Are we approaching a goof-proof hobby?

[FiatFan]

With the highly detailed engines and rolling stock, the DPM, City Classics, Cornerstone, etc., buildings, nickel silver track that doesn't need to be cleaned as much as the brass, the easy methods for scenery, it seems to be hard to build a bad layout.

We owe a debt of gratitude to those who developed the ground foam technique, the ones who first started using craft paint, and I'm sure you can all think of other things that make our layouts look realistic without much effort.

Just a stray thought that got away.

I would be curious to hear your thoughts on this.

Tom

[stevechurch2222]

I got to agree with you Tom,these days with people's jobs and hectic family lives,it leaves a person with little time to put a kit together,the detailing on the engines and cars has gotten much better the last few years,a far cry from years gone bye,we are seeing more track coming with the roadbed and track ballasted more than before.

[abutt1]

I have to agree. This is very apparent to us guys who have been in the hobby many years. The hand making of scenery materials...the staining of sawdust, etc. are distant memories, and I for one am very thankful for all the new products and materials. The cast engines today are even superior to the pricey brass we had to buy if you wanted real detail, and they run better. All this and the hobby still allows all the individual traits of the operator/builders to come through...the artists, the engineers, etc. It's held my interest through thick and thin for over 50 years. And now the computers where we can share our hobby with men and women all over the world.

[Allegany2666]

Sorry to disagree with you both but that statement couldn't be farther from the truth.
Yes the quality RTR rolling stock today is excellent no question and some of the higher end locomotives have excellent detail and great running qualities, kits are still kits no matter who makes them and regardless of the materials they consist of. One thing is definitely true it appears to be easier today then it ever has but MANY things are still dependant one one's ability. I dont care if your putting together a DPM kit or a Fine Scale Miniatures Craftsmen Kit, If your all thumbs and have no patients or aren't familiar with good modeling techniques it's going to be painfully obvious to everyone who looks at your structures. As they say it's all in the prep work as well as all in the detail work. I have seem some really nice structure kits totally butchered. They look like a 10 year old built them but in reality they were built by a middle aged model railroader.

Lets move on to track work, sure it looks easy and simple but if one doesn't take his time and do it right you pay for it every single time you "TRY" and run your train's. I stress try because you will be doing nothing more then picking up trains and cars as they fall off the tracks or worse the floor and inventing new curse words as you do so. Track work is more then spiking down flex track with tiny nails. You need to keep it gaged constantly, you need to have good soldering ability, steady hands and a good eye or you have melted ties and blobs of solder on rail joints. You need to be part engineer (no not the one that drives the train) to effectively plan your track work and make it not only functional but believable. You just don't stick a siding in the middle of a main line and say Hey this looks like a good place for an industry. So you have your track work now laid out some what realistic and functional are you done, heck no now you have to ballast it. I have seem some horrid examples of ballasting that looked like the cat left a turd on the tracks where on my own layout. When I first got back into model railroading It had been over 33 years since I last played with trains, so I watch a video or two, skim over a book, talk to a few know it alls and buy the quintessential bottle of wood land scenics ballast and go to town. Well when I was done it looked like boulders on my track work, Oh and one thing I must have skipped over was you never glue ballast on a switch and still expect it to work.

Everything has scale in model railroading from ballast, to trees, to structures etc. even color and in fact water. Build all the structures exactly they way they are supposed to be built, buy a few thousand dollars worth of Kadee or intermountain cars or any other high end brand, drop your left nut on Locomotives like Proto Heritage 2000's Broadway Limited etc. and put it all together and have it running some what well and what do you have? You have a toy train set. Yes a toy not a model railroad. I feel as well as many others in the hobby do you need to "gray down" or weather and ENTIRE model railroad to make it believable. Not just weathering freight cars or engines but track work, structures, trees, ground covers, water, EVERYTHING. One of the keys of a successful modeler railroad is to fool the eye. If not only for a few seconds into believing hey this actually looks real. You can't achieve that when everything on your layout is shiny, clean and looks like new plastic. (Hey if your content with running your trians like that more power to you it's your railroad do what you want)
I happened to be friends with one of the hobby's premier model railroaders and his stuff is literally a work of art. It's a true expression of one's talents and vision. Now not knowing anyone here other then Mike "Eastern roads" personally and only going by photos posted here I would say we have several world class model railroaders amongst us. Their weathering and model building ability speaks for it's self. As they say the good one's always make it look easy.

