Subject:
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Re: Are LEGO "Train" Clubs endanger of becoming LEGO "Town" Clubs?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains.org
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Date:
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Fri, 10 Aug 2001 16:54:59 GMT
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Viewed:
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381 times
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James J. Trobaugh wrote:
>
> Are LEGO "Train" Clubs endanger of becoming LEGO "Town" Clubs? I have notice
> that over the past 6 months or so that much of the talk and pictures from
> LTCs has been more of non-train related town structures than of engines,
> rolling stock and train related facilities. I don't know if this is just a
> trend as people are inspired by other's creations or if it's becoming the
> new focus of the LTCs and the trains are just the props on the layouts. As
> the layouts grow larger and more organized it's easy to see that there is
> more real-estate to cover and train structures alone don't always fill the
> gaps. I worry that a lot of the focus of the LTCs gets lost when the town
> becomes the emphasis over the trains.
>
> Don't get me wrong here, I'm not accusing one group over the other, and I'm
> not excluding our local LTC from this either. I'm just wondering what others
> think about it. Has anyone else noticed this trend or is it just me?
I think there are a couple reasons for this trend, which I think is a
good trend.
- If you think about the museum and train show displays that have
captivated you the most, I would suspect that most people would find the
most "complete" displays the most captivating.
- We are mostly exhibitionists at heart. To this end, we like to show
off. Train displays are currently the best avenue to show off our work.
Because of this, we are seeing many folks who aren't necessarily that
interested in trains participating in train shows because they can then
show their stuff off.
The hobby I am interested in is model railroading. This implies more
than just models of the locomotives and rolling stock. The trains need a
reason for being. This means stations and industries for the trains to
service. It means towns and cities to justify the existance of the
stations and industries. It means fields and woods and mountains for the
trains to travel through to justify the use of the train for transport.
In short, it requires a world in miniature to serve as a backdrop and
reason for being.
This does not change the fundamental reason why it's a model railroad
and not a model town. To answer the question of why a model railroad as
opposed to a model city, I think one needs to explore deeper. The theory
I have come up with for the popularity of model railroading is simple.
There are two basic points of it:
1. Action and story are important elements which most humans look to for
entertainment.
2. A model railroad is really the only type of physical model simulation
which can provide a reasonably complete simulation. If you pick a small
enough branch line, you can even completely simulate a real railroad.
Short of that, you can provide all the necessary components for a
simulation in a reasonable space.
Interestingly, it is these same exact elements which are the cause of
the explosion in computer gaming. Computers today are capable of
providing a sufficiently detailed model of the environment that the
model can become the backdrop for the story.
Another hobby which I find strong interest in also rests on these same
elements. That hobby is role playing games. The rules provide a
framework to simulate a world and the interractions of the inhabitants,
and the players jointly create the action and story.
Of course of all of these three hobbies, only one, model railroading,
provides what is a third fundamental element: Something physical that
you can touch and manipulate. Because of the three fundamentals of the
model railroading hobby, I predict that it will never fade, even if
total immersion computer simulation ever is attained. People will always
want something _real_. It is also my feeling that something will always
exist which could be called a "train." The reason being that a fixed
guideway provides a variety of efficiencies which can not be ignored.
I also strongly suspect that a construction system like LEGO will always
be available. We may reach the point where other mechanisms than
friction provide the connectivity of the building elements, but I think
the tactile nature of LEGO and the flexibility it provides will always
captivate the interest of some segment of the population.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com (business only please)
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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