Hobby fatigue

[NXCALE]

 

7 hours ago, Welshbloke said:

 Against a media backdrop which seems to push the idea that anyone interested in trains is a socially maladjusted loner and probably autistic (which to the mass media is A Bad Thing). 

 

Hahaha... I agree. Media (movies, series, news, papers, etc) is teaching "if your neighbour likes trains, listens opera/classic music and reads books, he/she must have serious issues".

Two quick anecdotes:

1. I am reading a book in a park, an acquaintance passes by and meet me. He reacts negatively about the scenario (just the book, he doesn't care the information in it) and all the conversation is about "reading a book". I could have been checking my mobile, reading the same book (in PDF), watching stupid things or horrible things but all would have been fine cos' it would have been using my mobile. I don't care his opinion but what bother me it is the waste of time explaining my actions to (some) people.

2. Someone asked me yesterday (this is for real) "what are your hobbies"?... I kept few seconds in silence then I said whatever (I made up an answer). I don't see the point of having to explain myself like if I have to justify something or seeking approval. The conversation moved to another topic (i.e. work) and you carry on with your life.

 

3 hours ago, disturbman said:

Ideally, but things are never that easy. Nagging and constant criticism can always take its toll, even when we are inclined to disregard those negative opinions. We are still social animals and very few people can live in a vacuum where the only important metric is their own understanding of their intrinsic worth. And, usually, these are particularly horrible, absolutely selfish, persons to be around.

 

100%, even worse with social media when people are so thirsty for validation (i.e. likes, views, positive comments) and even get depressed if they don't get them.

Assess an opinion, if it is not worthy, just don't care. You do it once and you feel a bit of freedom, keep doing it and you will get better at it.  Like many things in life is all about practice (it is not white or black).

Going to the other extreme is clearly bad (black or white thinking), following your own decisions while respecting others (but not necessarily following them) is a way of seeing it.

[nah00]

58 minutes ago, NX: said:

 

Hahaha... I agree. Media (movies, series, news, papers, etc) is teaching "if your neighbour likes trains, listens opera/classic music and reads books, he/she must have serious issues".

 

Oh god I like trains, listen to Dvorak, and have a collection of military/aircraft/train books that rival a library, better lock up this menace to society before I do something like read quietly or take apart a locomotive for cleaning!

[Welshbloke]

I do notice that Japanese modellers seem a lot more active on platforms such as Instagram. I follow and use a few hashtags which must cause some consternation as to why there's a random bloke on the other side of the world playing with KoKis and a DD51, but the validation is there.

 

I almost wonder if it's a chicken and egg thing. Something like Tomytecs in British N wouldn't sell because there's no market...but at the same time how do we know that there isn't a new market which is being completely ignored by the current ranges?

 

Hornby are trying a very off the wall steampunk range this year, the problem is that it's a somewhat peculiar interpretation and falls straight into the unpopular "just glue some cogs to it" trap. I have a horrible feeling the range will struggle as a result, when it could have been a creditable attempt to sell model trains to people who wouldn't previously consider them.

 

In the astronomy world the big word is outreach. Encouraging people to go outside and look up, to come to a public event and look through a telescope and so on. As you might expect this tends to be fun with a fair bit of silliness as being serious and boring won't attract newbies. There's some backlash and harrumphing about "real astronomy" but, thing is, if you take that attitude the hobby dies. Getting more people interested increases support for dark skies areas and widens the potential market for telescopes, leading to better economies of scale and more innovation. There really is no downside. Even if you don't like people you'll benefit from lower gear prices and (hopefully) better lighting design which reduces light pollution.

[disturbman]

1 hour ago, NX: said:

I am reading a book in a park, an acquaintance passes by and meet me. He reacts negatively about the scenario (just the book, he doesn't care the information in it) and all the conversation is about "reading a book". I could have been checking my mobile, reading the same book (in PDF), watching stupid things or horrible things but all would have been fine cos' it would have been using my mobile.

