I am sure that there are some aspects of building and operating, including maintaining, a railroad that frustrates each of us to no end. So, I have decided to start a thread, take a survey if you will, about the three activities, in priority order, that you dread having to undertake. There are no criteria, except that the number one activity is one where you are tempted to drop everything part way through and find something else that is fun to do…like watching paint dry.
In my case they are:
Cleaning track
Ballasting track
There are a bunch, but dealing with a balky ground throw has inched into the top 3.
As of this quick update, I would like to point out that I am NOT intending to provide another forum for peeves against specific manufacturers or vendors. So far, no one has gone this route, and I appreciate it. We have all gone down this road on other threads and I suspect that there will be more threads in the future. Again, I appreciate your indulgence on this.
Having to work on a budget that is tightmaking me wait for sales to get the most out of it. Then still not getting all the needed pieces To finish a project
One reason for tortoises is that turnouts are hard to reach on top of the layout. Doubly hard underneath with the added adventure of bending down, crawling under, and craning your neck up, and then getting into position to find four little pilot holes.
Some shipping and handling are quicker than others, but they are all frustrating. Like waiting for Christmas.
I’ll add painting N scale structures. I do landscapes and ground planes fairly well. Just slather on paint with a 2-inch brush, mixing earth tone colors on the spot. But you have to actually paint window trim and copings and whatnot on buildings, and that takes time, a lot of time. Newer building kits are coming out with colored pieces and parts. That should help.
Getting things to work when running trains for visitors
Actually I have found **** near nothing I dislike about this hobby. There are chores I farm out like wiring, brass repairs, and DCC installations only because I know folks who do this better than I can. Then I can can spend my time doing what I enjoy most…building structures, wood rolling stock, and scenery. I can do all of what I sub out, but a day has just 24 hours.
For me, it’s often just trying to get started on a new project or resuming an old one. That means cleaning off my old work area which usually has about one square inch of work space. I get paralized trying to figure out how to make more room. And then, when I do put eveything away, it all somehow migrates back to the work table again.
I sometimes hate having so much stuff that goes along with being a model railroader. I’m sure you all know what I mean - boxes of scrap parts, strip wood and styrene pieces, detail parts, decals, signs, glues, paints, tools, wire, brass strips, and on and on. Yet, how can you be a modeler without a supply of stuff you “might” need some day? Is it possible to be an active modeler and not have a stash of all these things? Is there such a thing as a minimalist modeler?
You can save yourself from much of this frustration, if you install flawless track. Also, locomotives and rolling stock should be carefully inspected prior to using them on the layout to find any issues that cause derailments .