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NP2626

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Lately, it seems I have been involved in to much stuff I don't find fun to do; Installing decoders, attempting to learn how to use JMRI's Decoder Pro, determining that my new Digitrax DCS 51 Zephyr Xtra has a problem and needs to be shipped back to the manufacturer for repairs, electrical hook ups for building lights, posting at the ANPL Coffee Shop, etc., etc... Since Saturday afternoon; however, I have been building an Atlas Signal Tower Kit and I am once again enjoying this hobby! All the time I've spent working on stuff that I don't particularly feel is fun to do, was making me think this is stupid, I need to find a better hobby!

Makes me think it would be interesting to find out what others think is the funnest part of the hobby?
 
Structure building is my most favorite aspect of this hobby, followed by switching freight cars. Is this the Signal Tower kit that you are building?
03-24-18 005.JPG
 
I've found that the areas of interest rotate for me. Most of the time I'm putting together buildings. Because I do several projects at a time, I end up not accomplishing (more accurately finishing) for a while and feel kinda burnt out. So, I'll pull out an Accurail car kit that can be done quickly. Or I'll work on a locomotive. Something to change things up and hopefully gain a quick sense of accomplishment to overcome the burnout.
 
I am like Railrunner. I bounce back and forth between different projects. I like building any type of model. I currently have about half dozen or so railroad projects, 2 RC planes and 2 wooden ships on the go. I get tired or bored with one, I jump to another one. Everything gets finished sooner or later. lol
 
I pretty much do the same thing. I have been active in hobbies my entire life except when in the U.S. ARMY. Built sailing ships in plastic and wood, Model Railroading in both HO and S and built and flew R/C Airplanes for 20 years lost interest because nobody was building their models anymore, then switched back to Model Railroading which has been my primary since 1988. I switch back and forth between projects and the only one I never seem to get done is installing decoders and I have done around 20, so I know the process. Having been in this hobby heavily, since 1988, it certainly could be that it has simply run it's course for me!
 
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I got sick of all the DCC stuff and fitting decoders into small brass steam locos and wiring. I would rather be building Jordan Miniature vehicles or weathering cars and putting those teeny details on structures. The electronics and wiring made me pretty much give up the hobby.
 
I like operating the railroad the most followed by building structure kits. I get frustrated when something doesn't work as it should, or when needed components are not available. My biggest problem is not completing the structure, because a component is not readily available.

Boris
 
Y3a said:
The electronics and wiring made me pretty much give up the hobby.
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Not for nothing, but DC wiring is relatively simple. DCC requires a lot of patience when programing and speed matching etc. are taken into consideration, not to mention the additional cost of a DCC system. I have returned to DC for my current layout and have not had any desire to reinstall my DCC controls.

The whole concept of this or any other hobby is for relaxation and enjoyment. Once , it is no longer relaxing or enjoyable, the hobby becomes burdensome or tedious, it's no longer a hobby, but a burden.

Boris
 
Boris said:
Not for nothing, but DC wiring is relatively simple. DCC requires a lot of patience when programing and speed matching etc. are taken into consideration, not to mention the additional cost of a DCC system. I have returned to DC for my current layout and have not had any desire to reinstall my DCC controls.

The whole concept of this or any other hobby is for relaxation and enjoyment. Once , it is no longer relaxing or enjoyable, the hobby becomes burdensome or tedious, it's no longer a hobby, but a burden.

Boris
Click to expand...

However, there will always be tiresome, burdensome, boring, things that need taking care of before you will have a fully functional, operable layout, the necessary evil! Just need to do them in small doses!
 
I also move from one project to another which helps relieve boredom. I do enjoy putting building together, but I anm to the point on my layout where I really don't have any more room for them. I often go down to the train room with all good intentions of working on some minor project and just end up running trains. I probably have over 90% of the scenery done, but some older parts of the layout could use some refreshing. Adding smaller details is where I am on my layout as after many years, the layout is operating just the way it was planned. As I have mentioned many times, I have no interest in DCC as I really have no need for it with a switching layout. Joe, sounds like you are also not in need of DCC. I do have a few DCC locomotives that I run at the club, but I can't count how many times I have seen the members having problems with it. For a layout like we have at the club, DCC is really a necessity, but it sure can be a pain. I like things simple.
 
