Do you 'play' with your trains or do you 'operate' a model railroad?

[pdlethbridge]

For me, it's about 50/50 I like to run the trains around the layout, but I also like to set up switching problems. I use sets of letters, 2 each, 1 for the car and 1 for the location it's going. The more letters I use, the more complex the switching can be, and time consuming.

[astrotrain]

Well that is a good question.On my new layout I am making as I have posted earlier it will be a working railroad.I want the kids to learn what a real rail road does.Transport goods and deliver them to industry.I want them to have to learn how to pick up a car and take it to a certain industry'drop it off using magnet couplers.That is the main reason I want to use point to point than where they just watch the train just go around in circle's.

[jonathan]

PD,

As I have only been at this for several years, I have been 'playing' up to this point.  That is to say, I have 4 loops in my layout, with trains running independently.  I would set them all in motion, and be satisfied with walking around the layout, watching the trains run--running an 1895 passenger train (B&O blue of course) right along with CSX SDs and Dash 9's.

I feel I have crossed some milestone, as I am now modifying my layout so three of the loops will be interconnected, with a junction, sidings and terminal points... in essence a system for transporting goods.  I still enjoy watching the trains run, but now I want the feeling that the trains have a mission (somewhere to go).

I think it took this long just to decide what kind of trains I like.  I went from running a little bit of everything to transition era coal.  I have a feeling this is a common progression.  I didn't even realize how much a fan I am of the B&O! 

My fourth loop will still run an eclectic collection of stuff, independently of the era specific trains.  Besides I think it will look pretty neat to have train meets with big steam on one side and big diesels, or olde-tyme trains on the other.

Gotta get in your play time to keep the brain sharp.

Regards,

Jonathan

p.s. Anyway, it's all 'playing' isn't it? Now I'm just playing with a little more focus.

[ebtnut]

I've been pretty much in the "operations" camp for most of my modeling life.  Having said that, this is a hobby of course, and whatever you do to enjoy it is just fine.  Many folks design their layouts soley for running trains.  Others are content with a shelf layout that is a derivitive of the old John Allen "Timesaver" switching problem.  My current layout interchanges standard guage with narrow gauge, including mounting standard gauge cars on n.g. trucks per EBT.  The narrow gauge is the primary focus, and runs from the interchange yard to the terminal yard with switching sites along the way and a major coal branch out of the terminal yard.  But, there is a hidden connection that allows the narrow gauge to run in a continuous loop for those times when just watching the train is a good thing.

[richg]

Until you operate a prototype locomotive, we are all boys playing with trains. Just ask your significant other. We look "cute" playing with our trains. That is the reality we all live in.

Rich

[Rashputin]

  I'm gonna set up an Excel sheet to do some fancy graphs, write up about five hundred pages of gobbledygook, and get my Piled Higher and Deeper degree based on whether or not buying new equipment coincides with an alteration to the operations vs. play ratio for the average model RR enthusiast.  I'm looking forward to tenure at some major university when my degree is complete and thank all of you in advance for paying taxes to keep PhD folks well heeled.

  Regards

[rogertra]

The now defunct GER was designed from the offset for "operations".

It was point to point with  5 staging yards.

There was a  double ended yard that connected Atwater's Berger Yard and Granville Junction and was the NYC from the Granville Junction end and the D&H and CV from the Berger Yard end.

A single track staging yard left Granville Junction from the east end and went to the B&M.

A single track staging yard was accessed from Exeter on the line between Granville Junction and Atwater that went down to the unmodelled paper mill at St. Pierre.

Main staging was the stub ended Adirondack Yard, to the east of Granville Junction, that represented the GER's main yard just south of Montreal and provided connection with the CPR, CNR and all points east and west.

[Doneldon]

PD-

It's about 50/50 for me, too.  Plus, I enjoy building models, whether from hard or simple kits, kitbashing, or make it up as you go.

Jonathon-

If you connect your four loops judiciously, ideally with some extra trackage for an adjacent yard or at least an interchange track, you could have your loops (trains) hand cars off to the next loop, just like on 1:1 railroads.  It could make for some interesting operations.

     --D

[Joe323]

50/50 works for me too:

I suppose I Play with my trains when I let them run around the main line. BUT I spend time building models Photographing back drops weathering cars etc.  So I guess the track is a play thing but the layout is not.

[Joe Satnik]

Dear All,

Build your loop with sidings. 

When point-to-point operations are desired, place an obstacle on the track to prevent loop running/train watching. 

(2 bonus stub sidings, one on each side of the obstacle!)

Similar idea, raise or remove a bridge, perhaps the same one that allows access to the inside of your loop.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Joe Satnik   

[jbsmith]

I shoot for a bit of both for good balance.
It is a pastime//hobby, not a job/career!
All work and no play is just plain dull.

[OldTimer]

The new railroad, currently in the "preconstruction" phase (I'm still finishing the room), is designed for operation, and my expectation is that it could keep four people busy.  That said, there is a continuous-run connection for those times that I need to break in a new locomotive or just want to kick back and "railfan" my layout. 

I'm not sure why this is sometimes a contentious subject.  When we say we operate our layouts, what we are really saying is that we run our trains based on some set of rules.  Those rules can be very simple like the situation cards I use when I'm playing by myself, to extremely complicated, like the rule book that  might govern a club that has 20 or 30 members show up for an operating session.

My personal feeling is that if you haven't tried operating at some level, you ought to.  If you already do run your trains by some set of rules, take a day off and just enjoy the sights and sounds of your trains running just for the sake of running.

[jettrainfan]

i tried running "Operation" style and with a small layout like mine, its hard to do. When i try this, it usually is a pick-up drop off thing. Its OK for a while but the yard is more of a staging lane. and the siding next to it can barely fit my GE70ton and a bobber caboose. So its usually play for me. Switch a train out from a earlier, get things set up and watch the new made train go by and let the passenger take a turn or something else.

[Jim Banner]

Our group likes to get together and play trains.  Sometimes it is just running various trains to see them run.  Other times we each run a train, moving cars and their hypothetical loads from place to place according to some previously conceived plan.  If someone wants to call it an operating session, we don't complain.  If someone else calls it playing trains, we accept that too.  The one thing we all call it is FUN.

Jim

[pdlethbridge]

definitely! I find that my brother and I both like to just run the trains. Having a K2 or J pulling a passenger train or an A or Y hauling a freight is fun to watch. It's even more fun when you can pass the slower freight. We both have various switching problems designed into our layouts that , at times, can give use fits. He has a time saver I built 20+ years ago with hand laid code 70 rail and switches. It's fun to operate that with RS3 or S2.