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is that no matter how sidetracked one becomes with life and other pursuits, model railroading with all of it's magical glory is waiting to welcome you back with open arms!!!! There is no expiration date on equipment, track or projects. You just pick up where you left off. I'll admit that my railroading time has dwindled as I deal with the economy, parenting, work and other interests but it's great to feel the thrill and excitement of this hobby when I look to it for comfort in troubled times. Anyone else have a thought or two on this subject????
It has done more to relieve stress than most methods I've tried previously. My wife even makes sure that I have a little while each week in order to settle me down. I have a tendency to get hyper and a little too revved up about work, family, or other forms of stress. Painting and gluing little models has quite the calming effect on me. It use to be lawn work and home improvement. Now without a house to maintain, train time it is!
I couldn't have said it any better than the original author "Old 97".
I've had many other hobbies over the years & I always come back to MRR'ing & that will be it till I die.
I couldn't have said it any better than the original author "Old 97".
I've had many other hobbies over the years & I always come back to MRR'ing & that will be it till I die.
One of my previous hobbies was military action figures (dolls for the uninitiated). Anyway, after two or three years, in a climate controlled environment, the plastics they use in figures degrades and reacts to other plastics, resulting in broken parts or melting.
My trains sat in an uninsulated attic in south Mississippi for 15 years, through Katrina and roof damage, and all the Athearn and Atlas locomotives I had as a kid still ran (though with a little work). Many of those cars I still run now, just with upgraded Kadee's and metal wheelsets.
I think in 15 years the figures I have left will be a big pile of toxic goo.
i work 50+ hours a week.when i get home i get my hour before dinner,and my time on the week end after honey do"s,your right settles me down sitting there fixing engines,laying track etc.it is good for the soul.
I'm glad I've got my layout in the basement, which is kind of my "man cave" now. When things get too crazy on the main floor of the house, I always have a retreat. Having a layout also gives me a chance to think of creative things I can do with models instead of fretting over things I can't change, like politics and the economy. I may not be able to make the stock market act right but I know I can get to those sunshades I've been meaning to get around to and forget about the "real" world for awhile. Much cheaper and more fun then psychiatrists and medication.
I suppose the main, one-thing is the escape into a world designed from better times: times filled with simplicity, harmony, and purpose. (Besides that, I can get far away from the wife! )
You've got a good point there, Rex. Those of us who are older seem to mostly model the era we knew when we were young, when there was still some steam and first generation diesels were the norm. There were also lots of different railroads, all with their own personalities. The younger modelers like to create what they see today, big power in your choice of, what, the eight remaining class 1 lines? I suppose that, 30 years from now, these will be the good old days, but it sure seems to be different than what we recognize as the good old days.
It gives me something to focus on, both physically - such as painting/decaling trains and structures - and mentally, like designing a trackplan or planning an operating session. I've seen several articles in the popular press implying that an active mind is less likely to succumb to dementia in advanced age, if that's true then mrr is preventative medicine. It might have even saved my life(?) I had some "issues" during my teens that have driven many teenagers to commit suicide, but - since I was actively modeling - I was too busy with that to realize I was suppose to be wallowing in despair!
That's another good point, Ken. I'm glad to see we have so many younger modlers here and that this isn't just an old man's hobby. I'd sure rather see a young person working on a track plan or detailing a diesel than sitting in front of the TV all day seeing how many cops he can kill while playing "Grand Theft Auto".
i just can't get immersed into mu RR world as i used to be able when i was a child. and for some reason i don't enjoy running the train as much. it the process of building the table, layout and landscape that makes it for me.
that said, there is nothing wrong with killing cops (in that game-world the cops are even more crooked then the murdering bastard person you play) in GTA4 or US Marines/Arabs/Russians in say call of duty games. one of the most controversial games - "Postal" says right on the box - "The game is only as violent as you are". we all need to vent our agression, the only important thing is to draw a line between reality and a game.
I like to leave the real world behind when the door to the "sacred chamber of the Iron Rail" closes behind me. As has been mentioned it's a great way to unwind and express the "inner artist".
That being said I've heard that model railroaders, or any miniature builder for that matter, is someone who just can't cope with the real world. No arguement from me... but at least I have something to show for my time, and something that can be sold or traded farther down the line.
Can't say that for guys who hang out down at the "Nudey Bar" as Al Bundy so aptly put it!
"Postal" says right on the box - "The game is only as violent as you are". we all need to vent our agression, the only important thing is to draw a line between reality and a game.
True, and the mentally ill cannot draw a solid line between reality and fantasy. I don't think those types of games are healthy for any kid but, for people who are already violent, they tend to increase the amount of violence they do in real life. Model railroading is certainly a more constructive way to vent aggression. Just try building a Walthers Mather double deck stock car kit and you'll vent lots of aggression.
The stress relief, is a very good point, but for me the best thing I love are the options available in the hobby. There is no "right" way to be a model railroader. If you want to buy everything RTR, you can, if you want to build everything, you can. If you want to read books and just study the hobby, you can, etc, etc.
No one in their so called "right mind" should ever say that one way is superior to the other.
I was glad to get back into this hobby after being gone for about 10 years or so. Technology hasnt changed much since then, its been upgraded but I was still aware of things like DCC. However, a new peice of tech I have caught on to are podcasts. Been hooked on both the main podcasts there are for our hobby since I returned last spring. There are a few new scenery techniques I have seen that are popular now that werent the norm back then.
That being said. I do have to say im a bit dissappointed on how much the cost has gone up in those years. I know inflation is inflation but some of this stuff is just rediculous.
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That being said. I do have to say im a bit dissappointed on how much the cost has gone up in those years. I know inflation is inflation but some of this stuff is just rediculous.
I know what you mean about prices rising. The first Campbell structure kit I ever built, their small freight station, when I was 20yo, was $8.95. According to the lastest Walthers Catalog, that same station now lists for over $80.00!
One thing I was thinking of last night kinda goes along with this, except dealing with 1:1.
As I was watching some youtube videos of SP 4449 and Milwaukee Road 261 (I gotta go see this awesome pair in five days! They'll be rolling right near me.) I started thinking what might become of these two good ol' Northerns in the year 2500. If they're still around, what will people think when they look at them? Almost 60 years later, we look at these two with awe and wonder at the fact that they're steam-driven, while the prime movers of today are diesel-electric. So in 500 years, will the people of that time look at the 4449 and 261 as primitive machines, only fit for being recycled into raw materials? Or will they be enlightened enough to look at the old machines and think that people of the 1940's were people of strength, journeying across the country with only fire, water and guts?