Yes we as modle railroader's have many advantages now that were not around 20 or 30 years a go, even 10 years is a long time in the hobby now. Just look at the advantages microelectronics has given the hobby. DCC for one all the little electronic gizmo's like the mini arc welders flame, and reversing units, signal systems, traffic lights etc. The one thing all of these advantages have succeeded in doing is making the hobby look simpler and easier then it is.


I have seen this in my own chossen profession all these rality motorcycle or hot rod building shows make it all look so easy. A lot of people say hey thats not hard I can do that and have ether towed in or showed up at my door step with milk crates full of very expensive parts with that Help me I just lost my puppy dog look on their faces.

If there is anyone piece of advice I can give anyone who is planning on building a model railroad or who is just starting out. Try it on a very small scale first. Go buy a cheapy used dollar freight cars and practice weathering, read all the books u can get your hands on, do research, go see as many layouts as you can and ask the people who know what they are doing not the one's who say they know what they are doing. You can piss away a lot of money in this hobby on mistakes if your not careful

No matter what part of it your talking about it comes down to your own two hands and your own two eyes to make the illusion happen

[stevechurch2222]

Brian,that is so true aabout doing all the research you can do,and reading all the books you can get your hands on.Doing that will make you a better model railroader and save you a lot of money,by avoiding mistakes.

[RonP]

Losing the need to do it the hard is a tragedy as we are creatures of comfort and we usually take the easy route. This leaves us learning less how to do it the authentic or even redefining RTR to be perfect for our situation.

[CPrail]

I'm 50-50 on this one I agree with Fiat Fan and Allegeny, I agree that today the items we buy are lightyears ahead of what we used to have and I for one am glad that Track is better,Ground Foam is plentiful in all shades,colors and textures,DPM and Cornerstone offer great structers and the RTR Rolling stock now comes weathered and with Graffitti if you want,Metal wheels and nicer couplers,and the engines On board sound,able to run on DC or DCC all the hard wireing is done for us and painted and detailed to the 9's, all great stuff and makes it easier to model for all of us.
On the other Hand I agree if your benchwork is not done correctly,Cork not correctly laid to the centerline and track not tacked and correct Radii used on the corners all the goof proof stuff in the world will not make your layout operate and be enjoyable,matter of fact it will ruin all enjoyment of your layout and future of staying with this hobby ,so for me it's 50-50 buy the easy stuff but do the old tried and true hard to do stuff as well.

Mike.

[Allegany2666]

Mike I think you and Ron nailed it, One should always learn to walk before he runs especially on code 83 rail. I love a lot of the new stuff that is out there but I also like making my stuff my own. I weather my cars and building a little ebit different then you do so the same kit can look a lot different unique in a way. A little kit bashing here and there makes a stock out of the box kit completely unique.
I would hate to think that it's all part of a master marketing plan to get you to spend more money but sometimes we fall into the trap of wow that looks easy so it must be easy. Yeah well we all know how that works. I for one like playing with my airbrush I am by far not a great modeler but boy that airbrush hides a lot of sins and thank god for Woodland scenic bushes. I follow the HIWAB method of modeling. Hide It With A Bush

I guess Steve will find this all out when he starts construction of his MRR

[Eastern Roads]

Yeah, MRR goes and does the story on the guy from NYC who has a layout of the engine facility, and the pics of the proud owner, and all the fine locos and the rest of his stock up on the wall behind plexiglass. Great stuff.
BUT HE BOUGHT ALL OF IT. Now that's what I call goof proof. The only two questions to ask is "How Much?" and "What's my Warranty?".

[ak-milw]

HEAR, HEAR, Allegany!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I applaude you sir, I am glad to see there are a few more out there that think like me. I say if all you do is buy RTR cars and buildings and have them put on a layout by someone else the only hobby you have is SHOPPING!!