5 Things I don't like about Model Railroading
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
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So I love model railroading. It's so much fun to me and there are so many things that I like about it, but there are some things I don't like about model railroading. I know that's strange to hear, but if our hobby is going to continue to grow we have to acknowledge some of it's faults.
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I hated when my HO traincrews went on strike and I had to buy HO Pinkerton men to break it and get things moving.
Damned Pinkerton Scabs !!
That there's funny.
😀😀😀
1) Cost - especially when the fun account isn’t doing so hot.
2) Wiring
3) Finding locos in the needed roadname/paint scheme
^^^ my exact list 100%
This is too true
Exactly. Trying to find some road names can be difficult.
Setting all that aside 30 years back I eschewed drugs and alcohol for the hobby. No regrets, why? The Hobby kept me from getting in trouble,#2 money was better spent on something you have something to show for,#3 the resale value of what you accumulate over the years , and finally the health cost from not using.
My number 1 is 'Rivet Counters' or those amongst who take it all just a bit to seriously.I run on my layout a right old mixture,but it is my layout and i can do what i like.
Completely agree. Such people are pretty pathetic. I have an N scale layout using German locos, stock and scenery. But i do include some British trains because... i like them))
wellardme , me too, whenever challenged I invent an alternative history on the spot 😅
@@abbofun9022 If model railroading is an art then all those people are telling you how to do your art.
Fred Flintstone , agree, but I always try to make fun of their seriousness, usually we all end up having a laugh.
@@wellardme Nothing wrong with that,as long as it makes you happy who cares :)
I could care less about what era and or cars I run , I buy and run what makes me happy,
as for the rest of the list, they all apply to me, however I just can't and will not give up.
I feel the same way Buzz and will run anything I like at any time from the early 1900's to modern day
I am scratch building wooden cars. I find it's neat to run your own types of cars
Yup Its YOUR little dream world :)
I agree. Even though I tend to stick to the 80's and 90's, i still run what I like.
@@cmulder002 true with my little dream world. I started making my own rolling stock. When I quit smoking. One needs a change from bridge building. I do more scratch building then running trains.
I have a garden railroad, and I just built whatever my mind wanted. Model railroading is to let the steam out. No pun intended. And to let your creativity flow.
One thing I like in Europe, is that time is divided into epochs. This helps both in discussion and also when buying (or gifting) rolling stock.
As an HO builder, I HATE Walthers. They are single handedly killing the hobby. No more small manufacturers or sellers, they have absorbed all of the competition and for better or worse controlling the future of the hobby. $35 for a brown boxcar! I will continue to attend train shows and stalk ebay for second hand rolling stock / engines. They base all products on “pre-orders” and refuse to make anything that isn’t Prr, Santa Fe, or UP! Why can’t anyone make & distribute a simple kit for basic rolling stock (ie: old blue box Athearn)? The rtr expensive nature of new releases will absolutely kill this hobby for the next generation. I remember saving my allowance to buy a $3 car kit or $15 engine. Now it will cost you $35 & $100 for decent models. Glad I kept my trains growing up, if I had to start from scratch I don’t think I would be into model railroading 😢
Shamis McSwigins .......this is very true. Agree with everything you said
I totally concur!! I despise walthers...............
But i like Walthers now . Mainline is my favorite price & value
That $100 engine today is far superior in detail, quality, and features.
Also, a $15 engine back when??
The 1960s? That was going to be some bargain-bin AHM or Tyco piece of junk.
I'm not going to say that a $100 Bachmann sound value model is top of the line, but for what you get? It's pretty darn good!
A note: adjust that $15 model you mentioned for inflation to today's money.
Now tell me, for the remaining difference between that and $100... which model is the better value?
Just found this gentlemen and subscribed. I'm 67 and am building my first layout a 4x16 with no particular railroad in mind. I don't care what cars ran on what line ,I know what I like and built It to please me. I have a fever for model railroading and can't acquire enough locomotives and rolling stock.
I find it best to not attempt to do this on the cheap get better cars have a better time. I'm 8,300 into it and wanting to expand the layout already. I started on Feb 20th finished May 20th. I love this hobby!
How in the heck do you fit 8K worth of equipment on a 4 x 16 foot layout? Do you only by brass rolling stock? Do you have a mainframe computer controlling your signals? You did not say what scale it was, are the trains rideable?
@@lancomedic hello, its HO I purchased 35 locomotives and 220 rolling stock 79 structures over 500 feet of ez track plus all the accessories figures, cars,trucks lighting systems etc.
Yes I over purchased but I have everything I need to double the layout size. Fred I sold a classic Jaguar to pay for it all.
#3 is a big issue for me. I just figured out how to get a loop to fit on my table, but then I have no where to work on anything.
#5, I understand why people like to run prototypical consists, but I just like running what makes me happy. Plus, I do not model in any specific era and have rolling stock from all over the place, so nothing matches anyway :)
Thanks for starting this conversation.
Spot on on all 5 counts. Thanks for being real. I just recently found you on you tube and I enjoy what your putting out there. Just me taking the time to comment says a boat load. Thanks again.
