Subject:
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Re: Question for model RR gurus
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Sat, 18 Aug 2001 04:10:25 GMT
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Viewed:
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425 times
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In lugnet.trains, James Brown writes:
> Why is it that there is such a huge chunk of the MRR hobby (both Lego and
> traditional) that puts sooooo much time into automation? My personal
> suspicion is that it's just because automation is cool and fun, but I'm not
> sure.
I tend to think of a couple of reasons- such as that the automation is to make
it more than just model building (which can make fine, non animated
displays...which, IMO, lack something most of the time...the sense of time from
motion), it also allows a wider range of skills to be used (and developed)-and,
like you say, it is fun :)
> A lot of the stuff that I see go by here (since I started paying attention,
> admittedly) is talking about automating switches, yards, roundhouses, or
> programmed routes through DCC or even more complicated automation. Maybe
> I'm seeing something that isn't there, but it seems like there's a stigma
> against doing things manually on a MRR, and that seems kinda odd to me.
I can speak for myself alone, with my DCC project, I am not going to have
anything but freedom to cornfield meet my trains. I don't want to have to
worry about switching power (not track) to/from various trains.
>
> My confusion, I'll confess is stemming from the fact that I work near a
> fairly large switch yard, and this is all stuff that gets done manually. If
> a track needs to be switched, a guy in orange coveralls jumps out of a truck
> and flips the big lever.
Yep. When I have my small OO layout out, it has all OD-a-matic(1) switching
done. All the coupling is done with 3 links too (or at least most of what I
run on there...not everything I have in OO has 3 link...the Thomas stuff for
the most part doesn't :)
For lego, I do mostly hand operated. The reason why I have some Pnumatic
operated switches (not currently connected) was due to issues of access rather
than due to automation concerns. Getting into some spaces on a larger layout
can prove difficult (such as dismantling bridges...it didn't seem to be that
hard to put remotely operated switches as it was to remove 2 bridges to get the
metroliner back into its storage siding...)
James Powell
(1) OD-a-Matic (OD= Ordinary Seaman) ("send the OD-a-matic controller
down" = send the OD to change the valve over)
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Question for model RR gurus
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| Why is it that there is such a huge chunk of the MRR hobby (both Lego and traditional) that puts sooooo much time into automation? My personal suspicion is that it's just because automation is cool and fun, but I'm not sure. A lot of the stuff that (...) (23 years ago, 17-Aug-01, to lugnet.trains)
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