The very most important skill that is needed for all the skills you mentioned is Patience! Without that, you'll have a hard time learning any other skill and you'll just get frustrated and quit what is a real fun hobby. How many times have I seen this happen over the years? - Jason
@@possumbayou8238 that makes two of us. We rush so many times to get trains up and running and end up having to fix many minor mistakes because we were patient.
@@possumbayou8238 …tell me about it! One thing along with patience is to just WALK AWAY… I needed to learn how to walk away when I was getting frustrated or just trying to get ahead of myself and having too many things going on at once. … happy trains 🚂
Hi Jimmy, what I would like to see from you is to have your videos and tutorials categorised. For example all your Arduino ones could go in one playlist. I sometimes know I have seen a tutoria on a specific subject, for example your puff ball trees, but I have to wade through all the videos instead of just going to a "scenery" playlist. This would help a lot.
Lack of playlists is common to many channels and is something I find frustrating. But I can see how easily it happens. The creator starts out thinking they'll make a few videos and doesn't realize until much later they've created a pile of them.
@@jerrysmith1929 For sure and I hope that Jimmy will take this as constructive criticism. He is usually so organised that he probably never gave it a thought.
Having worked carpentry, masonry, landscaping, roofing, painting, etc....all those skills, I have, and they do translate to miniature. I missed out on electrical. Sure, I can run a wire from A to B with an on/off switch...beyond that, it's Greek! Same for computer stuff. As far as scenery goes...I'd recommend doing just small scenes to begin with. Could start on pre-cut plaques from a craft store (6x8, 8x10...whatever). Could be a "park" scene...sidewalk, grass, a couple trees...A building or two with a street...etc, just to hone your skills. When it comes time for a layout...start small, and incorporate everything you might want to do on a full size "forever" layout. I have plans for a moderate size HO layout...but started with a 2' x 4' N scale. Many things on it, I don't like...but I did learn a LOT from those mistakes! Lighting will be the next big step...pray for me!!!
I have gone through plastic models, RD planes and cars, and wood chips. Now I'm new to model trains and have to agree that this is, by far, the most complex and diverse hobby of all. I'm borrowing skills from all my previous ones and still have a lot more to learn. I just love it
A very interesting and informative video. I've been getting more seriously into model railroading over the past five years (I just got the space cleared in my basement today), and have been asking many, many questions along the way. I have also settled on a railroad and era I want to model (which seems to be a challenge for most beginning model railroaders), and have done research into what I incorporate into my layout beforehand to be certain it makes historical and logistical sense. By the by, I usually drink 1-2 cups of Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend coffee with no cream or sugar.
Just recently got back into model railroads, and I'm looking forward to upcoming videos from your channel. The garden railway was awesome, and I hope to learn a few more things. By the way, Folgers Black Silk... Black, no junk in it.
I was ready to toss in. The towel with model railroading due to issues with my locomotive stalling at the switches found a bubble in track road bed pulled entire layout and now using a soft sponge to glue road bed down no issues now
Considering that some N scale truck and trailers can go almost for $100, it makes sense to buy a 3-D printer! The only small intimidating thing after that is learning to airbrush, but hey, with model railroading, its always about the fun! 👍
Skills to have/ learn, patience, good eyesight, magnetic fingers, the ability to defy gravity when lying on your back trying to fit a small wire into a terminal in the dark, the ability to see in the dark. More patience. Self awareness of one’s own abilities in the given time, space, budget, . And last but not least advanced skills in Domestic negotiating 😊
Excellent video, now I know more about skills that I need to brush up on. For me 3d printing is something I know I would never be good at I don't have the wait time or the skills to get it going. But on the other side of things arduino I finally figured out thanks to youtube, and the projects you have done. Still drinking Nescafe. But green tea today.
On the wiring / electrical side of things, you can't go wrong learning about 120 / 240 volt AC electrical wiring and local building codes. While a simple transformer isn't much of an electrical load, when you start adding DCC command stations and boosters, power for lighting and signals and animations, and you could be getting close to overloading a circuit. Knowing how to calculate load could save you from blown fuses / circuit breakers at best, or the horrors of an electrical fire at worst. Remember, the majority of our layouts are composed of flammable materials (not to mention the boxes, books, and magazines that share the space!)
An interesting list, but I feel you're displaying some of your personal interests. There are many exceptional model railroaders who don't possess the higher tech skills you mention. Knowing about arduinos and coding can save you money by using DIY, however, very frequently there are off the shelf devices which can accomplish the same functions.
