The new year is fast approaching and that means the time is here to make public your plans to improve your life in the forthcoming year.
You know the sort of thing... "I'm going to quit smoking" or "I'm going to take more exercise"
The vast majority of these resolutions don't make it out of the first week before they are conveniently forgotten about.
So let's take time to make a model railway resolution...
"I'm going to learn something about a railway I know nothing about and build a small layout inspired by my learnings". (Sorry that's a bit long winded)
But it seems like a very good resolution to me. Especially those of you with you vast basement empires that are getting a bit bogged down because you can't see the end of the project at the moment.
I was inspired to propose this entry by a couple of seemingly unrelated things. Firstly, I am a relatively new convert to using my iPad as a magazine reader and have recently downloaded the App Zinio for it. Zinio is a vast online newsstand and there are plenty of magazines for everyones tastes there to download and read. Even for us Model Railroaders/Railway Modellers.
So, when I was browsing their website the other day and saw that an English Language version of Voie Libre was available I pretty well jumped on it straight away, remembering the advice I got from the late Carl Arendt (that I never took until now) that Voie Libre was a good read with plenty of advice and inspiration and I would enjoy it. As per usual, old friend, you were right. But I'm getting off the point a bit.
The point is that looking at different magazines from different countries can open up a whole new world of influences to you.
For example, did you know that there was a rack operated railway in the Greek islands?
No?
Neither did I. Not until I read the latest issue of Voie Libre anyway, and in the same issue of the magazine also presents you with a very interesting way to go about modelling it.
Of course, you don't have to go and buy an issue of a magazine that you've never heard of to partake in this resolution though. If you are like me you have received countless railway books as presents over the years that have no relation to your interests and have hidden them at the back of your library. Go back to them. I'm sure you'll find more than a few pictures that fascinate you. Then go and look a bit deeper into the subject matter. It could be the start of something new and rewarding.
Perhaps you got a gift card for your local hobby shop for Christmas but you don't quite know what to get with it for that big project. So maybe the next time you're in that hobby shop take a look on some of the other shelves that you usually pass by without a second glance on your way to your chosen section. See what tickles your fancy.
For my part I was in my local hobby shop the other day and saw the H0 scale Bachmann "John Bull" and "Pegasus" train sets. Now, I know nothing about railroading in the first years of railway history, but I think it would be really rewarding to find out about those times and build a layout of some description as you go along. I think the railway modellers new years resolution is a good idea. That's why I'm posting this a couple of days early. Give you time to mull the idea over. I might just try it myself. Why don't you?
After all if you break it it's no different to any of the others you've made over the years is it?
You know the sort of thing... "I'm going to quit smoking" or "I'm going to take more exercise"
The vast majority of these resolutions don't make it out of the first week before they are conveniently forgotten about.
So let's take time to make a model railway resolution...
"I'm going to learn something about a railway I know nothing about and build a small layout inspired by my learnings". (Sorry that's a bit long winded)
But it seems like a very good resolution to me. Especially those of you with you vast basement empires that are getting a bit bogged down because you can't see the end of the project at the moment.
I was inspired to propose this entry by a couple of seemingly unrelated things. Firstly, I am a relatively new convert to using my iPad as a magazine reader and have recently downloaded the App Zinio for it. Zinio is a vast online newsstand and there are plenty of magazines for everyones tastes there to download and read. Even for us Model Railroaders/Railway Modellers.
So, when I was browsing their website the other day and saw that an English Language version of Voie Libre was available I pretty well jumped on it straight away, remembering the advice I got from the late Carl Arendt (that I never took until now) that Voie Libre was a good read with plenty of advice and inspiration and I would enjoy it. As per usual, old friend, you were right. But I'm getting off the point a bit.
The point is that looking at different magazines from different countries can open up a whole new world of influences to you.
For example, did you know that there was a rack operated railway in the Greek islands?
No?
Neither did I. Not until I read the latest issue of Voie Libre anyway, and in the same issue of the magazine also presents you with a very interesting way to go about modelling it.
Of course, you don't have to go and buy an issue of a magazine that you've never heard of to partake in this resolution though. If you are like me you have received countless railway books as presents over the years that have no relation to your interests and have hidden them at the back of your library. Go back to them. I'm sure you'll find more than a few pictures that fascinate you. Then go and look a bit deeper into the subject matter. It could be the start of something new and rewarding.
Perhaps you got a gift card for your local hobby shop for Christmas but you don't quite know what to get with it for that big project. So maybe the next time you're in that hobby shop take a look on some of the other shelves that you usually pass by without a second glance on your way to your chosen section. See what tickles your fancy.
For my part I was in my local hobby shop the other day and saw the H0 scale Bachmann "John Bull" and "Pegasus" train sets. Now, I know nothing about railroading in the first years of railway history, but I think it would be really rewarding to find out about those times and build a layout of some description as you go along. I think the railway modellers new years resolution is a good idea. That's why I'm posting this a couple of days early. Give you time to mull the idea over. I might just try it myself. Why don't you?
After all if you break it it's no different to any of the others you've made over the years is it?
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