#1) Cost. Model Railroading isn't cheap lol
Everyone knows that
I agree don't know what it's like in the U.S but here in the U.K. I wonder how we're gonna get kids into this hobby when a single passenger coach can cost 50 quid (about 70 dollars)
I think part of the issue with the cost, is that modelers have become lazy. Is it really modelling to spend a ton of money on something already built, then just to take it out of the box and run it? People would much rather just spend the money to get someone else (the manufacturer) to do the modelling for them, rather than take the time to detail and weight rolling stock and locos themselves. As a result the market is not suited to allow new people to enter. The best way to do it is to buy cheaper rolling stock, then detail it your self... It's not hard to do a coat of paint on a box car, or to make up some brass handrails for a loco...
@@Billy_The_Dog yes, you realize it would propably be annoying to spend hours on a couple of cars if isntead you could be building a building or something. I get the point, but, i like it more this way. You can buy allready built rolling stock or a locomotive, but if you want to you can also make them yourself
Train World Walthers cars. & LOCOMOTIVES are a great affordable value in HO
I will make this quick. IT'S QUITE EXPENSIVE. 🐢🚂🐢🚂🐢🚂🇺🇸
Eh, you think MRR is expensive, go poke RC aircraft for a bit. That $250 EDF jet is going to have such a voracious appetite for mAh that you're gonna end up spending more on batteries for it than you did on the plane itself if you wanna fly it for more than a few minutes every hour when you head to the field...and if you sidestep that with glow, hah, fuel's 30 bucks a gallon. Gasoline fuelled? Engines are bigger, means planes are bigger. Fuel costs 4 bucks a gallon now but your engines cost 350+ a piece and the airframes cost a grand each.
Love me the smell of half-burnt castor on the air but it ain't cheap to play. Electric or otherwise.
Ughhhhhh.......... I KNEW SOMEONE WOULD SAY THIS!!!!! IT'S TRUE BUT IT ANOYS ME
@Anthony Shepard: Point taken, for a lot of modellers it is about shopping around. In the UK we can buy second hand from swap-meets and model railway exhibitions and they will test them for you to verify that they work. If you're fortunate you can pick up something that is 10% of the new price it might not have the same high-detail; however if you don't mind putting a bit of work in it can look as good as new. In some cases it is better than the brand new super-detail 'collector-only' models where the hand rail drops off due to the manufacturer not fixing it correctly which of late seems to be happening with more frequency these days.
Giggles in 1/14 semis
A lot planned Jimmy, Great!
Especially looking forward to the real steam project if it happens this summer.
Thank you for all your informative videos this year.
A blessed and Happy New Year to you and your family!
Phillip,
Long Island, New York
I wish I could build a huge layout, but my wife would move out. That might be a good thing, just kidding.
I built my N scale layout about 23 years ago, it was a layout in a atlas track book, it told you how to build it. At the time I built it the layout with all the turnouts and atlas track cost my about 350.00. Today the same layout would run over 1000 bucks. I priced it out recently on the atlas site.
Anyway my layout is fictional and runs some where on the east coast as a short line and tourist trap. The SP & CE R.R..
Mostly I like to see them run, and my engineers are my grandsons. When I first built the layout, I would get together with other model railroader an they would run the layout, but there all gone now moved or passed on to greener pastures.
My biggest thing I recently did to the layout was to add more grounds to the common rail side, so I could cut the common rail into blocks for my change over to DCC.
I built 2 DCC++ units with different motor shields, and I also sprung for a pi-sprog one. I don't use all of them at the sane time, my youngest grandson is interested in building a small layout to squirrel away under his bed, and grabbing some of grandpa's train. So we are ready and looking for a good layout to build.
So for me trains have always been a hobby that lets me build electronics gear projects like power supplies in DC and lately DCC stuff. Yes I hate trying to get the track ballast to perfection.
So happy railroading.
No matter what you like...
I can’t deny your list, I did find it enjoyable. Thanks for keeping the content coming.
Your buildings are coming out great! Hope to see more of these in the future.
Talking about matching the locomotive with the correct rolling stock, I run my EMD E5A locomotive with Japanese freight cars. Starting with the hobby, I went with the stuff that was lower-priced and was easily available.
That sounds really cool
I've run trains consisting of mixed German and Danish stock pulled by a Japanese locomotive because that's just what I happened to have lol
Great video, thanks for sharing. Glad I found your channel.
My first video of yours, and I love your vibe. Newly returned to the hobby after 15 years away. I can't wait to get going. Thank you, in particular, for adressing the intimidation factor, because it. is. real, lol.
You really got me going when you did the Arduino signaling sessions. I built mine in modules to minimize under layout work. It wasn’t enough and I bought an electric winch at Harbor Freight so I could raise the layout up to my 10 ft garage ceiling and recover garage space. Side benefit was that I can lower it partway and stand under it to work on wiring. Your sessions have helped me greatly. Thanks!
The ballasting, CAN'T AGREE MORE! Good to hear your opinion. Buildings are coming along wonderfully. Keep up the good work.
Building my layout as I want it. Loosely 1950 - late 60s . Allows me to have steam and diesels
I wanna model from 1940 to 1980 because I like early Amtrak and Steam engines
@Morgan F Bilbo while I like realism, I like both modern diesels and steam.
@Morgan F Bilbo but I might compromise. My primary era will probably be 1945-1960. But I’ll still run modern equipment like Amtrak,GEVOS and SD70s
I approached this video a bit apprehensively, but agree with your points, especially moving on with the fun!
