Why do we do it?

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Lonsdaler
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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by Lonsdaler » Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:14 pm

Keith S wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 3:45 am As for me, it's a way to enjoy live steam. I love seeing steam machines doing work. I appreciate stationary engines, but the work they do is not interesting unless one has some peripheral interest. Steam boats are lovely, but playing with them requires a large degree of meteorological co-operation, and also the working bits are often hidden on scale models. Traction engines are also very appealing, but realistically it's difficult to have fun operating something that crawls along at 1/2 mph and needs to be directed. The steam train is the obvious answer: it steers itself, the steam motion is visible, it does real work, and I happen to have a peripheral interest in railways thanks to my Father being very much a railway fanatic as well as a talented model builder.

Steam trains also offer lots of fun in terms of building accessories. It is almost impossible to have enough wagons and coaches, which add to the interest level and value of the engine itself.

Additionally there is all the appeal that garden railways have for anyone, steam enthusiast or no: gardening, landscaping, history, culture - yes, British culture: there is no other nation to whom railways are more important. Also, "nostalgia": The typical British steam train, particularly a little narrow-gauge one, brings to mind the bucolic, idyllic and almost certainly fictional pre-war Britain where working machines such as tractors, sewage-pumps, generators, and locomotives were lacquered, gilded, decorated, and lovingly maintained and always properly lubricated, and their operators were important men (in a working-class kind of way). In our little garden world, no-one died of cholera or spanish influenza, everyone came back from the war, no-one got sent to the workhouse or died in penury. Everyone raised chickens in a lovely little cottage by the tracks or worked in a signal box or a crossing-gate; rich men did nothing more injurious than to appear pompous in a bowler hat, and sheep always got off the line when the loco blew its whistle.

This all sounds ridiculous, but it's also what the British live-steam garden train represents to me: a harmless and pretty world where tinkering with machines is high art and no-one stabs anyone in the back.
Wonderfully expressed sentiment Keith. And thank you for saying 'British' and not English. It is those (non existent) halcyon days we're trying to represent. Maybe all my future photos should be in black and white?
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by invicta280 » Tue Apr 12, 2022 8:44 pm

The railway in the natural landscape represents for many of us how the world should really be.
My wife and myself are keen gardening types so it combines two interests.
Keith has nailed it with his description of modeling an ideal world.
I also dabble in 00 but there will be no double yellow parking lines, motorways or traffic jams in my model villages, even if some of the trains are modern.

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by FWLR » Sun Apr 17, 2022 7:45 am

Well for me it's the general feeling of ease whenever I do anything with 16mm, whether it's running my one and only steamer or the little electric locos, or building models whether also they be kits or scratch built, though I am doing more scratch building now. I find that it worlds away from the hustle and bustle of this world with most people rushing around if they think it's the last thing they do. Slow down and relax and you will of a long and peaceful life.
Since my health issues I have come to realise that getting wound up over silly little things are not good for anyone. I started with N gauge and found it such a brilliant way to spend some time making something I know very little about, sometimes I was holed up in my modelling for hours at an end, but after I would then run a train or two on the track indoors. It was in the summer 2018, or was it 17 :scratch: that I was in the shed modelling with both shed doors open, two fans running like crazy and still sweating like the preferable pig. I looked out to the garden and thought, why am I not outside, so lots of trawling online about garden railways and voilΓ , FWLR was borne.

Have I any regrets, NO. Well, I have one, not enough money now that I have retired to get myself another steamer, that's where my true real feelings are for, though electric is good also. Must keep up with todays concerns for the saving of planet Earth hey guys.......

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by RadioActiveGnome » Tue May 17, 2022 11:27 pm

For me, it started a long long time ago, when i was still a child.
My parents sat me down in front of the television and put thomas the tank engine on.
it's been all downhill since then.


Half-jokes aside, theres just these little details to be found in the garden i can't seem to find in any other scale.

Working with and against nature (usually the latter for me)
Plants changing with the seasons so my railway never has that static feel thats get dull overtime

The wider range of options this hobby seems to have, so many different kits, accessories and ways to paint them no two railways are ever truly the same

The freelance part, nobody bats an eyelid if you have a mix of rolling stock from around the world or entirely fictional ones instead of getting scoffed at because you ran the flying scotsman and great western on the same layout

And lastly, the biggest draw for me, the option of actual live steam.
The smell of steam oil in the air, The proper Chuffing of a real, working steam engine!
i can't go back to electric pretender trains, live steam has ruined them for me.

