Since last October we have had 5 days that I would consider nice. These are days that you want to be outside enjoying yourself. These are NOT days where its cold, rainy and the wind is blowing. I spent the winter making buildings,repairing and getting new cars ready to run. It sure would be nice to get a day to do this! This morning the sun was out and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. I needed to go to town and was looking forward to spending the day running trains.when I got back! Got back and the wind was blowing! Another rotten day!
In another month the temp will be over 90. Over the last few yearsI got rid of 1/2 the RR because it was too much to maintain. Maybe I should get rid of the rest and put in a pig pen! Are we ever going to get some nice weather?
Absoufreakinloutly, You mean you don’t run in the rain, snow, and sleet, and other bad weather???get a snowplow and run run run!!! watch the videos at you tube 7585jerry. Lots of fun!!! read the post We run in all kinds of weather on here! Not a real trainer unless you do that!! LOL
“Not snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds!”
right on brother!!
NO, and double NO, No…they aren’t worth a plug nickle…
Now; on the other hand, a MODEL RAILROAD out in the garden, could be fun if it is built for operation…!!!
I'll get slammed for this....!!!
If all a pike is built to do, is run in circles, and it is built without thinking of how much maintenance is involved in order to just sit and watch it go in circles…I see no point after the novelty wears off.
On the other hand; operation keeps the interest alive, in spite of the maintenance.
It is always wise to spend that bit more money at the start and buld a roadbed that stands the test of time. That usually is where the most time and maintenance is spent.
But…don’t even listen to me…I know nothing about any of this, as I’ve been in the hobby since 1980 something, and haven’t learned a thing…I’m just an old fart that hasn’t kept up with the times…read too many books on wiring…researched too much… tried too many new things like R/C battery…etc., etc…
Fr. Fred has said it best (wished I had researched more than I did). Key to maintaining interest is operation. Same can be said about the smaller scales, how many guys built a nice layout with a loop or two of track running thru some nice looking scenery. When it is all “finished” it isn’t long before he gets “bored” just watching the train run around & around. No matter what scale or what size railroad, operation is the key element in maintaing long term interest.
This of course is just my 2 cents worth.
On my last roundy-round, I placed a brick in a strategic place, creating a point to point. Then the operations began.
I am building a 3 point RR now, thinking about having a loop for continuous running, but not sure about that yet.
Operations does keep it interesting and focused. We are currently 2 days away from our “Spring Ops”.
http://largescalecentral.com/LSCForums/viewtopic.php?id=8743
The preparations are well underway. By having to get ready for a group of people to come over and share the fun, it forces you to get things going and correct those little concerns that otherwise might not get resolved. This is our eleventh scheduled session, hold one in the Spring and one in the Fall, each year. I think we are finally really making some sense of this stuff. I know that may not sound like a big deal to the inside guys, but to build the industries, sidings, software and equipment to run and be reliable outside, takes a lot of devotion and a lot of friends to help you along the way. I hope it is half as much fun for the guests as it is for me.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with sitting in the shade with a friend or two and watching roundy-round trains. I do it and still will, proudly!
Even though I will operate once in a while when the mood hits, I will do much more of the former rather than the latter.
You see, I have that option.
At least I got rid of half the maintenance electrical- -wise on my new layout by going Batt/RC.
Sometimes just the track scrubbing and trouble shooting-- shorts, breaks, etc, can drive certain people to doze the layout and put in pig sties or cement ponds.
I will agree that Fred W. homesteaded in a windy, dusty, dry and hot area. I would be as frustrated as he is.
If we were in the Seattle area, we’d bitch about the cold, gray and rain.
(Stay out of this, TOC! Yer the exception! 
)
Or in the Southwest–heat, heat, heat!
This is one of the coldest springs on record where I live, but it won’t stop me from finishing this project.
Even if I only run late summer and fall, I’ll be satisfied.
Don’t worry about the weather, Fred. It will change tomorrow.
But if it does you in, we will welcome you back up here with open arms!
jb
I’ll second Fr. Fred!
BTW JB just wait 'til you forget to charge the batteries. :lol: :lol:
Fred Ottusch said:Hey Fred, those guys are a LHS owner's dream - if that's where they shop - they build so many layouts and each time there will be about 25% of the stuff that can't be salvaged. ;) :)
Fr. Fred has said it best (wished I had researched more than I did). Key to maintaining interest is operation. Same can be said about the smaller scales, how many guys built a nice layout with a loop or two of track running thru some nice looking scenery. When it is all "finished" it isn't long before he gets "bored" just watching the train run around & around. No matter what scale or what size railroad, operation is the key element in maintaing long term interest. This of course is just my 2 cents worth.
I’m definately in Fr. Fred’s camp (Heaven help me :)) but that doesn’t really answer the question…is it worth it? That’s about the most subjective type of question you can ask.
Is it worth it to own and maintain an expensive boat that you only have time to take out perhaps a half dozen times per year? Is it worth it to save all year for a one week hunting trip or maybe an Alaskan cruise? No one can answer those questions but you.
For me a large part of the fun is in planning and building the RR as well as the structures, etc., that go along with it. We’ve had an unusually prolonged wet season this winter and I went from October through March without being able to run a train or do much work on the RR proper. For me it was worth it. Thus I continue.