The answer to most of these is = Model a Shortline. One locomotive and 5 items of rolling stock, a loop with a single siding, no money, no time and space. A Shortline answers all these. It gets you started as well. No room for a loop of track, make an Inglenook shunting puzzle. There is a UK chap called Budget Model Railways that offers huge amounts of advice on getting started with cheap second hand bits so it need not cost much or take up much room.
Here's a tip, start small . finish it and build another section .
N or ho scale costs $300 to 500 for a 2×4 or 4x8 table complete with track buildings and scenery . that's with a basic train set to start . acc is very expensive .
I've had German-prototype N scale trains since 1967 when European stuff was pretty much all that was available in N. The thing that bugged me then and bugs me now is how everything you need is on "back order" from either Walthers or any European manufacturer. I go to train stores in different towns and they all say, "We can order that for you." Yeah, they can put it on back order.
I was in Germany last summer and hit every train store in Munich, Aachen, Dresden and Berlin. I thought, wow, I can buy everything I need!" And there are amazing train stores over there, Berlin has at least eight of them. Nope, that one Kibri kit, no one had it and they all said it's on back order and I already ordered it from my local store here in Toronto. 2 years ago and I still haven't seen it so now I have an undeveloped area on my layout. I enjoy every aspect of model trains except trying to buy something that's in a manufacturer's current catalog, but sorry, it's on back order.
I can agree with all but number one. I’m an equipment mechanic so I am used to being into tight spaces. And that’s also why I built my layout at 4 feet off the ground so I was able to kneel under it while wiring in track and signals and what not. Good video
I have a LOT of HO stuff...engines, rolling stock, track, structures, scenery stuff and track but I inherited it all and dont have a clue how to build something. Luckily theres videos like this to help should my creative spark take off.
Thank you
I would definitely agree with point 2 & 1. My feelings about dream big, small space are that if you a massive layout you need a lot of motivation to complete and you will probably need a team of people to run it properly. I like to be able operate my layout when I please and I have therefore built smaller layouts, which can still keep me entertained for hours.
I just buy what looks good. I don't get the people who need to have everything accurate.
If I ever got that nutty - I would have to get out all together.
I'm in the process of building 1 HO train...James E Strates Shows Carnival train. By the time it's done, It's going to cost well over a grand and hundreds of hours to build....in short,it's a hobby that you should be happy with whatever you're doing and should only be limited by space and budget.
Thank you thank you thank you for showing your first layout. I'm trying to get back into the hobby, but I'm a bit intimidated to get started ...
I’ve been in model railroading since the early 70’s, but have been on hiatus for the last 15 to 20 years for various reasons. I retired last year and thought I’d like to jump back in. That is until I started looking at prices! My previous years in model railroading were filled with model making! Buying and detailing locos and cars, building structure kits, airbrushing etc., but those days are largely over. A walk through the hobby shop reveals prebuilt structures, and very nice rolling stock and engines with crazy high prices on them, and the previously popular DC control systems plowed under by DCC (or whatever they call it) that is intimidating for a beginner or old head to understand, and is also expensive! The quality of all this stuff is better than ever, but the craftsmanship element is on the endangered species list. Most of what I did was N-scale, but 43 years of welding and 61 years of using them has rendered my eyes useless for working in that scale, and I sure can’t afford to start over in HO, so I guess I’ll just shelve my desire to do the MR thing! Guess I’m a UA-cam modeler now! Ha!
You are like most of us, there are thing we like and things we don't, but all in all we love the hobby, but it's all fun and takes us away from the other things we don't like....thanks for sharing....Jack
And the building looks great👍
I saw a patched Milwaukee road covered hopper on an Norfolk Southern freight ( 16T ) a few months ago, so it can happen to a certain degree.
Hiya Jimmy! Thanks for this thoughtful commentary. I think most of us can relate to your list of things we don't like; I know I can. There is some good news, though: We all love - and are even passionate about - the hobby and can find ways to overcome those things we don't like. As one example: "crawling under the layout, especially to do wiring." That's why I built my N-scale layout high at 56 inches above floor level, which is chest-height for me. It's why I like shelf-style layouts; mine is no deeper than 18 inches from fascia to backdrop. It's why I put all of my wiring components on a strip of wood well below the subroadbed level, making it easy to do wiring while sitting in a chair. And it's why I use Kato Unitrack, with my bus wires and drop-feeders connected to terminal barrier strips, to avoid crawling under the layout to do soldering. Thanks again for this video. It made me think, and I really enjoyed watching it. ...Roy
I have grandsons who love trains so I don't have a permanent layout . I use the EZ track, so we can put down track anywhere in almost any configuration then take it up when finish. I also have no space for all time layout. I use to many years ago and it was a roll away that was kept under a bed when my son was a child. I dismantled it long ago. but I still have tons of old track and several working engines and cars. So I invested in EZ track to utilize my old engines and cars with grandsons and it is a blast!