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by Tingewickmax » Wed May 18, 2022 9:26 am

By accident ! I was looking for an accessory, around 1:32 scale, to augment my scenic slot car layout. Well, GRS are not far away :lol: And a "Warbonnet" USAT GP38-2 winked at me (ok 1:29 not 1:32). It was kept as a shelf queen for a year. Then I thought, I really need to get into sorting the garden (this city kid had moved to the wilds of north Bucks' 3 years previously). The "English Country Garden" look was not working for me - essentially a curated selection of weeds. So, 35 metres of track, Crest power unit and Train Engineer (TE) RC control, sundry dwarf conifers and not so dwarf (I really should have read the labels - average 10 year growth 18 ft !) took over the garden, gradually.

Upshot - 19 years later I have focused on 1:20.3 American narrow gauge (still get ribbed by members of my local 16 mm NGM group :) ) and 16 mm British and Colonial narrow gauge. I ran track power initially, then the live steam bug bit. Now I run battery powered and live steam, RC & manual. But still have the capability to run DC track power, that TE is still going strong. As I said it was all accidental.

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by FWLR » Thu May 19, 2022 7:53 am

Brilliant to see so many post's on this thread.

Don't most of us get into garden railways by accident... :thumbright: :thumbright:

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by invicta280 » Thu May 19, 2022 9:52 am

Always been into model trains one way or t'other. But I like gardening and being outdoors so it was always going to happen at some point. I remember a piece in Model Railway Constructor magazine in the late 1960's by G Lliffe Stokes on his gauge 1 garden line with 32mm narrow guage branch. Both lines had live steam in operation before the days of Accucraft or Roundhouse. It fired my imagination, pardon the pun, and from then on I knew I wanted to lay down some rails in the garden.

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by Red Star » Fri May 20, 2022 5:40 pm

Been lured to trains, both model and full size, since day one I suppose (Michael Angelis and Ringo Starr have a lot to answer for), and there was a garden centre nearby which had a railway setup inside (I know now that it was LGB and some Bachmann equipment) - I think it was the size of the models and that they were for the garden which was what amazed me. Went through the usual route of 4mm with Hornby (still tinker about in the smaller scale as well), but always hankered after the big trains but was puzzled as to how you were supposed to run track power trains when it was pouring down with rain (didn't know about battery powered models back then, and live steam appeared to be one of these expensive luxuries). Then bought an MSS Mamod on the Bay of E, some track and a few MSS wagons. The big moment though was seeing a 16mm layout at the Perth show, joined the association and went along to running days and other events. It's a wonderful hobby, you can model something exactly as it was, a might have been or go completely off the rails with something entirely different - funnily enough I was chatting with someone today about this and we both agreed that that's the beauty of the 16mm/G gauge/etc world

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by Peter Butler » Sun May 22, 2022 10:07 pm

Since this question was raised by Rik I have read all of the responses in the hope that someone would give an answer which I could simply copy and paste. However, I have come to the conclusion that I still don't know the answer.
My first introduction to model railways was when I was given the 00 'Princes Elizabeth' set at about 8 years old. I quickly tired of watching it run in circles on the carpet or painted plywood board and wanted it to have scenery. My next attempt (early teens) was to build a 'L' shaped baseboard in my large bedroom, track was laid and hills with tunnel mouth, station etc added. I can't recall any running trains at all but I was perfectly happy with that. By this stage I realised that the interest was in the creation rather than operation of my tiny world and the rest is history.
The idea of going into the garden was completely alien to me until we moved here. I already had scratch-built, SM32 stock (track powered at that stage and for exhibition use) so they were all converted to battery. Steam was attempted for a while but gave me no satisfaction whatsoever.
In conclusion I see now that.... I know very little about railways, I have limited interest in riding full-size stock, I don't know how steam engines work, I much prefer models than 12" to 1' scale, I am not a gardener, I am not an engineer, but I do like to see my stock in a setting which gives reason for their existence.
The making of a model to add to my railway is the thing which gives the most pleasure. It also allows me to display at shows and meet other modellers, very sociable!
I still have no idea why my model making is centred on railways though.
The best things in life are free.... so why am I doing this?

