What are your "stubborn old man" rules for your railroad?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi!

Like many of my fellow Forum members, I’ve been playing with trains for quite a long time, and have been a Forum regular for several years. Many of the posts we have seen bring out our individual preferences - many that we are very “loud and proud” about. We tend to consider these the “rule of thumb”, and have a hard time understanding why others don’t feel the same.

Soooo, just for grins, I thought I would ask each of us to bare our souls, and state those unbendable rules that we have for our railroads. Of course, since I brought it up, I will lay mine out on the table first…

  • A layout timeframe must be picked for the layout, and strictly adhered to - even if its a span of 10 years.

  • All equipment and structures must have some degree of weathering, even if only a spray of Dull-Cote.

  • The locos & cars on the layout must make sense. I.E., locos & cabooses of the same RR, etc., etc.

  • Track is not laid directly on plywood, a roadbed of some sort is needed - even if sheet cork.

Being a “stubborn old man” model railroader for almost 60 years, I’m sure I have more “rules” - but I just can’t remember them anymore…

ENJOY,

Mobilman44

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  1. Prototype need not be adhered to.

  2. I need not be true to my chosen era.

  3. Weathering? We don’t need no stinkin’ weathering.

  4. No lighted passenger cars and no people in the seats.

  5. All store fronts must be empty.

  6. No signs on any structures.

  7. Signals can only be seen from one direction - - LOL

  8. Signaling makes little or no sense in terms of prototype protocols.

  9. Speed limits need not be observed.

  10. It’s my railroad, I will do as I wish, I will run what I want, build dates on rolling stock are irrelevant.

Rich

3

My only “stubborn old man” rule is simple :Hands off! For those that may not understand that…Keep yer cottonin’ pickin’ paws off buddy boy.

4

In addition to the ones above:

  1. No plastic wheels

  2. No speeding

  3. No spaghetti - the main line must pass only once thru any “visible” (non-staging) scene

  4. All locos and cars must have a unique number

5

Route of LION:

  1. No reverse moves allowed. (Well, they are not possible anyway)

  2. Do not run into the train ahead of you. (To be fixed with new signal systems.)

  3. LOOK at the situation before laying hands on the interlocking machine.

  4. and in the MOW department: LOOK at the soldering iron before picking it up.

  5. EXPECT a train at any time on any track: Keep your stuff off of the tracks.

  6. BLUE BUTTONS stop the entire railroad. USE THEM when needed.

ROAR

6

ahhh, the LION reminded me of other rules,

Never pick up an Exacto knife by its blade.

Don’t pour Woodland Scenics Realistic Water one inch deep.

Rich

7

MY “stubborn old man rule” for my layout???

If you ain’t ME, DON’T TOUCH!

You can LQQK all you want, tough…

[8-|]

8

Conductor will punch ticket or passenger whichever is applicable. … [|(]

9

I guess some of mine include:

Metal wheels only.

Bench work is built sectional. Legs are L shaped and go under the sections - not beside them.

No weathering.

No rules against buying neat stuff just because it’s not my era, scale, etc.

Keep all the train stuff I ever got.

Enjoy

Paul

10

I don’t know if I quite qualify for the title of “curmudgeon” yet. My rules are simple: 1) My layout, my rules; 2) There is a prototype for everything, if you look hard enough; 3) My imagination is a valid source of prototype information as long as common sense applies; 4) In the event of confusion, refer to rule #1 above.

11

My grandkids run my old Athearn locomotives and rolling stock I don’t mind losing if there is a crash.

If it looks the way I want it to then that is the way it should be.

12

Look but don’t touch, unless you are in my operating crew. [8o|]

13

I’m not gonna lie I started laughing pretty loud, that’s great my sides are hurting.

well in april it will be the start of year 2, hmmmmmmmmm…

obey scale speed limits (doing it by eye)

look but don’t touch

keep trains in era (unless otherwise noted)

at all times there must be a 3:1 ratio of BN power on layout. [(-D] ok maybe not.

Edit: I forgot to add every loco/ railroad needs a caboose, currently I’m breaking this rule because I don’t have a caboose for my GN Alco F’s.

14

My stubborn old man rules:

  1. No smoking in the train room.

  2. If my layout begins to look to others like “it is my railroad and I can do anything I want” it is a day I should consider getting out of the hobby.

  3. The day I start making hard and fast rules about the trains era/geography/roster is the day I should consider getting a different hobby.

Yes they are out of order for a purpose, because they sort of contradict and/or compliment each other depending on how one looks at it. That doesn’t man I don’t want a specific 10 year era, with logical and homogenous motive power and rolling stock rosters, and scenery that is correct for the geographic area. It just means that I am not going to arbitrarily limit myself and the layout based on some preconceived (probably ill conceived) rules I happen to dream up.

15

If you are a repairman repairing the hot water heater or the heating system itself, the layout is not a tool shelf to hold YOUR tools. DO NOT put your stuff for any reason on my layout. This has happened more than once. Nothing broken so far and I have learned to move anything on the layout in the area of the water heater and heating system.

16

I have a few simple rules that are absolutely unbendable, never mind unbreakable.

  1. All visitors have to be cleared by my wife (Translation - blood relations and old friends only.)
  2. Anyone can run anything on my layout, as long as it is 1:80 scale, Japanese prototype and was seen in the Upper Kiso Valley in the mid-1960s.
  3. Rules F (no tobacco) and G (no alcohol or drugs) are enforced.
  4. Rivet counters are urged to count their own rivets - I already know how many I have.
  5. Anyone who finds these rules objectionable can discuss them with the Green Dragon. (Smart people know not to mess with the Green Dragon.)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

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  1. No rivet-counting. My stuff may not be entirely prototypical, but it is close enough for me (the famous “close enough” approach.)[8D]
  2. Everything is weathered. Except for new 1956 cars and trucks.
  3. If I say not to do something with the layout, PLEASE do not do it anyway!
  4. You opinions and edvice are welcome, but NO LECTURING.
  5. Speed limits aren’t an issue, as I have programmed my locos to have a realistic top speed.[:P]
  6. Take your time and enjoy the role you play in the operating session.
  7. HAVE FUN.
18

I got a couple more: anyone who makes a rude/non constructive comment about my trains and/ or layout on my youtube channel will be told off in a very impolite way especially if they have no proof or things showing their trains.

all visitors may be cleared by my conductor Oskar(my dog)

railfanning is always welcome

there is not set rule to absolutely have trains in era(yeah it’s a contradiction, couldn’t help it but an RS1 from SP&S would look sweet alongside a BN NW2)

19

1). The following rules apply to my Model Railroad, only! How you model your’s is totally up to you and I encourage you to follow your own rules and not listen to people who are critical of others and think everyone should follow their rules!

2). Metal wheel sets, only.

3). Kadee couplers, only.

4). Rolling stock and structures to the highest degree to be built from “kits”:or scratch built, only. Exceptions are locomotives, for which kits are no longer being made.

5). Everything “Weathered” the way I feel looks right

6). Time era is the year 1955.

7). Equipment as would be found on the Northern Pacific Railway in Western Montana.

8). All locomotives must have engine crew and cabooses to be “peopled”, when practical.

Beyond the above restrictions, as applied to my railroad only, anything goes.

20

Around my layout, stubborn old men are considered overgrown “stubborn old boys” (yeah, make that into an acronym [;)]), as operating on a layout seems to be an excuse for crankiness among some. Conductors and other train crew have been instructed to treat them like hobos with a bad attitude and put them off the train at the earliest possible point if they should become obnoxious.