I get how ballasting track is a bit tedious and very time consuming, but the more care you take, the more stunning the results. What I do is lay my track, install my ground cover, detail my sleepers and rail with Floquil or equivalent rail tie brown and rail brown respectively, followed by a weathering wash of pale grey oil based artists paint. I then ballast my track. Sprinkle on your ballast using a cake decorating set. (works a treat). I use a hogs hair brush to then tidy it up. Once you are happy with the appearance, get a spray bottle full of mentholated spirits. Spray a section at a time. This will ensure the ballast stays in place prior to gluing, (rather than floating off the layout with the glue). Next, mix 50/50 water and PVA glue, with a drop of dishwashing liquid in a second spray bottle. I use the stream setting and carefully apply it to the ballast that is damp (must be damp) from the metho. Ensure you do not completely flood the area with glue, being careful to cover the area just enough. Wipe away any excess. Let it dry for 24 hours. Afterwards, clean your track with fine wet and dry emery paper and sanding block, then apply a coating of Inox (or CRC for those in the USA). I should note to be extra careful with turnouts, spray the moving parts with Inox and tape them up prior to gluing down your ballast. I have used this method on 16 layouts now, and the results are satisfying. :) Oh and for wiring under the layout, I use a garage creeper trolley with adjustable head rest. about $75AUD, but well worth it for those difficult to get to areas.
I can relate to Number One. Glad I did a lot of that work years ago. Fortunately, usually any time I have to visit the underworld it is to add something new, not fix something broken.
Good show with wiring I have a shelf layout easy. I HATE BALLASTING have a love of whatever your modeling and you got to have a BUDGET .
I've seen actual track in a circle config as well as a loop. It's so interesting to see, because everyone says it's not prototypical.
I love ballasting. It requires patience and precision, but it's very satisfying looking at the progression.
My biggest; the self-titled 'experts.' I've had a couple of people walk into my layout room, totally unfamiliar with my prototype of the era I model and proceed to point out errors that aren't errors AT ALL. With one, I kept nodding without a word. The guy quit his rant (not having a clue what he's talking about, about the 1940s details) and asked why I wasn't saying anything. Another friend of mine in the room had called up a video of a 'talking head' segment I did for the History Channel a few years back and said, "He's trying not to laugh because even I can tell you have no clue what you're talking about." I just grinned a tiny bit, never having had to say a thing. I hear it often when people are looking other layouts as well. "Such and such railroad NEVER had one of these engines," they're declaring while standing right in front of a prototype photo of the very thing they claim never existed
#1 is wiring and #2 is laying flex track. Those are mine! Great video!- Joey
Crazy! I'm quite impressed with your models. I wish I had N. Maybe people should buy these to support your passion.
I'm happy with my "layout". When I want to run trains I just put the track together on my dining room table and choose a couple engines and consists to run and do that for a while. I live in a one bed apartment so don't have too much room
Yeah I’ve been in it almost 50 years it can be quite a pain but when all comes together it’s worth it.
Speed matching is the biggest pain to me. Great video.
i love your explanation on things you dont like about the hobby. i can agree with a lot of what you are saying FOR SURE!!! any way nice video and i would also like to look at the things you are selling so could you post a link or something for me that would be great
thanks jim
For me, number five is it. That is my one and only pet peeve of this hobby. I have been in this hobby a long time and have had to deal with a multitude of model railroader‘s such as you described.
My dad & I did the hobby when I was between 3 yrs old & 12 yrs old . . . mostly just around Christmas, when we would set up a layout under the Christmas Tree every year. However, we also had a 10 ft by 10 ft layout in our basement running 3 O-Gauge, 2 HO, plus buses which were powered by overhead rail wires. But even a platform of 10 by 10 wasn't spacious enough to handle everything we crowded into that layout, so we had to compensate by building trestles on top of trestles, to give everything adequate clearance to run flawlessly.
As you can probably guess, it was a perfectionist's nightmare, but it got rave reviews by all the neighborhood kids, who had never seen anything like it.
Once in a while these days, I might occasionally entertain the idea of getting back into the hobby, but that's as far as I take it. The reason it's as far as I take it is because of #1 on my personal list of why I don't like Model Railroading, which is that the hobby is too often associated as a hobby that only small kids & old men engage in, and at the age of 68, I don't want to become one of those(you know . . . one of those guys wearing a stupid engineer's cap, sitting by his layout, watching his train go round & round). There's also the isolation aspect of the hobby, which would only serve to drive me even further into my introvert personality, which would not be mentally or emotionally healthy for me.
I suppose that at this point in my life, I'm in search of an extrovert hobby(if such a thing actually exists), that will force me to get out and meet new people. That's a difficult thing to pull off with Model Railroading, unless I joined a Model Railroading Club, but then I would simply be one of a number of introverts, all working on the same project.
So, as shallow as it may sound, with me it's an image thing. Sorry ! But hey, you're the one who brought this whole thing up.
First time here. Thank and looking forward to seeing more information. I plan on getting a 3D printer in the future. Where can I get building plans and any recommendations on DIY structures?
Were you ever able to find an answer to your question? Did you ever find plans?
You can limit your ballasting by painting you cork road bed before laying track
For under layout storage, it helps to use play wood sheet with caster wheels mounted to them. Say about 2 ft x 3-4 ft. A suitcase handle is helpful as well. Essentially this is a drawer concept, just larger and without guides. Give about 6 inches clearance near each leg.
Wiring/bus lines are a lot easier if they are about 12-18 inches back from the aisle and facing the aisle. If you use L girders made with a 1x3 or 1x4, that’s the best place to mount them all. I use PVC pipe straps using only one screw on the bottom so all wiring is secured loosely, rather than stapled etc. To aid in troubleshooting later on, keep your wiring color coded to match decoders. Black/red track power, blue/yellow/white layout lighting, grey/orange turnout & other motors, green/purple for accessories (crossing arms, oil wells, wind mills etc).
