This is a question i get allot from non-train people. Why do we build layouts, hmm! Well for me i like trains and in that vein i like N scale but i think i build layouts is because it gives me a creative outlet i don't have at work and when i am working on the layout or running some trains it is very relaxing. It is very hard to explain the reasons but i just like it. Some people just think we are playing with toys but i try to explain it is much more than that. It lets me be creative, learn the history of my favorite road names, meeting other like minded people, building and many other facets of what model railroading involves. Plus for me it is plain and simple alot of FUN. That's my reason now, Why do you build layouts? Dave
You pretty much summed up my reasons - a creative outlet, something to do socially with other people, somewhere to run my trains, enjoyment of model-making...
Why do I build a layout? I’ve got money I don’t know what to do with. Ya Right. As stated before it is a creative outlet. Gives me purpose for my motive power and rolling stock. Lets me get away from the stress of daily life. Lets me learn new stuff. Until I started the current layout, I did not know how much fun DCC makes the layout. Sometimes I can entertain the grandchildren with it. Makes it easy for family to purchase gifts for me. Of course I have to give them a list. It is my own world and I am in charge. It lets me post stuff on TrainBoard. It is enjoyable! :thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up::thumbs_up: Gary
Because... ...it wasn't there! Actually I model to recapture fond memories of my youth having grown up with trains as a very important factor of living life in the '60s. I love the sound, smell and power of trains and their chess game like movements (all part of the fond memories). I want to recreate a small portion of the NE Corridor as it was when I lived near it just outside of Philly- with GG1s tearing up the rails. I want to model Reading Terminal (I have its start) with RDCs and electrics snaking thru crossovers between towers below catenary. Uh...I want to sit trackside where I can't get to anymore whether by time or place and be where I am most happy. Trains are a big part of it and that's where I'd like to be even if I have to create it in N Gauge and lay my head next to the track and squint as the train goes by.
when i first got into model railroading i was doing it just for something to pass the time. then the more i found out about it the more i found it to be very enjoyable. now, it just seems to be part of my life.
For me it is a cross between a craft and a crossword puzzle. I would have little enjoyment if all I had to do was set it up.... Figuring out how I will get the proect from here to there is a lot of the fun. I also enoy running the trains and seeing them "act" on teh stage I created for them. It also has some aspects of collecting that are enjoyable. Not that I am a true collector and keep things in boxes... but hunting down and finding the right equipment and hardware and parts is a lot of fun. Figuring out how to use inexpensive items to create what I want that could cost a buch is also very fun. Lots of things make this a fun hobby and I am sure each modeler has his own mix of similar items.
Layout building IS my hobby pretty much! I've spent only a couple hundred bucks on actual models of trains in my 6 years of being in this hobby. I've spent much more on layouts though. Scenery is my favorite part of MRRing, having a scene grow and change into a realistic miniature of a railroad is as fun as model railroading gets to me.
I love recreating scenes that were a part of my growing up. I spent 90% of my free time around the tracks growing up. I always wanted to work for the Santa Fe, and now with it long gone, I can live out my dream in minature.
I first analyzed why I do it when I found myself trying to explain it to girlfriends. For the most part: Creative outlet was always first Problem generation and solving in a controlled environment - admit it this is a biggie for most of us. We set the problem and find the solution. If we don't like the outcome we can change the parameters. Being able to help others The broad spectrum of human and corporate history is fascinating Physical and intellectual aesthetics Yes - a place where I'm the boss and I don't care what others think. My layout will never be admired for any reason at all. So? I know what I had to overcome to achieve what I have. Works for me.
I think Steve (Grey One) summed it up best for me... 1) ...Problem generation and solving in a controlled environment - admit it this is a biggie for most of us. We set the problem and find the solution. If we don't like the outcome we can change the parameters 2) ...A place where I'm the boss and I don't care what others think. My layout will never be admired for any reason at all. So? I know what I had to overcome to achieve what I have. Works for me. :tb-cool: .
Would a fair follow-up question be do you build the layout for the layout - or to run trains? I get MUCH more enjoyment during the figure out & build part than the actual running of trains - the trains just "complete" it! :we2-jimlad:
I'll concede that the design and construction etc is far more of an alure than the running of trains. The running is more for guests. This is why the Grey and Grandure is on it's 4th significant variation and who knows how many iterations.
