"You Play with Trains?"

[Bernard]

I have to admit that this topic was in another forum but I thought members here would also have opinions on it too.

I remember this past summer my wife and I gave a party for family and friends and some of them knew about the train layout I was building and wanted to see it. I'm a little reserved about showing to people because I don't know what the reaction will be from people who don't participate in the hobby. To my surprise almost everyone was fasinated by the trains except for one family member who commented, "You have way to much time on your hands." All I could say was, "i can't wait till I go to bed tonight and come up with that snappy answer I don't have now."

[scott]

All I could say was, "i can't wait till I go to bed tonight and come up with that snappy answer I don't have now."

 

;D  Oh, boy, do I have that problem...

[Sushi Train]

People say to me "OH, you like trains" and i say "yeah but only Japanese trains"......that's when they look at me the strangest.  ::)

[marknewton]

one family member ... commented, "You have way to much time on your hands."

 

My snappy answer would have along the lines of, "And you have way too little brains".  ;D

 

Seriously, what do people like this think you ought to be doing instead? Sitting in front of the TV guzzling beer?

 

Don't worry what this person thinks, Bernard - we're impressed with what you're achieving, and that matters more, IMO.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[Bernard]

One gratification came Mark was my next door neighbors. We got into a conversation about our houses and I invited them in for a tour. To my surprise the one thing they heard about and want to see was the layout and that was the one room they didn't want to leave. ;)

[SubwayHypes]

yea my roomate sometimes says, "I cant believe im living with someone who has the ONLY model train layout in california!"

 

my mom supports the hobby she knows it relieves stress

 

 

i like to sit in front of the TV guzzling beer, but tonight i put in a good 2 hours into the layout!

[Martijn Meerts]

They're all just jealous because we've got an imagination and enough talent to put that to use ;)

[marknewton]

One gratification came Mark was my next door neighbors. We got into a conversation about our houses and I invited them in for a tour. To my surprise the one thing they heard about and want to see was the layout and that was the one room they didn't want to leave. ;)

 

Good on yer, Bernard!

 

If you wanted to wind your relative up, you might mention this, and ask them what they have in their house that would impress visitors as much as your layout does...  ;)

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[cteno4]

I would probably ask the chap if he spends all his time playing with his small (censored)...

 

Personally I say F#$%em. Hey i cant fathom watching sports, but i dont deny anyone that pleasure if thats what trips their triggers. more power to em. those that dont have the imagination or passion to find what they enjoy and revel in it or deny other finding their are just plain sad in my book and to be pitied or if obnoxious and in your face just ignored.

 

I figure anyone who would think odd of me for playing with trains is not worth caring about. they become someone whos opinion i no longer really care to bother with.

 

I too find most folks do react with a little puzzlement, but they come around when they hear about the club layout and what we do and when they come see it they really are impressed and intrigued by it. I then find many envious that i have a real hobby that expresses some creativity and i get a lot of enjoyment out of. It made me realize how few folks i know have a true hobby like this these days. a few may have a sport they play some, but usually its pretty casual. i think its a bit loss of our modern culture where we spend all our time running around working to make more money for more stuff (other than trains that is) half the time we dont need, but dont have the time to have a hobby to make us sit back relax and enjoy life some!

 

so be proud you have a passion, express your creativity, and have a real hobby that few others dont in this day in age!

 

cheers

 

F..em if they cant play with trains jeff

[alpineaustralia]

I guess the proof is in the pudding. Every model train exhibition I have been too is jam packed. I personally reckon a lot of people think it is a nifty hobby but dont want to be seen to be saying so.

[cteno4]

I mark it up to our modern culture which really does try to kill the child in us. to me nurturing that child is important and healthy to a good life and a balanced soul. with out it everything becomes serious (like it being bad to spend your time playing with trains) and the joy and fun in life go away.

 

it also is the heart of curiosity and creativity, both of which the US in particular has really lost a lot of in the last decade or two. design and art have really bottomed out and asking questions is seen as un-American. if you look at the world with a child's eyes, you get a whole new sense of wonderment, honesty, and direct and creative solutions to problems than with adult eyes. kids can find the points of value very quickly. they also will be brutally honest in pointing out where the problem lies that adults fear to touch on. their sense of wonder gives you the inspiration to want to save something or fix something as its something important for the future and gets you past just thinking in the here and now and bottom line all the time.

