I found this article describing the Psychological makeup of a model railroader.
I guess this explains it all . What do you think about it?
Kind of a different viewpoint on why we play with trains, slanted a bit but interesting.
Here’s the link to the first page of the article.
http://www.salon.com/april97/trains970402.html
I’ve never actually met Jack Burgess, but my impression of his writings is considerably different than “his history of the Yosemite Valley Railroad consists chiefly of numbers,” or her assertion that “there’s no narrative I can follow.”
Yawn. Just more of the same old creative writing seminar condescention.
I know one person who I won’t show this to.
Fergie
and her point is?
Very interesting, thanks for sharing.
Enjoy
Paul
I don’t think she has one. I think she meant to provide some “impressions”. Those require neither a point nor defensible reasoning. She spends more time discussing her own feelings and impressions than anything else.
Sounds like she might be the sister of the woman Tracklayer was talking about in another thread that thought model railroading was boring…
Only one???
LOL…I meant that in a sarcastic way…(shame, shame, shame on me)…her lack of a point is my point exactly!..chuck
I think she thinks we are all littel kids. however I prefer to look at it as recreating something lost or something in our past. She looked at it as if she could say men were playing with toys and then has to make a remark about being too conservative.
I think she finally got it in the end where she was drawn into the scene.
Somebody should do a psychological study of people who write fluff articles for Sunday supplements and places like Salon. What a strange, insular world those people live in, huh? She clearly falls into that group that marginalizes and condemns anything that they don’t appreciate and understand. Would she do the same sort of piece about Scrapbooking, or Needlepoint? Somehow, I doubt it.
This is one person’s Do Not Call list that I’m glad to be on.
Why? Just because “Peter Pan” is in the title? [:D]
Hard to miss the way she dwelt on divorces, wasn’t it?
The hobby shop I worked in while in college had this sign in the window.
“The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.”
Bob DeWoody
Too heavy on the divorces wasnt she?
Hmpth. I suppose if my wife had enough of things that keeps me out of trouble I would not want another.
Ummmm, kind of a different point of view, but alright.
You missed the obvious! Or was she wearing a hat?
Can you say ‘psuedointellectual?’
Like many train fans I would speak to, Jack has difficulty tracing the origin of his passion. “All kids love trains and then it gets suppressed. In the teen years they get into girls and cars and then in their 30s, when they have a family and home, they return to the hobby.”
Except I still play with girls and cars [;)]
No, but I can spell it - “pseudo-intellectual.” [:D]
Is a psuedointellectual someone with a pointy head and a fake suede skin?
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist…
Seriously - all you younger and unmarried guys need to read that article. Twice.