Dave,For me looking at engines and cars sitting behind glass or as a static display on a diorama doesn't do me any good..Since I have hundreds of dollars tied up in woo woo woo I feel I should use 'em emulating prototype operations. As far as "other people"..Suffice it to say 90% of my friends are hobbyist...Birds of a feather you see..
Because, I can..... and enjoy the building/construction part of putting a layout together. Well, I used to. Some things get harder to do as time goes on. Still I love the reward of seeing my trains negotiate the grades and curves with ease and minimal operating problems.
It's really quite simple. I love to play with trains. Even in my current state of mid-life, I am willing to admit that I still play. To delve deeper, it's really an outlet for creativity, and a way for me to forget about the real world of work, deadlines, bills, etc. I also really enjoy the historical parts of the hobby, and love to try to recreate a place in time that represents the world before my time that I was never able to experience. I never saw an F-unit in service and steam is something that only a tourist railroad has to me. So in my 1/160 world it's sometime after WW2, and my trains will stop and go (eventually) by following the semaphore blades.
Mike, Great topic! I am enjoying reading how others see their hobby. It is interesting that most have mentioned creativity. I have never felt very creative. I just see things and think they look good and try to incorporate them into my layout. If I analyze it further, the only creativity for me is the problem solving. Coming up with a new solution to a problem I have created like Steve mentions. The new question is do I make the layout for the layout or to run trains? I think I must do it to run the trains, but it is just to prove that my engineering and problem solving has produced a working system. It is really gratifying for me to see my trains run smooth and do exactly what I want them to do with out having to fuss. If the trains don't run I have not achieved my goal. I also like to see them move through the scenery I have built. I don't duplicate a real prototype at all, but have preferences.... but that is another subject all together.
I actually build 90% to run trains, my true love. Although I do have to say that there are times when I find I really do enjoy layout work and don't care if the layout is in construction stage months at a time...... In the old days, I framed my answers in the old family values mold - it gives me a bond with my kids and now grandkids. Only problem is, for the most part, the kids didn't really take to trains. My grandson seems to be taking to them, though.
There are some people who will never understand. However, as a member of a club that's also a public attraction, I can assure you that there are a lot of people who admire the art and craft of what we all do. And it's not just the kids. Some of you guys might be surprised how many hot chicks we get visiting... :tb-rolleyes: I'll also mention that being able to run my trains on a club layout, one that's much larger than I could have in my home, makes it all the more worthwhile. So does the pride that comes from putting on a good show for an audience. Finally, if I ever get into a conversation with one of the more skeptical types, I like to talk about the number of different skills it allows me to develop. Electronics, carpentry, artistry, historical research...(metal casting and etching, plaster casting, materials science)... There is a reason we call it the King of All Hobbies. And a lot of these skills are applicable to other pursuits.
Ok I can't help but add my answer, but this could be long. I can remember why I got into model railroading. I used to spend summers as a kid, visiting my grandmother in California with my mother. I did not have alot to do there so my aunt started taking me to Dooley's Hardware ( I think that was the name) so we could look at the trains that they sold there and have a hotdog. We wold talk about what trains we would like to buy. Then one summer I got to get a n-scale Bachman starter set, I think it was the one with the E or F unit Santa Fe loco in it. I started with it on the concrete driveway, then my aunt got a board setup for me to put it on. this was my first layout, nothing fancy, just some small pebbles glued to the board by a mirror that was a pond. We added more here and there. Then one day my mother stopped by a hobby shop with me so I could look at trains there. I managed to get her to get me a Santa Fe GP, got to love those blue and yellow locos. It also helped that I think the guy worked there was a Santa Fe fan, even had a rideable 71/2" guage that I saw pics of. I spent several summers returning to that shop getting new locomotives and rolling stock. Then one year for my birthday I got a small layout that my mom had a hobby shop in Oklahoma make me. So now what started as something for a kid to do while at his grandma's house turned into something to do to stay connected to that kid with his aunt. It also turns out to be a great way to slow down for a fast paced world and other fastpaced hobbies. One of my hobbies is about speed and one is about relaxing, makes a nice balance. By the way my other hobby is racing!
