indeed. The autocorrect function on this site is simply bizarre. It changes what you typed sometimes several characters later. Just weird.
Through staging is very common in the UK judging from all the magazine articles I’ve seen. Many times the staging is quite a bit larger than the scenicked display sections.
all the better layouts i’m familiar with have staging and focus on operation. they have opened my eyes to model railroading that i haven’t read as much about in magazines.
the 90x40’ Pacific Southern has long distances to run between trains and can do freight switching at numerous industrial switching areas. it has adopted automatic train control for trains running between 3 staging yards to support shows.
two others have little relative length to run trains and is mostly about bringing trains to/from staging to a yard, where cars are sorted for other trains going back into staging or a local freight that switches cars at industrial area
i’ve learned that for many, model railroading is about building models. and i’ve learned to appreciate that some just want to relax with a beer watching trains run. i imagine others really appreciate seeing trains running thru scenery or crossing bridges.
but at least on the layout we’ve been working on, just a few operators are needed to move trains to/from staging to a yard/passenger station. several operators will be needed to operate towers routing trains, a couple operating the yard and hosteling locos, switching between diesel and electric locos and a couple switching locals at an industrial area.
observers may see a lot of busy operators, but not many moving trains
running trains continuously is not possible on layouts designed this way.
I like building layouts including structures and scenery to make attractive scenes and I like to watch trains moving through the scenes meeting and passing. My smaller 4 x 8 N scale East Penn has a reasonable main line of about 32 feet with four passing sidings so I can choose my coal train, my TOFC train, my NE fallen flags train, my Mid Atlantic fallen flags train or my Pennsy passenger local as I wish. My just finished N scale North Penn and New England has a long 60 foot double track main line and a 24 foot long branch loop and with a little luck I can have 5 trains in motion: MyPRR heavyweight passenger, my GG 1 eastern flags freight, my mixed Maine potato special coal train, and two miscellaneous freight trains. No interest in switching industries or my stub yard. Just use those for storing rolling stock not currently in use. Fun to go to the train room, start the trains rolling, turn on some train songs and ride my Nordic Track or jogging platform trampoline for a half hour or 45 minutes just watching the trains move in the scenery. Very relaxing.
[quote user=“gregc”]
Lastspikemike
Do you want to watch trains run from here to there without worrying too much about modelling here or there or do you prefer modelling a real operating railroad albeit in compressed scale?
all the better layouts i’m familiar with have staging and focus on operation. they have opened my eyes to model railroading that i haven’t read as much about in magazines.
the 90x40’ Pacific Southern has long distances to run between trains and can do freight switching at numerous industrial switching areas. it has adopted automatic train control for trains running between 3 staging yards to support shows.
two others have little relative length to run trains and is mostly about bringing trains to/from staging to a yard, where cars are sorted for other trains going back into staging or a local freight that switches cars at industrial area
i’ve learned that for many, model railroading is about building models. and i’ve learned to appreciate that some just want to relax with a beer watching trains run. i imagine others really appreciate seeing trains running thru scenery or crossing bridges.
but at least on the layout we’ve been working on, just a few operators are needed to move trains to/from staging to a yard/passenger station. several operators will be needed to operate towers routing trains, a couple operating the yard and hosteling locos, switching between diesel and electric locos and a couple switching locals at an industrial area.
observers may see a lot of busy operators, but not many moving trains
running trains continuously is not possib
Why model your area, its a big world out there.
Indeed. And you literally can’t model anything specific except in a representative fashion anyway.
But my experience of this hobby is inspired by real places and actual locomotives.
On the other hand, I’d love to have an OO set of British locomotives and cars to run. I’m also attracted by some roads that would never plausibly appear in my location of inspiration.
To clarify the purpose of my original post, which has been fulfilled by the way, was to encourage the expression of the two perspectives I had noticed. A third perspective was quickly added.
I by no means say that participants in this hobby are only interested in one of the three general categories. I was interested in understanding whether these different aspects of the hobby were favoured or preferred in a way that influences how you experience the hobby. Some disagreements I’ve seen aired on this forum seem to reflect these different perspectives.
Fundamentally, do you get the best bang for your buck from running trains, operating trains or building a layout to display your modelling?
Not to suggest that you personally may enjoy all three equally or one or two or all in differing proportions.
