A railroader's designing a layout, creating the layout and continually adding, and improving upon this layout is like an architect's designing a building, with no limitations on how many times he or she can modify the final product. The years of fun and discovery far outweigh the actual work involved. |
One of the premier books written today on painting and weathering railroad models, Painting and Weathering Railroad Models (Wilson, 2001), covers a considerable amount of territory including: all about paint, equipment and safety, painting techniques, decals and dry transfers, basics of weathering, weathering locomotives, weathering freight cars and too many more to mention. Each topic by itself is a tool for a model railroader, starting early from the first part of railroading and continuing throughout one's interest in the hobby. |
Ever present in painting is personal expression and imagination. Everyone has different ideas and expectations that can be expressed through this medium. The more a person paints and experiments, the better the results. Painting a house can be very therapeutic as can painting a model freight car. If it seems tedious or hectic, you may be doing something wrong, since the purpose of this hobby is to have fun, not ulcers. |
In railroading, there are aspects of the hobby that involve many of the aforementioned topics.
This is what allows one's artistic abilities to improve and shine. One does not have to be
Michelangelo to achieve impressive painting skills. Some individuals can paint a hair
on a man's 1"-diameter head, but it is not a prerequisite for everyone to have this accuracy.
That is why we have airbrushes, templates and decals. Painting becomes a
reflection of our imagination, of our own view of what something should look like in the world
we have created. There are very few rights and wrongs along the way. The Internet
abounds with books on these topics for any scale and can be seen at
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Watching and helping your father in the workshop was probably a good idea. As years progress, one tries his/her hand at constructing that first platform with a 4' x 8' plywood top or the first grid construction for the ultimate layout. Model railroading provides these kinds of experiences. The hobby offers so many opportunities to develop woodworking applied skills for all kinds of situations. These same skills are utilized as one gets older and becomes challenged by doing house repairs. Same skills, but different challenges. If the person stays with this hobby and continues to create and expand his layout, many hours of great fun can be had in his/her shop, satisfying what he/she determines needs to be done. |