Got my start as a kid in HO then switch to O gauge after inheriting my fathers collection my only complaint is the price like buzz minnow I run wherever I like I will have a Modern Diesel running the same time I have a 1920 steamer I have many sightings and switches would switch engine sitting at the ready all the accessories in O gauge never lets me get bored and I have over 20 accessories if you look in my house do you think I would be a collector with many engines in display cases but I will run everything I own and I run them a lot more than most I have over 20 engines with 3000 + scale miles nice video brother I enjoy all gauges and eras and almost everyone I meet at a train show I've always been nice people
Great video (first of yours I've seen, you can thank a Facebook Post for bringing me in.) I agree with you as someone who grew up with a dad who owned a hobby shop and came back into the hobby in my late 30s on my own.
#1 we don't need the gatekeepers (usually internet forums or clubs) making newcomers want to give up before they start. I think the best rule here is "Its my layout and I'll do what I want!" I personally buy rolling stock based on how cool I think it is not era specific. I model the 70s/80s and definitely have rolling stock from the 40s and 90s on my layout!
#2 I personally feel where to start would be a module. This is the "fad" currently and where a lot of people/clubs are going. This way you can focus on 2ft x 4ft and just have fun making something and worry about connecting it later.
#3 more praise for the shelf layouts! I model HO scale and use IKEA IVAR shelving My layout (4 modules) is 2 ft x 11ft. At first I was worried it was too small but I noticed as I am now 1 1/2 years in I want to model steam narrow gauge. I am modeling 70s/80s interurban diesel. When I'm done I'll buy another bookshelf and then build that 1800s steam narrow gauge layout later.
#4 I have never been good at ballasting. I feel ballast commercially made is always too big. I think when I get to that stage I will call my dad and ask him to do it for me.
#5 Your video inspired me, maybe we should start a trend of layouts where the base (table top) is attached by hinges and lifts up. This would make wiring so much easier when its "just track" phase.
Thanks for the video, I am going to subscribe,
Dan
South Portland, Maine
I model October of '86, so my freight cars and automobiles have to be set in that era. However, I can see where getting into the hobby would be intimidating. It's taken me 40 years to get things right. It takes a lot of patience and you should be happy with what you do; don't let anyone tell you different.
HO scale 5 1/2' x 9 1/2' on an armpit high (makes it easier to get under benchwork) 16" shelf with duck under. In process of adding last leg. Started with point to point, decided on roundy round. Squeezing in 20"-26" r as I did not want to crowd it up with track. Limiting myself to 40'-53' rolling stock and locos under 60'. Two dinner train passenger cars are 65'. Like you said, a relaxing and therapeutic hobby. Since it sits on wall mounted shelf brackets, I may be forced to put an N scale switching layout below. :P
1) I hate laying track
2) Not nuts about wiring
3) Painting, I'm just not good at it
4) Trying to find N scale prototypes
My 1st train was an O gauge Lionel train set at Christmas when I was 4. I was hooked since then. I didn't need an elaborate layout. I was just fascinated by watching it run in a continuous loop allowing my imagination to take over. I've returned to model trains in my early 40's, married with a kid. O gauge wasn't prototypical enough for me, so a co-worker showed me one of his nscale cars and invited me to visit his club for open house. I bought a locomotive, then track, and kept buying rolling stock only to set it up and run it on a table for a couple days at a time because I was limited on space & time. Everything would go back into boxes and in a closet for years until I was afforded time. I've retired 6 years ago to care for my sick wife until her death. Now I have the space and the time to run my trains. Now my patience runs thin handling parts and pieces with this small scale. DCC is the rage now and none of my 25+ have decoders. I might add that a lifetime is crucial. I've been left in the dust by innovation, but I still allow my imagination to take over with my trains running in a continuous loop. I've collected road/train names I've traveled- 50's UP, SP, AT&SF, & Amtrak which makes ME happy.
Damn with the way you're talking there you make your life sound sad (no offense intended)
@@floridianrailauto9032 To Floridian Rail & Auto: No offense taken. Life happened and this hobby took a back seat. Some don't get to return to this at all. I consider myself extremely lucky. I'm not on a timeline and I won't rush through what's left of life.
The old Reeces cups ads said "There's no wrong way to eat a Reeces" and I think that applies to our hobby. No wrong way to enjoy a model railroad. If you like rivet-counter level detailing, that's fine, but don't knock the guy who runs old Tyco. If you like old Tyco, just cranking the throttle and letting 'er run at high speeds, that's also fine. Don't knock the guy who goes to great pains and expense to get the tiniest of details correct. As for me, I enjoy both. I run highly superdetailed models right alongside old Tyco, and both alongside pre- WWII Varney, Mantua, Megow's and so on, which even still use Mantua Automatic couplers. Room for everyone in this hobby. Superdetailing fills one desire, running old Tyco fillls another desire, and restored and rebuilt antiques fill yet another one.
Well said! Just enjoy the trains!
@D.I.Y & Digital Railroad. Excellent video - I just want to flag up a possible solution eliminating working under the baseboard & that is to hinge the baseboard to the frame this means it lifts up and can be worked on at normal height rather than as a car-mechanic on his creeper or crawler board.