And as you can see, there is already a little resistence to the idea that you can do all three equally well on one layout…
Sheldon
That thought promoted my opening post. I think modellers do favour one or two of the perspectives over the third. The most interesting aspect of the responses to my original post is the variation of interest I had noticed is very real. There does not seem to be a majority perspective. All three experiences are more or less equally appreciated. But, as you suggest, one person may need access to two layouts to get all three. Perhaps club layouts serve that function: provide one or two of the perspectives with the others met by a home layout.
Hmmm. I just realized this is what I am doing. Three of us built a 10’x20’ (roughly) layout just to run trains. Not yet scenicked. Likely the scenery will be very generic with few industries or other reasons to be. My smaller home layout will be more intensively modelled with less track and some railroad journey purposes, not just running trains. When I finish the two layouts, that is.
From early on in this hobby I quickly gained an awareness of these different approaches. I have put considerable effort, research and a lifetime of experiance and testing into the idea that you can design a layout to do all three well if you really want to.
My very first layout at age 10 had hidden staging…
And I think a detailed study of the track plan I am about to build speaks for itself - but one would have to take the time to study and understand it.
Sheldon
i’m meeting modelers who are very focused on specific trains to specific places. two happen to be new haven fans.
they want to operate trains on their layouts with specific engine and specific cars.
for example, on the new haven, a passenger train runs between boston, new haven and new york. at new haven, the loco is switched between diesel and electric. passenger cars are dropped off or added. both locos and cars are specific to that train.
as for freight, they want specific types of cars from specific railroads
multiple staging loops represent various destinations: bay ridge/maybrook, springfield/hartford, boston/providence for a layout centered at new haven
That is great if you have the means, the specific information, and are happy with that narrow of a focus.
I would suggest that people with that narrow of a focus are the exception in this hobby rather than the rule, even among very serious opps centered prototype modelers.
But again, if that is your goal, go for it. Sounds like it would very cool to see.
Sheldon
That’s my thought also. I’m a model builder from back in my Architecting days. Love the models and scenery as much as the trains. I biuld my layout and run trains through it. Different trains that I keep in hidden staging. The train’s end points are elsewhere. I love to look of unit type trains, be it containers, tank cars, car haulers, passenger etc.
I have double main line continuous running ability and model for a wide range of eras. Not a real stickler for correct period look.
Another thought:
I’m finding as I get older I don’t enjoy building the actual models.
For one, the end result is not as good as what I can buy RTR these days.
And being a freelancer, I do not need specific cars or specific locos, so fussing with what detail goes where on what road number is not needed.
Also, fussing with small items and pieces is becoming more frustrating than enjoyable. Maybe that’s just personal thing, but for a guy who had perfect eyesight for 45 years …up close and far away…having to set the right lighting, right magnification, right positioning, etc. Eyeglasses, visors, tweezers etc. gets in the way of enjoying the process.
A few details, yes. Weathering, yes.
I build layouts. I think of it as a puzzle, where I take the RTR pieces of the puzzle and assemble the final picture. I don’t build the pieces of the puzzle anymore.
Edit: model building is limited to structures.
Re-reading October 2020 MRR, page 38 in the middle of an article about a civil war era layout reference is made to a 2001 NMRA bulletin in which John Hostler identifies three modeller personality types: Dispatcher, Engineer and Railfan.
Hmmm, so railfan matches the train running enthusiast, dispatcher matches the operations guy but where’s Mr modelmaker in that trio?
Engineer connotes both operations and running trains to run them, but with a more connected role to play. Presumably the Engineer can’t bear to set one train running and then go do something else. Even going off and running a different train doesn’t seem to be consistent with the Engineer personality type,
what’s the difference between a Model Railroader and a Railroad Modeler?
This sounds a lot like that question “What makes a real model railroader?” that always leads to trouble.
I think that is where this thread was heading from the beginning.
I’m going to go make some popcorn.
-Kevin
Well that is a good question, and dangerous question.
Not sure I want to go down that road. It becomes too easy to imply that one of the three (or four) identified paths is better than the others.
I have already made my position clear, I see value in all the paths and imbrace and practice them in my modeling to some degree or another, without getting too extreme with any of them.
Even that is not to suggest that extreme dedication to one path is a bad thing, just not my thing.
My favorite example of an extreme seriousness that does not suit my style, dispatchers sitting in little closets all alone who can’t see the trains running. But that’s me.
Sheldon
Anything you do with model trains makes you both. JMO.
Its a question where both paths lead to the same place.
It seems that model builder would be a 4th. A personality type especially developed if you don’t have a layout.
Keeping in mind your OP was about layouts.