Avoiding the Placeholder Trap When we say something has been modeled accurately, what exactly do we mean? Does it mean that we’ve performed a careful survey of the bristling details on a specific locomotive, documented them on an excel spreadsheet, tracked down said details, and meticulously applied them? Can we go back, compare […]
Category: Opinion
Our Hobby and the Press
If I had to pick one entity that is the lifeblood of our hobby, I wouldn’t even have to stop to think about it. Without question, it’s the model railroad press, particularly Model Railroader, Model Railroad Hobbyist, and Railroad Model Craftsman. The healthier the magazines are, the more robust their circulation, the better for […]
Advanced Beginners. The Underserved, Invisible Modeling Class
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 […]
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 […]