Andre, You have hit the nail on the head! One answer to the stagnation issue is to maintain a wide front. By that I mean, it is a good idea to have some track running, some structures in production, some research to do, some rolling stock projects, some refurbishments, experimentation in the electronics and photography sides of the hobby and some other interests. Then, whenever we wish, we have a good chance of finding something of interest to do. Occasional bouts of armchair railroading are a very good thing.
Sometimes, I think the trade press emphasizes the overall process from planning through operation as if we must all work the same way and in the same, orderly manner. Then a tough spot in just one phase can bog the whole thing down. I try to avoid that. In a few weeks, I will be taking the modules to a local TCA show. I find that running those trains there and allowing the kids to run them provides a wonderful boost to my creative energies. You might consider a portable setup with a minimum of scenery or fancy track work. Let the guest engineers run the trains. Look at their faces and wait for the rush. Good Luck, Bill Reply from Bill Porter -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Andre Ming Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 4:53 PM To: [email protected] Subject: {S-Scale List} Stagnation Hi All You "S"-heads: :-) Mentioned in a passing thread about facing stagnation. Any of you been there? I thought S scale was going to be just the stimulus I needed to nudge me back to the benchwork and the world of scale model railroading... and it was great at first. Great size. Much more hefty than iddy-biddy HO... but not nearly as gargantuan as space eating O. But now I find myself stagnant and wondering "why?". I'm having a hard time distilling the "why". It could be many things... but I don't know how to, or if, the issues can be fixed. The actual product isn't the issue at all. I really like the size and quality of the S that I've purchased. I love the SHS SW series... great little engines. Shoot, I even like the old-Athearn-blue-box-wanna-be American Models cars. The PFS cars look nice ONCE assembled... but assembling such a car seems to require much more effort of me "now" than back a decade or so ago. I think my problem is in the creative/modeling "energy" needed to sustain a "hands on" hobby. Seems as though when I AM home (I railroad for a living and have really, really screwball hours), I find it much easier to just sit and surf about things that interest me, or sit and visit with the wife and family... or surf and daydream about this n' that. Very lazy stuff. It would be VERY easy for me to become a model railroad "acquirer/accumulator" only, in regards to model product. It would be nice if that would change. I still like to think I could enjoy creating models. However, seems kind of dumb to consider "disciplining" oneself to "model", doesn't it? Supposed to be a hobby, me thinks, and hobbies are supposed to be something you do because you want to, right? So... my S projects sit and gather dust, and I continue to stay in the "sit n' surf" rut. I'm really beginning to suspect the internet has been VERY counterproductive to productivity!! Okay, enough of my whining... just thought I'd air it out. _,_._,___ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
