Rivet counting.

Started by Marcus Amison, July 27, 2015, 12:57:11 PM

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Marcus Amison

   :hellosign:. I thought I would put up this post to see what people think.
Whilst looking on eBay, I came across a lovely loco of the flying Scotsman, it was a late Farish model so an absolute beauty. Whilst reading the sellers details he stated that the reason for sale was " purchased as a gift but 5 years wrong era and not suitable for layout" now I realise that you will get absolute. perfectionists out there but 5 years?
I am not building my layout to any particular era as I don't wish to deny myself the pleasure of operating any particular loco that I want to grace my collection with.
I'm not saying that to be a perfectionist to that degree is wrong, but for me, it would spoil the hobby some what.  To find something you like but are unable to purchase because it's a few years out of era. That's just not me. :hmmm:

Claude Dreyfus

#1
I'm sorry you see it as 'rivet counting' (a term I have grown to hate as much as 'rule one' over the years), but in some ways trying to keep to a region/era/country is a good way to prevent spending too much money and running out of space to store it (there's a lot of good stuff out there!).

If you do have too much stuff and need to thin out, how do you choose?

Describing something as being out of region/era also helps to convey the impression that there is nothing else wrong...i.e. you are not buying someone else's trouble.

Kris

To some people however it's being that focused that gives the enjoyment.
Previously I have purchased a lot of locos and stock in a magpie like fashion, however a few years back I realised that this approach was not giving me any pleasure, so I sold the stock that was out of period and location.
I would not now buy a loco that did not run on the line that I model, nor would I buy a loco or stock from outside the period that I model. For me doing so destroys the illusion that I am trying to create.

p.s. It's not my loco on ebay.

Papyrus

Quite a bit of my stock comes from different eras. I've decided to get around that by having a 2-era railway, one set in the early 50s, the other about 1962. The scenery will be timeless, and I can adjust the cars etc to suit, and I will be able to run whichever takes my fancy at the time. You could do the same without much difficulty even if the eras were as far apart as, say, pre-nationalisation and green diesels.

Mind you, I don't think restricting yourself to one era is necessarily a recipe for cutting down on loco purchases. I'm very fond of the BR Britannias, and there were 55 of those built...  :worried:

Chris

MalcolmInN

All down to what gives you pleasure !

In my youth I saw lots of locos of ex-LNER tradition and also lots of LMS. When I came to deciding on a model aproximating a location I thought I would have to choose between them or else think of some good Rule 1 excuses :)
Then to my delight I discovered (especially in the late BR steam era ) that BR applied Rule 1 and both traditions got jumbled up at my chosen location :) yea !

My wife is not so happy though, we have not yet thought of a good excuse for GWR stuff being seen at Silloth ;)
(but shhh :) )


Dr Al

I would concur with the sentiment of choosing what you like and what appeals to you, not anyone else.

From the other side, I can convey that I have got rid of a lot of the older style models now - it's purely personal preference that the new tool replacements to my eye are much superior. Poole style Farish held out for a long time in my fleet, but it reached critical mass after a while where the older models were outnumbered and starting to show their age (to my eyes) and hence they were sold. Nothing physically or mechanically wrong with them, and you're sure to find others doing the same.

Does that make me a rivet counter? maybe? Do I care? No!

Do what makes you happy - that's the point of the hobby!

Cheers,
Alan

:NGaugersRule:
Quote from: Roy L S
If Dr Al is online he may be able to provide a more comprehensive answer.

"We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."Dr. Carl Sagan

belstone

I have to admit I am a bit obsessive about having the right stock for the period and location (North Northumberland, July 1962).  Even though the location is imaginary I still only run locos and stock that would have been seen there if the place had existed, and that includes renumbering locos so that they are from the "correct" shed (Tweedmouth, mainly).  Having a Heaton-based K1 on my branch line is about as far as I am happy to stretch Rule One, but that's just me. I'm no rivet counter by any means (see photos of my K1 on another thread) but I'm trying to capture the atmosphere of a particular place and time.

railsquid

I am the stuff of nightmares for rivet counters. I have changed my middle name by deed poll to "Ruleone". I likes it, I runs it. Having said that, I can narrow down my interests to "post-war, pre-privatisation, non-kettle British, German and Japanese stuff, and particularly iconic trains as per various random personal criteria, and also anything on sale cheap that I like". All good healthy fun which keeps me off the streets at night.

Pengi

IMHO, anyone who models in 1:148 cannot be a rivet counter as the rolling stock is not prototypical  ;)  :laugh:
Just one Pendolino, give it to me, a beautiful train, from Italy

Newportnobby

Quote from: railsquid on July 27, 2015, 03:28:24 PM
All good healthy fun which keeps me off the streets at night.

I have to fund my N gauge obsession which I find keeps me on the streets at night :-[ ;)

mr bachmann

I stopped rivet counting some time ago , now I check for slag on bad welding  :D

MalcolmInN

Quote from: newportnobby on July 27, 2015, 03:37:45 PM
Quote from: railsquid on July 27, 2015, 03:28:24 PM
All good healthy fun which keeps me off the streets at night.
on the streets at night :-[ ;)
Scary !

When yer eyes get to my age a scanning electron microscope is needed to see 'em and I cant afford one of them  (and I'm not just talkng about the rivets ;) ! )


Adrian

Go on then, Pengi, I'll ask .....................

What does your comment mean?

Adrian

Ditape

Quote from: railsquid on July 27, 2015, 03:28:24 PM
I am the stuff of nightmares for rivet counters. I have changed my middle name by deed poll to "Ruleone". I likes it, I runs it. Having said that, I can narrow down my interests to "post-war, pre-privatisation, non-kettle British, German and Japanese stuff, and particularly iconic trains as per various random personal criteria, and also anything on sale cheap that I like". All good healthy fun which keeps me off the streets at night.
The above statement more or less covers my attitude to railway modelling but I tend to go for anything british that takes my fancy and is of course a bargain ;)
Diane Tape



Pengi

Quote from: Adrian on July 27, 2015, 04:06:05 PM
Go on then, Pengi, I'll ask .....................

What does your comment mean?

Adrian

Here is Wikipedia's explanation  ;)
Just one Pendolino, give it to me, a beautiful train, from Italy

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