I saw this in another forum, and thought it was just too good not to share. I will mention before I do so, however, that I do not consider these rules cast-in-stone, thou-shalt/thou-shalt-not types, but more like good suggestions. But I can't argue with rule number 1: Model Railroad Rules To Live By 1. The object of this hobby is to have fun. 2. Buy some freight and passenger cars to go with your gross of engines. 3. Never ever tell a fellow modeler your scale is better then his. 4. At some point stop planning and start building the layout. 5. Never put perfection in front of running the trains. 6. Pay close attention to the track work it can kill the fun. 7. Meet and bring your favorite engine, and have your friends bring their favorite engines. 8. Have a plan, and an era, so you don't buy a lot of stuff you don't need. 9. Listen to the critics, and weight their suggestions, and then do what you think is best. 10. Never argue with a rivet counter, you will lose. 11. Good running engines and dependable rolling stock are required to really have fun. 12. You don't have to agree, with your fellow modelers, to be friends 13. Have a spare of all tools, for when you lose the first one. 14. Keep the lubrication supplies handy and use them sometimes. 15. Clean the track before the trains stop running. 16. Know your economic, time, and space resources and plan accordingly. 17. In this hobby "do overs" are a fact of life. 18. If you are a perfectionist, lighten up and cut the other people some slack. 19. If you are not a perfectionist, lighten up and cut them some slack. 20. Never ever forget rule one.
Generally very useful, but a more critical glance can see some inconsistencies and values judgements thrown in there which take them away from being neutral and generalizable. For example, the first rule should ideally apply universally across the hobby, and we mostly all know it's up to the individual to create that atmosphere for him/herself. How, then, can we reconcile that first rule with the prescription in the 8th rule? How does one other than the buyer determine 'what we don't need?" I like how the next rule, #9, goes on to conclude that one ought to do what one thinks best. Shouldn't that also be the orientation in the one before it...#8? Or, take Rule #18. Seems to me that it could work both ways. It isn't always the Rivet Counters who aren't having fun. We could all perhaps stand to listen to each other a bit more and try to appreciate where the other camp is coming from. Then, as it says in Rule #9...go on to do as we think best. That would be commensurate with the very first rule.
Crandell- I am sure the person or persons who composed those thoughts where probably attempting a bit of whimsy, rather than being totally serious.
Just for fun, I rewrote some of the points and created a Small Poster. Let me know what you think or suggest changes.
I understand, but as a former moderator on another train modelling forum, I get a little twitchy when I see such things because they often invite flaming threads that give moderators (and former moderators) grey hairs. Right up there with: is train modelling an art form, graffiti, hobos, the death of the hobby, items getting too expensive, and about five or six others that are surefire flamefest fodder. hboy: Yes, I can be a wet blanket.
May I suggest. It's your railroad and you make the rules and set the standards. The most important rule is to have fun. Credit to go to one Jim157 with an addition from yours truly. col
I understand, but the above "rules" were presented with tongue placed firmly in cheek. Things can be over-analyzed, ya know........ :wink: I refer you to my alter ego, P. U. Nethgil, who tends to see life with shades of gray. PS- read his name backwards...........not offended, but just asking that the original post be appreciated for what it is, not neccesarily for what one may percieve it to be. The flamers we can handle, no worries. Concernes noted and understood. As for grey hairs, I'm a shift supervisor at the lab in our local hospital, and for the last three years I have accumulated quite a few of those. That's why I like model railroading- it's a therapy and release. It's a hobby one can pursue as one sees fit, whether they be anythiing-goes, anal-retentive nitpickers, or any shade in between. I'm somewhere in the middle, and tend to vary in my degree of persnickityness (is that a word?), but the only person I have to please (and Mr. Nethgil agrees with me) is myself. Highball, y'all...............
Perhaps I should have put the word "rules" in parentheses, since how one approaches the hobby is pretty much left to the individual. FWIW, these are the two main rules I have in operating my layout: 1. This is my railroad. 2. While every attempt is being made by the owner/operator to run said railroad as close to prototype as possible, in case of concerns about inconcistencies, refer to rule number 1.
'Rule' 1 (in the OP) isn't a rule, it's a mission statement Rule 1, for life, the universe and modelling is of course Murphy's Law. Ignore that and you are truly in deep doodoo.