😮 

Where do you live? Or who are these people?! I still see plenty of people reading books in public and semi-public spaces around Europe, either on the subway, on the plane, in cafés, bars, or parks. I never heard anyone complain or chastises somebody else for reading a book.

[gavino200]

On 1/24/2020 at 1:41 AM, chadbag said:

 

So, I have about 5 hobbies / past times that I pursue.  Usually not all at once, but I kind of cycle through them.  I am not exclusive to one, but there are generally one or two that get more attention while others languish, and after a while, which ones are the "one or two" change.

 

 

I couldn't agree more. Hobby rotation is the key to perennial enjoyment.

[cteno4]

Yes I’m the creepy guy down the street with model trains, walls of books (omg scifi and history) and a woodshop... creepo!

 

ive had so many agast at having a book with me,even more the iPad is upside down on the table and the book is open. I’ve noticed the now and then I have a book in a coffee shop I’m the only one, everyone else is on a mobile, but I’m the one getting a few funny looks with the book (maybe I just look funny) and a few times the joking comment from a stranger “look a real book!” Not meant in the positive.

 

ive turned the corner on the hobby question, I now proudly and enthusiastically start talking about my hobbies. Many are fine and respond well to the enthusiasm and those that are on the condescending track I can bury quickly with smiling questions back about what they do for hobbies and commenting on the great things hobbies bring me. It’s fun to watch the condescension turn into total embarrassment and at times total defeat when they start to realize they are actually the sad one missing out on a great part of life. Some of these if they seem like otherwise nice folks I will then try to genuinely encourage them about hobbies. The real haters I don’t mind them walking away feeling a bit left out, it’s their choice. I guess I’ve come to this after speaking to so many people at public events (non train shows) where most of audience are a cross section of society. Many genuinely already know the loss not having hobbies and really praise us for having one and being willing to share it. That makes up for the haters...

 

jeff

[NXCALE]

 

 

On 1/29/2020 at 1:15 AM, nah00 said:

As for 'making a railroad that runs like a real railroad' I had revelation with regard to that. A lot of these prototype police people DON'T have a railroad of their own and simply like to point the shortcomings of other layouts without having any skin in the game. I can criticize my own layout's shortcomings but I also went back and looked hard and thought 'what was the reason I did this' I generally came up with a good answer. Doesn't mean I still don't have issues with the club layout but I'll keep them to myself and maybe on the next iteration be more active in construction. If I wasn't there to help build it I guess I really can't complain. Also I think I'll be doing less shows this year, the enjoyment I get out of them is less than if I would invest that same amount of time working on my own layout. Plus since the club is 'owned' by the LHS I won't be using any more it's hard for me to shill for them at shows. Maybe I'll ask Hobbysearch or Model Train Plus to send me business cards to hand out.

 

I went to a small train show this weekend strictly as a guest and just listened to people talking. The amount of people that said 'well I have all these trains, I'm going to make a layout eventually' far outweighed the people who said 'this is just what I was looking for for my layout'. It goes back to what I said earlier, it seems like a lot of people (especially the older generation, once again no offense, I've also ran into my fair share of people my age who have even worse beliefs) are willing to criticize but get stuck in analysis paralysis and end up without even having a loop to run trains on. Regardless of what you may think of my layout or style at the end of the day I can run my trains and yes I can very much enjoy PLAYING with them. If I wanted to operate a railroad I would go work for Norfolk Southern.  

 

 

Taking action (a.k.a. building your layout) is the most important thing even if you mess things up.

Nowadays everyone believes (wrongly) they should have an opinion (even if they didn't do a thing before). I mentioned it before, check where that opinion/advice is coming from then you decide to follow that or not.

At the end, you will not regret your mistakes as much as the things you did not try.

 

13 hours ago, nah00 said:

I looked over my track plan the other day and did some thinking on it and it's not as bad as I felt it was. The problem I was having was that I was applying too much of what I know about North American railroads to Japanese railroads which is apples to oranges. The fundamental operating principles of the way they handle traffic are completely different just as British railways are different from how German railways run. There isn't a one size fits all design and ultimately my layout pretty much does what I want it to do. Can I make changes? Yes. Do I necessarily want to right now? No, not at this point. 

