While rummaging thru an old box yesterday I found a picture of the first train layout I ever built. Must have been 20 years ago or more. Just a simple table with a loop of track. But that makes the one I’m planning now my third and man what I’ve learned over the years. Some by doing some by reading this and that, some by reading this forum.
But while reading the forum lately I find myself thing “Was I ever that green?” Some of the questions I see posted seen so easy to me now and I find myself thinking are these people real or what. Then when I set back ,relax and I remember, Yes I was that green once, back before I learned to listen and observe the people around me. Before I fell on my face a few times. But the advantage I have over most is that I am tinker. I love to take a pile of stuff and play. To see what I can make out of it. I have done this as far back as I can remember.
But the things you forget that a simple picture can bring back Nay ways that my ramble for today, what’s your?
Yes, we were all “that green” once, maybe even twice.
I was green as a kid with O-O/27 trains, then again as a teen with a small Nscale layout {the difference in powering and blocking your track between the two, not to mention SIZE!}
Then I was green again about 6 years ago when I got back intothe hobby and decided to go HO this time- and chose the new-fangled DCC system thingy over the old DC wiring blocks.
Now I’m green still on things I have’t yet “mastered” to my idea of perfection. I built 2 layouts and scrapped them for practicality issue before Igot the one I got now. But I calmly remind myself that I am still learning and must take my time. {much of my land is still blue…another new thing I tried…extruded foam base instead of heavy plywood…but mainly cuz I’m gonna expand the very small layout once we buy a MMRing space covered by a house soon, I hope!}
Although I posted what some thought was a nasty post leading towards a flame war over checking Google first for info, I try never to forget that to each new person the “dumb question” or “repeated ad nauseum” questions are new to them and they need answers. I just received a PM forma newgie who thatnked me for my patience and asked what I thought for a first layout. I dunno if I helped or hindered, but I offered advice in that PM.
I can do that because I still think of myself as green with HO scale and DCC. But I shall grow and experiment
.
I have read enough here, in mags and books that I can offer a “educated guess” or “personal opinion” or “personal expereince” to the newbie greenhorn asking for the umpteenth time “how do I connect wires to my track?” Or “why won’t my Train run when I haven’t yet plugged it in?” or “what is foam base meaning?” Or “would Thomas the Tank engine run on B&O right of way?”
I try to be patient and answer teh best I can…BECAUSE I know I myself have psoted some "dumb questions Also .
Let the newbie begin and enjoy ou
As Kermit the Frog says, “It isn’t easy being green.” But, starting out not knowing how to do something and then learning to do it keeps us young, both literally and figuratively. As I started building my layout, I brought back all the excitement of model-building that I had as a kid. The last time I’d done any kind of plaster casting was in elementary school, so I was kind of surprised to find out how much fun it was, 50 years later, to do the same messy things once more.
I have pretty clear recollections of the various models I destroyed in the effort to “learn.” In some cases I realize now I threw stuff away too easily – perhaps out of embarassment – and I probably should have just thrown all the failures and mistakes and destruction into a box, to be picked over when a cooler head and greater abilities prevailed.
But yeah, in general, I wish I could combine the energy and enthusiasm of then with the skills of now.
Then again as long as I am wishing, why be satisfied with my skills?
Dave Nelson