 

so i think letting that child in us play with some trains, or whatever, is a very good thing in life! sorry you can tell this is a passionate point for me!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Guest ___]

;D   Oh, boy, do I have that problem...

 

You know, now that I think about it, I've been modeling trains since 1982 and can't recall ever hearing that. Most of the time at most I'll hear people recant stories of their childhood Lionel or that their father had a layout they recall as a kid.

[Martijn Meerts]

if you look at the world with a child's eyes, you get a whole new sense of wonderment, honesty, and direct and creative solutions to problems than with adult eyes. kids can find the points of value very quickly. they also will be brutally honest in pointing out where the problem lies that adults fear to touch on. their sense of wonder gives you the inspiration to want to save something or fix something as its something important for the future and gets you past just thinking in the here and now and bottom line all the time.

 

 

This is exactly why I dislike so many model train related forums.

 

Seemingly, most people are afraid to criticize the work of others. I've been on a Marklin forum where there were people who posted pictures of their "layout", and it looked terrible. Of course they should be applauded for trying, but by only telling them "hey, that looks good", rather than point out what you think looks wrong and how he might make it look better, it makes things worse. Of course, if you DO criticize someone, you'll be called an elitist pig who thinks he knows everything better than the rest. People can't differentiate between constructive criticism and downright saying something sucks.

 

For the most part, it seems different on this forum. It feels more like a club in a way, with people wanting to help each other, rather than a bunch of people trying to show off how many trains they have ;) Constructive criticism is actually welcome here  ;D

[Bernard]

I think the greatest feeling is when you have an idea like a plan for a train layout and you actually do it. There are times I look at my layout and can't believe one of the dreams of mine came true. What I think people marvel at is the amount of time and creativity that goes into building a layout.

 

I look at some of the projects here by some of the members and I think of what a talented and creative bunch of people I have the pleasure to be associated with. For me this hobby is a wonderful learning experience, I now just try to forget the negative people and go on with what I enjoy doing.

[cteno4]

 

This is exactly why I dislike so many model train related forums.

 

Seemingly, most people are afraid to criticize the work of others. I've been on a Marklin forum where there were people who posted pictures of their "layout", and it looked terrible. Of course they should be applauded for trying, but by only telling them "hey, that looks good", rather than point out what you think looks wrong and how he might make it look better, it makes things worse. Of course, if you DO criticize someone, you'll be called an elitist pig who thinks he knows everything better than the rest. People can't differentiate between constructive criticism and downright saying something sucks.

 

For the most part, it seems different on this forum. It feels more like a club in a way, with people wanting to help each other, rather than a bunch of people trying to show off how many trains they have ;) Constructive criticism is actually welcome here  ;D

 

well its always hard to give the constructive criticism in a positive manner and even harder thru text like a forum. language and expression differences can really make a comment sound nasty or sting when it was not meant to at all. senses of humor are misunderstood all the times on the lists.

 

even harder is to nurture someone just starting out w/o making them feel like they failed. we all have probably gone through a number of layouts, each time picking up a few new techniques and such. so its a fine line to walk, but as you say just saying everything is great is not a help sometimes!

 

one of the reasons i push ttrak as an option for someone wanting to get into model trains. lets you work on one small piece at a time. if you screw up its small to fix. you can progress your skills module by module. you can try a new scenery technique on just a module to see if you like it or it works for you. also can start very small with a small loop with 8-10 modules for not much money that fits on a small table and can be stored easily. beginners sometimes start too big and loose momentum or get frustrated.

 

i agree this forum is becoming a great place to share ideas, techniques and such with good discussion. Especially nice to have a place to post more thoughtful concepts and start interesting threads.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[cteno4]

I think the greatest feeling is when you have an idea like a plan for a train layout and you actually do it. There are times I look at my layout and can't believe one of the dreams of mine came true. What I think people marvel at is the amount of time and creativity that goes into building a layout.

 

I look at some of the projects here by some of the members and I think of what a talented and creative bunch of people I have the pleasure to be associated with. For me this hobby is a wonderful learning experience, I now just try to forget the negative people and go on with what I enjoy doing.