Most 3d printer manufacturers leave the buyer with weeks of adjusting, setup and tuning to do, and Anycubic, at least, seem to think the instructions to do so aren't their job. We'd be out of business in a week if I did that with office equipment. There are courses around to design things to print in Blender but not to set up and tune the printer? How do you smeg that up?! Moccona 9, small flat white.
Very good advice. Patience is a virtue when working on the layout and lack of.patience has cost me more money and time than anything. Another thing avoid using magic words around small.children. They will repeat said magic words ate the most inopportune time
Big dating of ourselves by knowing who Bob Villa is. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Coding is a great challenge for kids. The hardware isn't insanely expensive and it takes the code you make and puts it to use in real life. I learned how to photo etch my own circuit boards back in high school. Not sure if you have done a video on a good 3D printer. There are so many of them.
I love how Jimmy just says "learn Blender!" I kept track of how long it took me to become basically proficient at hard surface modeling with Blender, BoxCutter and HardOps.... 60 hours invested... about 15, 4-hour sessions across a month or so before I was able to begin modeling arbitrary objects accurately. It's no joke! Easily the most difficult software to learn that I've ever encountered. That being said, I'm incredibly glad I took the time to do so.
I've used Blender for ages to create drawings of mechanical parts and I'm trying to learn to create organic models on it. That 60 hours wouldn't even scratch the surface :) It is certainly a great help to know some type of CAD program even if it's a simpler one.
I've been trying to learn for a year now, on and off, like 60 unfinished projects that I don't know how to continue, and probably about 80 hours total and trying to understand blender
@@ausfoodgarden After doing "The Donut," which was a decent introduction, but all I really learned was how to make a donut, I purchased a Hard Surface Modeling course for about $35 and followed that course. It was about 12 hours of video content, if I recall correctly, which took about 40 of those 60 hours to get through. Definitely worth the small investment. At about 20 hours in, things began to click. By the end, I was ready to try modeling something on my own. For the first object I modeled, I had to go back to the video series a few times, but after that, I had learned enough to be able to model pretty much whatever I wanted. All of my need is hard surface, not organic... organic is its own animal.
As far as the electrical and electronics goes, being a former electronics tech and an active HAM radio operator really helps give a jumpstart on some of the knowledge and skills. Carpentry? HA! I have tried and tried but just suck at it lol.
A few tips that will help with pcb design in the future. Do not make 90 degree turns in traces. Signal traces should be roughly the same length when paired. Minimize their turns Use a ground plane. Don't etch the whole board, the more copper left on the pcb the better, make sure those flooded areas are all interconnected with ground. Look into a board mill. Many can be had for the price of a 3d printer. They won't help much if you need via's, but for single sided jobs doing it at home is about as easy as 3d printing.
Is there a way to save old models? I inherited my uncles collection of HO and as he got older his quality of building and painitng fell and fell, with quite a few models being assembled poorly or just falling apart. Mind most of these models are from mid nineties. I'm unsure if I should junk them or try save them somehow. He was planning an empire but never got around to finishing it
Think you covered the topic very well. Maybe covered glues that you use building a layout, from bench work to building models. In my case it was learning to use a multimeter. Thanks... Drinking Twining's Green Tea with a shot of honey in my Keurig Machine.
What can I do for a layout if I only have a enough ceiling space for me to stand straight up on my knees? (room isn't a huge issue, just vertical space)
Jimmy, thank you for this video. I think you covered it well. I do have one question about Arduino and model railroading--what is the best way to start learning Arduino (the 101 of Arduino) for someone who is not very familiar with it? This is one aspect of model railroading I am fascinated in learning more. Thanks again!
A good place to learn basics on arduino programming is Robojax, but there plenty of fine learning places on UA-cam. Just do a search and you'll find all kinds of videos. That's how I picked up the basic knowledge.