Great subject for a video.
To make getting under the layout easier, build the layout so that it's between 4' and 5' from the floor. Not only does that bring the layout up to the perspective that you see the real thing at, but it also means you don't need lifting sections. Put all the wiring in a gully in the front of the layout.
my layout is set in late 70's early 80's. I check the build dates on EVERY freight car before I buy them. Pain in the butt, but it does keep it real
Joe, I am the same boat as you. I have gone so far to check my rolling stock against an ORER from '78. My track plan for my FreemoN sections is prototypical for the SOO LINE between Cardigan Jct Mn and New Brighton Jct Mn. I am trying to believe that less is more.. its hard though. lol
My railroad is set between 1969 and 1989 - so I have a broad range of cars I can legitimately run on it, and still be historically accurate. For example, some of my 40 foot box cars have roof walks, but most of them do not. This is cool, because I can explain to anyone who asks that the ones with roof walks haven't transitioned yet to meet the safety requirements of the late '70s. Similarly, my early Amtrak trains can run with the hand me down livery of hosting railroads as well as Amtrak painted items - again something that can be explained as a teaching point. While my track plan is historically accurate (aside from compression), most of the track, and none of the host railroads exist today - so I see it as kind of like a time capsule or archaeological expedition to figure out how this arrangement of track was used to organize and move freight on the lines at that time (beyond what I see in the employee timetables). This time span is also the time when I went from being a kid to being an adult, and the trains I saw then are what I see on my railroad too, so there's that.
@@lodragan Great approach to layout👍🚂🚃
Hi Jimmy. I agree with #2. I HATE ballasting. My #1 would have been dirty track. SO FRUSTRATING!!! 👍🏼👍🏼
Im on my 3rd layout the first 2 I walked around it hard to work on. So now my 3rd is I walk in the center, I like it but Im 66 years old and bending to go under I dont like. Love the layout easy for my grandson and me LOVE Trains
All valid points. I am a complete beginner to this hobby. As others have mentioned the cost of these models can be eye watering to most model railroaders, including myself. I would love to build 3X6 N scale layout using Kato Unitrack, but I want to go DCC. From what I understand Kato Unitrack by default is DC. Also the cost and the availability of the Kato track is extremely problematic. If anyone could make any suggestions I am all ears.
As a side note note, with all the advances in technology, Kato has a working grade crossing (with prototypical sound), signals and the Sound box which in my opinion looks awesome. To be totally honest, I am looking for something that's easy to understand and assemble. My last experience with model railroading goes back to when I was kid, with my Tyco HO layout in the 1970's.
That's why I made a small shelf layout by my ceiling. It's not a really detailed layout, it's set in a mountainous area.I attend a model railroad club called Gratiot Valley and my layout is called Roscommon Heights.I try to keep the wiring as simple as possible for DCC🇺🇸😺👍
Ballasting is defiantly what I hate most, the amount of times I've had to go over ballast because it didn't look right gets frustrating :p
Lots of agreement here that wiring is a big problem issue for many in many ways.
A solution I had hoped would take off more is the dead rail system of radio control locomotives. It solves so many problems. Lots of advancement in batteries, widespread remote control usage in other hobbies as well as highly efficient low current motors.
Unlike DCC, the whole layout does not need to be converted and a single locomotive can be added to any existing layout to test out the system.
Crawling under the layout can be annoying. I am getting back into the hobby and I remember something that my uncle made over 60 years ago that I will be making. He took an old wooden chair and removed the legs. He put a couple of 2x4s on the bottom accross the front. He then put on swiveled wheels. the 2x4s tilt the chair backwards. In essence, he made a crawler. If you want to make one it may help.
It helps to have some knowledge of your era and railroad. It's fun to study prototypes and it opens new doors on what to purchase. Lots of great books, websites and documents.
Nits:
1. Vaporware--models advertised that take years to arrive. And if you don't pre-order, you lose.
2. DC locomotives that aren't speed-matched. Every manufacturer has their own idea about gearing.
3. Undersized flywheels. If you've ever run a heavy train down a grade, you'll notice how the train often starts jerking, sometimes stopping, then starting. That's because the flywheels don't have enough rotational inertia to overcome motors operating at very low current which stall, causing the worm gears to lock up. All motors have a minimum current to turn; below that they just stop. That's when the flywheel comes into play.
I agree with you about the intimidation factor. It's not only with model railroads either. I like to scratch build RC model ships. When I was building my first model - a Sydney harbour tug called Wyambi - i took it to a club running day and at the pond as I was putting my model into the water - my first model remember and unfinished yet - a smartass modeller took a look and said "that's not Wyambi. It's too wide in the beam and Wyambi doesnt have a bow shaped like that. That model's a mess!" Apart from being an arrogant pig, this guy dashed all my confidence and my model went on the shelf and i didnt touch it for 3 years.
I’ve been in the hobby for 40 years now . My list is
1. Limited release editions
2. Prices skyrocketing
3. DCC still needs a lot of work to be more user friendly
4. Manufacturers have made the handrails to dainty plus the motors in some brands have major issues.
5. If your not a old timer like me your almost pushed away in clubs.
6. The youth are not getting into the hobby so we’re losing hobby shops which you really need to inspire kids. I don’t see a big future in it just a very exclusive group.
