Why hasn’t anyone warned the public at large and model railroaders in particular that operating in prototype fashion is highly addictive.
I got into an operations group about 6 months ago and we met most Fridays from 9:00a.m. till approximately noon-12:30. The sessions were great and very educational. Then the owner (chief DS and coffee maker) stopped the sessions for August and September to do some of the landscaping, as we were operating on a bare framing, roadbed, and plywood, with mock-ups and photos of the actual industries.
Help… I am suffering from withdrawal! I have actually stooped so low as to work on my own modules!
A few of us have been trying to spread the word…
My bunch, the Operations Road Show, has actually gone so far as to build a layout to take out and demonstrate prototypical operation (see http://www.railsonwheels.com/orstop.html ). Unfortunately it’s enough of an effort to move it that we are only planning to take it to NMRA National Conventions for the foreseeable future. We took it to Toronto last year, and plan to take it to Cincinnati next year. We’ll also be holding sessions during the 2007 National in Detroit.
The layout has a home in SE Michigan, where we run five-hour sessions a couple of times a month. We’ll be hosting an operating session next month as part of the North Central Region NMRA Regional Convention, which will be open to Convention registrants who sign up in advance. This will be a shorter session, since we’ll be running it on the Thursday night before the Convention. Details can be found at http://ncr2004.ncr-nmra.org/
Another guy, on whose layout we operate regularly, holds 12-14 hour sessions on his layout. That can be a little much for some folks, but some of us enjoy the longer sessions. During the course of the session, people come and go as they need to.
There’s a lot out there that can be learned about prototypical operation (just about every prototype had a slightly different way of doing things, and pretty much every layout does) , and for some of us, that’s a big part of the appeal.
The thinking involved really adds a dimension to running trains.
Yep. I don’t know if there’s any going back. This might dovetail into the thread about the where abouts of AWNUTS magazine. I’m not sure of the status of train collecting (O an S gauges typically) but I wonder if our focus as a hobby on realism and operations based pikes has casued any decline in collecting and killing oof what might be considered whimsical (Anything not prototype)
As I have said before, I am outside the hobby, occasionally looking in due to fond memories, currently very happy collecting, modeling and racing slot cars, but realizing that in about 7 years when the kids head off to college, racing alone won’t be so fun…and my wife has expressed interest in structures, scenery and history so we will probably someday return, given that I have thought about how I might re-enter the hoby then, given a clean slate.
So thinking of this, I have considered what would be of interest to model and 2 general scenarios came to mind, a private roadname based on prototype in either HO or S using round the walls type construction…or a whimsical railroad, not comic, just something with no prototype, maybe an island type layout with pop ups true scale roadbed and all or amybe an O scale with crude scenery (Anyone remeber the raymond yates book on model railraoding from the early fifties).
But I realize what you are saying here, we have crossed the line into layouts designed around operation and realism, and I can’t see finding teh motivation fo fund and cosntruct a layout that just exists to run trains around without purpose, I’d probbaly be changing it once construction was nearly complete as the lack of meaningful operation would dampen enthusiasm…
To “The Operating Roadshow.” I’ve heard about guys like you. You’ll give us innocents that first free hit of “operations” and then we’re hooked with no way out. Look at that poor guy John Colley - he gets hooked with a free hit and then is cut off - forced to look for a local conductor job at some other railroad, forced to work on his own layout! Pretty shady if you ask me. You guys work for that underworld operations guy - Godfather Tony Koester of the New Jersey family?
Seriously. I think the “Operating Road Show” is an excellent idea. I’d love the opportunity to at least watch a operating session. While I currently have little interest in operations, I can see why it is gaining in popularity. I’m sure once I master several things still on my “to learn and conquer” list, operations will be given a shot. Of course I’m sure I’ll be hooked and numerous modifications of the layout will then happen. That’s why I love this hobby - there are always new things to learn and try!!
There is now On30 for the whimsical crowd - the On30Conspiracy list on YahooGroups has over 1700 members. Many members get a great joy out of creating “critters” (small locos) and “D-Cells” (Diesels) for their layouts using HO scale mechanisms. A very lot of creativity on this list, but not a whole lot of prototype based reality. Fun too!
Bob Boudreau
The hobby is rife with those who finally found out what all this realistic operations hubub was all about, and then when they found out, they tore out their original layout because retrofits were out of the question.
That’s why I advise newbies to go get some operation experience on other layouts that are into serious operation. If you don’t have a club or private layout locally that’s into this sort of thing, then join the MNRA Operations SIG and go to an advertised open op session.
Once you see how realistic operation works and if it appeals to you, it will forever alter your priorities in the hobby and dramatically alter how you approach layout design.
Waiting to learn about operations is a bad idea, IMO. Hence, John’s topic title!
Yeah, I was at an operating session one time…BUT I NEVER INHALED!
tstage: How about “Define operating session?” lol
Joe: I understand where you’re coming from. But part of the enjoyment I get from the hobby is the constant changing I’ve done to my layout(s) over the years. I don’t mind redoing the whole thing if I suddenly discover operations and my then current layout is not optimum for it. If Tony Koester, the alias godfather of operations, wasn’t satisfied with what was perhaps one of the premier operating layouts in the country, and decided to tear it all up and start again - I consider myself in good company!
do a google for 12 step for operating session addicts
There was a gentleman who would invite select individuals up to his layout in Hagerstown, MD. It was so much fun to operate on his layout for 6-8 hours. Some of the jobs were very mind intensive and required lots of mini puzzles to be solved. When we were done, my brain would hurt! Unfortunately, he developed some sort of senility and banned anyone who supported Bush from his house. He is now tearing down his layout and selling his house…sad, sad, sad. But at least I learned a lot to plan for operations on my model railroad empire.
I started this hobby as one who was quite happy recreating scenes and watching trains go in circles–I suppose most of have been there once. Then I was invited to a couple of operating sessions in Fort Worth–Olie Melhaus’ Dakota Norther N scale layout (it has been feature in MR in the past) and Jin Norwood’s large HO scale KCS layout. The operations on these layouts we incredible. I caught the bug bad and knew I had to start planning a new layout that was completely oriented toward operations. Well, I have since moved to MO and am now in the process of building that layout. Thanks, guys, for giving me such a wonderful disease.
Ron