Jimmy, I think you underestimated the importance of painting. Painting scenery is certainly one area, but it is far less challenging than painting structures. A good paint job can make even a simple model look fantastic; on the other hand, a poor paint job can turn the best model into something you would prefer not to have on display. I'm sure we all fell for the "Realistically Molded in 4 Colors!" banner on the front of the box, and then discovered that this is not a substitute for painting. Learn to layer colors using washes, dry brushing, sponging, and regular brushing. Learn to mix colors - you'll hardly ever find the exact color you want straight out of the bottle. Learn which colors go well together and which colors do not - a $7 color wheel is a great investment. An airbrush is *not* required - just a steady hand, some patience, and a good supply of small brushes (e.g. Flex-i-File Ultra-Fine brush set). Learn the importance of priming and which primers you like best. On the other hand, I hope that your emphasis on coding and circuit design does not discourage anyone. I agree that these are valuable skills, and I appreciate that you are working hard to bring old codgers like me into the 21st century; but I would be willing to bet that 95% of modelers will never feel the need to provide automation or animation to their layout. (I still control all my Tortoise machines with a DPDT switch. I could shift to Arduino-based control, but I keep getting stuck on the problem of "power on position" - I prefer to have my turnouts remain in their last position.) Ditto the 3D printing: looking at some UA-cam videos, you'd think that it is not possible to create excellent models without owning a laser cutter and a 3D printer. Model railroading is expensive enough as it is; newcomers to the hobby should not feel that they need to acquire and master such expensive tools. Thingaverse plus Shapeways is a fine way for any modeler to enter the world of 3D printing without a lot of investment and without a steep learning curve. Sorry if this sounds overly critical - I guess I'm feeling preachy today!
Watched this then saw another video where a modeler built his 'layout' to deliver his coffee from his kitchen to his office. Not exactly a workably useful layout. Where's your coffee machine located Jimmy?
The very most important skill that is needed for all the skills you mentioned is Patience! Without that, you'll have a hard time learning any other skill and you'll just get frustrated and quit what is a real fun hobby. How many times have I seen this happen over the years? - Jason
Yup, patience, also known as procrastination.....😀
@@andycrawford9870 yeah that too....😂
Definitely. I have wasted more money because of that than anything
@@possumbayou8238 that makes two of us. We rush so many times to get trains up and running and end up having to fix many minor mistakes because we were patient.
@@possumbayou8238 …tell me about it! One thing along with patience is to just WALK AWAY… I needed to learn how to walk away when I was getting frustrated or just trying to get ahead of myself and having too many things going on at once. … happy trains 🚂
Hi Jimmy, what I would like to see from you is to have your videos and tutorials categorised. For example all your Arduino ones could go in one playlist. I sometimes know I have seen a tutoria on a specific subject, for example your puff ball trees, but I have to wade through all the videos instead of just going to a "scenery" playlist. This would help a lot.
I completely agree
Lack of playlists is common to many channels and is something I find frustrating. But I can see how easily it happens. The creator starts out thinking they'll make a few videos and doesn't realize until much later they've created a pile of them.
@@jerrysmith1929 For sure and I hope that Jimmy will take this as constructive criticism. He is usually so organised that he probably never gave it a thought.
When I was in high school, I was reading a ton of model railroad magazines. I learned to read very well thanks to trains!
Having worked carpentry, masonry, landscaping, roofing, painting, etc....all those skills, I have, and they do translate to miniature. I missed out on electrical. Sure, I can run a wire from A to B with an on/off switch...beyond that, it's Greek! Same for computer stuff.
As far as scenery goes...I'd recommend doing just small scenes to begin with. Could start on pre-cut plaques from a craft store (6x8, 8x10...whatever). Could be a "park" scene...sidewalk, grass, a couple trees...A building or two with a street...etc, just to hone your skills. When it comes time for a layout...start small, and incorporate everything you might want to do on a full size "forever" layout. I have plans for a moderate size HO layout...but started with a 2' x 4' N scale. Many things on it, I don't like...but I did learn a LOT from those mistakes!
Lighting will be the next big step...pray for me!!!
I have gone through plastic models, RD planes and cars, and wood chips. Now I'm new to model trains and have to agree that this is, by far, the most complex and diverse hobby of all. I'm borrowing skills from all my previous ones and still have a lot more to learn. I just love it
A very interesting and informative video. I've been getting more seriously into model railroading over the past five years (I just got the space cleared in my basement today), and have been asking many, many questions along the way. I have also settled on a railroad and era I want to model (which seems to be a challenge for most beginning model railroaders), and have done research into what I incorporate into my layout beforehand to be certain it makes historical and logistical sense. By the by, I usually drink 1-2 cups of Dunkin' Donuts Original Blend coffee with no cream or sugar.
Jimmy, I am drinking Starbucks Sumatra brew out of my Nespresso brewer. I love your videos about information and your arduino sketches.
Just recently got back into model railroads, and I'm looking forward to upcoming videos from your channel. The garden railway was awesome, and I hope to learn a few more things. By the way, Folgers Black Silk... Black, no junk in it.
