Has Model Railroading Enhanced Any Of Your Other Skills/Interests/Abilities?

Just curious to know if your model railroading hobby has either led you or increased your abilities in either other hobbies/endeavors or real-life situations? As we all know, model railroading in its totality involve various skills which translate into other things (for example, art, electronics, geology, mathematics, etc, etc.)

For me, I've taken up cooking a little more lately. Especially Asian dishes, which involve cooking with a wok. I think it translates a lot from the model railroading hobby. Surely I'd never eat ballast or a foam mountain , but preparing, measuring and mixing various elements in the right amounts applies to both cooking and MRRing.

 

ABSOLUTELY!!

First, Dad got me interested in model trains.
That grew into an obsession as I enjoyed making scenery for the trains to run through.
After leaving home for college, I learned patience. I laid static grass by hand, pinch by pinch, made trees branch by branch, hand laid turnouts, and even detailed a steam locomotive.

That patients helped influence my ability to draw with charcoal and other fine art for school.

Around that time, I also began photographing my layout.
You can clearly see by some of my early photos how primitive my photography skills were.

I purchased a new camera and with the extremely helpful advice from COverton and nscaler44, I got better and better taking photos.

Not soon after, I wanted to take photography farther and apply it to my career choice. Now, just a few weeks ago I purchased a DSLR which has allowed me to take photography to that level, and everything I've learned along the way is already paying off. Both my Model Railroading photos and Digital Photography in general are getting better and better with each click of the shutter.

And if I had to thank anyone for this, first, it would be my parents who believed in me from the start, and second, it would have to be the entire TrainBoard community for sharing your techniques, achievements, talents, advice, and criticism along the way! Thanks you guys and gals!!

 

I'm with Boxcab - there are skills I had that I applied to model railroading, and some that I have learned (and discovered) because of model trains.

There are skills I have today that I didn't have in the 70s as a kid. I learned electronics, computer programming, and work in those fields. I'm also pretty handy with tools in general. There are a few things I didn't have a chance to explore as a kid. Now I've found out that I immensely enjoy painting and detailing locomotives and rolling stock, and found a taste for kitbashing. Scratchbuilding some structures would be my next exploration, and I suspect I'm going to like that too.

All that tinkering and messing around has helped me out with other things outside of model railroading. My handyman skills have improved, I have gained confidence, which helps quite a lot.

And beyond all that, it's fun.

 

I got interested in doing primary-source historical research from researching a prototype railroad scene for a model club project. I am getting my history Masters, and nhave taught 4 semesters dual credit US History as an adjunct professor.

 

Building a few layouts has definitely improved my art skills. These days I'm much more confident when improvising in my artwork. The creative and inventive side of building model landscapes has taught me to be more adventurous.

Mike

 

As a mechanical engineer specializing in HVAC and Utilities, there's no parallel fundamentals. But since analog and digital control systems are an essential element of any engineered system, I've learned a lot from the 'hands-on' applications of building a layout. Mechanical engineers are not typically involved in the component selection and logic required to design and build the control system, we usually only define the parameters under which the systems operate. The electric and computer engineers then design and build the system from those guidelines. But it certainly helps to know the detail of how a specific device is installed; such as how to recognize the anode side of a diode, when we occassionally have to troubleshoot a problem. It also improves the communications with the electrical or controls engineers on the rare occassion that we need to review or troubleshoot a system in great detail.

 

Wow, absolutely....where do I start?

I'd say the biggest skill I got out of model railroading is....writing! OK, not really a model railroad skill per se, but I was so interested in Trains at a young age that I began reading any book or magazine I could get my hands on. I read MR so much that I began to understand each writers' "style" and I was able to place some structure and style around the writing I was doing in school. Obviously MR contributors aren't always great writers, but the confidence I developed writing "newsletters" and stories about trains combined with having good teachers to help me unlearn bad habits has landed me many kudos from peers for my writing ability.

Like Robert, electronics are a big part of the skills I learned from model railroading. That parlayed into several "opportunites" throughout my career, and also helped garner my interest in computers, which is now my profession.

Use of computers in model railroading has also helped, too! My early adoption of technology and computers and application of that interest by creating train related projects has been key. Especially the ability to use drawing programs and CAD has been beneficial.

And of course, carpentry/power tools, painting, decaling, scenery, troubleshooting, design, research....many, many skills that translated to the "real world" once I got out of school. And, I still learn new things all the time through model railroading.

 

yes rr model has open a lot of new things for me ,takeing pics ,a things i do i look at in a different ways that have help me a lot in math,specific way of doing things.

 

Heck yeah! I come from an arts background so that part of the hobby comes relatively easy to me, but the whole left-brain, engineering side of the hobby has introduced me to skills that I'm sure I never would have developed otherwise. Soldering, electronics, carpentry, cad-planning, etc., etc. I've also gained skills and interests in historical research that I never would have pursued without model railroading.

 

Many skills come to mind.

First, there are the obvious ones. I am a better model-maker and better at manipulating small three dimensional object to get the outcome I want. I am a better detail painter, too.

I have become better at wiring and electronics. There's nothing like lots of hands-on practice to sharpen those skills. This forum and other places like it are invaluable in this, too.

I have become better at photography of small objects nearby. Yeah, there's macro photography, but I have also improved my techniques using a tripod, a stopped down lens (e.g., f/16 or thereabouts) and a longer exposure to get a better depth of field. This applies to both digital and film photography.

I have become more patient with day-to-day stuff. Knowing that, at the end of my day when the kids are in bed that I have a half hour to an hour of hobby time carved out helps me get through the rest of the day, which, with a full-time job that sometimes goes more than that, a spouse the works most evenings, kids that need help with homework and such, and a house that needs the regular chores, can sometimes feel like a treadmill.

I have become better at leading people. I am finishing up my third year in a row as President of my club, and it looks like they're going to elect me for a fourth year. I was trying to step down and be Treasurer or something like that instead but it doesn't look like they're going to let me (smile). I don't particularly like being in charge and I don't particularly like "issuing orders" but one of my clubmate's says that I lead in ways that don't look like leading, that I tend to build consensus and that when I suggest that someone take on a task that I am flexible and don't come across heavy-handed at all.

 

If it had not been for my interest in MR, I would not have bought a specialty throttle business that I ran for 10 years and because of it I was able to get some contract work with some major companies and got to work in some interesting locations. The advances in DCC and my lack of capital to expand into DCC forced me to discontinue the throttles and my contacts came to an end because the work that I was doing was phased out due to newer versions of the product I was working on. It was a good run while it lasted and it provided me and my wife some opportunities to travel.

Gary

 

:tb-biggrin: Over the last 20 years, "N" scale has ruined my eyes & made me 1/2 crazy!!!!.........AND, I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT. It has taught me patience, it has given something lasting to share with my grandson, and it has kept me out of bars, so it's all good!!!!