place next week running his. So everyone has their own enjoyment out of the hobby.
Well, I enjoy operating sessions a lot. “Serious” operating, you would call it. Just to an extent though, I would say my operations are of medium complexity. I have a lot of fun with it, and many of my friends do as well.
To each his own…
Everything I do in this hobby is fun…but it’s a different feeling when I run the trains…a feeling of contentment is the only way to describe it. It’s relaxing and I get a sense of pride from my accomplishments on the layout.
Fun? You mean this is supposed to be fun? Surely you jest!
The next thing you’ll be saying is that this is supposed to be just a hobby!
We’ve got to do something about all these heathens around here… [;)]
The Greatest thing about this hobby is it’s diversity.We all have a different enjoyment “level” shall I say.From the person who collects trains to the one who has a plywood prairie oval with 15"curves, to the most ellaborate basement layout. And then there are clubs. Operation of all of these range from “let’em go” to “just run 'em without getting serious” to the “most detailed prototypical session you can get” We all get along, (for the most part), because actually it’s like socks. Whatever color socks you choose to wear has no bearing on my socks I choose to wear. BUT, we all have one thing in common. We are having FUN! I fall into the not too worried about prototypical accuracy. As long as to the average person it looks right. And since I freelance. I can always make it up if I Reeeaaaly want something not too terribly “wrong” My operating sessions consist of me and the dog, playing with trains. If you will, we are all just a bunch of kids playing with trains. Ain’t it great to be a kid![:D]
Todd
P.S. I have not yet, however, made the Varoom, varoom noise as I place vehicles on the layout.[swg]
As others have implied, our beloved hobby is both broad enough to enjoy (read: have fun) on many different levels.
collecthem, I’m one of those that aspire to the “prototype” camp because it helps me to understand why the railroads did what they did and why. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it’s an educational hobby.
I like to build structures and model facilities in the days of my line (New York Central - early 40s) because it brings this great railroad to life for me and I can’t go back in time to see what it was like. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it’s an historical hobby.
I also find enjoyment (read: have fun) researching articles, pictures, and any media that will help me capture the “flavor” of the NYC on my layout. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it’s an archeological and artistic hobby.
I’m learning for the first time about how to properly lay roadbed and track and wire my layout in order to operate lights and turnouts and DCC. So, for me - not only is MRRing a fun hobby, it’s an challenging hobby.
So you see, collecthem, I enjoy (read: have fun with) MRRing for a number of reasons. That’s not to imply that the way you or anyone else enjoys the hobby is necessarily wrong.
A few years ago I had the opportunity and privilege of visiting the Great Smokey Mt. Railway Museum in Bryson City, NC. The museum has a very large and extensive collection of Lionel and American Flyer locomotive, cars, and memorabilia on display, which is quite remarkable to see all in one place. They also have a fairly large O-scale layout (~24 x 60?) that runs constantly during museum hours.
I will freely admit that 3-rail O-scale is not my my cup of tea. Even so, I still enjoyed watching trains “fly” around the layout and seeing how the designer of the layout modeled trees and terrain and buildings. What was even more en
Fun? Derailments, train not running, cars coming uncoupled in turns, etc, fun??? YES!!! This is a hobby that tests your mind.
Sometimes I run a train, and then sometimes its all scenery work.
I get burned out when I work, and work, and work on the layout…but get me near the “Real Deal”, I am ready for more layout time!!!
Its a fun hobby, which you learn alot about.
Yeah, I’m a lone wolf. Mostly, I enjoy scenery. I like my trains to have a realistic stage. But, I’m not a true prototype modeller, at least not yet. I enjoy picking up information about how the real railroads did things, but it doesn’t bother me if I can’t comply with all the real rules.
Last night, I worked on a house for a corner scene on my layout. I got the place pretty much put together, at least enough to place it on the layout and measure the space for it’s final position. But, while doing this, I spilled some of my bottle of CA accelerator in the work room, and decided I would turn out the lights and let that dissipate for a while. It was time to stop modelling for the night.
So, I ran some trains. Just for fun. I started up the freight that was on the main, and just sat there and watched it run through the scenery. I powered up the switchers, dropped off a pair of tank cars from the freight, and added a couple of TOFCs, just for fun. Then, I watched that train go through the same scenery, and enjoyed it just as much every time around the loop. When one of the flat cars started to derail, though, I was not having fun, so I pulled it out of service. It’s going to need new trucks. I went down to the workroom to swap out the old plastic wheels, and remembered why I had left the workroom a while earlier. Oh, well, tomorrow I’ll be buying trucks and maybe some more CA accelerator at my LHS. Sometimes, I go to the LHS just for fun, too.
I have different kinds of fun with this hobby, sometime going to the LHS is fun, sometimes working on scenery is fun, sometimes switching cars out from industries is fun. Other times I like to just put a nice train together and let it run around while I’m doing something else.
And sometimes I get out my AHM CF7 with the horn hooks on it and just let it run, sometimes at full speed. It’s a loco from when I was a kid and I like to run it hard till it gets hot and I can smell the brushes!!! Sometimes that’s my kind of fun.
I run car cards and waybills, write up switch lists, and fuss over smooth operating track, and decent looking scenery. To me, that’s where the fun lies. Setting up an operating scheme and then making all the preparations to make it work well does involve some research and some work. But once it’s done, it makes running trains a whole lot more fun, at least for me.
Think of it as building your own board game. (I think Neil’s editorial this month touches on that). Imagine for a moment playing Parcheesi or Clue without any rules. Would it be fun?
Also, consider the enjoyment a group of operators can get out of a well organized operating session… Everyone is working on individual tasks, but they all are working together in a cooperative effort following the established rules of the game. Like any team sport, it makes it more fun. How fun would it be to have a bunch of guys over to just take turns setting up their train and everyone standing there watching them run in circles? Maybe for some, but not for me.
The fun for operators comes from the challenge of the complexity of “the game.” The fun for proto model builders might come from the challenge of adding that extra detail. The fun for collectors comes from the challenge and thrill of the hunt. I suppose for a “fun runner” there is the enjoyment of time spent on something you enjoy doing, and perhaps the time spent with others doing it… and maybe in that scenario the fun comes from a certain lack of challenge (which might be a nice break from an otherwise challenging life).
So, to each his own, but don’t say that proto operations aren’t fun…
Lee
If the “way the prototype does it” wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it.
Simulating the prototype is fun for me.
By the way, I find no fun at all in collecting anything.