I don't know if I'd call it mind-numbing, but by far the most frustrating and time consuming part of the hobby to me is installing N scale turnout controls and getting them to work consistently. I've tried all sorts of turnout controls and I've found that the most consistent are sprung manual throws, but they look almost as ridiculous as the Atlas switch machines. I've never been satisfied with either style of the 'under the table' machines'. They don't seem to generate enough force to overcome the stray pieces of ballast that get into the switch points causing the loco to stall (and often causing a circuit trip). Where the distance to the turnout isn't too great, I have had pretty good success with building manual throw rods using model airplane control rods. Since their distance of travel is limited only by the rails, they allow me to apply a little extra force when contacting the switch points to the rails. And installing them doesn't seem to require as much adjustment as needed for the under the table machines. Wouldn't it be great if someone made an integral switch machine that could be hidden in the roadbed and would work everytime? (Hey, maybe I'm on to something here...)
They do, its called a Kato Unitrack turnout. Most mind numbing for me is ballasting. Wired decoder installations are pretty ugly as well.
I'm going to agree: cutting windows for a scratch-built building. All my scratch-builts have far fewer windows than my kit-bashes. Making winches for my ships comes in a close second. I'm simplifying the design for the next two ships, which have something like 75 winches between them.
I used to keep up on the detailing of my locomotives. Everytime I purchased one, I would paint the end railings, walkways and the likes. I am not so on the ball these days. I recently unpacked a few locos that had been sitting around and decided to do some detail painting. I now remember why I would do them a couple at a time! I had to strain to un-cross my eyes after I finished that project! Hopefully, I won't let it get so out of hand again.
Ballasting track. Not only is it tedious, but it never looks good when I’m through. I have also spent an enormous amount of time, and money, on a vertical staging elevator that has proven to be something of a brat.
Hi guys I'm new here so please go easy on me LOL For me I only started my layout insept 2005 and have since done one laser kit mine one scratch built shack ( more my son did it I just said yep good idea there) got my mountains sceneried trains running and on and on and have yet gotten bored ...probably cause I been jumping hurtles since I began . I sure hope this great hobby never gets boring
Lynn, welcome to Trainboard! I think the hobby itself is never boring, but there are tasks in it that some of us find--well--a little boring, or even a lot boring. This doesn't diminish the pleasure of a job done well.
Ah ok thanks for clarifying LOL So in that case probably most tedious is making rock castings for the mountains and for me I like rocky mountains so I'm a sucker for punishment ...in fact I'm just finishing off my 3rd 50pound bag of plaster of paris
I haven't experienced all aspects yet. But painting is something I really dislike doing (not matter if it's models or the fence out back) because I'm so bad at it. I'm not looking forward to painting all my scenery, etc. spraying stuff isn't so bad if I don't have to mask a bunch of stuff off. Brushing paint on - ugh!
Putting 40 IM reefers on the track to see how well my brand new pair of UP SD70Ms handles them on my 8x4 and then to put them away again (my layout is incomplete so I can't help it). Oh yeah! The wait to for the new Athearn Challenger.
Doing these Ponderosa Pines.... gluing little tufts of spray-painted goldenrod on Woodland Scenics branches. On a good night I can do one tree, that dissapears into the forest of others..... I really do consider it numbing. It's slow, tedious, and you literally don't see the trees for the forest! I'd rather do almost anything rather than glue up more trees....
Welcome to TrainBoard! I like your notation: "Its your world ...there are no rules." This is the best way to enjoy our hobby. Do as it pleases you! Boxcab E50
I'm not sure I could fill up more than a postcard with instructions. First, you need Goldenrod. Some people refer to it as ragweed, I don't think they're the same, but I digress. The plant flowers dark yellow in late August-September, typically in fallow farm fields and along treelines. The blossoms die, and the first heavy frosts turn the leaves brown, and 'fuzz up' the blossoms. That's the prime picking time. I pick garbage bags of the stuff. It's already 'frozen' and 'dried' so it keeps. There's only about two weeks a year between heavy frost and first snow where this stuff is 'prime'. Some will survive until Spring, but the fuzzy good stuff blows off. The blossoms get trimmed with small scissors. Some of the best can be used as-is for background trees, but all the fuzzy blossoms can be cut up with scissors and used on the WS trunks. I spray paint it with a spray enamel. Can't be latex. I found a Pittsburgh Paint "Horizon Green" that is right to my eyes for color. I stick the blossom stems into styrofoam sheet to dry them. The background trees with the thin trunks are 'raw'. For real trees with real trunks, I take chunks of the painted blossoms, cut them up with scissors, and re-glue them to the 2-4" Woodland Scenics tree trunks - the cast metal pine tree ones. I use plain old white glue. Takes forever. I work from the bottom to the top, one little chunk on a branch at a time. I don't try to keep them pliable. They are pretty delicate and brittle, but I also have boxes and boxes of painted foliage to apply to any damaged ones. Quick fix.
I'm not sure I could fill up more than a postcard with instructions. First, you need Goldenrod. Some people refer to it as ragweed, I don't think they're the same, but I digress. The plant flowers dark yellow in late August-September, typically in fallow farm fields and along treelines. The blossoms die, and the first heavy frosts turn the leaves brown, and 'fuzz up' the blossoms. That's the prime picking time. I pick garbage bags of the stuff. It's already 'frozen' and 'dried' so it keeps. There's only about two weeks a year between heavy frost and first snow where this stuff is 'prime'. Some will survive until Spring, but the fuzzy good stuff blows off. The blossoms get trimmed with small scissors. Some of the best can be used as-is for background trees, but all the fuzzy blossoms can be cut up with scissors and used on the WS trunks. I spray paint it with a spray enamel. Can't be latex. I found a Pittsburgh Paint "Horizon Green" that is right to my eyes for color. I stick the blossom stems into styrofoam sheet to dry them. The background trees with the thin trunks are 'raw'. For real trees with real trunks, I take chunks of the painted blossoms, cut them up with scissors, and re-glue them to the 2-4" Woodland Scenics tree trunks - the cast metal pine tree ones. I use plain old white glue. Takes forever. I work from the bottom to the top, one little chunk on a branch at a time. I don't try to keep them pliable. They are pretty delicate and brittle, but I also have boxes and boxes of painted foliage to apply to any damaged ones. Quick fix.
This hobby can't get boring - there's so much to do. I find the work I have to do to pay for this boredom, is boring.
