Southern Pacific Switching Layout

[conrailmike]

Galen makes some good points! (He usually does.)

It seems that the new, youthful model railroaders have for some reason adopted this notion that those of us "more seasoned veterans" built a layout to a completed appearance last week and are now merely enjoying looking at it, or something to that effect. The young guns have some odd fixation on "finished!"

They know all about modelers like the young Mr. Lindheim, who modeling skills are considerable ... but he is not some magic god ... his beautiful Industrial Switching Layout that we've all now seen and stared deep into the photos, marveling at the detail, did not materialize in a mere couple of weeks ... or even a piddling several months!!!!!!!!!!! These things take time.

The modelers who inspired many of us more seasoned guys, the likes of John Armstrong, John Allen, Bruce Chubb, Alan McClelland, Tony Koester, et. al. spent DECADES building, detailing, realizing that their skill set had improved over time and the sections completed first appeared somewhat crude compared to the newer areas, and the old ones are torn out and redone ... they were (and in some cases still are) never "FINISHED!." There is a slow, stady ongoing evolution that takes place when building a model railroad ... it's just not a POOF! DONE! kind of proposition!

If it were, there would be no "seasoned veterans!" We woluld have built a "Finished Layout," admired it for a little while ... and then moved on to the next attention grabbing, interesting-looking, gotta-do-that activity that happened to be the popular "hobby" to be involved in.

Or maybe I'm justr getting to be some old curmudgeon who wishes the young guns would slow down long enough to realize that ours is the "Hobby of a Lifetime!" And by that, I don't necessarily mean that it is the only hobby to come along that is worth becoming involved in, although I bet I could build and argue a case for that premise, but it is a hobby that the hobbiest can take with them through the journey of life, fron the pre-teen years to octagenarianism!

What's the rush to be finished?

:?: :?: :? :?: :?: :!:

I agree...and I'm not one of the older guys around here. I mean look at George Sellios' Franklin and South Manchester, he started that layout in 1985. It's a layout that he is continually working on and just recently he's gone back and redone parts of the layout so he can actually have operations now. I don't think it would be any fun if you were able to build a layout in a real short amount of time.