 

I agree 100%. Just putting this out there made me feel better and to know that other people had the same/similar experiences to me and helped me refocus on what I want to do in the hobby and not necessarily doing what I feel someone expects me to do in the hobby.

 

I think you don't need validation so I am just truly mentioning my case as an example. My layout is JPN style obviously, I perform operations and have a basic signalling following the UK signalling principles (which I modified by myself to fit my JPN layout). In the future, I am planning (actually dreaming) changing/modding all to Korean railroads and signalling (+10 years plan) so what...? so what...?

 

10 hours ago, nah00 said:

 

Oh god I like trains, listen to Dvorak, and have a collection of military/aircraft/train books that rival a library, better lock up this menace to society before I do something like read quietly or take apart a locomotive for cleaning!

 

Dangerous man....

 

9 hours ago, disturbman said:

😮 

Where do you live? Or who are these people?! I still see plenty of people reading books in public and semi-public spaces around Europe, either on the subway, on the plane, in cafés, bars, or parks. I never heard anyone complain or chastises somebody else for reading a book.

 

When you are walking and if someone ask, they would ask "where are you going?", they don't ask why you walk.

When you are eating, the question could be "what are you eating?"

When you are reading, "what are you reading"... not... are you reading a "book"? a paper book?

 

No one complains, I see many people reading around in my city but that sort of question coming from an apparently "mentally stable" person (25 years, working for some years) is just worrying...

The context was waiting for your partner to have dinner one Friday if your city is medium to big there are busy areas on Fridays. You arrived early and waited in a nearby park while readying a book. No one chastises no one but there are questions that were unthinkable only five years ago. 

 

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

Yes I’m the creepy guy down the street with model trains, walls of books (omg scifi and history) and a woodshop... creepo!

 

Hahaha... watch out this guy!

There are others that also like electronics and codding... sekai no owari… 

I know one guy that got into a bit of trouble only for codding in a plane... it was like four hours flight so he got bored and started codding cos' he didn't like movies.

Nowadays all we need to do the "standard" things to be "normal" and happy days for everyone.

 

2 hours ago, cteno4 said:

ive had so many agast at having a book with me,even more the iPad is upside down on the table and the book is open. I’ve noticed the now and then I have a book in a coffee shop I’m the only one, everyone else is on a mobile, but I’m the one getting a few funny looks with the book (maybe I just look funny) and a few times the joking comment from a stranger “look a real book!” Not meant in the positive.

 

So... additional information is indicating that something is going on... 

 

Cheers,

[Claude_Dreyfus]

11 hours ago, nah00 said:

 

Oh god I like trains, listen to Dvorak, and have a collection of military/aircraft/train books that rival a library, better lock up this menace to society before I do something like read quietly or take apart a locomotive for cleaning!

Funnily enough, Dvorak liked trains too!

 

This is quite a wide ranging topic, but from my perspective:

 

We all get jaded/bored with our hobbies from time to time. Sometimes it results in ditching it altogether, or taking a break. That's where other interests are critical. I have known a good many enthusiasts who are essentially obsessives...their hobby consumes their entire live; they talk of nothing else and usually have very set views on how things should be. Without a let out (music, sports, walking, whatever) a hobby can be more of a chore than the pleasure it is meant to be.

 

I have plenty of other interests beside railways; music, natural history, travel...and boating (we were given a rowing boat a couple of years ago and live within a minute's drive of a navigable river, which flows through a natural reserve! Perfect!). All of them have cross overs and help make the others more fulfilling. When interest wanes in one, there are others to keep you going.

 

Even within the hobby itself we have diverse interests. I still model Japanese N gauge, but at present am mainly focused on German H0. Hence the lack of Japanese layout at present!