I do love the hobby and it’s more than just modeling. I became a conductor on a class one which paid for my huge collection now over 1000 HO locomotives and O scale sets.
As far as the scenery and wiring I love it even having AS I still keep going .
Wiring is my least favorite thing! Love the buildings and recently bought a bunch 😀
Nice, thanks!
I first read John Olson’s book about the Jerome & Southwestern when I was 14. I was hooked. Then when I was 16 crews on the local that stopped where I lived let me ride with them a few times. Then I became a train conductor when I was 30. Yes, it gets in your blood. Then I survived a head on train crash in 2014 although I was seriously inured. Guess I came full circle.
I like to tell rivet counters that I run 0-27 Lionel and they melt into a puddle screaming
My biggest complaint is cost and my number two is space.
#5: Yes, that is a big hurdle. I've come up with an era for my current layout - based on stumbling upon a GP9 in Southern Pacific Black Widow colors - which means I could use basically NONE of the rolling stock I owned! This is probably the first time I've given thought to such things, and it makes purchasing more stuff a bit more of a challenge. That said, I can narrow stuff down to what I actually need for my layout.
#4: My re-entry into the hobby was building a switching puzzle in N scale, partly because I lived in an apartment at the time. Once we had a house, I tried building a tabletop layout (roughly 2x4) and got bored with that layout really quickly. I'm now building a switching layout that is a foot longer, but half as wide. It's nowhere near complete, but with a few test runs I've decided I like this layout enough that I will stick with it for a while.
#3: This had me dithering over a door-sized layout, but I had no idea where to put it and didn't have enough space to just leave it sitting. Now that I've started on my switching layout, I've realized I can incorporate it into a modular layout. I probably should have explored this option from the start.
#2: Ballasting is tedious. I've done some small layouts where I got it all done, but with my current layout I'm working with Unitrack (as you are with yours). Building up the shoulder to a more natural slope is something I can easily handle.
#1: You've gotten banged up working under your layout? I've dropped a transmission out of my car! With my current layout, it's small enough that I can turn it up onto its edge if I need to do anything on the underside.
Don't lie! Everyone knows you can't work on your own car if it was made post-2008!
As much as I love this hobby, I just do not know where to begin. I would love to do just an small town with an electric trolley bus, Lionel Polar Express Trolley but I do not know how to plan the layout or the types of buildings etc.
Mine are.
5. Complicated wiring.
4. Rarity of certain equipment & parts.
3. Important products being permanently discontinued.
2. Crappy engineered products.
1. Plastic Steam locomotives.
Big dreams no space. You’ll need a team. You’ll need lots of money or lots of time. You’ll need to bring it all up to same standard ( see above). You’ll lose interest before it’s” finished “ You’ll need to work out early if the goal you’re aiming towards is actually where you want to be. Etc etc etc
My 5 dislikes: Cost, Cost, Cost, Cost, Cost! lol Would be nice if the hobby was cheaper, but we all find ways to make it work! Thank goodness for Craigslist, I always find good deals! 🤓 Hey! I use a slightly modified mechanics creeper for maintaining the underneath of my layout! Works for me! 👍 😎
Agree. Re getting under the bench-work, I have an unused floor mechanic's creeper. The fun is getting on and off without killing myself. But, I can be in a sitting position for doing the wiring, etc. Cheap at Harbor Freight stores. And that leads me to DCC and everything about it.
I've put together a 4' x 16' bench-work with 1/2" smooth sided plywood and a 1" extruded foam board. So what's my problem? #1 is designing a super layout. My imagination doesn't work so I look at hundreds of HO layouts for ideas. Then I see the massive amount of scenery involved. I had to study the DCC wiring guides and the more I read, the more complicated it became. I intended to have a bunch of turnouts and that sent the complexity meter off the scale. I'm at the point of thinking, "why not manual switches"? I can easily get around the table to throw them. Simplicity.
Purists? Train forums, like so many other types, are inhabited by alleged men who sound like little old ladies talking down to you because you are ignorant and they are MRR geniuses. LOL I try not going on there except to find an answer that utoob can't provide.
Cheers! Bob
Have you made any videos on the history of model railroading? I wonder if some people get model railroading burnout? I’ve had trouble with not knowing very much other than what I saw when I was a kid ( I don’t remember seeing a caboose at the end of those trains!) Maybe they were so common place that they were just there. My parents and I went on 765 excursions in the later 1980’s and just seeing the NS rail yard was overwhelming. I did have the Walthers train catalogs when I was a teenager so seeing all those old railroad names really ruined me for BNSF and all of the UP mergers!
Trying to organise a baseboard. All my attempts so far have gone in the trash.
As a modeler of European railroads, the model companies have set what are called Epochs which cover the time period from about the late 19th century through modern day. There are currently five epochs. This really helps if you want to accurately model a certain period of time. Or you can just run the trains that you enjoy.
When Lionel charges $3,000+/- (the price of a used car) for one engine; then, you have to prioritize. Often, I would forgo buying a Lionel with a MTH. Now, MTH is going out of business. I don’t know where to go next.
I buy used junk engines off of eBay snd rebuild/repaint them. Thus far I have a Lionel GP7 & NW2, a K-Line MP15, and an MTH F40PH
Apparently, MTH isn't going out of business, they're willingly shutting down because the owner is retiring and doesn't want to sell the company. Instead, they're selling their tech and tooling to other companies.
