Sharing the Hobby with others
Sharing the Hobby with others –
By: H.E. Dinsen
One of the fun things about model railroading which is pretty much a unique hobby is the sharing with others what you do in your spare time. Sure there are other hobbies out there, but you do not hear as much about RC cars, Planes, golf and maybe fishing, but those hobbies or recreation are somewhat seasonal. I suppose I could tell people I know I collect stamps or coins or build model air planes. But the look on some people’s faces can be priceless when I tell them I am in to model railroading.
“Trains? As in toy trains?”
I do cringe a bit when asked this. I pull out my Blackberry to show them pictures of the layout. At work, there goes an easy twenty minutes.
With the cell phones now being able to take good pictures and store them, I have some of the layout and prototype loaded to show people what I do with my spare time.
One thing I do not do, and it’s a preference of mine: I do not take as I call them: Fox News helicopter views of a high speed car chase pictures of my layout. All my pictures are done flat to the surface of the layout looking at the engine or specific freight car.
The typical comments range from: “Wow” to “Impressive” to “Those are models?”
There a couple guys at work, with their families who are in to model railroading and I share my insight in to the hobby, offer suggestions, but I have to keep in mind not to let my preferences override their own ideas or what they want to do.
Besides showing them pictures on my cell phone, I’ll take in a couple of my model railroad magazines to show them what others are doing, or have done. One of the important points I bring up is: Don’t it the hard way as I did – but that was before internet and getting help from the masters of the hobby. In other words: What I know now, I wish I knew then.
Though I do strongly recommend they swap out any of the antiquated X2F plastic couplers, which used to be included in all kits or with ready-to-run models for the more prototype knuckle couplers; then I let them know if they do a get together with another modeler using the X2F couplers they may not be able to interface with the other modeler
due to the other person using the now universal knuckle type couplers.
With the ability of internet and meeting other modelers on line, a person can pick up ideas, share experience, swap pictures; and the occasional trip trackside to get pictures of the prototypes; and if the modeler finds himself spending too much time in the train room, the online groups is a good break once in a while.
As we who are in to model railroading: Happy Modeling and keep the trains running.
About the Author
Harry is a retired US Army veteran of twenty years, originating from New Jersey having enlisted in the Army in 1967; retired in 1987. He started off with the mandatory Lionel train set and moved up to HO scale. He renewed his interest in model trains while stationed in Frankfurt am Main with the Gibbs Kasern Model Train Club, continuing when he was stationed at Fort Riley, KS. The Coal Belt Lines was actually started while at Fort Hood, Tx. in a one car garage in Killeen, Texas.
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www.HobbyMinds.com where you can share your hobby. Its free to register and use the website.