How many railway modellers?

[F-UnitMad]

8 hours ago, Paul H Vigor said:

"How many railway modellers does it take to change a lightbulb?"

Hopefully most of them, and if they have any sense they'll change it to an LED..... 

[JOHNMCDRAGON]

Just my personal take  on this, Triang train set as 5 year old, interest over the years, built Airfix signal box , footbridge etc even as a 7 year old, bought bits and pieces through married life, made usual Superquick  and Airfix kits etc for various attempts at  makeshift layouts  over the years, through house moves divorce etc, now in  60's and still working but eventually built permanent set up in study.  Built up stud of locos and stock for period I wanted, also during that period various  purchases for 'train set' from family for Xmas , birthday etc.  Weathering and renumbering of locos and stock and fitting of DCC to locos,  as well as little bit of kit and scratch building so  I think can class myself as railway modeller, surely.  Point is, having completed  (as far as I'm going ) with layout and amassed a good amount of stock, and  reading this site almost daily,  I have n't actually bought anything for a couple of years now. So while I and many can be classed as railway modellers  by whatever criteria you go with, surely the question is how many  of us are actually regularly buying stuff.  This is real question I think is at the heart of the matter of this subject.  I went through period of regularly treating myself at Xmas  with new purchase and if I saw something that seemed suitable period for layout, but I think turning point came when I tried to programme new loco for layout on DCC controller and found it did n't work, I then realised I was at my limit of 40 locos. Then when I  counted coaches  found it was almost 3 figures.

 Life for various reasons busier now than a few years ago with grown up children and grand children and I have n't  run anything on layout for about 18 months now and I don't know when next I think I would feel like buying something. So yes, railway modeller but not a purchaser these days. Wonder if anyone else can identify with this.

[Clive Mortimore]

There are lots of railway modellers. Some are in that range of being my best mates, some are very nice people who's company, real or virtual, I enjoy, some are people who's company I do not enjoy and I bet there are some who say " Oh (Not an RMweb word) there is Mortimore, quick run and hide".

 

What makes a railway modeller,

1, someone who scratchbuilds the tiny figures, the buildings, the track, the road vehicles, the wagons, the coaches, the locos etc.

2, someone who assembles from kits the tiny figures, the buildings, the track, the road vehicles, the wagons, the coaches, the locos etc.

3, someone who buys ready to use the tiny figures, the buildings, the track, the road vehicles, the wagons, the coaches, the locos etc.

4, someone who sits on his (not another RMweb word) reading about others modelling or stares at the likes of RMweb on his computer

5, someone who organises, helps at, displays or visits an exhibition

6, and a lot more

 

I do or have done all of them, so if you fit in anywhere in that list you are a fellow railway modeller. I don't care if there are only 2 of us or if there is zillions like me as long as we are all enjoying our hobby and we keep a market afloat to support what we do then excellent.

 

[Flying Pig]

1 hour ago, F-UnitMad said:

Hopefully most of them, and if they have any sense they'll change it to an LED..... 

 

A True Railway Modeller always uses a grain-of-wheat bulb for lighting.  I know because it was in all the magazines when I was growing up, between the rabbit warren layout and the K's Bulldog on a branch line.  I think the bulb comes in a box, but if you open it yourself you are not a True Railway Modeller, so ask a parent or guardian to do it for you.

[tomparryharry]

On 17/09/2020 at 23:26, The Johnster said:

I'm not willing to go on the streets with molotov cocktails.

 

You're just not 'fun' anymore...

 

 How many people are favourably inclined towards the hobby?  Mrs Smith wouldn't take up the hobby  (thank God)  but I know of wives & partners where the 'other half' are latent hobbyists, usually by association. I can think of several occasions where the connections are made between railway modelling and dolls houses. Some people are heavily into dolls houses, from an architectural viewpoint, and a creative streak which funnily enough, encapsulates all of us.  

 

Actually, now I think of it, creativity is the key here. To be more precise, Abstract Creativity. A bird will create a nest, in order to live, A Neanderthal will create a rudimentary shelter. We've moved on a bit along the chain, that's all. I think everyone is capable of Abstract Creativity; some hide it under a bush; some collect butterflies... 

