Has Anyone Reached This Realization Too?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

It’s been three years now since I came back into the hobby after a long absence. The last time I “dabbled” in model railroading was way back in my late teens to early 20’s. My current layout is by far the furthest I’ve ever taken a something to completion. It certainly doesn’t measure up to the high standards that I’ve seen, but I have far outdone anything I have ever attempted before.

Since I got back into the hobby, I’ve joined a club, subscribed to MR, attended several MRR shows, and have participated in some operating sessions on some fairly serious (and extravagant) layouts. In short, I have immersed myself pretty deeply in the world of model railroading.

I’ve enjoyed seeing some superb and breathtaking works of art. I’ve been inspired by intricate layouts. The people I’ve run across are often nice and accommodating. While I have enjoyed most aspects of model railroading, an uneasy feeling about it all kept nagging at me. It’s something I found difficult to define.

It took me a while, but I figured it out.

I reached a point where I found it difficult to relate to ‘expert’ modelers. These are the people that seem to live, breathe, sleep, and eat railroading. They have spent many years and likely thousands of dollars on this hobby, often plan “railfan” trips, have railroad “sanctuaries” in their homes (complete with a library of Railroad history books), spend significant time with on-line MRR forums, and either host or regularly attend operating sessions. They are often very nice, accommodating, and knowledgeable people that are true experts at their craft. I very much admire their work, and am yet I am troubled by it at the same time. I’m troubled over the incredibly high level of commitment it requires in order to achieve the level of skill they have. I personally find it difficult to justify this level of immersion into something that is considered a ‘hobby’ – something that’s supposed to done with one’s ‘spare’ time. I’ve seen that some hav

2

Yes, I realized several years ago that most of the layouts featured in MR are by people with far more disposable income than I would ever have. I don’t own any brass engines, and probably never will. I don’t have fleets of custom decorated locomotives and rolling stock, nor do I spend an inordinate amount of time custom decorating an already over-priced boxcar by adding rivets, grabs, all of the brake detail, etc. And I don’t own a Unimat lathe and make my own parts. If visitors to the club’s open houses don’t like what I am running, that’s just too bad. We’ve been unfortunate to have a couple of “rivet counting nit-pickers” in the club over the years, and they have been asked by the membership to remove themselves. We’re there to have fun, not criticize each other.

3

Ah yes! that is the great dilemma. To aspire to be a virtuouso pianist or CEO of a major company or professional baseball or football player takes time and committment. Most don’t make it deciding at some point that the effort required isn’t what they really want to do. On the other hand do we wio say that we will not grow any more and we choose not to learn anything else? couple that with the fact that most of us are dysfunctional to the point we prefer the soltitude of a basement or room with inanimate objects to people in the first place and you have a real problem. Lucky is the person who finds that one thing in life that stes them free and time is no object or skill or funding or family or faith. At the same time they are cursed by missing out on all the other things life has to offer and the true purpose of life as presented by the faith of choice. Jealous? - not at all. have it in perspective? - I think so. I do what I can and enjoy what I have done. Have I made the same mistakes on the five I have built? - not at all. DO I aspire to be world recognized for my effort? - somewhat. Will I be? Only if my railroad is the one that survives for archeologists to muse over in 10,000 years. Do I aspire to bigger and more trains? - Of course but it doesn’t rule my life and a one dimensional person is a bore most of the time unless it is a topic I wio discuss.

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MAbruce–the only way to enjoy this hobby is to ENJOY it. Don’t think that because you feel your efforts don’t reach up to the guys that get their stuff featured in MR or RMC, that you’re out of the loop. I certainly don’t aspire to that kind of glory, simply because I’m having too much fun with what I’m doing. If I suddenly turn up with something–a bit of scenery, a particular paint job-- that looks wonderful and gets me a lot of compliments, well okay. If I don’t–well, okay, too. I remember one particularly sloppy paint job I did on a steam loco, once, and a friend asked me “How’d THAT happen,” and I shrugged and told him it that it was a rush job by local volunteers down at the roundhouse to get the loco back in service because of a power shortage up the line. He just scratched his head and I just chuckled, and the loco was never mentioned again. In other words, take this hobby up for the enjoyment of it. Don’t start comparing your efforts to the other guys, compare it to where you ARE, currently. Doing a project to the best of your ability means that the next project will probably just naturally get better, without your having to resort to kicking yourself. You say you’re just back into the hobby–don’t know how long you were out, but so many things and products have improved the hobby in just the past ten years, that it fairly boggles the mind. Maybe that perfect scene you envy isn’t the result of scratch-building at all, but just good usage of today’s super-detailed market products. It could be that what you thought might have taken hours of the most painstaking work actually went together in about an hour from a couple of commercially available ready-to-go products. So ease up on yourself and enjoy. Remember, it’s YOUR model railroad, not the other guy’s. And by the way, welcome back to the hobby. The guys on this forum are all here to help each other. Remember that.
Tom

