Editor’s Notebook
Railroad Paradigm I have to admit that I love the
hobby of model railroading. I am always excited when it is time to write my editorial. Often, the primary goal of this commentary is to make you laugh or to entertain you. Other goals are to inform, to share what is occurring in our hobby, and to provide food for thought. When spurred by recent events or changes in technology, I will make it a point to share what I have learned, and if that is in stark contrast to what is considered conventional wisdom, so much the better. It is always fun to attend
operating sessions at my good friend Joe Kasper’s house. First, he invites interesting people. That alone makes the operating session entertaining. Joe does not filter his words and play games with his thoughts — he says what he feels about the events occurring around him. I respect him for that, and I always know where he stands on any issue or idea. At a recent session, the topic
centered around how seriously we should take our hobby. Opinions provided ranged from “get serious, this hobby takes lots of money, skill, and time” to “relax, we are just playing with toy trains.” In reality, both are reasonable and valid viewpoints, and each is appropriate at some juncture. The old saying “not wrong, just different” instantly pops into my mind. One of our goals when redesigning this magazine was to create a column that looks at
10 RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
challenges we all deal with when we model. Many of those issues can undoubtedly be based on ideals or the modeler’s beliefs or interests. “Look Both Ways” is definitely a point-counterpoint theme that explores two sides of each story. Many readers have shared that the column really makes them think about subjects in new ways. The column is a direct reflection of the personalities of Mike Schafer and Bill Navigato. They both have nice, large railroads that are operated on a regular basis by qualified crews, many of whom are also part of their building crews — the guys that actually do the work on the railroad. Feedback is one of the most important rulers I use to measure success and accomplishment when it comes to my personal model railroad: The St. Louis Division. I keep a notepad handy, and after (or occasionally during) an operating session, I write down comments from the operators as to their experiences. Comments often range from “really good” to “I had problems with….” If their experience is less than stellar, I want to know why. It is interesting to note that
about half of the problems encountered during an op session are actual physical failures like dirty wheels, derailing cars, or the like; and the other half are usually about the lack of understanding as to how the operating scheme of the railroad works. Difficulties understanding paperwork or assigning locomotives to their throttle top the list. I recently had a friend over
who is not an operator. It took him a while to process the entire paradigm that the model railroad was not a kid’s toy, and operations were designed to create an enjoyable, stimulating experience for the adult mind. To be honest, I am not sure he ever understood what I am trying to achieve. My goal, of course, is to create a flawlessly operating prototypical model railroad designed for operation. The notebook and the post-operating
session review are valuable information because
it allows me to identify and fix the physical problems and work on creating more transparent solutions to help operators run the railroad similar to the prototype. Poorly implemented paperwork
or a shoddily built railroad have one simple effect: They kill the operator’s enjoyment. One topic is simply getting the railroad built; the other is evaluating how people interact with it. How operators get their information and how the entire experience translates, (or doesn’t) into fun during an op session makes a difference. Simple things can often affect
an operator’s perception of fun. Too many people at an operating session can quickly
create
bottlenecks as the yards struggle to process the cars brought in by more trains running closer together. Lack of proper air ventilation in a full room can quickly elevate the temperature and operator irritability. Hard floors can become tiresome to stand on, and lack of a crew lounge with food and drink available can fail to meet the basic requirements of operators. All these things should be considered when designing the overall scheme for a model railroad. Most model railroads have the
ability to adapt quickly to having fewer operators. Our schedules usually have a few trains that do not have to be run during a session. I have a couple of run-through piggyback trains that do not effect anything else on the railroad. I simply annul those trains if I get a couple of crew cancellations. I keep those trains staged on tracks that do not have to receive another train in from the road during the session. Most model railroads are not
perfect, yet, but good owners and operators struggle with the goal of perfection, which means different things to different people. The checksum of perfection in the end is seeing if people enjoy operating on your layout. Joe Kasper’s N-scale Marais Div.
(spelled
correctly) always leaves a smile on my face. Joe spends an inordinate amount of time and effort to see that happen. Thanks, Joe!
HEAD END
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