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by BorisSpencer » Mon May 23, 2022 1:06 pm

Peter Butler wrote: ↑Sun May 22, 2022 10:07 pm I was given the 00 'Princes Elizabeth' set at about 8 years old.
As was I, and I still have it with it's Blood and Custard carriages in the top of my wardrobe.

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by artfull dodger » Mon Aug 15, 2022 12:43 am

The space to run gauge 1/G scale and live steam operation is what took me into the garden years ago. I barely have the room for a small HO Marklin set up indoors, so we first put a loop of G scale around our living room ceiling. The the ability to purchase and enjoy live steam happened, so first a ground level line, and now a raised railway are in our back garden. But I will say, if there was a greater selection of O gauge live steam, I would have went that route as the selection of UK rolling stock is much greater in that scale vs gauge 1. AD
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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by dudeface » Wed Nov 29, 2023 6:31 am

I think that the sort of caricature of the real world you see in many garden railways, as well as the ability to use live steam, makes it seem more genuine. My favorite example is Eric Schade's Winnegance & Quebec Ry. (https://m.youtube.com/@WinneganceandQuebec). It's less an exact model and more a real railway, just a small one.
https://m.youtube.com/@Dudeface167
Miles-- Trains are fun. With the exception of track power. Argh!

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by Tropic Blunder » Wed Nov 29, 2023 7:25 am

Not to be rude Miles and I don't want to dissuade you from posting but its generally considered bad forum etiquette to post in old threads that haven't been updated in over 12 months unless the poster updates the thread. As an aside Eric is an excellent modeller and I'm particularly fond of the lighthouse he's built! Very inspiring :D
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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by FWLR » Wed Nov 29, 2023 7:57 am

I think it doesn't matter how old the thread or post is really, the question was put 'Why do we do it'

If the post by dudeface is what got him into garden railways it really ok to post old threads or posts don't you think. I haven't got anything against anyone on the forum, it's personal choice in what we do with or time isn't.

That said, Anne is watching me... :lol :lol :lol

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by Tropic Blunder » Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:22 am

Completely fair enough Rod. I also just noticed on his other thread Miles is 13. When I was 13 I've got to admit I was doing exactly the same thing on trainz forums and used to get quite the ribbing for it. That said the group on here is far better and more nurturing and I'm sure he'll get some excellent advice for future building :D I guess it is also part of "why we do it" and thats to share the hobby.

Glad to see you posting again too Rod hope you're recovering well. Better get off again before Anne notices : :lol:
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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by dudeface » Wed Nov 29, 2023 2:34 pm

FWLR wrote: ↑Wed Nov 29, 2023 7:57 am I think it doesn't matter how old the thread or post is really, the question was put 'Why do we do it'.
:yeahthat

I do try not to do that most of the time, but in this case it seemed acceptable.
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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by ge_rik » Wed Nov 29, 2023 4:15 pm

Interesting. I've not come across the notion of bad etiquette regarding reviving old threads. On another forum I sometimes frequent, when I create a new thread it shows me a list of old threads with similar titles to avoid duplication. My thinking is that threads don't really have a shelf-life. Some topics recur quite often (eg ballasting, tracklaying, painting) and revisiting old discussions and reviving them can sometimes be quite useful.

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by philipy » Wed Nov 29, 2023 4:20 pm

I agree Rik, although I must admit that it does annoy me when somebody asks a question of the OP on a thread from years ago when the actual OP hasn't logged in for years.
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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by drewzero1 » Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:37 pm

Some forums I've been on are real sticklers for 'thread necromancy'... if you post in a thread that's been sitting more than a few months, you'll hear about it for sure! I'm glad this forum tends to be a bit more laid-back. Though it also bugs me when people ask questions of an OP who hasn't been on in years. (Tip: click on their name and check the 'last active' date on their profile!)

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Re: Why do we do it?

Post by FWLR » Thu Nov 30, 2023 9:21 am

Sorry guys I didn't want to start annoying members, but sometime and it goes for me really well, I forget about something and it helps to take another look at old threads, we don't all have a memory like computers have do we..

:lol :lol

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