Model railroading - a solo or social activity?

[nachoman]

Do you consider your model railroading hobby more of a solo activity, or a social activity? There's no right or wrong answer here, and I'm sure all of us exhibit characteristics of both realms. After all, all of us have to consider our participation at least somewhat social, because we participate here But I am asking you in the poll to pick one or the other - do you consider YOUR participation to be more solo or social? This isn't a refection of how you view the hobby as a whole, but how you view your personal participation. I also realize through different life stages, some of us will switch from one realm to the other and back again, and will almost always have some solo activity and some social activity.

After reading a few threads here the past few days, reflecting on life, and thinking, I realize I use this hobby primarily as a solo activity. I rarely do any modeling with others, I rarely invite people over just to see my trains, I rarely go railfanning or taking photos with other modelers. I generally go to hobby shops and train shows by myself, do my own thing, and am happy doing it. For most of my life, I use model railroading as my "me" time, where I do my own thing, am in control of my own world, and generally tune out other life distractions. When I want to socialize, I almost exclusively choose non-railroad activites. I feel that over the course of my life, I tend to lean on model railroading to get me through periods of giref, depression, or stress. Solitary modeling activities have helped keep my life steady and healthy.

On the other hand, I realize others primarily use this hobby to meet and socialize with other modelers. They are frequent participants in clubs, but often do little modeling at home on their own. Without the social aspect, their interest would diminish, and they would probably reduce model railroading to an "armchair" status in their life. These modelers are much more interested in getting together for an operating session than spending the weekend in the workshop weathering boxcars.

My interest in this topic is more broad. I realize that other people have different ways of dealing with life and stress, and I recognize that almost everyone needs some kind of activity that they enjoy alone. For me, that happens to be model railroading. I often wonder if haivng these solo activities helps keep one focused in the rest of their lives. For me, I can definitely say that model railroading has provided continuity in my life, and helpe me keep a level head and out of trouble.