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You mentioned a key word, that being Obsession. Most of us are Hobbiests, however some of us have become Obsessive. You may have brought me to my realization by posting this thread as I too have become obsessive over this past year and this hobby of our has become more of an obsession for me. Is this a bad thing? Potentially yes as I may loose sight of the other things that matter around me. I will just have to watch myself and pay attention when spoken to. What may keep me in check is the fact I have my fingers in far too many pots and I’m not willing to give those up.

Variety is the spice of life, speaking of which, I gotta go as I have to get supper ready!

6

everything we do in life can be out done by others…but then again…a person is his own best (or should i say worst) critic…I think you have aspired to levels in this hobby that you don’t even know you posess but are hard on yourself because you aren’t a Lynn Westcott or a John Allen…I do know what you mean…i look at my work sometimes and say that i’ll never do any better…but the main thing is that i’m happy with what i do and it brings me enjoyment…then i see people around me look at my work and they are awe struck…so what happened?..I was trying too hard to be hard on myself and didn’t stop to think that the layout is an acceptable accomplishment to others and then it brings me more joy to see that they are impressed with my work…don’t be so hard on yourself…if you are happy with what you do then let it go…I too went all out one time with the railfanning, clubs, and operating sessions, but it wasn’t fun to me…the club, for one, was so worried about who was going to be president, or treasurer, or head pin counter that they lost sight of what the whole thing was about…I got away from the club scene as fast as i could…the hobby?..just do it!..do it to the best of your ability and be happy with it…so what some guy knows how to build a real working steel mill in HO scale…big deal!..as long as you are happy at what you do, nothing else matters…and don’t worry about what the others say, think, or do…Chuck[:D]

7

I too will never have a basement empire like some in MRR. However, I love to look at the pictures and the attention to detail that the really great modellers achieve. I find it to be an inspiration for me to create at least small scenes on my layout that strive to meet the level of the experts. Of coure they so far have fallen short, but I hope to become a better modeler as a result. I have found the MRR community to be very welcoming, friendly and willing to share advice.

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I live in Northern Minnesota in a very rural location. The people whom have seen my layout, are less than 20 or so. Given my “audiance” (which doesn’t exist) you could wonder why I try to do things as well as I can. The simple answer is; I do it for me! I read about the hobby and admire other people’s work because I find enjoyment doing so.

Don’t grade yourself and don’t listen when you think others may be grading your work! Don’t worry, be happy!! That’s what it’s all about!

9

I also love looking at the work of the “masters.” I don’t know if I’ll ever get to that level, but I sure do enjoy it when each project gets closer and closer (in another 50 or so years I might make it to even “half way there” lol). No one says yours has to be as good as the ones in the mags. You’ve already said how much you’ve improved in only 3 years. I bet 20 years from now you’ll be what you consider now an expert and not even know it!

I do think that the magazines would do a disservice to us, however, if they didn’t show the works of “experts.” It lets us see what is attainable, should we decide to go for it. Also, any how-to article by one that has been in hobby for years and is considered an “expert” is probably the result of years of experience and “learning the hard way.” Why repeat someone else’s mistake. Also, a true expert has the knack of making something that looks really difficult to do, not that hard. I loved watching the video of Malcom Furlow and I can’t remember his name (blush) showing how to do scenery. These guys are experts!! And they made it look so simple that I actually tried it. Was my result as good as there’s? Not by a long shot, but it was much better than my previous attempts.