 

In terms of perception, quite a lot has happened in the UK to help this. Well known personalities such as Rod Stewart, Roger Daltry, Jools Holland (although admittedly none are young) being enthusiasts and modellers has helped the cause, as did (ironically) the vandalism of the Market Deeping exhibition, which made international news, but showed how the community rallied together. Also, modelling has got more into the mainstream media. The BBC did a short series of modelling (The Joy of Model Railways), and of course the is the Great Model Railway Challenge. All these things have raised the profile of the hobby. 

 

Local hobby shops have gone the way of so many other small local shops. Bigger stores and the internet have killed them. I have a couple of shops nearby, Gaugemaster is 10 miles, and Kernow models (Guildford) is about 15. So I am quite lucky in that respect. That said the bulk of by purchases are from Germany and Japan, so I don't really use them!

 

Clubs aren't for everyone. At their best they are a great way to socialise, share ideas and to build something you could manage on your own. Their drawback can be tribalism, snobbery and strife! That's all part of life. I have enjoyed being part of my local club (20 years this year) and fell lucky that I have been part of a group which was sympathetic to my interests. We had a Japanese N gauge exhibition layout for a while, and now have a mixture of UK 00 and German H0, with all sorts in between. 

[railsquid]

2 hours ago, NX: said:

There are others that also like electronics and codding... sekai no owari… 

I know one guy that got into a bit of trouble only for codding in a plane... it was like four hours flight so he got bored and started codding cos' he didn't like movies.

Nowadays all we need to do the "standard" things to be "normal" and happy days for everyone.

 

 

Sounds bizarre, what kind of trouble??? I've done a lot of coding on planes and at airports over the years, excellent relative distraction-free environment.

[NXCALE]

34 minutes ago, railsquid said:

 

Sounds bizarre, what kind of trouble??? I've done a lot of coding on planes and at airports over the years, excellent relative distraction-free environment.

He said that he was told to stop as there was people "feeling" uneasy. Maybe a person typing then running screens with bunches of numbers made people feel uneasy, I dont know. I dont see his need to lay about it (but it could be) but he mentioned it once and never again.

 

I worked with excel files for hours on planes, nothing happened but I think everyone knows a excel files.

[JR 500系]

I am glad to be able to speak loudly in front of friends to say I have a hobby, and in fact they get pretty impressed when I mention hobby trains! Although I get the usual first impressions of being labelled as a 'geek' or a 'loner', they do feel otherwise when they know me better cause i'm not just all about hobby trains...   😛

 

Fact is, I am glad to have a hobby... without one, I feel life is pretty mundane for me... like work and rest and work and rest again so... Having a hobby sparks up life for me! (Although the Mrs. think otherwise)… 

[Martijn Meerts]

5 hours ago, NX: said:

Taking action (a.k.a. building your layout) is the most important thing even if you mess things up.

 

As the great and almighty Bob Ross once said, "we don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents"

 

Well, actually, he said it multiple times each episode, but still 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started watching his show again recently, I've been close to a burnout due to work (work has been notified about this), and watching Bob is just so calming.. And to think he used to be a drill sergeant in the army.

 

[cteno4]

Yep he was a Sargent in the Air Force so the guy always barking the orders to everyone and the person who must be obeyed... his personality the rest of his life he said was defined by this, wanting to be the calm, nice person not raising his voice and just smiling. Saw a great little doc on him a few years back. He is so soothing. Always enjoy watching him and use to be on a couple of hours late morning on pbs and I would put it on while working, very nice background thing to look at every 5 min or so to relax for 30 sec.

 

jeff

[marknewton]

That's the bloke who did the painting tutorials, yeah? I've seen a few of those, and learned a lot from them. He came across as someone who you really enjoy spending some time with.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

Spot on mark! I always thought it was wonderful he was just like you wanted to listen to him and relax! A very good egg.

 

i was just having dinner with an old friend who was an art director on many of my projects about Bob Ross and he said the same things, how great is it to be able to give that to the world.

 

jeff

[RogerMc]

Good time to start at the beginning ...

 

 

[NXCALE]

It is good that people share what helps them to manage stress and carry on with their job and other things (like our hobby).

 

When I feel sloppy at work, I watch Dan Pena's videos.

His stuff can be applied in many areas of everyone's life (not only for M&A).

