Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2015 9:02:37 GMT -5
I wonder if the philosophical shift from 4x8's in favor of perimeter empires has something to do with the hobby's general decline?
Look, don't get me wrong: I love the concept of proto-operable, staging capable, point-to-point, exit-track-left railroads. Of course my ultimate goal is to build something like this, one day.
But that testimony above is staggering: who has $85K over how many years to invest in a toy? And that doesn't count the fixed cost of room space: society becomes ever more high-rent urban by the minute and "millenials" are bankrupt, so who can even THINK about such things?
Meanwhile the focus of too many publications, is on the grand opuses of the baby-boomer set. They are inspiring to a point and well worth studying - but they are intimidating to a fault.
I agree that from a purely technical standpoint, anyone interested in modern railroads is doomed by basic physics: modern equipment just doesn't look right on the tight radii that fit in a 4x8. All those Athearn boxes with " 22 inch minimum radius curves recommended" pretty much seal that fate. At least in HO.
But speaking as someone with a fully-fleshed 4x8... there is something satisfying about the challenge of making one look good. Give a group of artists their own blank 16x20 sheets of paper and see what each one paints. The 4x8 is the model railroader's standard canvas and learning platform. You have to maximize its potential and execute it well before you even THINK of trying something larger. And for many accomplished masters, a well-done 4x8 can eclipse many an attempt to fill a room (not that I claim to have acheieved this, but... I've seen enough to know this can happen).
The 4x8 is a challenging platform, but the day the hobby banishes it for good is the day it deserves to die.
Look, don't get me wrong: I love the concept of proto-operable, staging capable, point-to-point, exit-track-left railroads. Of course my ultimate goal is to build something like this, one day.
But that testimony above is staggering: who has $85K over how many years to invest in a toy? And that doesn't count the fixed cost of room space: society becomes ever more high-rent urban by the minute and "millenials" are bankrupt, so who can even THINK about such things?
Meanwhile the focus of too many publications, is on the grand opuses of the baby-boomer set. They are inspiring to a point and well worth studying - but they are intimidating to a fault.
I agree that from a purely technical standpoint, anyone interested in modern railroads is doomed by basic physics: modern equipment just doesn't look right on the tight radii that fit in a 4x8. All those Athearn boxes with " 22 inch minimum radius curves recommended" pretty much seal that fate. At least in HO.
But speaking as someone with a fully-fleshed 4x8... there is something satisfying about the challenge of making one look good. Give a group of artists their own blank 16x20 sheets of paper and see what each one paints. The 4x8 is the model railroader's standard canvas and learning platform. You have to maximize its potential and execute it well before you even THINK of trying something larger. And for many accomplished masters, a well-done 4x8 can eclipse many an attempt to fill a room (not that I claim to have acheieved this, but... I've seen enough to know this can happen).
The 4x8 is a challenging platform, but the day the hobby banishes it for good is the day it deserves to die.