[Flying Pig]

4 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

Actually, now I think of it, creativity is the key here. To be more precise, Abstract Creativity. A bird will create a nest, in order to live, A Neanderthal will create a rudimentary shelter. We've moved on a bit along the chain, that's all. I think everyone is capable of Abstract Creativity; some hide it under a bush; some collect butterflies

 

Fun fact - the oldest cave paintings in Europe are now believed to pre-date the arrival of H. sapiens by 20,000 years and to have been made by Neanderthals. 

[The Johnster]

10 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

 

You're just not 'fun' anymore...

 

 How many people are favourably inclined towards the hobby?  Mrs Smith wouldn't take up the hobby  (thank God)  but I know of wives & partners where the 'other half' are latent hobbyists, usually by association. I can think of several occasions where the connections are made between railway modelling and dolls houses. Some people are heavily into dolls houses, from an architectural viewpoint, and a creative streak which funnily enough, encapsulates all of us.  

 

Actually, now I think of it, creativity is the key here. To be more precise, Abstract Creativity. A bird will create a nest, in order to live, A Neanderthal will create a rudimentary shelter. We've moved on a bit along the chain, that's all. I think everyone is capable of Abstract Creativity; some hide it under a bush; some collect butterflies... 

Too old for rebellion cannon fodder deze daze, and even when I was at the Grosvenor Square anti Vietnam war protest in the 60s, I bravely hid at the back with a group of volunteer nursese

 

I agree about creativity; modelling has elements of both arts and crafts.  An ex girlfriend from a few years ago was into lead military figures, particularly painting them, which would have crossed over into railways had I had a layout in those days.  She was a member of the UK pistol shooting team in the Tokyo Olympics, not that that's relevant to anything.

 

The current squeeze is not particularly orientated towards creative activity in that sense, and thinks hobbies are a bit of a waste of time; life is too serious, and there's the housework to do (quite a bit of it by Johnster, which is only fair).  But she is very supportive of my interest, is proud that her boyf is creative and constructive, and likes to drive the trains occasionally.  She has a good natural feel for smooth, scale speed, operation and has learned to obey signals, but must still be instructed what the next move is in a shunting sequence; I don't think she has the ability to sort puzzles in 3 dimensions without blocking the loco in.  She is appreciative of the cameos on the layout.  

 

Other forms of modelling, like R/C boats, cars, and planes, or display models in cases (including trains), are different in that the single item modelled is the purpose in and of itself; they are not used in a modelled scene as trains typically are.  We have more of a crossover with military modelling which lends itself to diorama cameos, and share landscaping and scenic methods with Wargaming.  This is an observation, I don't know what point it makes.  Live steam modelling, and model engineering, have an element of this to them.

 

It can be a question of attitude as well.  I regard my layout not as a model, but as a real railway that serves a South Wales mining village in the 1950s, the only difference between it and a real railway is that it is 76 times smaller.  I work as closely as possible to the 1955 BR Rule Book, and follow real working practices, and think of it as serving the imaginary village in a real place, Cwmdimbath.  I operate to real time, although not the actual time; the clock is stopped when the operating session is finished, and time is condensed between trains in quiet periods.  I do not think of myself as operating a model railway, but taking on in my imagination the multiple roles of signalman, driver, shunter, leading railman, goods agent, porter, colliery driver/shunter/manager, Control, and to lesser extents Tondu shedmaster and statiomaster.  This cerebral part of operating is important to me and huge fun!  I might be the goods agent, telephoning a farmer or manager of a small engineering factory to come and collect their stuff from the van on the mileage road if they wan't to avoid demurrage, having been Control chasing the van up because it's an end loading MOGO pressed into mileage service as the only one on hand somewhere else, and now needed elsewhere.  Or the C & W examiner on the train up from Tondu with a toolbag to replace brake blocks or a broken coupling on an XPO mineral.