Then I can work 10 or 12 hours in a day if I feel it like necessary (not obligated, not asked, just my own will/commitment)... push... push... push... and get things done.

 

 

Cheers,

[railsquid]

A 100 million trains? Will take a couple more years to reach that mark at the current rate.

[Melandir]

On 1/23/2020 at 11:20 PM, Socimi said:

It's the same problem anywhere around the world.

 

Here in Italy, for example, one of the main issues the model railway scene faces is stagnation: layouts are set either in steam-era Italy or 1950s West Germany, with anything other (period, location...) is almost unheard of, and of course, evrybody here seems to have an universal attraction, almost a fetish, for steam; i can't blame other modellers, but i'd also like that people would notice that even the right electric locomotive can be as attractive as a steam one.

Furthemore, people my age (i'm 20), but especially teenagers (when i joined JNSForum i was still one), who have the broadest interests (anything from the 1960s to the 2010s) and are the ones most likely to get into serious modelling are also not cared about by any manufacturer, as they will only point to the two "safe" markets: kids who only like high-speed trains (and as they do not require any kind of details at all, they're served with toy-like stuff) and older rivet-counter steam-era modellers, who are willing to pay 350+ € for a single steam locomotive.

 

Of course, as railway modelling transitioned from toys to serious stuff in the late 1980s, lots of customers were lost, and manufacturers began to be forced to sell their models to a vastly reduced group, overpricing the stuff (to maximise the small and uneasy profits) in the process, but they also started to make evrything as limited runs: not only locomotives or carriages but even the tracks! ("Hello! the left-hand switch sold-out 4 months ago is now in stock again!").

Most major model train shows (HME Novegro for example) are also not shows anymore, they became marketplaces, where people buy, sell, and trade stuff at astronomic prices.

 

This is why i also like Kato and Tomix, as in a sense, they're the last manufacturers with a "traditional" mindset: many trains for all at affordable prices, once a concept dear to most "national manufacturers" such as the french Jouef, spanish Electrotren, british Hornby and of course, my dear italian Lima.

Japanese N Gauge is great for those who want to get into modelling because they're compact (wich is a life-saver for those who live in small apartments), they have an astonishing variety of colours, kinds, operations, styles... (wich makes them very attractive) and they're also very cheap, while being of good/high quality, wich is an important point for those living on tight budges, especially considering the fact that an N-gauge Kato locomotive often costs less than a single H0-scale passenger coach.

In fact, european stuff is so overpriced that i've calculated that with the same 130€ spent on my first japanese order (wich included the Kato 4-car set E231-500, the V5 track set, 10x 808mm flexible tracks and a Toei Bus) i could have afforded only a single N-scale Fleischmann V100 locomotive (the cheapest on the catalog i had and the only one under 150€).

 

I consider myself lucky in a sense that i've joined quite a small club, they're quite open to novelties (my Japanese N-gauge was one) and nobody cares about strict, maniacal details (while enjoying realism, of course) but i've heard that larger clubs can be haunting.

 

(i dont remember who, but someone a while back posted a phrase that stuck in my head: "rivet counters like drill sargents")

 

The demise of phisical model shops is also an issue, not particularily for rolling stock or otherwhise, but mainly for basic modelling stuff such as tools or glue (something you should always be able to check before you buy it), and considering that the closest model shop (not just railways, any kind of models!) to my hometown (of 46'000 inhabitants) is 40Km away, ordering stuff online simply becomes too convenient (and often, it's the only way to get something).

 

Living in Italy too I can understand pretty well your description

[Sheffie]

Unrelated comment—sort of...

 

The other day, while looking through a “Railway Modeller” magazine from 1996, I saw a full-page ad for a store called simply “Rails”. The thing that grabbed my attention wasn’t the tiny printed list of model numbers and prices, but the address. I double checked, and, yes, it’s a match — the store known formerly as simply “Rails” is now Rails Of Sheffield Dot Com, a company I placed an online order with just the other week.

 

Things continue to change, but it’s also true that things survive. 

