" that the cars were only going in one direction "

Haha, reminds me of my younger days and trying to set up my oval car for the figure 8 race after the oval main. Had maybe ten minutes to change the tires and try to adjust the chassis. Always was glad to return to the oval after struggling around those reverse curves with the car heeled over so much it seemed like the view out the drivers side window was all dirt ....DaveB

Please tell me the Lionel set is not steam...

I fear you may need your own intervention if you become addicted to the fumes given off by the smoke fluid...

Treatment

Sounds like he has you all hoodwinked. He probably has a couple locos with no front couplers stashed away somewhere that he takes out and pulls strings with while sipping a cold one , this time with the curtains tightly closed so as not to get caught.

Excellent!

Figure 8

Demolition Derby would describe the RR thread better than NASCAR.

Keep in mind that RR thread was intentionally started by someone who knew exactly what course that would take too.

I guess he is just having fun watching the throngs of ops guys gang up and crush the few who dare to treat MRRing as a hobby and could care less about playing fantasy role playing games. Nothing quite as entertaining as watching those Malachi Brothers perform their famous "crunch" eh?

please stop

You can put the straw man away now.  There is no need to bring him out in every single thread to try to steer it off track.

Question.

 Forgive my simple nature, but I honestly do not understand what you are saying. Could you please explain what the heck you are talking about Marc?

Victimhood

I guess he is just having fun watching the throngs of ops guys gang up and crush the few who dare to treat MRRing as a hobby and could care less about playing fantasy role playing games.

Fantasy role playing's not a hobby? Has to be. I don't know anyone who gets paid to do it. Well, maybe video game testers get paid, but the overwhelming majority of players are in it for the love of the game. Certainly the SOS (spawn of Satan) ops guys don't get paid either to do it or publicly speak well of it.

I wrote what I did to try and bring some levity to the discussion. I hoped things could be kept light and both sides could laugh at themselves, but my Weltanschauung of a world wherein people are endowed by their Creator with at least a modicum of a sense of humor is apparently nothing more than a figment of my fevered imagination..

What really sets me off are people who are constantly assuming the mantle of victimhood if anyone has the unmitigated gall to make a statement that happens to disagree with their own opinions. It doesn't matter which side the "victim" comes from, either. The "oh poor me" attitude cuts absolutely no ice with me. I lost my first wife to cancer (she was 29) in the late 70's and was the single parent of two children for six years. My son, like the son of another poster here (sorry don't remember who), also died in mid-2000 at the age of 29.  That's the important stuff in life. Whether or not one likes or hates operations (or DCC or RTR or whatever) is such a trivial issue that it should be regarded as a non-issue.

Mike

PS. Nobody ever summed up the difference between a job and a hobby better than Mark Twain in Chapter 2 of "The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer".  I commend it to your reading. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fence to whitewash.

Come on! Enough already.

I stopped reading that other thread because it got just too disgusting. No one is going to win the argument or ops vs round and round. So lets put it end to it on this thread, please.

Humor

Andre: While you are somehow convinced that I have no humor, you are mistaken. My first two posts in this thread are in fact attempts at humor, although the second one might be considered by some to be "dark humor". I am sorry that you find no humor in those posts, perhaps your quip about some people not being endowed with a sense of humor is right after all.

Very Common Malady

Mike,

Dr Lionel Wye McMogul conducted a series of studies in the late 50's. The object of these studies was to psychologically profile the effect model railroading was having on the affected population. He studied the propensity to run trains around and around in a circle for long periods.This conditions was called  McMogul Mania. In the United States it  is often referred to as The Rounder's Syndrome.

Practice:
The propensity to run trains in circles is practiced by most all model railroaders at some time in their life. Dr McMogul even found that most non-model railroaders, when given the opportunity, would setup a train set in this manner .

Symptoms:
The mental need to run trains in a circle is almost a universal practice in the model railroad hobby. Among many hobbyist is has a negative social stigma if practiced  in a group with fellow hobbyist. No long term mental or social harm has been recorded from this practice, but a secret practice seems prudent to prevent social criticism

Treatment:
Treatment is simple, Tolerance is critical. To much criticism may drive the person from the model group, and both the group and the individual will suffer. If the public practice gets out of hand, a gentle reminder is in order. The person should be told that social compliance is more important than just pure fun.

More Information on Dr. McMogul's tests can be found here:

/sites/model-railroad-hobbyist.com/files/users/JRG1951files/Test.jpg

Regards, John ***************************************************

I for one..

...found this hilarious.  I had only wished someone intervened sooner with me!

Ken L.

Now I am worried; what about other model railroad maladies?

Like flux poisoning among those who fixate on wiring DCC feeders?  Those who strive for a complete understanding of every CV ever defined until they start losing their mind bit by bit?  Tree crafters who begin foaming at the mouth?  Those who cannot resist sniffing resin castings and go wild if they don't get new kits when the smell of the older castings begins to fade?  How do you gauge the seriousness of their problem as they switch from one tangent to another?

What problems have I failed to mention?

Sarcasm

Ken,
I have found sarcasm  is safer than a direct approach.
Regards, John ********************************************************************
The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom  <> Lady Bird Johnson

Another interesting observation

Do model railroads circle clockwise in the northern hemisphere

and counterclockwise (anti-clockwise?) in the southern?

Direction of Travel!

Norman,

In Dr. McMogul's notes he stated that that the average for running the train CCW was about 83%, but sometimes the person under test would stop, setup and run the train CW. Many test subjects would try to run the train in reverse, but due to the state of the equipment at that time this was seldom successful.

MikeM,

He was unable to run any tests below the Equator.

Regards, John ***********************************************************

The introduction of so powerful an agent as steam to a carriage on wheels will make a great change in the situation of man. <> Thomas Jefferson

Is there any vaccine for this malady?

Is there any known vaccine to prevent this malady?!

Ken L

  My name is Mike and I have

My name is Mike and I have Rounders Disease. I'm afraid it's terminal, but I'll live a happy life.....

Mike, That's funny! I love

Mike, That's funny! I love it    

Randy

Political Correctness!

Mike C,

To be PC, it is Rounder's Syndrome, and I do not know of any support groups. You may want to start a Rounders Anonymous. Members may be able to gain minority status and obtain Federal funding for the organization.

Ken,

There is no cure, the best solution is to control the urge and enjoy it when you can't.

*******

I wonder how many readers do not understand that Dr. McMogul is a spoof?

Regards, John ********************************************

The only way to be sure of catching a train is to miss the one before it.  <>   Gilbert K. Chesterton

Support Group

The support group is the your local chapter of the "tyco trestle bent society". Be warned, they may encourage you to consider figure 8's.

The Tyco Trestle Bent Society came into being

as the result of a small group of physicians in the New England area attempting to find a treatment for neck injuries suffered from constantly rolling the head in a circle; a more balanced movement, tracking a figure 8, results in fewer cases of muscle strain.

Tyco Types!

Ok Guys,

I have friends on the Tyco forum, They are not a majority, but lets show a little respect! Next thing you know you'll will be making comments about people who collect GI Joe dolls!

Regards, John ******************************************************************************

You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force.  Engage your brain before you
engage your weapon. <> Gen. James Mattis [US Marine]