OScale Trains

No Satisfaction…The lyrics to the Rolling Stone’s famoussong, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”, seem tosum up my current experience as a HiRailerin transition. You see, I can’t get no satisfaction.I tried, I’ve tried and I have tried.Making the transition from being a life-long3-Rail guy over to 2-Rail realism is tough.No one said it was going to be easy, so Ihave no one else to blame but myself.Not content to enjoy a fairly large multitieredlayout that had 72”radius (yes, radius)curves and long straight runs with passingsidings, I became restless. You might call ita middle-age crisis. I deserted the one I had,to go after the one I thought would give methe modeling satisfaction I desired. I madethe choice to chuck it all to experience andsally forth into scale operation. I chasedafter my dreams.It is a serious decision for a life-longmodel railroader. It is a drastic decisionfor someone with a passion for operatingmodel trains. After all, I am a HiRailer whois living with the transition into scale2-Rail and This is My Story.Man, have I tried. I have pulled upover 100’ of 3-Rail flexible track and afair amount of cork roadbed so far, and Ihave a lot more to go. I have disassembledbenchwork, widened radii, and basicallydestroyed the layout I used to enjoy. I can’toperate the trains until I get everything putback together, and that is tough.To make matters worse, the 2-Rail flextrackthat I chose looks great on the workshopcounter. You would think that I wouldknow how to lay track with over 50 yearsof experience. Wrong! This track is tough towork with. It doesn’t have the “helper-stabilizingrail” running down the center thatI have grown used to for all of these years,so it is much more flexible and floppy. It isbasically very unforgiving. I chose to alternatethe track connections for realism. Thatinvolves sliding half the rail out on one sideand shoving it in the next piece of track.Then, try to line everything up (includingthe connectors) so that it transitions smoothlywithout any kinks. “Ya, sure, Shurelock.”This hobby is supposed to be aboutsatisfaction, different strokes for differentfolks, whatever lights your fire. From theloop lovers to the seasoned and establishedprototype modelers, everyone pursues thehobby in their own individual way. But,it is still supposed to be fun and enjoyableregardless of the modeling level youchoose. This Old Hobo still believes that itis supposed to be enjoyable. Changing thistrack out sure isn’t. Don’t even talk to meabout handlaying my own track and turnoutsat this point. I haven’t even masteredthe basics yet. When does it really start tobe fun?You could analyze my situation and saythat I am going through some withdrawal,for I am a train junkie. I miss being able tocome home from working in the office allday long and go down to the railroad andoperate the trains for even a few minutes.After all, all day long I listen to other people’sproblems and offer solutions and suggestionsto get them on the right track. All Iask for myself is some satisfaction of seeingthe trains run.I suggest that most of my 2-Rail friendswere either born into scale modeling ormade the transition years ago. They are notonly ahead of the curve, they are alreadyaround the curve, through the tunnel, andover the bridge! (Note: I did not say theywere over the hill.) But, they are way aheadof me. Too, they have probably all forgottenthe joy and excitement of laying scale trackfor the first time. My HiRail friends have yetto experience this phenomenon. It may justbe one of the excuses they use to continuestaying with that track with the center rail.We will discover an easier way. I am confidentof that.Transitioning into 2-Rail is a commitment.In my pursuit of my own satisfactionI made the decision. I simply had to do it. Iwould not have been content to just sit backand wonder about changing to scale. I hadto experience it for myself in my modelingpursuits. There will always be obstacles andchallenges. Nobody said it was going to beeasy. Such is life. Somebody else has alsosaid, “No pain, no gain.”I have considered that I could makeshelf-queens out of my locos and rollingstock, get display cases and put them onmy mantel, and resign myself to operatingfrom the comfort of my armchair as somehave done…quite successfully, I might add.But I am an operator and driven to pushbeyond the norm. So here we are in Transition,a momentary station stop somewherebetween HiRail and our destination, Scale2-Rail.Mick Jagger used the words “I try” over adozen times in his famous song about satisfaction.I guess I will have to keep on tryingto get this track laid and find ways to makethe process work. Hobo will let you knowhow it all goes in future columns. After all,tomorrow is another day and someday I willget satisfaction.uSilver Plume Houselaser cut wood building kit desinged from theoriginal building in silver Plume Colorado,the kit features laser lattice and picket fenceand reasonalby easy assembly...footprint is 8 1/2” x 9 1/4”#6091 O scale $134.95www.bantamodelworks.com421 Hopkins RoadDummerston, VT05301800-653-8214Sept/Oct ’06 - O Scale Trains • 15