I was ready to toss in. The towel with model railroading due to issues with my locomotive stalling at the switches found a bubble in track road bed pulled entire layout and now using a soft sponge to glue road bed down no issues now
Considering that some N scale truck and trailers can go almost for $100, it makes sense to buy a 3-D printer! The only small intimidating thing after that is learning to airbrush, but hey, with model railroading, its always about the fun! 👍
Skills to have/ learn, patience, good eyesight, magnetic fingers, the ability to defy gravity when lying on your back trying to fit a small wire into a terminal in the dark, the ability to see in the dark. More patience. Self awareness of one’s own abilities in the given time, space, budget, . And last but not least advanced skills in Domestic negotiating 😊
Excellent video, now I know more about skills that I need to brush up on. For me 3d printing is something I know I would never be good at I don't have the wait time or the skills to get it going. But on the other side of things arduino I finally figured out thanks to youtube, and the projects you have done. Still drinking Nescafe. But green tea today.
On the wiring / electrical side of things, you can't go wrong learning about 120 / 240 volt AC electrical wiring and local building codes.
While a simple transformer isn't much of an electrical load, when you start adding DCC command stations and boosters, power for lighting and signals and animations, and you could be getting close to overloading a circuit. Knowing how to calculate load could save you from blown fuses / circuit breakers at best, or the horrors of an electrical fire at worst. Remember, the majority of our layouts are composed of flammable materials (not to mention the boxes, books, and magazines that share the space!)
Great list! I think though for scenery you do have to acquire an eye for composition and proper colours - using reference photos can help with that.
Jimmy excellent video biggest thing is need a lot of patience with this hobby just my opinion
An interesting list, but I feel you're displaying some of your personal interests. There are many exceptional model railroaders who don't possess the higher tech skills you mention. Knowing about arduinos and coding can save you money by using DIY, however, very frequently there are off the shelf devices which can accomplish the same functions.
Track laying, smooth running trains start with smooth track laying, and just don't get in a rush, take your time and enjoy the adventure.
Most 3d printer manufacturers leave the buyer with weeks of adjusting, setup and tuning to do, and Anycubic, at least, seem to think the instructions to do so aren't their job. We'd be out of business in a week if I did that with office equipment. There are courses around to design things to print in Blender but not to set up and tune the printer? How do you smeg that up?!
Moccona 9, small flat white.
Photography and video editing are some more. its a hobby that encompasses so much.
Very good advice. Patience is a virtue when working on the layout and lack of.patience has cost me more money and time than anything. Another thing avoid using magic words around small.children. They will repeat said magic words ate the most inopportune time
Big dating of ourselves by knowing who Bob Villa is. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Coding is a great challenge for kids. The hardware isn't insanely expensive and it takes the code you make and puts it to use in real life.
I learned how to photo etch my own circuit boards back in high school.
Not sure if you have done a video on a good 3D printer. There are so many of them.
I love how Jimmy just says "learn Blender!" I kept track of how long it took me to become basically proficient at hard surface modeling with Blender, BoxCutter and HardOps.... 60 hours invested... about 15, 4-hour sessions across a month or so before I was able to begin modeling arbitrary objects accurately. It's no joke! Easily the most difficult software to learn that I've ever encountered. That being said, I'm incredibly glad I took the time to do so.
I've used Blender for ages to create drawings of mechanical parts and I'm trying to learn to create organic models on it.
That 60 hours wouldn't even scratch the surface :)
It is certainly a great help to know some type of CAD program even if it's a simpler one.
I've been trying to learn for a year now, on and off, like 60 unfinished projects that I don't know how to continue, and probably about 80 hours total and trying to understand blender
@@ausfoodgarden After doing "The Donut," which was a decent introduction, but all I really learned was how to make a donut, I purchased a Hard Surface Modeling course for about $35 and followed that course. It was about 12 hours of video content, if I recall correctly, which took about 40 of those 60 hours to get through. Definitely worth the small investment. At about 20 hours in, things began to click. By the end, I was ready to try modeling something on my own. For the first object I modeled, I had to go back to the video series a few times, but after that, I had learned enough to be able to model pretty much whatever I wanted. All of my need is hard surface, not organic... organic is its own animal.
As far as the electrical and electronics goes, being a former electronics tech and an active HAM radio operator really helps give a jumpstart on some of the knowledge and skills. Carpentry? HA! I have tried and tried but just suck at it lol.
A few tips that will help with pcb design in the future.
Do not make 90 degree turns in traces.
Signal traces should be roughly the same length when paired. Minimize their turns
Use a ground plane. Don't etch the whole board, the more copper left on the pcb the better, make sure those flooded areas are all interconnected with ground.
