What Others Think You Should Model


D&J RailRoad

D&J RailRoad

Professor of HO
Do ya have friends who try to tell you how important it is to model your railroad the way they would like it?
I have a friend who has ideas of how the modular groups I'm a member of should change the layout to FreeMo. Also, he wants us to change our Digitrax OS to ESU and replace our turnouts with Fast Tracks turnouts. He claims the ESU will work so much better because it discovers all locomotives on the layout. ???!!!??!!!?? I'm still not sure how that will enhance our day of running trains. He also claims that during one of my op sessions years ago, he swapped out my Digitrax command station with his ESU system and nobody knew it for the remaining 3 hours of operations. I told him, "If nobody noticed it, what's different about it from Digitrax?" "Ohhhh, it can discover all the trains on the system and keep track of them". "Why do I need that?" "Ummmm, so you know what locomotives and their decoders are on the layout." "Why?" If you swapped out the Digitrax command station with your ESU, how did you reach the panel where I have em powered without laying down on the floor to slide under the layout. I think I would have noticed you doing that.
Of course, his layout hasn't seen a train move in at least 5 years, with less than half of the track visible under the piles of junk he has stacked up in his basement.
He also impressed upon me how unstable the Digitrax wall warts are, i.e. PS14s and I should replace them with a power supply that is clean DC power. OK, I swapped out a bunch of my PS14s for a few of his power supplies. I didn't really see any difference in the operation of my BDL168s or SE8Cs that were powered by them, until one day, several months later none of my signals were responding properly. I traced the problem to the power supplies he provided. Two of them went from the 14VDC that I adjusted them to up to 35VDC. That damaged the boards and I had to send em to Digitrax for repair. He claimed that I didn't adjust them correctly and that my Volt-Ohm meter wasn't calibrated properly.
 
I know people who are like your friend. They are not friends-just people I know. Some of
my relationships with friends started out with situations similar to what you describe.

Early on when first meeting them, the mood becomes readily apparent everything has
to go their way. I simply say "This ain't Burger King- you don't get it your way". Then
we come to an understanding or part ways.

I don't have an abundance of friends, but the friends I have are truly friends.
 
He's the ESU dealer that I went through that ESU issue with several years ago.
He does the heroics with the system. When it started out with problems, he figured out how to correct it then tells me there were hidden, secret files that ESU didn't want Americans to know about. He says that Germany considers American model railroaders as mere loopers. People who just lay down a circle of track then watch their trains run in circles, so they don't deserve the full features of the ESU system.
Yeah, he's one of those people who supposedly knows the secrets of the government but blabs them to anyone anyways. "Geee, how do you know the secrets, Tom?" "I know people who work in that environment". "Ohhh, so you know people who are compromising classified information to people who don't have a clearance, right?" "Ohhh, I used to have several very high clearances." "Ohhh, that was a long time ago, right?". "Yeah, but I'm still considered to have clearance." "Ohh, with a need to know and access, huh?" "I can't really go into detail about it." "Uhh huh."
 
I belonged to a small club for quite awhile that was pretty decent to start out with. Later on however, as we started to grow, we got some newer members that really weren't interested in following unwritten rules of layout etiquette and common courtesy, no matter how many subtle hints and suggestions that were dropped on them. And then a few other newer members who eventually wanted to take the club in a new direction (none of which totally matched each other's visions). The fun had slowly evaporated for me, and finally deciding I was tired of it all, ended up quitting.

The club is still around, and still plugging away, albeit about half dysfunctional in my opinion. But oh well, at least I'm happier now. ;)👍
 
I suspect that people who act that way are seeking affirmation for their choices. In that sense, they are somewhat insecure in the hobby. It gives them power if they can persuade people to behave in the hobby as they do. Attention-seekers.
 
I personally have never come across the type of people you’re talking about, course I don’t belong to any clubs use to years back but never got much out of it. Sure got to meet people with the same interests, model railroading but I live in the country and to ask someone to come see my layout was just out of the question (partly because I’m not that outgoing to ask I guess).

