Hi there z scale friends, Is it me or has the forum lost creativity and active engagement. I was out here about 2 years ago and it seemed more active. Am i wrong in this thinking? Where did folks go? -Tiest Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Looking back to say 2021-2023, I think Model Railroading in general was riding the “Covid-wave“. People were forced to hunker down in their homes, work hours were scaled back, and many returned to their passion for hobbies with nothing better to do. It was a fantastic wave for a lot of hobbies, but in my opinion, Model Railroading in particular. Here we are post-Covid in 2024, and many are possibly catching up on other projects they needed to get done, not to mention some are experiencing burnout. Each individual’s interest in Model Railroading comes and goes in cycles. I know it does for me. I’ll hammer Z-scale hard for several months and then My mind, although not completely off of the hobby, goes onto to other things I need to tend to. Here in South Dakota during the winter, with four or 6 feet of snow sitting outside there’s not much one can do except indoors. In the summer months for sanity sake, we have to get outside. Not to mention, I have 1 million projects to do outside one being a garden. So don’t dismay. The wave will return.
Folks are still here. Creativity is as high as it’s been. Look at the what’s on your workbench thread. Warm weather keeps folks busy with other interests but by and large I myself don’t even share all my work. I think most folk are same. But I really enjoy seeing efforts cause it motivates me The flow comes in waves of tine money and weather. Now back in early two thousands it was really kicking. But…I know summer is coming so there will be less.
I think I bored people by my spending too long on project modules. I do know that it is the time of year people tend to do other things than trains, yes it's the end of the Fall-Winter Model Railroad Season. My backyard is a mess from the long Idaho winter, (remember Colorado is not the only state in the Rocky Mountains) but they promise to turn off the 30º-40º 60MPH winds and on with the 80º heat Thursday, so we only have 6 weeks to whip our yards in shape before the 100º Summer Modeling Quarter starts. I have AC in my Train Shed, and hope to start benchwork this summer.
[mention]rray [/mention] , [mention]Kez [/mention] , [mention]Zscaleplanet [/mention] , [mention]JoeS [/mention] , Thank you! I did not think about the time of year and the seasonality that impacts our schedules. You guys all gave me the newbie the right feedback. Will not hesitate to post my questions and share my endeavors. Thanks! -Tiest Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Rob boring? NO WAY!!! Keep it up!!! This is definitely seasonal. We see a real slow down March/April time frame. That is why I actually have time to work on my modules! LOL!
Tiest, But don't forget, even your own break away from the forum. When you first joined, you shared some of your own work, which was really good. Then you were less active on the forum several months later, and then you jumped back in the pool. What's nice is, the forum still stands and one can share as time allows, or when regular life doesn't get in the way. Rob, do you think in the midst of creating a masterpiece painting, that Da Vinci turned to those watching him paint to say: "Am I boring anyone yet?" Ummmm, I think not..... Keep creating Da Vinci...... And lest we all forget, it takes alot of work and time to share on this forum, but it's also a lot of fun sharing our Z-scale efforts with each other. Taking pics, uploading comments, sharing techniques is the work part --- hearing your input and suggestions is the fun "payoff" part.... And thanks to those that also provide comments as well.
I'm guilty of spending too much time on Facebook and less on individual forums. I try to visit this forum daily but don't always get to it. I will say that this is where I come to see some of the best handiwork in Z that I dont' see elsewhere. Lots of talent here for sure. Lance is right about seasons. Instead of modeling yesterday I mowed the lawn, etc. The best thing we can do is post the things we are all working on, even if they seem trivial. I'm going to light a fire under me to do so. Steve W
Much of my free time got sucked into Minecraft this winter. There is a mod for the game called "Create: Rails and Steam" That allows you to build trains and tracks. Although most people don't use it for making trains that represent real world engines, you can place blocks into about any configuration to make trains that look more like actual trains. You can also put up working signals, and have regularly scheduled trains between stations, and the trains will automatically stop and wait for sections to clear. But it is kind of fun trying to scout our a route between villages and trying to construct railroad with minimal grades, minimal cuts, and that just follows the terrain, and finding space for passing tracks, sidings, etc. I probably have about 50 miles of narrow gauge track built in the game. 0-4-0T waiting at the yard for route assignment. 0-4-0 Tender mixed train heading toward the woods over a large trestle 4-2-0 Tender Locomotive out in the woods. Heisler running through the plains. Right now I'm just finishing up converting four MTL F7s to the 8mm can motors. I converted a mini drill press to a milling machine with a cheap stage, and it worked quite well for milling the small bit of area from the frames. I'm getting pretty good at upgrading these. Toma Modelworks just released a batch of 0-4-0 Porters in HOn30, and now they also have a little tender. My porter and tender showed up Friday. I have two other HOn30 steam engines that need to be painted. So I'm thinkin I should build this one up and paint all 3 at the same time. A few weeks ago I finally got around to building a Toma SR&RL #6 kit that I had had for over a year in the box. So, I'm still playing with trains... I'm just haven't been actively sharing everything I'm working on. -Matt
Matt, What source are you using for the motors? Despite having some great running AZL F units I have a weird soft spot for the MTL unit and would like to try my hand at upgrading the motor. Thanks! Steve W
In general, I have noticed the size of this forum shrinking. The HO forum is pretty small now. There are a few long-term layout update threads, the classic Workbench and New Purchases threads, and the odd one-off question or post that tapers off after a few replies. The N scale section seems to be the most active on here. My theory is that it's a lack of new membership. Most forums have a core group of members, and there's only so many project updates we can see from the same projects. New members will come on and ask about basic beginner questions: "what should I do with this old train collection I inherited," "How do I fix [blank] issue", but the forum doesn't retain them or convert them to 'pro' modelers who do kitbashing or layout build threads. What I don't see is new members creating content, sharing new builds, or pushing the forum forwards. Maybe that's just me coming from the HO forum, but it could be applicable to the Z scale side too. If we look at the Inspection Pit section, the most popular thread is about sharing gas station pictures and advertisements. There are a lot of threads on here that are just back and forth conversational banter, but not a lot of modeling. This could be affecting the general perception of this forum and may be why membership and activity are dwindling.
Steve, The motors came from tramfabriek. https://tramfabriek.nl/motors.html#!/~/ I first ordered a set of the 7mm motor. The conversion went well, but the 7mm motor was very easy to stall, so I ordered the 18000 rpm 8 mm version that requires a little bit of milling the chassis. The original thread on the conversion is here. https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads/mtl-f7-can-motor-upgrade.150388/
