The Permanent Beginner | CCMR Train Talk #7

[@achb-railway]

Great video. Great discussion. I got my first train set over 50 years ago - but in many aspects I still feel like a beginner. That’s the beauty of this hobby - the opportunity to always try and to learn new things and new skills.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hear hear! I completely agree. It never gets old if you don’t want it to.

[@wilzdart]

Leveling up, what a great phrase to use. Been in the hobby since 1974 all in N scale. In that time frame there were no You Tube to watch and there were a lot of guys who never came out of the closet. How great it is now for the newbe to get information to grow. Most of the new guys I have run across have a common flaw, instant layout. To me the definition of a great modeler is" someone who can fix up their mess ups". At a train show I bought a house like the one you showed. I used the walls as a template used brick styreen, nice scratch build .

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

It’s positively impressive how many resources are out there. Going back to my Shep Paine books I’m also incredibly impressed by how carefully curated photos and diagrams can also inspire and instruct. But that has nothing on the ability to now access expertise firsthand and in a near instant.

[@kenmunozatmmrrailroad6853]

For those of us so curious in what makes the very best of you (modelers) tick, thanks for divulging personal and professional history- it says so much of why you're so good at (likely all) what you do.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Ken! Fortunately the habits of mind that make a good scientist are certainly not exclusive to them. Things like curiosity and risk taking (even with such low stakes as a hobby) are not easily taught but can be easily facilitated by hobbies like this one 😁

[@johnpetrovitz935]

Good thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Your modeling is exceptional on many fronts… from its overall plan and layout to your superb detailing. True “art”! Just wonderful!! Like one of your other viewers, I’ve been “at it” since the 60’s (all in N as well). And all these years later, I, too, still maintain that “beginner” status. My “evolution” in the hobby has certainly “improved” - but only because of having done millions of “beginner” mistakes. I’ve found (quite obviously) that every time I’ve taken on any project, there was always tons of stuff I had little ‘idea’ about as to how to go about it… But - that is the greatest aspect of this “hobby”: It provides all of us a chance to ‘try’ to produce some ‘art’ of our own. And - the truly best part is: nothing earth-shattering or life-threatening is ever at risk! ‘Screw it up’ and just try again (and again and again! - lol). Pure heaven! Thank you for your continuing inspiration for all of us! Very much appreciated!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Great perspective John. Glad the beginner mindset keeps it fun for you. For me, it’s great learning from folks who have done this a long time and have lots of mistakes and successes to share.

[@andrewpalm2103]

Thanks for the kind mention, Eric. Much appreciated! And learning new skills is where it's at for me, too. Cheers from Wisconsin!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Absolutely!! That was a ton of fun Andy. Thanks for all the emails 😊

[@brooklyngraham1151]

I couldn’t agree more, Eric. Even though I’ve been at this hobby for well over a decade, I find that I’m constantly learning. As you stated, this holds true for one’s professional aspirations as well. Learning inherently involves failures as well as successes, but this is the way the human mind works. We learn from our mistakes. I’ve had similar experiences as you have with projects that just weren’t good, but in that lies the crux of what brings us to enjoy this hobby so much. If everything was rote, and each endeavour we undertook was perfect, we would soon grow dissatisfied. The challenge of striving for our own reckoning of perfection; that is what keeps us coming back, time and time again.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hey Brooklyn thanks for writing. Yeah I’ve never really been satisfied with taking the rote approach. Even if I end up doing something that is kind of silly or doesn’t work the problem solving aspect is a lot of fun.

[@jeffherdz]

Beginner ....No way. I would say more like an advanced hobbyist. From the first video of yours, that I watched. I am fascinated by the work that you do.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Jeff. I’m advanced in some areas and less so in others. It’s part of the fun for sure - always something new to master.

[@MRR_Shadowolf]

Outstanding discussion and philosophy!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thank you!!

