Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Mornin' all, I particularly enjoy the research....gathering together of as much prototype information as possible and the construction, adaptation/conversion to suit era etc; whilst the operating side is appealing too it is certainly no more than either of the first two stages and frequently much less. That would make the approx statistics (percentages of activity/preferences) for me around 40:40:20 Some friends in the hobby have commented that they consider the hobby to be about running trains and only buy models which they can put on the track and run immediately. When starting a new layout they expect to run trains on the same day, otherwise they don't bother. This got me thinking about whether there is such a thing as a typical approach? The statistics for the latter preferences would be nearer 5:5:90 Have you considered your own percentages ratio? Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 60 - 35 - 5 at present, partially down to domestic circumstances and work-life balance. In the 35 is a big slug of on-line chop-shopping. By which I mean the trading of components and ingredients. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamperman36 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I'd say personally at the moment I'm 30/60/10. I like running trains, however mainly when I can run decent length trains on club layouts, but I love doing my own modelling and detailing on my own layout which is only a small, so I don't often operate it. Also as its only a small layout I don't do lots of research however I enjoy doing research. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 40/60/0. At least now. No layout, no space. Though I do enjoy building more than running in most cases. Strang as my first introduction to trains was Lionel O gauge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew F Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 10/80/10 for me. My layout's finished but I don't really use it and prefer to keep modelling stock; usually unrelated to the layout. I like to get cracking and tinkering with a project; usually before I've done enough research. The research I don't like so much as you kind of have to do it, rather than just browsing at leisure. Running? Because I tend to just model loads of stock or loco's, my layouts always got dirty track and the cleaning of it puts me off. The new project never seems to work or run as I'd like it to too which puts me off running them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted March 8, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 8, 2015 I certainly never expected to run trains on day one when I re-engaged with the hobby around 10 years ago. But operations are and always have been a fairly substantial part of the enjoyment. That said my focus has shifted a little over the years and is now quite well balanced at about 33.3/33.3/33.3 with the rounding making up the extra 0.1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I have always enjoyed planning layouts, and doing research, and liked the idea of a layout with plenty of shunting potential, but was too afraid/idle/otherwise busy to actually build one. I assumed therefore that my statistics would be something like 50/20/30. When I finally got my first proper layout I spent a lot of time designing it, then had the board, track and electrics done for me. I did some basic scenery, built a few simple kits , and a very little stock weathering. I realise now that I am not really a proper modeller at all, and not even much of a box opener, surprisingly I dont operate it much either, preferring to attend exhibitions instead, and buy more books! So my actual statistics are probably nearer 90/5/5, 90% an armchair modeller, cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 90:90:90 Well I was never that good at maths and you know what they say about statistics ......... Actually it is a difficult question to answer with any seriousness. For me it is very much a moving target. I never seem to be control of how much time I have to devote to any of it and it is never enough. I probably enjoy each aspect in pretty much equal balance but devotion to, and sustained interest in, each varies with time, from one project to the next. Just taking a kit build for example, I'm not that interested in the prototype (generally speaking) so for example a LNER loco is neither my region of choice; or loco size of choice; or even era. So I have virtually no interest in researching it. I expect the kit to be designed to go together with enough supplied detail so as not to waste any greater valuable time on it. There are better folk than I who already should have done that. If you want me to do the research needed and not supplied with the kit - then it will cost dearly. Besides it is your loco of interest, not mine. That doesn't mean that I will not enjoy the build or ignore all that detailed information, just that it is not what I'm here for. Sometimes, in life, we have to draw a line or we would spend all our time researching and never do any modelling at all. So I also have similar limitations to each area. But probably the least for operation. Sitting watching/operating trains go round in circles keep my mind out of being comatose for about (1)5 minutes (depends on the size/complexity of the layout) A shunting plank probably lasts about 60 minutes with fairly large (days) breaks between sessions. In each case intent simply gets in the way, As when I am spending time on one I always intend to spend more time on another.So a more considered ratio might be 25:55:15 (the rest is wasted thinking about what I should be doing next) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 90:90:90 Well I was never that good at maths and you know what they say about statistics ......... The first 10% of any job takes 90% of the time. The remaining 90% takes another 90% of the time.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Something like 30:10: 60. I would still research things railway if I had no modelling interest, because the development of the railway system is a major element of economic history, but it wouldn't be so much activity. I wouldn't make or own a single model if operation wasn't possible, because operation is where it is at, the purpose for which I own the models. An external observer might think my ratio more like 10: 5: 85. But this is because I am the greatest multi-tasker in the world. I can operate the layout and interleave many other activities that are not time critical: the layout timetable is running right now, and I have left off the typing of this posting several times to stop or start a scheduled movement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Done the planning, building, modelling, wiring, painting in N, OO and LGB. Didn't want to go through all that again so changed over to tinplate trains. Of course, it needed planning, wiring, painting, etc, but now everything else comes out of the box (if there is one) and straight on the layout! Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew F Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 A lot of people don't seem to bother much with the running of a layout, me included, but I wouldn't buy loco's as static models just to photograph. It's the potential that they can run. It would be a good idea to write down an operating timetable with roster for loco's and stock where all the trains begin and end in the same place at the end of the operating schedule. This would take a lot of the "shall I run this with this or that?" or "there's already loads of stock all over the layout" hassle out of running trains. I began writing one of these out but got sidetracked and ended up back at the workbench. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted March 8, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 8, 2015 Actually it's the planning and operation of the layout I like, and as my layout is already laid out . I'm probably 30/20/50. Planning is restricted to new parts of scenery and some small tinkering of track work. But mainly I'm into operation it's a big roundy roundy with two stations and trains running from one to another. So operation , engine changes etc is a big part of it. That said I quite often just let the trains tun and listen to swish of wheels over trackwork, very relaxing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 I'm very much bogged down in research at present, it seems no matter what I decide I want there is always a caveat or some issue that requires plentiful research to rectify - and often the result of that research is don't know! I model in EM gauge, Cambrian area from 1880 through to 1965. I have 2 EM locos, neither finished, 11 wagons, in various stages of completion and none that match the era of the locos! I have 4 00 gauge locos that do work awaiting conversion, a further 7 bodies that require chassis. The layout so far consist of a board and a test track of a few metres of flex track in EM. The rest is all still in the research or run out of money stage! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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