10

I think MR magazine is like all specialty magazines i.e., muscle mags, car mags. They exist to showcase the ideal, the standard, the upper levels of potential (and to sell advertising). How many guys pumping iron ever become a Swartzenegger? That’s not realistic, but it provides one crucial thing that propels the enthusiast: inspiration. So let it be just that, and enjoy yourself.
True, it is easy to get carried away and become ‘obsessed’. That’s what our wives are for. They help bring us back to the rest of the world (“honey, if you don’t come upstairs right now I’m turning off the lights!”) [:D]

11

Oops. Forgot to add this.

I don’t consider alot of these folks obsessive. I consider them passionate. If you look around you’ll see the same attitude in lots of other situations. The guy who spends all day Saturday, every Saturday mowing and weeding his lawn, the folks who spent two year’s salary on a vehicle and then hours each week washing and waxing it and putting on every little do dad available, those that don’t just put photos in an album, but make every page a work of art (visit the scrap booking section of a craft store).

Another way to look at the “obsessive” types in this hobby is to compare them with some other folks you know. There are people that spend more on a TV than I spend in a year in this hobby so that they can spend 20 to 30 hours a week watching it. There are people that spend there free time at a bar, or those that throw away their income on drugs and other things. What do these folks have to show for their time and money? Us - we have a train layout filled with modeling projects that give us big time smiles - whether they are shake the box kits, or massively detailed - corrrect number of rivits - scratchbuilt efforts.

12

Remember this Tip. This is a hobby and you should have fun and enjoy it at any level you feel great about.

I built a layout many years ago that turned out to be a mess, and I have run at several clubs the past thirty years. The one thing I still do is enjoy the models and detail them according to what I want at the time.

If you want to start a detail project on a certain type of engine, start the project and work on it only when you feel like it. One of my projects took almost twenty years to complete, but I am very happy with the end results. I showed some of the detail to friends over the years and I am sure they never expected to see the engine back together. I am not sure even I was able to complete it at times, but the project would only be worked on when I really was interested.

Like you, I have my priorities in other places and your work and responsibility should always come first.

Just enjoy the time you spend with this hobby.

13

fabulously thoughtful posts guys!

my hobby has certainly reached obsessive level. sometimes this bugs me, other times I’m glad i’ve got something to be passionate about instead of just working to live. Sure it is a kinda odd thing to get passionate or obsessive about, as compared to say urban reform or saving the poor or environmentalism. All that time and energy and money doesn’t add one iota to improving the community, but neither do most artisitic pursuits.

I try not to let the hobby impact my time with my son. it does a bit, but I figure that is balanced (so far) by the fun and interest he gets out of the hobby too - it’s great to have something to share.

certainly the lawns don’t get mowed so often and I really must fini***he garden wall, but most of the jobs my wife wants done get done eventually so i figure I’m not too out of control :slight_smile:

it depends on your own personality as to how hard you attack this hobby. me I am a perfectionist and i like to create to impress others. combine those attributes and yes you do end up with a pretty ambitious approach to it. that’s what satisfies me. if running trains around an old pingpong table turns you on, good for you. we all choose our own level.

yes MR does tend to run a lot of what I call “layout porn” (sorry to the more easily offended members). but they don’t always; they also run the $500 layout stories. And if you look closely at some of the home layout features, some of them are pretty rough but have been made to look good by selective photo locations and excellent photograsphic skills. kinda like the airbrushed (human) models referred to earlier. get Lou Sassi or Malcolm Furlow to photograph your layout and it would look pretty schmick too.

me, i want to be another George Selios. Can i match him? I doubt it. Do i enjoy pushing myself to that? you betcha

14

Maybe the key word should be BALANCE. Each person needs to find his own level. I struggle with this issue every day. I am in a unique position these days, because I don’t have a job, and don’t necessarily need one to survive. Many people might envy my situation, but it isn’t as easy as it sounds.

I have gotten to the point in my life where, I have the space, I have the time, I even have most of the materials I need to build my dream layout. I have the plan, and I’ve started construction, but I can’t seem to keep motivated and moving forward.

I think there is such a thing as a saturation point with any hobby. A point at which it stops being fun and becomes something of a chore. That is the point you don’t want to reach. If you find that it isn’t fun anymore, stop. Take a break, most of the time the desire returns. It doesn’t necessarily take a lifetime of devotion, at the expense of everything else to have a fun model railroad. That’s where the balance comes in. Everyone is different.