Interesting subject. The last time I ran a model train was in the early 60s, a Lionel
O scale 2-6-0 steam loco. I have gotten back to railroad subjects but I only wish
to do static models of diesel locomotives. I don't have the room or interest to do
all the scenery but I do like trains. I guess this is just my way of "model railroading".---John
 
I have discussed that I love to build Freight and Passenger Car Kits previously. I really enjoy putting them together, Kit-Bashing them into something different and weathering them. However, I am finding locating "Kits" to be difficult, anymore! Yes, Accurail still makes kits and there are likely others who make them. But, my mainstay has always been locating old Athearn Blue Box and MDC Roundhouse kits. I use the old Athearn Cupola Caboose as the basis for conversion to Northern Pacific 1000-1100 series steel cabooses. Without buying brass cabooses, these conversions are as close as I can get to the Northern Pacific steel caboose. I was at the Granite City Train Show yesterday in St. Cloud Minnesota. My mission while there was finding another Athearn Cupola Caboose for another conversion. Other years I have been to this show there have been guys who had boxes full of Athearn or MDC Roundhouse kits. Not so this year! In fact the amount of actual Athearn; or, Roundhouse kits available was negligible. I did manage to find one already built Athearn Cupola Caboose. It stands to reason that people who were overstocked in freight and passenger car kits, would eventually run out of them to sell at swap meets and this is what I was finding, at least at the Granite City Train Show. Even Ebay shows the number of Kits available to be dwindling. For those of you who do not Kit-Bash, repaint and/or re-purpose freight or passenger equipment the facts I've mentioned, means nothing! To me, who this is a large portion of my enjoyment of this hobby, this fact is significant!
 
montanan wrote:

...but I am to the point on my layout where I really don't have any more room for them.
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"Easy" solution, montanan; keep on building the buildings you like. Then, when you finish a "new" one, you can
1. Swap it out with an older building you have that isn't up your current likes / standards.
2. Donate it to a friend or a club or somesuch
3. Sell it at a train show or a swap meet

Like you, I have too many buildings for my (future) layout -- but I love to build them. (Ditto with almost everything... I also LIKE acquring "new stuff!) But I plan to keep my better efforts, and sell off the rest. That's my story -- and I'm sticking with it! :D

Regards,
Tom Stockton
 
NP2626 said:
I have discussed that I love to build Freight and Passenger Car Kits previously. I really enjoy putting them together, Kit-Bashing them into something different and weathering them. However, I am finding locating "Kits" to be difficult, anymore! Yes, Accurail still makes kits and there are likely others who make them. But, my mainstay has always been locating old Athearn Blue Box and MDC Roundhouse kits. I use the old Athearn Cupola Caboose as the basis for conversion to Northern Pacific 1000-1100 series steel cabooses. Without buying brass cabooses, these conversions are as close as I can get to the Northern Pacific steel caboose. I was at the Granite City Train Show yesterday in St. Cloud Minnesota. My mission while there was finding another Athearn Cupola Caboose for another conversion. Other years I have been to this show there have been guys who had boxes full of Athearn or MDC Roundhouse kits. Not so this year! In fact the amount of actual Athearn; or, Roundhouse kits available was negligible. I did manage to find one already built Athearn Cupola Caboose. It stands to reason that people who were overstocked in freight and passenger car kits, would eventually run out of them to sell at swap meets and this is what I was finding, at least at the Granite City Train Show. Even Ebay shows the number of Kits available to be dwindling. For those of you who do not Kit-Bash, repaint and/or re-purpose freight or passenger equipment the facts I've mentioned, means nothing! To me, who this is a large portion of my enjoyment of this hobby, this fact is significant!
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Hi Mark,

I found that I like making the stuff and then taking pictures of it to be the most fun for me. Probably why DCC does not interest me.

My best source for out of production kits is ebay. I have found some nice new old stock from that source, like a Soo line old Walthers kit . Also most of my other kits are Roundhouse. There is always a risk of a bad deal, like last week when a seller taped the packing label directly to the box, couldn't get it off without tearing a bunch of the paper.

The meatball did not even understand the original box is part of the model. I wanted the box car so ended up giving him a bad review but keeping the item, which was a rather unique old timer Roundhouse kit.

Otherwise mostly good experiences.

Looking forward to when I get another layout going. Dave
 
Dave, I agree about Ebay as a good source for rolling stock kits. Have you built any Tichy kits? Also Accurail?
 
Hi Mark, I do have a couple Accurail kits but they were built several years ago. None of the Tichy kits, however. My first kit was a NH gondola by Funero. That took several sessions to complete but was worth it. The only problem with that kit was the stirrups kept falling off, they were very delicate. Somehow I managed not to loose any and have both glued and epoxied them on several times.

I also had a proto 2000 closed hopper car which had about a million pieces. I sold that one off after I built it because it was too modern. That one took about a week to assemble as well, as I waited for glue to dry at several points.
 
Yes, before the switch over to RTR, Red Caboose, Intermountain, Life Like Proto 2000, Branchline and many others that escape my memory right now produced wonderfully detailed freight car kits! They took some time to build and had many fine/small detail parts that could be difficult to install; but, my oh my they built into great representations of the freight car fleet. Many of these cars are still available as RTR equipment and at several times there original prices! As kits, they sold for around $15.00 each. People must have voiced their opinions on the difficulty of building and all of these manufacturers decided to send the kits overseas and have the Chinese & South East Asian folks assemble them for us "All Thumbs Modelers" as none are available as kits anymore excepting Branchline, now owned by Atlas which offers a very limited supply of Branchline's kits. If I'm wrong about what is offered as kits by any of these manufacturers, please, by all means prove me wrong!
 
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