föstudagur, 24. október 2014
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"Ours is not to reason why, but instead to do �."
The type of thing one reflects on during really long commutes
Model railroading is many things, but one thing it's not is some sort of epic struggle for the hearts and minds of men. But you might think that's the case after reading some chat lists, blogs, and forums. Allow me to summarize:
"How much detail is enough for any one particular model on the layout?...Does every element have to be "hyper" detailed, or is "super detailed" sufficient?...If we're not approaching all this as true artists then we're just wasting time...Every project should somehow advance the state of the art�Oh, and while you're at it�.Get more kids involved in the hobby."
You'd think we were splitting the atom or creating the next Mona Lisa �.
"Ours is not to reason why, but instead to do �."
The type of thing one reflects on during really long commutes |
| It's been a long journey to get here - and the road has never been this wide open! |
"How much detail is enough for any one particular model on the layout?...Does every element have to be "hyper" detailed, or is "super detailed" sufficient?...If we're not approaching all this as true artists then we're just wasting time...Every project should somehow advance the state of the art�Oh, and while you're at it�.Get more kids involved in the hobby."
You'd think we were splitting the atom or creating the next Mona Lisa �.
I get the model-building aspect of model railroading, I really do. And I even enjoy the challenge of working a local freight or switching the yard during formal (or even informal) operating sessions.
But I am puzzled by those who believe we need to duplicate every nuance of the prototype, including work rules, with the same fidelity we once reserved for locomotives. The latest buzzword seems to capsulize this approach as "recreating jobs." Frankly, I'm not sure I fully understand it. And please, don't bother trying to explain it to me.
Of course, that's fine, if that's your game, but frankly I think there are many equally valid reasons for building a model railroad that have nothing to do with "recreating jobs."
But I am puzzled by those who believe we need to duplicate every nuance of the prototype, including work rules, with the same fidelity we once reserved for locomotives. The latest buzzword seems to capsulize this approach as "recreating jobs." Frankly, I'm not sure I fully understand it. And please, don't bother trying to explain it to me.
Of course, that's fine, if that's your game, but frankly I think there are many equally valid reasons for building a model railroad that have nothing to do with "recreating jobs."
My goal that drives the considerable investment in time, energy, and money I've made in this hobby is to recreate, in three dimensions, several key scenes and the equipment from my prototype. Every time I've gotten further away from that goal - even a little bit - I ended up spending (wasting?) resources.
There was a point where I was getting advice from some very seasoned modelers/operators to do things that simply didn't sit well with me - but even when the advice started to seem at odd with my goals and I could sense things were going astray, I kept with it - for a while. I did it since I figured this was my first large home layout and they'd built successful railroads - so they must know "truth."
This advice ranged from considering another prototype to model
- since that would offer more operating interest to the operating crew -
to focusing on a different era
- which is "easier" to get RTR equipment for than the one I chose -
to adding more infrastructure and additional trains
- to support a larger operating "crew" that may or not ever show up -
to the aforementioned focus on recreating jobs
- since that's what the "serious" modelers are doing �.
Notice a trend here?
All of this advice was well-meaning, but inherently wrong since it was predicated on what others thought I should be doing. And it was grounded in their goals and motivations, not mine. And the further down this path I went the less and less I liked my layout.
In the end I decided to make whatever changes were needed to create the layout I wanted. Getting from there to here has required lots of thinking, planning, demolition, rebuilding, and tweaking - most of which I've shared through this blog. Think of it as "layout design with plywood and plaster" instead of pencil and paper.
The process is starting to pay dividends. Although it certainly has not been "fun" I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and this post represents a turning point in that I've at last finished the last of the major "rebuild" efforts that started close to three years ago.
That means there will hopefully be a lot more countryside and less raw plywood and styrofoam in the coming months.
That means there will hopefully be a lot more countryside and less raw plywood and styrofoam in the coming months.
So, what's next?
There's a lot of prototype research I'd like to do, and a lot of modeling projects that have been on hold way too long while I've been screwing around building a layout designed to please a whole bunch of someones other than me.
As for everyone else? If they enjoy the layout enough to come look at it and/or operate it, that's fine. If they don't, well, that's okay too. I'm not building it for anyone but myself. For me it's not high art - nor is it an attempt to "recreate jobs." Frankly, it's something between a craft/art project and a giant game board. Really, it's my own time machine, giving me a window into the past colored with my point of view of what I think it was like "back then."
As for everyone else? If they enjoy the layout enough to come look at it and/or operate it, that's fine. If they don't, well, that's okay too. I'm not building it for anyone but myself. For me it's not high art - nor is it an attempt to "recreate jobs." Frankly, it's something between a craft/art project and a giant game board. Really, it's my own time machine, giving me a window into the past colored with my point of view of what I think it was like "back then."
And I'm at long last content with how things are shaping up.
It's taken me a LONG time to get to this point. - Marty
Told you it was a long commute �.
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