So is this Warren Buffetts layout or someone elses he poses in front of? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBKwTSBBn7U Heck, I like him, if for not his financal home run(s) or musical prowess (questionable), then at least for the fact he has BNSF stuff on his layout. Brian
The NY Times had an article in which it said he was a "model train collector." Warren Buffett is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, a mega-holding company that, among other things, owns BNSF. So, he's got some 1:1 models in his collection, too.
While indeed cited in the press as a collector of miniature trains, I'd hardly regard those seen behind Buffett in the picture as anything other than tinplate (Lionel?) trains; toys in the classic sense. Buffett, in my eyes, is better classified as a toy train enthusiast, as high profile celebrities tend more often to be, not an actual model railroader like the majority of us here. Perhaps to some this may seem a matter of splitting hairs, but in reality the pursuit of tinplate trains is truly a totally different hobby from model railroading, one where "play value" dominates and scale, or model accuracy, counts for relatively little in most instances. NYW&B
You are so very true Mister Beasley. I read an article when he was touring at a younger age he would trash hotels and many hotels never wanted him to stay with them in the future. Then he became involved in model trains. Now when he is touring he brings a few trains with him to work on, whether its detail work or weathering. Now hotels love his presence lol. I have seen his empire. It is an amazing empire!
This distinction always makes me chuckle..........when you get down to it, they are ALL toys!! :tb-cool:
Amen, brother... really nice toys! I don't care what Warren Buffett has as models, at least he has them! And some real big ones to boot! Down deep, regardless of how much money one has or makes, it's the trains that bring us together.
I actually heard that he would sometimes rent out a second hotel room, remove all the furniture, and place a modular layout that he built in there. I'm not sure if it's 100% true or not, tough.
I like it. I like Warren Buffet that regardless of his wealth, he and his sons seem very rooted into the real world and their wealth has not spoiled them. I think in large part the credit goes to Warren Buffet for staying so grounded. Am I a little jealous of his wealth....sure I am but he earned it through hard work and wise business decisions. As stated, the trains bring us all together
Quite honestly, not a single hobbyist I'm acquainted with, all of them accomplished model railroaders, would ever consider the equipment they've often spent hundreds of hours building, or modifying, as toys. I suggest that such a point of view that all such model trains are just toys arises specifically among those, particular late comers to our pursuit, who have never gotten deeply into the hobby and fail to appreciate its true complexity and the degree of involvement necessary to actually be a part of it. The hobby today is comprised of two totally different elements. One group are craftsmen in the classic sense with talents as creative fabricators and artists. What they do is in no way as trivial as operating toys. Conversely, the other group are largely individuals whose main interest in the hobby IS in running store-bought model trains which in their view are perhaps their toys. The aims of the two groups are totally divergent and while I admittedly can see the latter's opinion of all equipment being "toys" in their view...it is far, far from the truth. NYW&B
Oh, please. Herman Goering had a very elaborate HO scale layout in "Karin Hall." If Mr. Buffet is so concerned that his secretary pays taxes at twice his rate, all he has to do is make his income "earned" instead of "dividend". Doubt seriously that the IRS would object.
Toys... Basically, it comes down to that. We might call them models, but in the end, we play with them. When I run a train, there is a feeling inside of me that comes back, one from a long time ago, deep down in the heart of a ten-year-old boy who just got his first train set for Christmas. It's a sense of wonder, of pleasure, of finding back something that was lost but never lost. Sure, I like detailing and painting locos and rolling stock. Still, it's fun (and now I know what my Dad felt when he did that sort of thing...). It's an extension of play. I don't have Warren Buffett's bank account. Most likely, I don't even have his secretary's bank account. But I am sure that old Warren still feels that sense of wonder, that nostalgic return to childhood, to his first train set. I know I do. And that's the common thread that unites us, regardless of how old we are or how much money we make. We are model railroaders. We play with trains. Or toys (we just appreciate them differently from other folks). Whatever floats your goat. I tend to ignore labels and take things at face value. Much easier that way.
These two elements are not necessarily so defined in black and white. There is a definite gray area of model railroaders who both like detailed models and exact-scale track work, etc.. who also like to just get together and run trains regardless of detail. I would go as far as to say that this "gray area" is a large portion of our community. I know of very few folks who personally consider their stuff as "toys", but whom also publicly acknowledge this towards the general public since a lot of folks outside of the hobby don't and won't understand the difference. I am acquainted with several folks whose main interest in the hobby is in running store-bought model trains and not a single one of them views their equipment as toys, O scale guys included.
Hmm... Maybe I just haven't been in the hobby long enough. Since the opposite of "play" is "work", and one of the main reasons I do this is to have a joyful escape from work, I have no problem attaching the word "play" to what I do with trains. And while I'm just a beginner, still I'm trying to learn how to model with high fidelity, research, super-detail, scratchbuild and so on. One of the meanings of "play" is doing something that brings enjoyment for the sake of that enjoyment. And a "toy" is merely the object of that activity. It's not the same kind of play and toys as when I was a kid, but on a deeper level it's not so different. I'm still engaging my mind and skills in a pursuit that makes me happy, for no reason other than that happiness. Whatever word you want to use, if at some fundamental level this isn't "play" (and therefore our model at some fundamental level "toys") why are we doing this at all? I get plenty of "not play" with "not toys" at my job.
Once again I would have to point to motivation as the crucial factor in what the true hobbyist does that is the difference between simply playing with toy trains and quite something else. In my experience, for the traditional model railroader the trains themselves generally are considered as simply one facets of the hobby (even though they may spend hours modifying and super-detailing them), as perhaps canvas, brushes and paints are regarded for the landscape painter; simply elements used in the creation of something considerably more. For these individuals the hobby is more of about personal challenge involving ultimate accomplishment and skills development, with the trains themselves playing only a secondary roll. It is through this that we gain our enjoyment and it is on quite a different level from "playing", although no less enjoyable. The creation of a highly realistic layout, an operating diorama if you will, dominates, not the basic running/possession of miniature store-bought trains. This is repeatedly evident in the pikes illustrated in the magazines. As I alluded to previously, it appears that a large percentage of folks currently in the hobby, particularly those coming to it in the past decade or so, have quite a different aim or objective; that indeed being basically playing with their trains on a much simpler level than that of what may be regarded the approach of the more traditional model railroader. I quite honestly think that this dichotomy is also why one sees relatively few highly accomplished and published modelers on the general hobby forums, finding the major talents in the hobby tending to congregate on quite separate much more advanced forums populated by those of similar interests. This is why in my initial post I placed Buffett in quite a different category from actual model railroaders. NYW&B
Twin dad is right. You are either working or playing. If you aren't getting paid, then you're playing with trains. This isn't difficult.
The way I see it is that Tinplate enthusiasts are just rail fans of a different type. While some of us wax nostalgic about prototypes of steamers, streamliners, and cabooses, he thinks of Lionel and American Flyer. It still a love of trains. While it might not be Scale model railroading, its still model railroading. While I have no idea if Buffett built the layout himself, trains are still part of his cherished memories just as much as trains are part of ours.