 

I whole heartily agree! train modeling for me gives me a way to express and idea in my head in a really fun way. I do a lot of wood work and have done metal work as well and they are fun, but tend to have a more limited frame of expression. train modeling requires a lot of different little bits of creativity, imagination, ingenuity, and skills all mixed together. I especially like the idea of translating a scene in my head onto the scale layout. its not just painting the picture, but you have to do a whole translation of scale and view as its not just making a duplicate of the real thing, but something that looks good in scale and viewed from other than normal viewing angles (not much time is spent looking at our layout scenes from a the normal person eye view) as well.

 

Japanese modeling is even more fun as the bang for a buck in a scene is huge! the density you can do can actually be prototypical and sometimes hard to reach the prototypical density of stuff in a scene! Great challenge, but also room for huge variety. ttrak is espically fun for this as you can do a scene at a time, each being their own little jewel!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[scott]

Jeff, if you keep posting things I completely agree with, it's going to become unnecessary for me to actually post anything here.  ;)  :)

[cteno4]

LOL,

 

Guess we need to switch to politics, fashion, or colors, then perhaps we can disagree! guess we are birds of a feather!

 

ill try and shut up and let you post first and then i can just agree! Been around the computer a lot with little things so had little bits of time to pop in lately. thats going away for the next few weeks mostly!

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[scott]

LOL,

 

Guess we need to switch to politics, fashion, or colors, then perhaps we can disagree! guess we are birds of a feather!

 

Fortunately, I'm immune to fashion sense, so that should be a lot of ammunition for you right there.  :)

 

ill try and shut up and let you post first and then i can just agree!

 

No, please--I'm going to be tied up a lot for a while, so post away!

[Tenorikuma]

Seemingly, most people are afraid to criticize the work of others. I've been on a Marklin forum where there were people who posted pictures of their "layout", and it looked terrible.

 

That's why I enjoy reading military modelling forums. Those people are serious about modelling and about scenery, and if someone's trees or fake snow don't look perfect they'll say so (and offer suggestions on how to fix it).

[SubwayHypes]

^haha military modeling is serious.  i used to build lots of soldiers and aircraft back in the day always tried to make it as realistic as possible.

 

even with my layout, i want realism down to the last detail...i even cut out those tiny decals to place on stations, buildings, etc, most people dont even do that.

[disturbman]

one of the reasons i push ttrak as an option for someone wanting to get into model trains. lets you work on one small piece at a time. if you screw up its small to fix. you can progress your skills module by module. you can try a new scenery technique on just a module to see if you like it or it works for you. also can start very small with a small loop with 8-10 modules for not much money that fits on a small table and can be stored easily. beginners sometimes start too big and loose momentum or get frustrated.

 

That's also why I want to try.

 

And since you all said loads of intereting things that I can only agree with I will try to innovate by discussing about something slightly different.

 

I mark it up to our modern culture which really does try to kill the child in us.

 

Funnily enough, I think that our society is the first one allowing her components to nurture their inner child. The idea of child in its self as we know it is very recent und must not be older then a 100 years or so (maybe more now that we are in 2009).

[Guest ___]

^haha military modeling is serious.  i used to build lots of soldiers and aircraft back in the day always tried to make it as realistic as possible.

 

even with my layout, i want realism down to the last detail...i even cut out those tiny decals to place on stations, buildings, etc, most people dont even do that.

 

My best friend is a war gamer and he's the same way when it comes to dropping in the mini tanks for a war game. I remember I went up to his place to watch for a few hours on a Sunday night. It took three hours before anyone started to play becasue they were arguing about the date was two years before the tank one of them wanted to use for the game. The second delay was over the model's scale was wrong for the turret. Someone somehow concluded that the barrel of the tank was 2' scale feet too long or something. Spent half an hour watching three grown men hover all this 3" model with a pair of calipers arguing over the scale of the bloody thing,

[disturbman]

I don't know if I must laugh about it or instead being afraid.  :-X  ;D

[scott]

I don't know if I must laugh about it or instead being afraid.  :-X  ;D

 

Both would be appropriate.  :P