What didn't they tell you before you started the hobby?

I went from trains into automobiles in my teen years, but kept my subcription to

a model magazine and showed up at occasional train shows.  Nobody told me that

while I was buying up all this HO stuff for certain roadnames then, I should have been

buying O guage tinplate, FOR THE PRICES I COULD HAVE GOTTEN IT FOR THEN!  MY

COLLECTION WOULD BE COMPLETE and all that gas, time,  and trips to shows while still looking for stuff, some now priced out in the twilight zone,  would have been, and be, saved. Ain't hindsight great? (Foresight is so much better)

For me it wasn't a case of "started the hobby." Had trains as a toy in the early 1960's. Kept asking for more cars and engines. When we moved to a house in the Bronx I built a layout. Bought more cars and engines. It wasn't a toy anymore. Nobody told me iot was a hobby. Some said it was a sign of illness. One day I woke up surrounded by trains and realized it was a hobby. Today I think it is a passion that often has painful experiences.

Been playing trains since before I can remember......My Mom tells me about how I'd stare at the trains that ran through Ashland Ky when I was only 2.....

What they did not tell me was nice Post war trains are STILL just about as unaffordable as when I was a kid! LOL!

Rob

I'm sure "they" told me a lot of things.  I just wasn't listening.

 

Rusty

Never gave much thought about trains as a passion or hobby.  To me they were always there...just a normal part of my life.  When I was a kid every boy in our neighborhood had trains so it was no big deal.  Some days we'd play army, some days build models, some days build a fort and some days play with our trains.  It was no big deal then and no big deal now.  They are still just part of life to be enjoyed whenever I want.  I definitely don't loose any sleep over them or fret when something doesn't work right.

"They" didn't tell me that if I waited for the world wide web, I could buy everything I wanted for a fraction of the price.  "They" also didn't tell me that I could buy superior merchandise if I would be willing to wait twenty years.

 

 

 

 

What, me worry?

They did not tell me how, "Train-Poor" I'd be . But again, my grandpa did tell me, "All of this will be yours someday" (July 1947) . I wish he were still here.

That heroine would have been cheaper, and not nearly as addictive..... 

I was not made aware of the fun that I would have, the numerous great new friendships that I would get, and having the love of my life get hooked on the trains too! I also was not made aware of the self confidence that I would gain as I have learned new terms, technologies, and problem solving skills with tons of support. Yup, never told about that stuff at all........

What they didn't tell me when I got into this hobby just 9 short months ago is that buying a new train/engine is like buying a new car.  When things fail within a couple weeks you can't just take it back and get a new one!  You go through the warranty process, which can take weeks and it may have to go back to the factory and possibly encounter a parts shortage and more lost fun time.  

What they didn't tell me or rather what I didn't know: 

- The degree of track curvature matters to the size of the engine that can use them.
- it's a lot easier to wire a reverse or return loop than in N gauge.

- TMCC or DCS are not DCC.
- Lots of people around age 40 or above recognize the phrase, 'Lionel trains'.
- Lots of people who recognize Lionel think your trains are all worth a ridiculous amount of money.
- There are lots of nice people in the hobby who are always willing to answer a question or give advice.
- The hobby's publications are a great read (and fun to collect).
- Working on a layout and running trains is a lot of fun.  

They didn't tell me how much of my train stuff would be bought by my wife!   (A good thing too...  I wouldn't be able to afford half of it.)

That she's not going to be as excited about your latest purchase as you are!

That you really need to be able to reach ALL the layout and eight feet of depth from a wall leaves a ton of "dead" area!

They never told me this would be so much fun.

I agree w/BillHowell and Rusty (and just about everybody else!) See that distant rear wall and the THREE levels of trains between the forward viewing aisle and Level#3 Can you discern that the floor above is just a few feet above the scenery? I am 6'2" tall and just "a tad" above the tonage I should be. (Don't try to picture me up there, folks, it's too gruesome.)

 

So, why didn't I listen when somebody (must have) said I would not always be thrilled to mount the layout (stepping over those bridges)  and crouch-waddling back there to the ONLY spot where trains stop for their shenanigans - yes, you guessed it, INSIDE the tunnels, and ONLY there. Only. (Never, ever up-front, along the aisle.)

 

And yes, perceptive fellow hobbyists, I do still go back there to dust. Yup. Unbelievable. (That was another something I was not told about - the dusting.) 

 

 

..and you might well ask, "What about access hatches?" Got 'em. Yup. All, now, nicely cemented over with layers of scenery (yes, even groundcover where it cannot be seen! I must have missed those lessons, too.) (It's also too bad I didn't have Rich B's ...

 

...instructional DVD's to explain it all to me, back in 1994 because the list goes on and on! Did I mention I had no idea, when I attended my first train show, that anything would cost over $100? )

Frank M.

I grew up near two major railroad lines--NYC and NKP and have played "trains" all my life.  But to answer the question, what did I learn in all that time?

 

1. Pick a sensible roadname and by that I mean not a mainline railroad impossible to mimic in 1/4 scale with any sort of scale fidelity.  I am never going to have a four track NYC mainline through Buffalo, NY, though I can still dream.

2. Do not believe the hype of limited production (meaning collector value).  Everything in my collection can be had today at a fraction of the price.  True there is the fun of having it right away, but honestly, if you can wait 2-3 years, it is yours for half price.  By the way, people take care of their trains so C-8 or C-7 would be the same quality right now as if you owned it first.