[@keithludowitz9637]

I've been wondering about your vocation, as a clue about the philosophical bent of your videos. You are creating a channel with unique content, in which I enjoy partaking.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Keith, glad you enjoy. Always good to hear from you!

[@AlleghenyNorthern]

The fastest way to make me not listen to a topic is say "the experts say..." immediately, I'm out. experts it seems is a title for "person we paid to say..." so i like this topic because it admits we are not experts, maybe masters of certain aspects, but there's always something to learn - even if that something is a small little trick that makes a difference. in my rebuild - i'm looking back at scenery done a decade ago and models painted more than two ago and thinking - yeah, i can do better. (sighs, picks up old building and goes to the work bench to start painting.) but there in lies the folly. we're going to get better each day we model, each video we watch and it's technique we learn. what i repaint today likely won't hold up in another decade when the skills are better, the tools and materials are better, or the kit is re-released with better details! a model railroad is never done and i'll always look skeptically at the person that says they're done. two seconds after saying i'm done with something, i'm over there tinkering with it.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

@@AlleghenyNorthern heh, you and me both. I was thinking about your layout and lessons learned as I was making this and had reckoned you probably have a really good archaeological dig in terms of skill advancement from beginning to end. Looking forward to seeing how all of that progresses on your channel!

[@ericcoughlan]

You say that you feel like a beginner all the time. I think that I am also a permanent beginner, because I am always trying something new. One of the areas where I am constantly experimenting is making trees. I have done several videos on my tree making, and the more recent tress that I have made are nothing like the ones in the video (they are now a level up) but I still feel that I can improve, so I keep experimenting. However, I have also had some massive failures with my experiments, or, at least, in my eyes they are failures, so this is why I consider myself as a beginner. The trick to levelling up is to learn from those mistakes and move ahead.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Exactly. Curiosity and willingness to experiment and maybe fail are habits of mind common to a lot of people in the model railroading world. Glad you maintain the beginner mindset, it keeps things fun and low-stakes in the hobby while allowing for leveling up.

[@melkitson]

That was very profound.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Glad you enjoyed Mel. I’ve been looking into Arduinos a lot last week and feel ready to be a beginner again 😁

[@melkitson]

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Hi Eric I am glad to hear it. There are some wonderful tutorials here on KZbin. An old friend who you may be aware of is DIY and Digital Railroad. He has a lot of stuff in some of his older videos. He tends to go a long way around things but is sound. Geoff Bunza is also very useful.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

@@melkitson Thanks Mel. I watch Jimmy's channel frequently and was watching a few of his tutorials. Really helpful stuff.

[@melkitson]

​@@ChicagoCrossingRR I have just unsubscribed from Jimmy's channel due to all his advertisers.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

@@melkitson I personally don't fault him for that. It's not my thing but given the amount of work he puts into his channel it can be helpful to make some of it back.

[@xXBloodyxRedxRazorXx]

I LOVE your layout and plan on building one very similar. Would you mind if I do that and credit you? This is the best layout with double main and having many industries to serve. I love it!!!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Go for it! No need to credit CCMR.

[@xXBloodyxRedxRazorXx]

@ChicagoCrossingRR thank you! I love this layout and couldn't imagine making one as good myself!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

@@xXBloodyxRedxRazorXx the track plan itself is something I'd found on the internet years back (can't find it now), and I modified it to fit a few ideas I had. StevesTrains has a Kato Unitrak plan of CCMR in case you're using sectional track for your layout. If using flex, go for #6 turnouts.

[@petermenningen338]

Looks like if your really ruined the brick it needs to be converted to a painted brick or a stucco building both being common in Chicago.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hi Peter, I’ll probably just use this as a template for a scratch build.

[@jimmccorison]

Not all of our endeavors will be successful. But if we learn something from the ones that weren't, then the effort wasn't a failure either.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Well said Jim!

[@larrybaughman618]

🤠👋🚂🗯

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Larry!

[@larrybaughman618]

@ChicagoCrossingRR You have helped me so much