I just build what I want, if it looks good to me and I have fun, don’t care what others think, as others have said, it’s my railroad. If I want to run steam I run steam if I want to run diesels I run diesels. I like old western buildings with the false fronts but is it right to run diesel in that time period, nope, but who cares. I’m not one that has to have everything correct or even detailed to the max.

Most of my cars on my layout are old roundhouse cars that I built when I was in my teens and twenties (now 58). The cars now that you buy I really don’t see a kid being about to buy cars let alone a locomotive these days.

Course if they start out with dc power and buy second hand or lesser detailed cars and locomotives I can see younger people getting into the hobby. But cars under $30.00 are hard to come by. Found a few places but most are $50.00 and up. Heck that’s out of my price range for a car now a days.

I have one structure that if bought today is $65.00, I know I didn’t pay that much when I bought mine 30 years ago plus.

With all the money someone spends on our hobby, we don’t need to worry about what others think or say just do what you want and like and enjoy this great hobby of ours.
 
kgstakes said:
I just build what I want, if it looks good to me and I have fun, don’t care what others think, as others have said, it’s my railroad. If I want to run steam I run steam if I want to run diesels I run diesels. I like old western buildings with the false fronts but is it right to run diesel in that time period, nope, but who cares. I’m not one that has to have everything correct or even detailed to the max.
Click to expand...
You only have to look at the mish-mash of buildings, locomotives, lighting and signals to know I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. :)
 
D&J RailRoad said:
He's the ESU dealer that I went through that ESU issue with several years ago.
He does the heroics with the system. When it started out with problems, he figured out how to correct it then tells me there were hidden, secret files that ESU didn't want Americans to know about. He says that Germany considers American model railroaders as mere loopers. People who just lay down a circle of track then watch their trains run in circles, so they don't deserve the full features of the ESU system.
Yeah, he's one of those people who supposedly knows the secrets of the government but blabs them to anyone anyways. "Geee, how do you know the secrets, Tom?" "I know people who work in that environment". "Ohhh, so you know people who are compromising classified information to people who don't have a clearance, right?" "Ohhh, I used to have several very high clearances." "Ohhh, that was a long time ago, right?". "Yeah, but I'm still considered to have clearance." "Ohh, with a need to know and access, huh?" "I can't really go into detail about it." "Uhh huh."
Click to expand...
Here's something that might help you😀:
 
RhB Michael said:
I'd sure like to know about that hidden ESU data. Tell him I had a TS decades ago while working on Minuteman II. Tell him it should still be good for a few secrets...

Hahahahaha!
Click to expand...
"TS" Wasn't that what you were supposed to visit the base chaplain about...to get your ticket punched? Where were you and when? I ran around central Montana in a blue truck '65-'69, keeping the capsule drivers in business. Only time I got up to the 564th was as a field stupidvisor!
 
Iron Horseman said:
When did Digitrax go to using a DC power input? Mine are AC. In fact, I use Digitrax PS514s, 15VAC output, to power my Lentz and NCE ProCab as well.
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If yours has AC output, you have a serious problem:

AC/DC Adapter 14V DC 300ma

The PS14 is a 300ma, 14 Volt power supply for powering Digitrax accessories like the UP5, BDL168, DS64, SE8C, LNRP, UR90, UR91, UR92 and others
www.digitrax.com www.digitrax.com
 
trailrider said:
"TS" Wasn't that what you were supposed to visit the base chaplain about...to get your ticket punched? Where were you and when? I ran around central Montana in a blue truck '65-'69, keeping the capsule drivers in business. Only time I got up to the 564th was as a field stupidvisor!
Click to expand...
Wing IV. 351st OMMS EMTer. 1981-1989. We tried to keep them in business too, but I went to more LFs that LCCs. OSCAR-01 was everyone's favorite though.

We kept busy with the Russians trying to play satelllite wack-a-mole with our ERCS birds in the 510th. Always a fun time at Whiteman.
 
bnsf971 said:
If yours has AC output, you have a serious problem:
Click to expand...
Oops Typo 5 not 4. Digitrax PS515s. But still AC output. Use them for all my DCC systems (except ironically the Zephyr).
digitrax ps515.jpg
 
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