In the first post of 2018, I have a New Year's Resolution. Let's see if I can fulfill it. In the past, I've built railroads in bursts of high energy, followed by months of burnout. Were there results? Yes, but those results were small, mixed, and most of my hobby time was spent running in circles (literally and figuratively).
This year, I hope my modeling skills makes a turn for the better by actually accomplishing something I've sorely missed since high school, building an operating model railroad. If there's one word of advice I would dole out to hobbyists of all ages and experiences, it's this: don't do what I've done in the past, it's no way to build a model railroad. The best way to build a railroad, if there is a "best" method, is to build in small, steady steps. You can do it everyday if you want, or once a week, maybe even once a month. But the idea is to tackle one small project at a time and slowly build your railroad piece by piece.
In the past week I went from paper plans to a physical, real module. Already I feel like I've accomplished something. Granted, it's not huge progress, but it is still progress. There's no telling what I will get done this week. It may be tangible, it may just be information or knowledge. But that too is progress, just progress that is more difficult to measure. And so this is my New Year's Resolution, build a model railroad at a slow, steady rate. Doing so means that I'm no longer trying to impress other people, I'm just enjoying the hobby, using what little spare time and cash I have to make something incredible. That's the way to build a railroad.
Thanks for reading and have a great, successful, and fulfilling New Year!
--James Willmus
This year, I hope my modeling skills makes a turn for the better by actually accomplishing something I've sorely missed since high school, building an operating model railroad. If there's one word of advice I would dole out to hobbyists of all ages and experiences, it's this: don't do what I've done in the past, it's no way to build a model railroad. The best way to build a railroad, if there is a "best" method, is to build in small, steady steps. You can do it everyday if you want, or once a week, maybe even once a month. But the idea is to tackle one small project at a time and slowly build your railroad piece by piece.
In the past week I went from paper plans to a physical, real module. Already I feel like I've accomplished something. Granted, it's not huge progress, but it is still progress. There's no telling what I will get done this week. It may be tangible, it may just be information or knowledge. But that too is progress, just progress that is more difficult to measure. And so this is my New Year's Resolution, build a model railroad at a slow, steady rate. Doing so means that I'm no longer trying to impress other people, I'm just enjoying the hobby, using what little spare time and cash I have to make something incredible. That's the way to build a railroad.
Thanks for reading and have a great, successful, and fulfilling New Year!
--James Willmus
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