The work is of course magnified if the RR is at ground level. If you enjoy gardening and digging in the dirt then it most probably is worth it to you since you’d have to do much of the same work each Spring anyway just to get the yard in shape. I detest gardening and weeding even though I appreciate a good looking garden. That’s one reason my RR is raised above the ground but this isn’t for everybody.
Assess the amount of enjoyment in total you get from the hobby such as online discussions, visitors, family, grandkids, model building, RR construction and planning, etc. Weigh what you’d lose against the work involved. There’s your answer.
“Assess the amount of enjoyment in total you get from the hobby such as online discussions, visitors, family, grandkids, model building, RR construction and planning, etc. Weigh what you’d lose against the work involved. There’s your answer.”
Boom!!! There it is.
Exactly. Each Fall I look to what I want to get done inside before next Spring. Then comes train shows and ends with the East Coast Large Scale Train Show and its time to get thinking about the things that needed to get done and taking score of what you accomplished. Spring Ops, then that long hot spell of death and destruction, broken by a friendly trip to CaNaDa and partying with friends. Home to a few summer projects, time on the lake and some evening bike rides. Fall OPs starts the train show season and, if lucky, we get to repeat what we did last year.
Life’s Good!
Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
I'll second Fr. Fred!BTW JB just wait 'til you forget to charge the batteries. :lol: :lol:
No problemo, Hans!
I’ll just grab anudder battery car.
Fred,
My sentiments go with Richard. A railroad is not just the ‘result’, it is the journey. I do not often run my railroad (although it occupies most of the backyard of my villa, plus the side passages/walkways), but I get my main pleasure from building/rebuilding and simply looking at the railroad. I actually do not even need to run a train to get enjoyment. It is all in one’s perception of what they expected to get in return for the considerable investment.
But then, I am probably a little strange as my other enjoyment is to purchase mint LGB from the States. Patiently wait for it to arrive, then strip, clean and rebuild it. I then allow a couple of minutes test running to ensure all is perfect. Then I ‘lovingly’ repackage the equipment and seal in a box and ‘forget’ about it. I do not run my LGB, but simply knowing that I have it is the reward for me. As a young adult I dreamed of owning LGB and then when circumstances were such, I purchased several starter sets and some second hand items. Well, as usual life got in the way and I was forced to relinquish ownership of everything I had (cest la vie). Now in another age I am able to indulge myself. This is the reward that I seek, fulfilling the dream.
These days, I use my railroad more as a test track to run the locomotives that I build. I then film them and capture on a computer and edit and burn to a DVD and watch the DVD. Surprisingly, I get as much enjoyment watching my trains running on television then I do watching the trains run on the track. Each to his own. Money spent on trains is like putting it in the bank. The interest earned is prolonging your life expectancy by allowing you time to relax and enjoy what you are doing. Money spent on trains is not an expenditure in cash, it is an investment in your happiness and fulfilling your dreams. All sounds a little philosophical, but the enjoyment gained cannot be broken down into dollars and cents.
John Bouck said:Hans-Joerg Mueller said:
I'll second Fr. Fred!BTW JB just wait 'til you forget to charge the batteries. :lol: :lol:
No problemo, Hans!
I’ll just grab anudder battery car.
JB
Remember the aging factor with some - people that is, not batteries!!! BATTERIES is plural, as in didn’t charge any of them! 
OTOH batteries are great, but doing one of those conversions would be a minute fraction of the entertainment factor one gets when reading how some people are revving up to go DCC (LGB-MTS variety, no less). It’s an absolute howler! :lol:
I’m working on the best of both worlds. I love to just sit and enjoy. Take in my hard work for the day and enjoy a cold drink with frinds why the trains go roundy round. But, I’m also, going to put in a ops area. that way I can have all my new op friends over to see my work and have some thing for them to do that they enjoy. My lay out will be track powered but the live steam and batt guys can run on that as well. SeeingI have no batt locos I can I can’t run on theres unless they also have track power. So, I’m trying to do the best for everyone to be able to have fun at my place. might take me a few more years to get there but, half the fun of getting there is the jerny.
While my railroad provides enjoyment, that enjoyment is greatly magnified by the friendships it has helped form.
I agree with Richard, it’s a very subjective thing. If you happen to live in a place that gets a lot of bad weather, and you happen to be someone with a low tolerance for bad weather, then maybe it’s not worth it.
On the other hand, many people go through periods where they become frustrated, tired, bored etc with their hobby and just need some time away from it for a while. In my other hobby, rocketry, I’ve had a couple periods like that. Had too many rockets destroyed by various equipment failures and got fed up; or reached a place where I lacked new challenges. After setting that hobby aside for a while, eventually I began to regain interest.
Like any hobby it’s meant to be relaxing. If it gets to the point where it’s creating stress, then maybe it’s time for a change. Like others have mentioned, there are times when you get frustrated, but that’s when you step back a re-evaluate your reasons for getting into the hobby.
For me, it’s not always running a train that helps. Sometimes just sitting back and admiring what you’ve got accomplished already brings a little pleasure. Or just dreaming and running through your mind’s eye what you would like to do someday. Keeping a photo journal of your progress helps too. Looking back to the beginnings and seeing how’s it’s evolved over the years can bring some satisfaction.
And like Bruce mentioned you get a chance to create some great friendships along the way. That’s what I find to be the most enjoyable aspect of the hobby.