[roadstar_na6]

On 1/30/2020 at 8:53 PM, Welshbloke said:

I follow and use a few hashtags

Care to share those? My feed currently is flooded with japanese cars and I'd like to change that up a bit 😄

 

I've mentioned it in my introduction and somewhere else today but I might as well add my two cents here, too. My beginnings in model railroading started at my grandparents house where I got to play with my dad's and uncle's old Fleischmann H0 trains. Since that was always a great and fun thing to do for me my parents sent me to the local model club when they had a kid's activity day for our city's summer holiday activity programme. Everyone got to build his own small piece of landscape with a house on it with the help of some older members of the club and since I was so much into it my parents signed me up for the club. That was in 2005 iirc when I was 10 years old 😄 I think in 2006 I got my own starters set consisting of a DCC Märklin H0 V100 fire train and a basic layout. I got some tracks, a BR 140 and some more carriages for it and build something with what I had from time to time or used my stuff and our club's layout that was in the making by the young member's there. Some time after that stuff was mostly finished and other younger people carried on working on it I was asked if I wanted to step up and build an N-scale module for the club's big layout that was usually take to shows and stuff. I happily agreed and began working on it with a friend who was also active back then. I think that all must've been 2013. Construction of everything then came to a stop as the club had to move their "headquarters" to a new location which needed heavy renovations and at that time I also got my first cause of "hobby fatigue".

 

I have seen lots and lots of young (and old) people come and go in the club and while some of them were nice there were also some very annoying ones around which just came to talk down on everyone including the children while not even paying the full member's fee but just some conveying member's one. The reason of so much negativity and know-it-all-nes was another reason why I stepped down a bit.

Recently I've found back my love and interest for everything regarding trains and especially my Japanese stuff, which still causes some confusion and weird questions amongst both young and older members of the club but they're mostly just interested in what it is, where it's from and what it does. While it does get a bit tiring it's still a nice thing to tell people about it and give them a little insight on what I like about it.

 

Luckily the club is very chill about what runs on their layout which is based around western Germany (and Anhalterbahnhof Berlin) and allows me and others to run whatever one wants to run, no matter if it's a Glacier Express, American stuff or Japanese stuff. I suppose even B Trains would be allowed since they're taking a lot of seriousnes out of the whole topic with their cute looks. I really plan on getting one, also just to make some older folks at the club question my sanity 😄

The youth section in the club has now settled at around 5 to 10 kids aged 10 and up, but everyone there was when I started has left and only a few of the guys I worked with ~5 years ago are still there, but that usually always the case with hobbies where some move away while others stick.

In general I think the club now has around 30 actually active members who visit the club's building frequently and interact with their hobby.

In future times my goal with the club is to finish the module I started back in the day and then move on helping out with other stuff that's due to be made and learn new stuff to maybe one day start building own modules to attach to those already existing.

 

EDIT: Regarding discussing to non modeltrain people about the hobby also is something that usually leads to being laughed at or getting odd looks but in recent times I came to the conclusion that they probably don't even have an actual hobby and are bored so much by their life that they try to make it bad for others who get joy out of a hobby.

 

Anyways, here is a video of the layout, nothing much has changed from 2014, though. Maybe I can shoot some photos of it to share once it's completely assembled including the big head station sometime in the future. Mentioned station always was a favourite with us younger member's back in the day when the layout was brought to shows as it had a huge playing factor included with being operated manually. Even today I could spend hours just messing around with it, sending out and receiving trains to other parts of the layout and calling peoples via the phones installed for communication regarding train departures and arrivals 😄

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by roadstar_na6

[cteno4]

34 minutes ago, roadstar_na6 said:

EDIT: Regarding discussing to non modeltrain people about the hobby also is something that usually leads to being laughed at or getting odd looks but in recent times I came to the conclusion that they probably don't even have an actual hobby and are bored so much by their life that they try to make it bad for others who get joy out of a hobby.

