DMichael

My Feedback: (5)

Hobby shops make more money on trains than planes- could be margain, could be volume, could be both, I don't know. Same for cars. That's why you see the yellow pages with so many train shops vs. planes, anyhow.

Kugel

Jetstarblue, I laughed outloud.
Heve a good day!

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

18hrs and still no "Barney". Must have lost his bullet.[sm=drowning.gif]

jettstarblue

People like trains 'cause they are really hard to fly into the back of your garage wall.

B.B.- Single channel R/C is infinitely more profound......

Live Wire

One track mind


[8D]

cwrr5

My Feedback: (32)

3D flying is harder.... with a train! hehehe!

Joe Ortiz

My Feedback: (75)

With his mind in the Tunnel[X(]

aimmaintenance

My Dad is a member of a local model train club and honestly I'm kinda impressed with the sophistication that model railroading has progressed to.
I'm not sure about all the channels etc. but they are completely remotely controlled.
Push a button on the transmitter and your train goes forward. Hit another button and the whistle blows. Hit another and a switch will change to give you a different track. It's really pretty cool.
The way my Dads club does it is like this.
They have what I consider to be a HUGE layout.
When you join the club (and pay your dues) you get a 3' X 3' (or so) section of the layout to design and build however you want. Change your section as you see fit etc. The tracks are already laid but you can put whatever buildings you want with whatever theme you want in your section. You can add a spur if you like but you can't really change the track layout.
Most of the cars are kinda community cars that everyone uses but the engines are pretty much yours and yours only. It seems to work for them and it is pretty cool.
All of the BIG layout is HO scale so that helps costwise.
The club also has an N gauge layout that they take to fairs etc. That layout is all one theme and built to be portable. (to a degree)
What they are gonna do when their membership exceeds track space is anyone guess but for now it's a neat setup.
My post doesn't answer the (why so popular question)
I guess in my eyes that hobby isn't THAT much different than ours.

Live Wire

Tunnel of LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! My Nephew is one of the PVMRA in Loveland . They set up Mods at molls and have a great time . It is a great hobby just like the one we enjoy. Talk about remote they have it and they do not look down on any one. No reflection on any one but it is quite a hobby to have if you can't fly. Some people can't fly so they do what they can and what they enjoy. I also have a HO set that some times keeps me out of trouble!!!!!

[8D]
At least you do not have some one telling you what you can and can't do with it

tucker1865

My Feedback: (6)

It's nostalgia...creating a world that is gone and fondly remembered by those who were exposed to trains and steam locomotives. Diesels, although somewhat popular, could never replace the steam era locomotives. Plus the modeling can be whatever you want to create. I never did understand the running though, would grow old for me, but a model railroad is never finished. One other advantage, you can do it year round and in bad weather, thats why it's so popular in the East.

Live Wire

Satisfaction of a well built bird and a perfect layout. We love our birds and they "we" love our history!

CrashBurn69

My Feedback: (1)

I know its not the cost. I have seen some G scale engines that cost as much as a 40% Carden thats just about RTF.

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

There can be some serious costs involved. I've heard of guys who carry some serious insurance and security for their collections. There are people who purely speculate in model railroad equipment as an investment. They go to trains shows, search E-bay, and watch for estate sales. All the equipment they find sits in boxes, or at best on shelves, never to run. And to show you how extreme the extravagance can get, Marklin made a very special locomotive for the millennium. I think it was made mostly of platinum, some gold and other metals. Marker lights were made of rubies and emeralds. It was to be sold under competitive bidding. The bidding started somewhere around $30,000. I'm afraid I never heard what it went for. That's an extreme case. But many special edition locs can run into the thousands of dollars.

lionheart

You know what shoulda been done with this thread, dontcha?


NIP IT! Nip it in the bud!

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

You're probably right. But if you look at the original post, I think it's a question worth discussing. I think it would be interesting to compare what the model railroaders are doing compared with model aviation. Might be helpful to us to see what they may be doing right or wrong. Sure beats the ARF vs Kits threads. Otherwise, let it hit the buffers!

jettstarblue

Hey! Didn't you guys hear me the first time? I'm gonna haveta get Andy!!!!

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Keep it up Barney or Ya'll will get replaced by Gomer, Heck he sings a bunch better too.

ben flyn

Not get this thread locked, must be our X-mas present.
Thanks!!!!

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

Model railroading has also gone digital. There is a radio control variety for garden railroading, but most indoor layouts are going to what is known as DCC- digital command control, where pulsed encoded signals are sent through the rails to a processor, usually in the locomotive or tender, that decodes the message. Each engine has an "address" and only responds to commands to that address, so you can have several engines on the same track and control them individually, run them in opposite directions,etc. It has taken model R.R. to a new level in realistic operation.

Let's keep this going, only 72 more pages and we can catch Sepulveda. Hope Barney doesn't find his bullet.

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

I think you can even get software to run and track your trains from your PC.

One thing about model railroading, is that it has a holiday to perpetuate it. Christmas. Toy trains are a Christmas symbol. They are given as gifts. They run under the tree. As I mentioned before, Cinergy in Cincinnati runs a large holiday train display in the lobby of their office building. I can't see Delta putting on a holiday RC air show. But then, maybe they could have some folks flying Shock Flyers for the folks going through security in the terminals.

I remember a sit com on TV a few years back. An older guy and his wife are giving each other a hard time at a restaurant. She makes fun of him spending all of his time in the basement, with his model trains. But he says, "At least when I turn on my trains, they move around."[&:]

jettstarblue

.....

ben flyn

Jetts you're skating on thin ice!!!!!!

jettstarblue

Are you saying maybe I should get a banjo?

jettstarblue

....Or ice skates?

ben flyn

Both! Then strap a big bass drum on your back and don't forget your bullet in your pocket and you're all set!