Everybody has their own ideas about what they want their hobby time to do for them (except maybe to be fun - that’s probably an almost universal goal in the hobby). I’m curious about what some of you folks want out of your hobby time. What purpose does your layout (if you have one) serve for you? How about other aspects of the hobby? What do they do for you? Are other aspects merely to support your layout, or are they ends in themselves?
I’ll start -
My layout is a representation of the CB&Q through central Wyoming, in the 1930s and early 1940s. The area I know - I grew up along the line. The era I missed by about 30 years - I was born in 1956.
One entire peninsula on my layout is dedicated to the run between Casper and Thermopolis Wyoming, where there will be only two switches within ten feet of each other on about 40 feet of mainline. One is a siding at a set of stock pens in the middle of nowhere; the other is the junction for a branch to Lander. One entire side of that peninsula will represent the single mainline track running through the Wind River Canyon - no switches, just one lone track snaking through a few tunnels alongside the Wind River. From an engineering perspective I could do the siding and junction in about five feet of mainline, and not even bother with the space-wasting Wind River Canyon scene. For those to whom Model Railroading is a switching puzzle that would be fine. That’s not what its about to me. I want to recreate some of what I enjoyed seeing so much as a child, in an era just earlier than I experienced. For me, my layout is something of a nostalgic fantasy trip to a reality that probably wasn’t nearly as romantic as I imagine it was.
Having spent five years in Wyoming in the late 70’s, I envy you your layout. Mine is On3 and represents the D&RGW Chili Line between Espanola, NM, and Taos Junction (with a few spurs that never existed but I added for some operational interest). Like you, the layout is a nostalgia trip (8 years too late for me) … recalling the days when I grew up in northern New Mexico [ain’t nothing like that down here in Florida]. I still go back to photograph the line every year and I still long to see those steamers running along the line near Embudo. But the railroad is a complete break from work and the worries of the day and allows me to display what little artistic talent I have while I construct what amounts to a 3-D rendering of the narrow gauge Rio Grande the way I would like to imagine how it could have been. Relaxation … esacapism … keeping my hands and mind active …
My freelance McKenzie Valley Railroad (under construction) is a midwest rolling hills farming country layout with one major town and two small farming towns with a single
main line based on the late 1920’s into the middle 1930’s, layout size 13’ x 23’ around the wall. What does the hobby do for me?? well it’s a chance to drop out of the every day
rat race and let what ever talent and creativity I have to show through, the part of the hobby that I enjoy the most is the modeling part of it, and truth be said to maybe be a little kid again watching that train circling around under the Christmas Tree that one special Chistmas morning when I was just a small boy.
“The Harven”
Even though i dont have a layout yet model railroading goves a place i can go when im in a bad mood. It also gives me a feeling of control since i can create an entire world in just one room filled with tiny people and buildings, and trains going to specific places. It makes me feel a lot better when im sick. It also sparks a creative flame inside the modeler to express himself through his layout wether it be based in 1800s or the year 2005. And it gives all the artists out there a three dimensional canvas to work with. I love to draw and paint. Its kind of my own little world.
Model railroading does several things for me. I work in an office pushing paper all day. Go in in the morning and face a desk full of cases and paper, then leave at night with the desk still full of cases and paper. Seem likes nothing ever gets “finished”. Model railroading gives me the chance to use my hands for a constructive purpose. Even if it’s a simple kit, I can step back and say “It’s finished” and " I built that". I think the building part is the most entertaining for me.
My social skills are also not as well developed as I would like. Model railroading gives me the chance to meet people with similar interests and get acquainted through the hobby. I must say model railroaders as a group seem to be some of the friendliest and most helpful people I know. I went to the NMRA convention in 2002 and met people from all over the world. Without exception they were all very willing listen to me and talk about their interests. I will be in Cinncinatti next week for the convention too.
Another, though unintentional, benefit may be a health benefit. Medical science has shown that reading and learning are important to preventing decline of mental ability as we age. In model railroading there is always something new to learn and interesting reading material to occupy my free time.
Provides a drug-free alternative to valium and prozac. [:p] I was going to say cheaper alternative but, that’s just not true…
…seriously, if I didn’t have something meaningful (to me) and constructive to do at the end of the day it would likely be the end of me. Long live steel wheels.
For me the hobby gives me an ooutlet for all things creative. I like to be able to do some work on the pike and look and say I made this. It also gives an outlet to teach about different aspects of the hobby. Most Important it is something that me and the wee ChessieFan can do together. He is 6 and loves trains. I swear he has a emd prime mover for a brain. Even though he likes a certian train that is blue witha face on it he is becoming more and more interrested with the ho pike. The wife likes to see the progress and sometimes she even runs a train. So realy the pike is kinda a family thing that all can get involved with. My dad is a teacher of technology and material manipulation and sometimes he comes to me for modeling help. Dad has also decided to build a house for the layout and it will be from scratch. So the hobby is a wonderful thing if the whole family can get involved. Even if Im the only one working on the pike its kinda real nice to escape from the humdrum rat race of the real world.
well instead of taking over the world(I’m procrastinating) I can build my own little peice of it. I love building stuff the most tho, and me and my g/f do it together when I get the little railroad car kits from bowser(it’s fun doing it with her, even tho she broke peices of the door off my pacemaker and glued it on because she couldnt figure out how it went on). I also like getting away from people, esp when they bring their kids( people tend not to spank around here, I’m from the south and we knew how to discipline kids, they know not to run around like retards in someone elses house). So I hide out in the basement till they leave. I like learning about the electrics as well, I suck at it, but it still interests me. Research is fun, can be frustrating at times.