 

In other words, Cwmdimbath attempts to recreate the day to day workings and solve the day to day issues of such a railway had it existed in reality.  The trains are important, of course, as is making the scene as realistic and plausible as possible, but there is a whole level of it that takes place in my imagination as well.  Perhaps this is because I have worked on the real railway and am thus more aware of this behind the scenes stuff; the sleepy station observed by a passenger might actually be a hive of telephone or clerical activity, all of which must be done to keep the railway running.  Your signalman might look as if he's having a cup of tea and reading the Daily Sketch in his armchair, but his head is abuzz with movements taking place several miles away on the other sides of the mountains as his mental 3D jigsaw slots into place; if a piece loses it's path there will be delays and possible out of course working to plan for.

 

Is this modelling?  I submit that it is certainly a part of modelling, or is for me anyway, but if it is modelling then do I need a layout or should I have spent the money on beer and left it to my daydreaming?  I could suggest to myself that the layout is only an aid to my imagination, a formalisation of this level of understanding of my railway.  But I think an actual, physical, model is essential, along with a clock that can be stopped and started, to keep track of the cranial shenannigans, and of course to provide modelling challenges to my meagre level of skill and ability in that regard.

 

I am not suggesting that virtual modelling on computers is in any way 'railway modelling'; in any case it is nowhere near realistic enough yet, but it might yet be in the future.  How many railway modellers will there be then?  I'm going to be a'mouldering in my grave long before it becomes an issue for me, but I would be making the decision to abandon modelling in 3 dimensions to scale and convert to cybermodelling if or when it becomes more realistic that way.  If I were building my own imagined railway world, I would still regard myself as a modeller, albeit a cybermodeller, but not if I were downloading actual prototype scenarios, which would of course be more accurate.  But it would be much cheaper, more accessible, and take up less space...

Edited September 19, 2020 by The Johnster

[LNER4479]

Is this man a 'railway modeller'? Discuss!

 

 

[AY Mod]

4 minutes ago, LNER4479 said:

Is this man a 'railway modeller'? Discuss!

 

 

 

 I think he could be termed as s 'collector upsetter'.

[Clive Mortimore]

1 hour ago, LNER4479 said:

Is this man a 'railway modeller'? Discuss!

 

 

Hi Graham

 

Surely the question should be, "Is this railway modeller a 'man'?"

[brack]

On 18/09/2020 at 20:48, The Johnster said:

I don't know anyone who does model railways.  I know two sterling millionaires, one of whom part owns a light aircraft, shook the hand of Yuri Gagarin in 1963, and have been bought a pint of beer by a serving Prime Minister of this country

But do you know of a modeller who was given a trophy by a serving prime minister....

[The Johnster]

4 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Graham

 

Surely the question should be, "Is this railway modeller a 'man'?"

insufficient data.

 

I highly approve of collector upsetting...

36 minutes ago, brack said:

But do you know of a modeller who was given a trophy by a serving prime minister....

I know of one who claims to have been awarded one as a teenager by a serving Prime Minister of the UK, but given some of this particular person's later behaviour online, and claims that have been disproved, I do not believe him.  If it is not this person, but is brack, congratulations on your good fortune but I'd rather a beer any day, even if a serving prime minister didn't buy me it...

 

If it is the person I think it is, his name starts with a d and ends in 'ones'.

Edited September 20, 2020 by The Johnster

[tomparryharry]

On 19/09/2020 at 11:38, Flying Pig said:

 

Fun fact - the oldest cave paintings in Europe are now believed to pre-date the arrival of H. sapiens by 20,000 years and to have been made by Neanderthals. 

 

Yes. Cave paintings were indeed found. In fact, quite recently when excavating CrossRail and the new sewer under the Thames. 

 

The Natural History Museum team were called in to have a look. The lead archaeologist, looking at a mural of a lion, said:- "Yes! I can make it out!  Millwall FC were here ! 

[EddieB]

On 18/09/2020 at 09:14, Dungrange said:

 That therefore means that I'd have 39,332 * 0.98 * 0.98 * 0.96 * 4, which would give me an estimate of 145,000.  

Clever mathematics, but I’m afraid you’re out by a factor of nearly 50%.

 

As of three seconds ago, the true figure was 246,372.

 

I’ll let someone come up with the necessary computation, but in the meantime trust me and take my word for it...