Frustrated by the fact that, despite years and years of resolutions, you’ve yet to lay so much as one turnout on an actual model railroad? Started a layout but demoralized by the woeful lack of progress? You have a lot of company so, welcome to the club! Feel better? Didn’t think so. The first step […]
Category: Opinion
Obstacles
Fear of the Inconsequential
Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink, addresses the relationship between the amount of thought that goes into making a decision and the ultimate quality of that decision’s outcome. As the time devoted to making a decision increases, eventually things flatten out and you hit the point of diminishing returns. More tooth gnashing, more analysis, doesn’t give you […]
What the hell are you doing?
What the hell are you doing? The frequent questions about my LAJ layout, all well meaning and coming from long time ‘friends of the cause’, have been posed in the most delicate and diplomatic manner. Translated into plain English however, they boil down to, “What the heck are you trying to accomplish with the layout […]
Moving From Technician to Artist
When it comes to leisure pursuits, it’s not necessary to be particularly good at the activity in order for it to serve its purpose of being relaxing and enjoyable. For example, I enjoy running, playing basketball, fishing, and surfing but have no delusions of being particularly competent at any of them. Not only am I […]
All Done, Now What?
Following Up on a Successful Launch By far the biggest obstacle facing the entry level modeler is overcoming inertia, getting that first layout off the launching pad, and operating reliably. Doing so is an enormous achievement. Things flow much easier after hitting that first milestone. The primary reason I’m an advocate for smaller, simpler […]