this happens a lot here and I just politely stand tall and proud in the face of this kind of talk. Doing this makes makes half the folks very self aware right away that they were out of line and usually either slink away or turn around and get more positive and you can have a good conversation on hobbies. The other half that still keep thinking it’s odd at that point, I politely hold up the mirror to them questioning them in their hobbies and creative outlets. None survive this as anyone with a real hobby has never been negative towards me about model trains. Again many slink away once they look into the mirror and see they are being bitter and like you said lash out at others that are creating their own joy, but some do sort of get it and realize yes it’s not good to not have a hobby and may talk about how to get started in something. It’s this last group that is worth it to me not just ignoring this whole crowd of haters as I find standing tall and proud and staying polite helps me not get negative in these situations (and it’s one of the most prevalent negative things I have throw at me in public) or let other’s negativity get me down. Hobbies can give you a lot of self confidence as they usually require you to go out there and do something for yourself and make something you can be proud of.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Welshbloke]

We recently had a TV series in the UK titled "Great Model Railway Challenge" which has mixed responses.

 

It's good in that it's showing to people who haven't even looked at the hobby that it exists, and the breadth of possible interests it covers. It was a bit artificial though with a "scratchbuilding challenge" requiring teams to use utterly random objects provided by the judges. It does not work that way. Yes you can use some very unlikely things in a model but the starting point isn't "I shall use this old shoe heel" but "This cog from a broken shredder would make a great load with some wooden packing and something to secure it to the wagon". It moved away from creating a convincing miniature scene to stuffing things in which didn't really work, just to please the judges.

 

As for hashtags, there doesn't seem to be a simple way to copy and paste multiple ones. Try copying the Japanese characters for series (as seen on model train boxes, there's a topic on here somewhere you can copy them from) and searching for tags relating to train types you like. I have it set up to show me 153 and 165 Series content as well as the assorted KuMoNis and relations thereof, also 24/25 Series loco hauled passenger stock. The same trick also works on YouTube, searching in Japanese produces results while using English translations doesn't. You just seem to get Indian soap operas for some reason!

Edited February 25, 2020 by Welshbloke
Hashtags!

[cteno4]

8 hours ago, Welshbloke said:

We recently had a TV series in the UK titled "Great Model Railway Challenge" which has mixed responses.

 

It's good in that it's showing to people who haven't even looked at the hobby that it exists, and the breadth of possible interests it covers. It was a bit artificial though with a "scratchbuilding challenge" requiring teams to use utterly random objects provided by the judges. It does not work that way. Yes you can use some very unlikely things in a model but the starting point isn't "I shall use this old shoe heel" but "This cog from a broken shredder would make a great load with some wooden packing and something to secure it to the wagon". It moved away from creating a convincing miniature scene to stuffing things in which didn't really work, just to please the judges.

yes tv producers can take great content and really mangle it these days! I worked in a documentary film studios in the 90s and got to see the transition of the industry from focused on the content to one focused on personalities and conflict and competition. Sad. But at least there’s a model train show on! We have none here... we need the reincarnation of Bob Ross making layouts and structures on pbs!

 

this always inspires me on trains and just creative spirit. Gotta love the Eames, they knew how to have fun and transmit that thru the medium.

 

cheers

 

jeff

 

 

 

[Welshbloke]

I suspect any such programme would have to start from YouTube and manage to avoid coming across as just a bit too earnest and weird for its own good. Modelling the presenting style on Mighty Car Mods and their related channels wouldn't be the worst idea. Simple things like "Here's the old loco I picked up for pennies, let's give it a service and see what happens", with the idea being to help the regular questions regarding attic rediscoveries of childhood train sets. Never mind that this 1970s Hornby pannier tank has dimensional flaws and a big flathead screw in one side under the tank, we want to clean it and get it working again because it's fun.

 

I will be posting video reviews of the new Kato RhB stock and the re-released HO Hokutosei when they're delivered, did one of the Hakone Tozan RhB pack last year which seemed to go down well. Just opening the box and talking through the contents along with a quick running demonstration. Aiming at a similar audience to that Kato initially intended with the first Glacier Express sets, who think it looks cute and want to see one in action before they order.