I get asked periodically why I do what I do–why I do YouTube, the Facebook community, this blog, etc. Well, there are a few ways I could answer that question, but I think the best answer I can give connects to a quote that I keep at my desk at all times. The quote by former NBA coach Pat Riley goes, “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.”
That quote is a good summary of how I have tried to live my life. I never wanted to remain mediocre at anything. Whatever I do, I want to do to the best of my ability. Now, I know I am not going to be the BEST at everything, but I always want to be better than I am. That has been true of my model railroading efforts as well. When I started this hobby in my 20s I had no knowledge and no experience in any aspect of the hobby. I started with only what I could gain from magazine articles and books. This was in the late 1900s mind you (mid 1990s, LOL). The internet was in its infancy and video resources were only available on VHS or DVD for pay. Now, I am the type to dig in a read on a topic of interest to learn what I can, but I am really more of a visual learner. Oh what I would have given to have YouTube available to me at that time. What I did have, however, was a passion to learn the hobby and to always strive to do better.
Another fact that was true of me in those days, and much of my model railroading experience, was that I lived in small towns and knew no other model railroaders–I was a lone wolf by default. There were brief periods when that wasn’t so much true, but mostly I was on my own. Again, what I would have given to have a community of model railroad friends to talk with, learn from, and share the hobby with.
Well, that brings me back to that question, why do I do what I do? The answer is two-fold and stems from my own experience. First, I do what I do because I want the inspire other model railroader to always strive to do better. If model railroading is one’s hobby, and one intends to participate in that hobby for a long time, stagnation in ability will cause one to burn out and lose interest. It is as we grow, improve, build better models, better scenery, conduct better operations, etc. that we continue to be inspired by the hobby. I not only want that for myself, I want to inspire others to always strive to do better. If I can show others–visual learners like myself–how to do one thing they did not know how to do or to try one skill that they have never tried, then it is worth it. I do this because I want you to strive toward better.
Second, I do what I do because being a lone wolf is…well…lonely. There is no reason sit in your basement or workshop alone when there is a world of other model railroaders out there and, in this day of social media, they are only a click away. This reason is partly self serving as I want to build a great model railroad community where I can interact with other model railroaders like myself, and I want that for you as well. To that end I invite you to join the RTNT community at the Crew Lounge on Facebook and be part of that community. Find us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/rtntcrewlounge and I will see you there.
