Standing rail side listening to a switcher work his job is a visceral experience. I’ve always loved the sound of large internal combustion engines whether it be throttling up and down or just idling. Even more, I love the feel of that deep bass thumping on my chest. I get the same thrill from the […]
Author: Lmind1
The Structure Quandary
Over the past decade I’ve had a hard time ignoring the similarity between model railroader’s penchant for impulse buying/indiscriminate accumulation as compared to the same issue in any other retail setting. I’m not sure there is a difference between purchasing more shoes than there are days in the week as opposed to buying dozens of […]
Planning vs. Design
A successful model railroad plan (notice I didn’t say design) is one that ultimately puts the hobbyist in a position where they are consistently spending hobby hours engaged in a manner they find satisfying. Researching, building, operating, photographing all qualify. (Sorry, random long term kit accumulation and excessive chat forum participation doesn’t). The person who […]
The “Bullpen” (Efficient Rolling Stock Management)
Ergonomics, or the human comfort factor, plays a much greater roll on our layout than we realize. It impacts how often we run it, how enjoyable the experience is when we do and, ultimately, whether we keep using the railroad at all. The hidden trap is that ergonomics can be so subtle in some cases […]
Layout Lifespan
It’s pretty easy to sub-consciously buy into conventional wisdom without thinking through whether such an approach actually applies to our situation. It may or may not. The expected lifespan of a layout is one such example. For many of us, when we set out to build a layout, it’s with the thought that it will […]