Those photos of beautiful layouts we see in the magazines are intended to inspire us, and show us what can be accomplished. But if we aren’t careful, they can have the opposite effect.

It’s kind of like the guy who sees a pretty girl, but is afraid to ask her out because he thinks she’ll say no. He’s afraid he isn’t good enough, so he goes through life, only getting what he thinks is worthy of, but perhaps not what he really wants.

On the other hand, how many of us married supermodels? Think carefully, and ask yourself, would you really WANT to be MARRIED TO a supermodel?

We create train layouts for one purpose, to please ourselves. There will always be some people who are better at it than others, so what!

I do this hobby for two reasons, first, I like to create things. That alone gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. I built this with my own two hands. Second, OK so I built this, that’s nice, but it is more fun to share it with others. T

15

Listen I been in this hobby for 53 years…I consider myself a basic modeler that is advanced in some things and average in some things and so/so in other things and never consider my self a expert . I find what works for me and stay with it…I do not believe in experts for many reasons but believe in knowledgeable modelers…There is a difference.

16

I thoroughly agree with all.
My key to success is to enjoy my time on my layout
and have fun with it. I am not an expert but I do see
area I am good at and also things as I practice, I get
better at doing. I would LOVE to have my work in the
pages such as MR, right now I am just enjoying the
fact that I do have a layout to begin with after so many
years of couch dreaming and moving constantly. You
don’t have to be an expert modeler, you don’t need to
please anybody else but yourself. Be happy with you
can and have achieved and look forward to what you
can do with so little time inbetween life. I know I am
doing all I can to live a dream, and now, I just take it
ONE DAY AT A TIME, OR EVEN ONE HOUR A WEEK.
I love just walking in the layout, just to look, and smile.
Ken

17

After nearly 40 years in the hobby, you could perhaps consider me to be one of these “experts” I suppose, although I don’t have MMR credientials or anything like that.

I never consider the hobby to be a “competition” by any stretch of the imagination. I am doing the hobby because I enjoy it, plain and simple. If I tire of things for a while, so be it. For example, after pressing hard for the National in 1994, I took 18 months off from the hobby completely … hardly went into the basement at all.

The bug eventually came back and I’m currently having a ball on the Siskiyou Line and have been for going on 9 years now. But hey, it’s just a hobby. I enjoy it, and if tomorrow the ceiling was to fall in on the layout … well, it was fun while it lasted!

18

Having met several modelers that have had model railroads published in magazines I think you are assuming that they spend all their time, money and efforts on their modeling. I don’t believe that is true.
Also have friends that are avid golfers, restore antique cars, ride motorcycles, fly ariplanes or any other adult hobby or sport, I don’t think that “expert” model railroaders spend more time or money on than the people with the other hobbies. The golfers spend hundreds of dollars on clubs and greens fees a month, the motorcyclists spend weekends riding to meets , the antique car folks spend gobs on their cars and take them to car shows and meets.
Just because you got to a op session once two or three times a year doesn’t mean you eat sleep and breathe model railroading. You can build a detailed layout without “dedicating your life” to the project.
If you feel this way could it be you that is taking this too seriously and not the “expert” modelers?

Dave H.

19

This has been a very thought provoking thread. I’ve enjoyed the answers.

With any interests, endeavors or aspirations in this life, you have to keep everything in perspective. Even before I got into this hobby, I already saw the potential in myself to go waaaaaaaay overboard. (Guess it sorta comes with the territory of being perfectionistic - which I would assume is the make up of many of us here in this hobby of ours.) I determined not to allow myself to go that far. Even with that realization, I do find myself being tempted and pulled in that direction.

Bottom line: People are MORE important than things.

MRR is a hobby; NOT a reason for existance. MRR is also not be an excuse to avoid responsibility. Not many of us in our last dying breath will have regret over not spending enough time on our layout. It will be people and relationships that really matter in this life.

Enjoy this hobby; it’s an endearing and enduring one. Include your family, if and when at all possible. Above all, keep it in perspective! The Bible puts it better than I can: Read Matthew 6:19-21.

Tom

20

Tom:

Well said. That about covers it for me.

People also last longer than things, and if you believe the Bible, the one eternal thing in our daily lives are the people. All the rest of it is just “kindling”, as my wife likes to say. [:)]

Fun kindling, to be sure, but kindling just the same.