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| Ballantine's at Wethersfield, CT - Prototype scene with a freelance reefer (& sky added) |
(Incidentally, I thought I already had a category called "Thoughtful Thursday" - but the closest I have is something called "Philosophy" which doesn't quite fit... So I guess this is the first in a series of "Trains of Thought" type posts. . .
Also - and not incidentally - I want to thank you all for your patience as I try and get this here blog back up and running regularly...)
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“Respect the Build”
In the car enthusiast community, this phrase is shorthand for respecting and accepting someone’s enthusiasm and passion for what they’ve done with their car beyond stock, no matter what. Of course, there are some builds that are more impressive than others and some that cause others to shake their heads in disbelief or subtle derision, but the phrase is part of the mortar that keeps the car community together. If you’re excited about cars, you’re part of the community.
I think model railroaders can learn a bit from this attitude. As long as you’re excited about Model Trains, you’re part of the community… But admittedly, there are a number of different sub parts of this community just as there are in the car community (muscle cars, sports cars, low riders, rat rods, etc), but the passion and enthusiasm that we have ought to transcend any apparent differences, even if a particular approach isn’t exactly our cup of tea…
Case in point – operations. For some, like me, it’s all about coming as close to an historical reenactment as possible since that’s my goal and the story I want to tell. For somebody else, the trains may be incidental to the live action role-play (LARP) that they enjoy when operating. For others, it’s a game (even a “card” game) or a puzzle to be solved. After a long stressful day at work, you may just want to move freight cars around randomly…
The cool thing is that model railroad operations isn’t just one thing but can actually be ALL of these things. That’s part of the greatness of this hobby - no matter how you approach operations, or for that matter, no matter how you approach the hobby itself, either from your interest in art, sculpture, history, electronics, building, architecture,… well, you get the idea... the greatness of model railroading is in the many ways different ways you can enjoy it and still be part of it.
“My Railroad, My Rules” is certainly an effective defense of whatever you’re doing in the hobby that brings you joy… But in my mind, it’s unnecessarily defensive. “Respect the Build” encourages all of us to acknowledge the passion and joy that others derive - and provide to the rest of us - just by participating in this great hobby.
