Profiling. Demographics, Sociology. Touchy subjects at times depending on the context. Applied with good, or at least benign, intentions however, classifying people into categories can be beneficial both to the individuals being grouped as well as those that are serving them. A major factor in the usefulness of all of this data is how […]
Category: Opinion
Modeling From A Suitcase
From time to time I get emails from active duty military along the lines of “Can’t wait to get back stateside so I can start model railroading”. Variations on this theme are, I can’t wait until: I’m out of college, have a house, don’t travel so much etc. Been there, done that. Such a mindset, […]
The Hidden Blessing of Constraints
Awhile back I was reading an article on architectural design. The author, an architect, made the point that having constraints (budget, theme, etc.) on a project often made it easier rather than harder. The constraints narrowed the focus leading to a more cohesive result. The same could be said for model railroading. At first […]
Knowing What We Don’t Know
Most participants in model railroading, as with any leisure pursuit, are looking for a casual creative outlet, a break from the everyday without any overriding compulsion to be a master at it. This is as it should be and I point it out without any condescension. I enjoy surfing and playing basketball and can say in […]
Putting the Pieces Together
In the July issue of Model Railroader, Tony Koester wrote what I’d consider to be one of his best Trains of Thought columns. In the piece he clearly communicates the notion that simply producing a model that is neatly constructed won’t bring you to the finish line if your goal is create a successful scene. […]