It gives me skills such as soldering, wiring, and being able to repair small mechanisms (all of which can be transferred to repairing 1:1 scale cars and many other household items), it gives me something to talk about with other like-minded people. Most of my non-mrr friends recoil in horror when I explain what I’ve done as a DIY job over the years, using skills learned from building and repairing models but on a larger scale.
Having said that, I can still recall getting told off by my old school woodwork teacher for being too delicate with the power tools (using fingertip control on a pillar drill in this case) - I was used to dealing with materials that would fall apart if I was rough with them!
Hi Guys,
For me, model railroading has been a life-saver. I was downsized from my job several years ago and I ended up taking “early retirement”. Fortunately, I had just re-entered the hobby of model railroading and found myself with all the time I needed…time which was at a premium before.
Each and every day, I do something associated with the hobby. Usually, in the morning, I check Ebay to see if I can find something to buy. I just won an engine yesterday on Ebay. I also log onto this forum to see what’s “going on”. In the afternoon or early evening, I will work on rolling stock, either building a kit or tuning up some cars. I just recently finished cleaning all the wheels on my 75 engines and tuned up all 250 built freight cars.
With all the track and wiring completed on my layout, which fills an 18’ by 16’ section of our family room, I’m currently enjoying the scenery part of the hobby, which I think I enjoy the most because it satisfies my creative needs. Most of my sidings to over 15 industries and businesses are in, so I’m ready to try some operating sessions.
I’ve mentioned this in other posts before, but I’d like to say it again because it may help some of you guys out there. Model railroading gives me something I do for myself, without my wife. In my first marriage, my wife complained for 20 years that I “smothered” her and wanted to do everything with her. She said she needed some “space”. Well, I’ve got to say that my second wife of 12 years is very happy with my involvement in model railroading. When she wants to see a girlfriend, visit her mother, or just go shopping, I now say “go ahead, I’ve got plenty to do at home with my hobby”.
My first wife would have died for the freedom my current wife has. So, you young guys out there…remember that a good marriage is one where you enjoy time together but also enjoy being apart and doing your “own thing”. I’ve found that while I always thought I couldn’t enjoy being alone and nee
Well I kind of got in the hobby on a whim. I was never interested in stupid little model trains really. Sure I thought they were cool to look at, but stupid to deal with. I went to a friends house and something clicked and all that changed. The smile that I got on my face, the joy in my eyes, it just seemed right for a thing for me to do. Growing up I always played with matchbox cars and what not, but after awhile you grow out of that as well. I thought trains were the coolest thing when I saw them 2 years ago. It seemed right for me to start, bring back the fun I had with toy cars. Only trains was a grown up different version.
So for 2 years now model trains have been a way for me to cheer up if I’m feeling down or relieve stress. Seeing actual trains as well will make me smile, just watching all the cars and the engines.
I know when I get out of college and have a real job that trains will be a way to get the burden of work off my back for awhile. By no means will trains be my only hobby. I’m a huge baseball fan and will try to continue to play the sport in some facit for years to come. And I know for awhile at least Playstation 2 will be in my future as well. It’s a nice way to spend a cold snowy afternoon in the winter or a rainy day in the summer. If you’re sick and can’t do anything strenuous, working with trains will be there, just to run.
Basically I want my trains to be a way for me to relieve stress, a chance to be alone for awhile, learn stuff, and a thing that will cheer me up. For instance this week hearing about my tooth, I picked up a model railroader and read for about 10 minutes, just took my mind off of everything for awhile.
MRR probably saved my life - literally! - when I was a teenager.
I had what many people would call a “distressed” adolescence. When I read news stories about teenage boys who commit suicide and examine their psych profiles, I think WOW - that could’ve been ME!!![:O] But I could always escape into the world of model trains. The high point of my week was the Friday evening visit to the BSME to see friends of ‘like’ interests, and run the Athearn BB locos I had spent the week kitbashing and painting. I was too busy enjoying trains to ‘feel’ the symptoms of childhood depression.
Every ‘handy’ skill (artistic, carpentry, electrical,…) that I’ve learned throughout my life can probably be traced back to model railroading.
Oh yeah did I forget to mention, I have a lotta FUN with it…![swg]
To me this is the best and most interesting hobby in the world.
Sure it can get expensive sometimes. If all I have is a few dollars in my pocket, that is all I need for a detail part at the local hobby shop. If I can “work” the budget right, I might actually be able to buy that expensive sound equipped locomotive I’ve been waiting for for eight months. Not having enough funds is not a real big issue for me. I just remind myself of all the unbuilt kits waiting for me downstairs.
I am trying to have those same kits be somewhat accurate. So to do that I need to find out what they looked like in real life. I buy some books, (picture books mind you), or I go online. OOPS… I learned something!! How did that happen[:O]
In the process, I may have discovered something else that catches my interest. I have also discovered I like learning the history of local railroads.
As I said in another topic posted here, this hobby means so much to me. It keeps me out of the bars, and I don’t have enough money left to cheat with. That dough is going toward that new locomotive or something related.
My railroad, the Shasta Central R.R., is a small fictional shortline railroad set in the foothills of northern California with time period being about the beginning of fall 1957. The main industry on the line is coal (which probably isn’t to plentiful in these parts, but its my layout) altough there is some freight from local industries. Passenger trains are also operated a few times a day.
I am currently 14 years old and this is my 3rd HO layout (all are 4x8’s). I think model railroading is the best hobby in the world and I will definitly be sticking with it my whole life. It gives me a chance to work on my modeling skills and learn a lot from MRR magazine and other modelers and their layouts too.