EDITOR’S SOAPBOX: Sharing Our Passion Good things get better with friends ...
About the Editor
Reader Feedback (click here)
B
y the time you read this, Christmas will have come and gone. Some folks like to predict what the new year will bring, but I’m going to resist that urge. Instead, I’d like everyone who’s reading this to reflect on the things that make our hobby so great.
Charlie Comstock has been a regular columnist, author, and editor of Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine since its inception. To learn more about Charlie, click here.
Page 8 • Jan 2012 MRH
Editorial, page 1
Some say it’s the fact that our trains move. Others say it’s because of all the skills you pick up while building layouts. Yet more like the creativity involved. Still others are sure the fellowship we get with other modelers is what makes it great. All of these are great reasons why model railroading is a way cool hobby.
But because this is my column, I’m going to tell you what I think. I really like building things. That’s been true since my Erector Set and Lincoln Log days. Apparently I have a creative streak that won’t let me sit still. Later on that streak turned me into a software designer. Yeah, I know, you can’t really “see” software, but programming is definitely building stuff. Eventually, the genes that lit up when I received my first 4x4 piece of plywood with a circle of HO track on it reasserted themselves and I started building “serious” model railroad layouts. Having a dad who showed me how to run the tools in his shop undoubtedly helped me learn the necessary wood working skills, and all the Heathkits (remember those?) I built as a young teen helped with wiring.
However I think even the nicest looking, most complete, layout isn’t really complete unless trains are running on it. Did you notice the plural there – trains? While possible, it’s definitely hard to run more than one train at a time (unless you’re into automated computer train control). The easiest way to run multiple trains at one time is with the help of a friend or two, or 16. I believe model trains and the layouts we run them on are meant for sharing. Sharing construction with some trusted friends. Sharing operation with “the gang.” Sharing ideas with whoever will listen in the basement, down at the club, at the local hobby shop, or even (gasp) on a model railroad forum. Getting together with like-minded people (also known as train nuts, in our case) is really a great way to use our hobby time. Notice, I’m not suggesting
Tell a friend ...
Contents
Index