Look into a board mill. Many can be had for the price of a 3d printer. They won't help much if you need via's, but for single sided jobs doing it at home is about as easy as 3d printing.
Is there a way to save old models? I inherited my uncles collection of HO and as he got older his quality of building and painitng fell and fell, with quite a few models being assembled poorly or just falling apart. Mind most of these models are from mid nineties. I'm unsure if I should junk them or try save them somehow. He was planning an empire but never got around to finishing it
Morning Jimmy having a cup of Folgers this morning.
Think you covered the topic very well. Maybe covered glues that you use building a layout, from bench work to building models. In my case it was learning to use a multimeter. Thanks...
Drinking Twining's Green Tea with a shot of honey in my Keurig Machine.
Oh yeah, a multimeter, I have 2 of those and still don't know how to use them.
@@andycrawford9870 I have watched Tube guys that have info on the how to. But still not there yet.
What can I do for a layout if I only have a enough ceiling space for me to stand straight up on my knees? (room isn't a huge issue, just vertical space)
Saw a layout in a crawlspace where the owner used a chair on wheels to move around. Would that work?
Can you tell us what program you use to design your circuit boards?
Great video! Plus a lot of this may be learn as you go so PLEASE do NOT beat yourself up over this. Maybe consider a fire extinguisher …
I believe another important skill needed is art. There's a lot of art involved in model railroading. Today I'm drinking hot chocolate with Cool Whip
Jimmy, thank you for this video. I think you covered it well. I do have one question about Arduino and model railroading--what is the best way to start learning Arduino (the 101 of Arduino) for someone who is not very familiar with it? This is one aspect of model railroading I am fascinated in learning more. Thanks again!
A good place to learn basics on arduino programming is Robojax, but there plenty of fine learning places on UA-cam. Just do a search and you'll find all kinds of videos. That's how I picked up the basic knowledge.
@@edwardaudet8367 thank you for information! I will check it out.
Hey Jimmy, I'm just letting you know that I have emailed you about some questions from your tutorial videos.
Great info, thanks.
Very informative, thank you
Just so you know Lowe's has a battery operated sottering iron that uses a Craftsman drill battery check it out ! It's legit 👌
Jimmy, I think you underestimated the importance of painting. Painting scenery is certainly one area, but it is far less challenging than painting structures. A good paint job can make even a simple model look fantastic; on the other hand, a poor paint job can turn the best model into something you would prefer not to have on display. I'm sure we all fell for the "Realistically Molded in 4 Colors!" banner on the front of the box, and then discovered that this is not a substitute for painting. Learn to layer colors using washes, dry brushing, sponging, and regular brushing. Learn to mix colors - you'll hardly ever find the exact color you want straight out of the bottle. Learn which colors go well together and which colors do not - a $7 color wheel is a great investment. An airbrush is *not* required - just a steady hand, some patience, and a good supply of small brushes (e.g. Flex-i-File Ultra-Fine brush set). Learn the importance of priming and which primers you like best.
On the other hand, I hope that your emphasis on coding and circuit design does not discourage anyone. I agree that these are valuable skills, and I appreciate that you are working hard to bring old codgers like me into the 21st century; but I would be willing to bet that 95% of modelers will never feel the need to provide automation or animation to their layout. (I still control all my Tortoise machines with a DPDT switch. I could shift to Arduino-based control, but I keep getting stuck on the problem of "power on position" - I prefer to have my turnouts remain in their last position.)
Ditto the 3D printing: looking at some UA-cam videos, you'd think that it is not possible to create excellent models without owning a laser cutter and a 3D printer. Model railroading is expensive enough as it is; newcomers to the hobby should not feel that they need to acquire and master such expensive tools. Thingaverse plus Shapeways is a fine way for any modeler to enter the world of 3D printing without a lot of investment and without a steep learning curve.
Sorry if this sounds overly critical - I guess I'm feeling preachy today!
My best thing I’ve ever done is watched a documentary on Disney and how they force perspective.
good vid on channl thanks lee
To my mind the most important skills are a good hand, a good eye and patience, the rest you can learn.
Drinking Black Rifle Coffee Company vanilla flavored.
Watched this then saw another video where a modeler built his 'layout' to deliver his coffee from his kitchen to his office. Not exactly a workably useful layout. Where's your coffee machine located Jimmy?
Patients
The first skill to have model RR'n is your good at your job/business. You're gonna need some funds🤣🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲🚃🚃🚃💰