Anyway, my recommendation as to where to go next? Move to G scale. With how ridiculous O scale is getting with pricing, G scale _is actually more affordable,_ especially if you buy used, good condition LGB equipment. That stuff will last forever as long as you're not trying to run long-wheelbase non-articulated equipment on R1 curves (most of the bigger stuff LGB produces will make it around R1, but it's bad for their gearboxes).
I’m there. My basement will fit a 9 ft long x 5 ft wide, on the left side, with a 6 ft wide on the right side x 3 ft. long on the bottom. It’s like an L type set up.
Regarding item # 1 - Getting under the benchwork. After major back surgery that will never happen. Also I think it was item # 3 - Ballasting. That would require a lot of time bent over the track, and will also therefore never happen. I like Kato track. I know it doesn't look as realistic as Kato track that has been ballasted, but guess what - I don't care. My back is more important. And as they say, it's your model railroad, you can run it however you like. So you pointed out two items that I totally agree with you on. In my case though, I have no choice, I have to be careful. One back surgery was enough. I really enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.
I was into HO trains years ago when I had the time for it. One thing to mention is there are those jerks out there, though very few, who will troll on you by saying, "Toys are for kids. Learn to grow up".
Regarding accuracy, I follow the _x_ foot rule. If it looks like it makes sense at _x_ feet in distance, where _x_ is a distance based on the scale you're running (10 feet for G, about a foot or two for N), it's fine. And for me, making sense falls along the lines of "same general era and region", which is particularly wide with freight cars since they went all over the place but can also apply to passenger cars if you have ones that don't proudly display their badging all over the car. My G-scale SEG Mallet regularly pulls three Austrian Type 2x3 passenger cars alongside a Henchel HF110C in RuBB livery which hauls mixed freight of various German, Austrian and Swiss roadnames, and my N-scale L&N 4-8-2 pulls a consist of boxcars, reefers and open hoppers from the transition era in roadnames from all over the eastern and central US.
N is especially fun in this regard, because if you wanted to run whatever you want _and_ troll the rivet counters in the process, you can just use some G-scale scenery along with the N scale stuff and model a miniature hobby railway in Gnine. Gnine represents 7.5" gauge equipment in G-scale. It's normally used to model extremely light industrial equipment but can also be used to model miniature hobby railroads (like Train Mountain or Ridge Live Steamers), and those are primarily places where people take their own equipment to run, regardless of design or era. So not only would running a fully modern freight consist next to a steam powered passenger train and a Bachmann HOn30 Skarloey pulling "riding" cars (specialized flatbed cars with seats for passengers used on 7.5" gauge hobby railroads) be completely fine, _it would be prototypical._
I run everything and anything,It,s like being a Kid again.
August Mamolito me also 😁
Yeah, I'm British and so I have quite a few 0-4-0s, 0-6-0s, and not much else in the way of locomotives. My rolling stock is also a mixed bag but the general theme is GWR. Trouble is I have several of the Caledonian Pugs, and a Stroudley A1. So basically I just keep all the wagons on one siding, coaches and engines on the other, so I just get one, grab whatever unlikely mishmash of shenanigans I feel like, and wang it round the layout a bit. By layout I mean a loop of track and 2 sidings on the carpet, decorated sparsely with the following:
Engine Shed.
Tunnel.
Small Station.
Water Tower.
Loading Gauge Thing.
That's all there is to it, and it's fun. This turned into my rambling about my railway, but thats what I like doing sometimes.
@@ajaxengineco I agree, I will run any combo of engines and cars. I just like playing with it all.
Agree with last two commenters, the prices of locomotives and rolling stock have skyrocketed lately and other than tracking something down on EBay or Amazon to bid on or buy at a reasonable price, purchasing directly is getting cost prohibitive.
What I have found, in Australia, as someone wanting to get back into the hobby, is the lack of Hobby stores that have a reasonable stock of Trains. Its the fact that Hobby stores are dying here so it may be 2 or three hours drive to find a Hobby store that has a reasonable stock of Trains. Its also the fact you find it difficult to find a shop where you can go in and talk to someone about the Hobby and physically view Trains and accessories and get advice. I have been going online to get information and advice but its not quite the same. The sets and accessories you see on the net are usually in the US or UK, and have little relevance here as most is unavailable here. Going on ebay is a risk as if an item is faulty, you have a bugger of a time having issues resolved not to mention returns as its mostly from the US or UK. Thankfully UA-cam provides a source of reviews and HOW TO videos like this one and they are a great service. It does not replace walking into your favourite Hobby Shop and the advice and seeing the displays.
I can definitely concur with you as far as some of the five items that you don’t like ! Electrical for me would be the biggest headache especially on a return loop !
Although Lionel trains run with three loops as well as Märklín HO ! Which make a return loop so easy and so much more fun ! And space, I never can have too much space !
And if I get a chance into the contest I do like that HO Conrail SD-40-M !
After seeing a few video I can see where the resin printers are really an amazing tool for model railroading. What you can produce is just unlimited. but then it is a big investment in time to design things. Print times can seem like forever though.😥
Placing sheets of extruded polystyrene on the floor (they last forever) saves the knees and elbows. Stringing White Christmas tree lights directly under layout and leaving them there helps too. There I’ll always be times when you are going to have to go UNDER THE LAYOUT. Stay well. 07/12/2020