What a fantastic Idea for a Monthly article

Personally I have always looked at Arm Chair model railroading as 20% of the hobby. I don't care who you are or how many years you have been a model railroader, If you never open a Model Railroad book, Magazine, or tune into a web or blog site about the hobby how would ever know what being a model railroader is? The best way to learn about model railroading is in an Arm Chair with a pile of Railroad and Model Railroad magazines because without them you'll never know where to start building your own Pike.

Another thing If you build your RR in your house and it's later in the evening when young one have gone off to bed you sure can't run the table saw or drills in your basement of Garage so Flop down in your arm chair and break out the lap top to get the latest edition of MRH or any one of the print magazines and start reading, Who knows you may learn something.

Also for those of you in school, in the military, maybe you just don't have the room to build or maybe the money there's no reason you can't dream.

Dan

Humor!

I love Joe's sense of humor, now I know why the April edition was published on the 1st.........

(One of the benefits of an online publication, I do hate these jokes the middle of March!).

Brian

Arm chair

Best April fools joke in a magazine, and great delivery.

Clever, and Thanks for the Laugh

I admit that it was page two before it dawned on me what was happening ....  Thanks.  

Sadly, I find that MRH is

Sadly, I find that MRH is again incapable of taking the concepts involved to their potential. Zero shelf space is clearly not  acknowledging multi dimensional railroading for the average arm chair specialist. There is a clear need to explore negative shelf space wherein the modeler discovers space in the basement that he or she was unaware existed. Once zero space has been achieved  and exceeded  which yields a negative shelf space , an entire world not reliant on the current space time continuum becomes available.  In negative space all possibilities exist including  scratch building materials that simply self assemble. The new 5-D printers can take hiding trains from public view to new levels ( where ever they may apparate). Even you won't know where your trains are or aren't. Call your town Heisenberg.  The savings monthly can go into building that layout in your MG Midget that hasn't run in fourteen years. The tunnels going through the heating ducts past the firewall are always crowd pleasers.

Thank you Joe, as always, great stuff.

Pete VanderLaan

slight correction

Joe, the plan was 12x72, the actual footprint is 16x85

...

The hobby is model railroading.  The hobby is not building layouts, even though many who participate in the hobby strive towards building a layout.  Ultimately, though, the layout is purely optional.  Food for thought.

more food for thought, if

more food for thought, if your not building models or running models, are you really a model railroader? The layout is where you run the models...

Is it not dangerous...

...to get into a discussion on what is and what is not model railroading? 

Isn't this the precise thing on the MRH Forums we would want to avoid? 

:-\

Ken L

Yes, please

Yes, please - let's don't start trying to say who is and is not a model railroader. If you like trains, especially miniature ones, you're in. Nuff said.

Armchair Modelers

Maybe the best of both?  Armchairs & trains?

Great article - very entertaining!

Rick ...

Rick, you're having entirely too much fun this this editorial ... (wink)

Rick....

move him to a bulkhead flat and mount a flat screan....

MACR #1

Master Arm Chair Railroader

I've already got the zero shelf width, as evidenced in the below picture.

As you can see, I have everything required for an Arm Chair Model Railroad, and best of all, it was already here when I moved in!

and my arm chair modeling

always comes out better than my work bench modeling.

2 much fun - is it possible?

Real Problem

Well, ya'll have given me a real problem.   My desk chair doesn't have arms - so where does that leave me.

Great Column

It wasn't until the second page before I was sure this was a spoof.  Really enjoyed it.

Paul

Arm Chair Model Railroad Check List

Small room with lots of sound proofing, locking door and nearby facilities

LazyBoy or equivalent

Laptop or tablet (a desktop with wireless keyboard could work)

Internet access with wireless router

End table (For reference material and those paper things)

2 TV Tray Tables (One for laptop and one for drinks and snacks)

Small Refrigerator (Could replace End table)

Microwave

3rdPlanet with multiple layouts and or a functional version of a virtual railroad program or equivalent

Wide Screen TV with lots of railroad videos which also serves as primary display for virtual railroad

Understanding or at least tolerant spouse (You can explain to her that without a layout she can have that sewing and craft room she always wanted)

Love that article, Joe!

I read it and thought of myself!  Not an armchair guy, but lately I find myself in the "middle" or "almost" of about 5 different projects.  I mentioned it once before in a burnout-thread called something along the lines of "Ever Finished?".  I DO in fact armchair, by doing research and looking at techniques and proto- and scale- examples, so much so that I hardly ever get DONE with something.  For example: too scared of a screw-up to jump in on my latest project I found myself over-researching things I already knew from years of experience-  I arm-chaired a simple weathering job into over-kill!  And I've accurately painted and weathered stuff since the late 70's.  Hours and hours spent online 'doing research' and saying 'I'm gonna do it like THAT' resulted in nothing getting done at all actually. Pre-planning is one thing, but over-thinking is arm-chairing as well, I think.

The result has been this past week that I HAD to jump in and get started on things...multiple things in fact, as is my way- gotta do something while the paint is drying/supplies arrive!  Didn't get things done enough for this past installment of Weekend Photo Fun but next weekend for sure. I'm committed to get out of the chair!

Prototype or Freelance Armchair Model Railroader...??

Gee, I wonder what brings this on...?

Never let it be said that MRH isn't responsive.

John

If it weren't for the armchair, would RR history be preserved?

Think about it.  I've got timetables that some conscientious employee did NOT throw away when the new one came out.  I've got extra car door tags that someone didn't discard when my favorite A&Y was closed out by Southern Railway bookkeepers in 1950.  I've got conductors books that were going to be thrown away when that railroader got a "round tuit."   Railroad history is due to the prototype armchair railroader!

And, if it weren't for armchair modelers, do you think eBay would have become the thriving business it is today? Armchair modelers are job creators! 

And think of how many more armchair modelers, than active modelers, can be satisfied by dreaming of what that kit would look like when complete! But ONLY if it never gets built.  If everyone was an active modeler, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to purchase (and store for the next armchair modeler) that HO scale model of Mount Airy, NC's granite passenger station!  Should I deny future generations the pleasure of such a rare find?

Think of the delight of future armchair modelers when they score that limited edition kit they thought had long ago been built and then discarded when the inheriting kids were told by the real estate agent that nobody buys a home with a model railroad layout in the basement.  Think of the estate purchasers who will be financing their kids' college tuition by selling the kits piecemeal in hobby shops and ebay stores. WHO AM I TO DENY KIDS THEIR EDUCATION?

We armchair modelers have a legacy to protect.  Pay (for) it (the unbuilt kit) forward!

And Joe, I'd be happy to write that column.  I've got a thousand column ideas already.  But can I start in May?  I've got some research to do before I actually type anything!  I mean, I wouldn't want to start off with a bad column, would I?  You know, June is an ideal month to start because school lets out.  Maybe ...October?

Now where did I put that round tuit?

Dave

Sitting there

What a fantastic idea. Why no one thought of this before must have been that they were modelling.

I do think a more suitable title would be Sitting Here as sitting there implies that you must go somewhere,

away from your armchair.

April Fools

Agreed.   This one is very entertaining, even when you know it is simply April Fools!