3.  No more anquish over I should have gone 2-rail.  With Atlas and Gargraves you can have a convincing model railroad with few electrical problems.

4.  Less is more.  I have boxes of nice models but only can run so much.  I would have bought much less and in a lesser road name than NYC.

5.  Less is more--Part II.  A well-scenicked small layout that runs reliably is more fun than acres of plywood central.

6.  More is more---a long straight run is boring and shorter than a slight S curve, which shows the articulation of locos and moving railroad stock.

7.  Join a club.  I have had so much more fun with trains since joining a modular hi-rail group.  The fellowship and service to others really took my out of solitary confinement in my basement.

8.  Give it back.  Donating stuff I don't use any more and just talking with folks about hi-rail trains really enhances being part of the hobby--which is small to begin with.

9.  You cannot collect it all.  So pick an era, pick a road name, pick a place and stick with it.

10. Pick up a dozen model railroad magazines and inevitably there will be a train station in an illogical place, impossible for people to get there.  Put the structures where they make sense and little model people and 1/43 scale cars (I know, they are not O scale) make the layout alive and more appealing to visitors.

 

So not that much to show for fifty years of playing with trains.

 

Rob Mozgawa

Madison, WI

That my original 10% grades might be a tad steep.

Nobody told me:

1-That I would be transferred quite a bit and have to dismantle so many half-finished,half _ssed layouts[ HO and later O] from 1968 thru 2009. 

 

2-That nobody convinced me "small is better" as you are growing old, lame, aching, ornery and cranky[and belly-fat].

 

3-That, in addition to being cranky, when one dismantles their unfinished dream layout one becomes crotchety, contrary, cantankerous and downright combative upon being told to "go run some trains but not on my carpet"[we have been married 57 years--but only so far??]

 

4-That I would end up running short trains round-the-wall in a little attic while down the hall in my former 15x25/8x12 dismantled dream layout room she watches big screen and piddles on her exercise equipment.

 

5-That I might thrash someone with my cane if on certain days they walked into my little attic and told me "Model Railroading is Fun".

 

6-That I would ride two rails up to work on three rails[stairlift to attic].

 

 

 

When I started I already knew everything.  However, I've learned a lot since then, especially that wiring even a small layout, one with quite a few action accessories, takes a whole lotta wire, a whole lotta patience, and a whole lotta organization.  Even though you run out of room right quick with O stuff I absolutely don't envy the folks with big layouts.

 

Pete

Well first 'they' said it would be fun!, Then 'they' said you don't need any skills!, Then 'they' said you can start with this starter set!, Then . . . . . . That was in 1965 . . . . .  Russ

 Having started in the hobby at age 85, I knew I knew everything. I am now rapidly approaching 90 (I hope), and I know now, I didn't know everything!

 

For instance I did not realize, how quickly a starting 48 square foot layout can grow to over 200 square feet, when you have an understanding wife ( I convinced her it was better than drinking, and chasing women), space, time, and some "disposable income"!!

 

Nor did I realize I would end up painting an 8ftx30ft background scenic mural, that actually was fun. (Painting has been another "hobby" for about 40 years.) 

 

I enjoy the hobby. The layout is a "work in progress", hopefully for a few more years.

 

Stay active,

 

Charlie N 

I have no answer, because I joined the hobby at age 3, with a Lionel 2034 loco outfit.

 

I haven't looked back since.

 

Mark

"They" didn't tell me once I started my layout that it would never EVER be done!!

They did not tell me that:
There is only one type of reliable switch out there and they start at 50 bucks a piece!
There is never enough room for what you really want to do
There is never enough money for what you really want
You will want one of everything
York is a spiritual thing
You will spend more in this Hobby than when you bought your first house
You will spend more time with your trains than with your spouse
)

Nobody told me how many great friends I was going to make.

That there wold come a day when you would simply stop buying. (Not to be confused with stop playing, building or creating).

That I would never watch TV again. 

That my cellar would constantly smell like smoke fluid. 

That my girls would spend more time on layout then my boys. 

That I would smile every time I started up an engine

That I would talk to people all over the world on a forum

That I could indeed build something from scratch

That shopping for grand kids toys I would look for toys for layput

That I would never be bored again

That I would be running 8 trains at one time by myself

That a larger engine would indeed hit the pole in my cellar 

Most people think I'm insane and should be locked up. 

I can't imagine that yet...

Q. What didn't they tell you before I started in the hobby?

 

Negative answer: That I would be out many thousands of dollars on a hobby that  becomes an obsession.

Postive Answer: That because of model railroading, I would be able to meet some of the most wonderful people in the world and make new friends from all over the USA. The best group in any hobby.

No one told me that no matter how many shelves I build for locos and rolling stock, I will always want another.

Guys and Gals,

 

What "they" didn't tell me is that all of you here are fantastically supportive and I wanted all of you to know it was through this OGR forums support that I base most of my enthusiasm and eagerness on.

 

You all kept me going when times were most difficult recently with my illness and the fracturing of the SISMR club and the starting of another club called The Richmond County Model Railroad Club.

 

Without this forums support in reaffirming my positions I could not have succeeded so well.

 

Thank you for your fellowship. Different opinions are what I needed.

 

In Italian: Mille Gracie!

 

Mike

That my cavernous basement would become "tiny" as all my trains multiplied.