Over the coming weeks and months, there will be a slow drip feed of new blogs and accounts of our own projects. The contributors of Leccy Steam have a strong backlog of experiences and projects spanning a few years of getting involved as absolute beginners. As mentioned in some of the preamble on the site, if there is any mission statement of Leccy Steam, it's to plug the gaps in what information is available to new starters. It's not supposed to be a step-by-step guide into the right and wrong ways of doing things (there will be no shortage of stalwarts or keyboard warriors out there that think they can do just that), but simply to provide some insight and give a window into the world of modelling and railway preservation from those also used to being on the cold side of the glass. This is a website probably best titled 'What we wish we had known'...
Like many and in common with other contributors to Leccy Steam, I enjoyed heritage railways growing up; I am too young to have ever seen real steam on the mainline by almost two decades, and I spent hours, days and weeks watching Margate-made Hornby locos endlessly circle a bedroom layout as a child. Then I grew up. Whilst never really losing the love for railways and modelling, I moved on to more typical things, and never really being an expert in the former. This all changed when my children arrived. I wanted them to have the chance to enjoy the same things I did, and being honest, do some of the things I wish I had. The bug bit hard. Although as we grow older and accrue ever-more responsibilities, and time and money become increasingly scarce, our own development and advancement can seem to tail off somewhat.
Despite everything good that happens to us, every blessing and miracle, and all that we continue to achieve, it's easy to get stuck in the same rut of work, commute, childcare, chores, eat, sleep, repeat, and lose the constant stimulation from education (as much as we hated it at the time) and training, learning and developing, and passion for what we do on a daily basis. I, at least, felt the need for something more, and that's where these hobbies have come back into my life and given me an extra sense of fulfillment and something to work towards, something of an escape from daily life.
What I found however wasn't an obviously accessible pair of hobbies in modelling and preservation. My interests were not new to me, either, and without a childhood link, it's doubtful I'd ever have swayed away from cars or football or anything else. Despite the apparent obstacles that we come to discuss, they are in fact pretty accessible, but everyone comes from different backgrounds and there are still some pretty significant gaps and opportunities in both fields which would leave many believing 'the way is shut'.
Modelling in 2019...
Addressing modelling first; you can do anything you want with enough time and money. Oh, and space. This will be a recurring theme throughout this experiment. It is a field fairly dominated by elitists, too. No beginners are going to understand how to model the signalling correctly, nor would they (or should they) be willing to invest weeks of earnings into a few locos and carriages, nor should they care if their spear fencing isn't quite right for the M&SWJR in 1922. Not to behind with. The industry, on the face it, is relentlessly chasing after ever-increasingly detailed and accurate models with prices to match, for clients with advancing ages to match. With enough money, you can buy anything, and pay someone to do what you cannot. But, the joy of modelling for many (of course not all; we recognise as much as any the 'play' value in these layouts which is perfectly valid in its own right), however, is as much in the designing and making, as it is in the playing, but again, from an outsider, it's as similarly elitist. Considering locos, you are broadly restricted to etched brass and a few white metal kits, needing expensive wheels and mechanisms, and relying on you to have a workshop to make a watchmaker envious. The skills and patience involved are astronomical, and sadly so are the costs.
Many will point out, however (a quick scan of the readers letters in most magazines, certainly), that the costs aren't that bad, and although we can all look back on times when models started at under £20 (depending in your era), the reality is a Dairy Milk was still under 30p, too, and a family 3-bed semi in the suburbs was £60k (again, era dependent, some will be able to knock the '0' off the end of that). Many have argued successfully that proportionally prices have actually dropped yet the quality has sky-rocketed, see the latest Hornby Stanier Princess Coronation class and compare that to predecessor Rovex / Triang's Princess Royal for a case study.
Nevertheless, we must respect that £200 is a lot to spend on a model that exists for entertainment-only (whether you see these as miniatures, collectables or toys), and even more on a brass kit that may very well end up thrown at the wall when your first attempt goes badly south. It's not all doom and gloom though. Although there are significant holes in the industry, a healthy source of second hand options are available, and there are a whole host of customisation, conversion, motorising of Kitmaster / Airfix / Dapol and 3D printed projects available to help get beginners into the creation of their own unique models with lower risk, lower costs and developing skills, some are as old as the hobby itself and other areas like 3D printing are bang-up-to-date, even giving modellers skills they may come to rely on in their own careers. Personally, what I have found here was a lack of any guidance on doing these, often (but by no means always) met with disinterest from the sellers themselves.
...and Preservation Today
In preservation, one of the hardest things for a new starter is the contrast between the modern world and the more Victorian ethos of a railway, aiming to emulate the past, but without all of the controls or regularity of operation that the real railways would have had, making it easy to feel lost and undervalued when attending once or twice a month. There is a large pool of existing members of these organisations who have often being part of the founding of such institutions, with vast experience, not all from within the rail industry though many are, and there is often a good supply of youngsters, quite often who have been involved since childhood and are progressing whilst still having masses of free time before houses, families and the pressures of work and paying the bills dominate who leap up the ladder. For those that do have all of the latter consideration, it's a very difficult thing to justify getting into and comes with a fair dose of guilt that you may be passing up time at home with your family, or maybe not working the extra hours at work or pulling your weight at home. How you deal with that personally is best left up to you, and relies on the support of your family and friends if you are to proceed. However much you love railways, though, family has to come first; the railway is going nowhere fast and will still be there when you get home, but your family on the other hand is another matter. It's not something I can hope to resolve, and I have the same doubts myself, still, but at least through Leccy Steam, we can discuss some of these themes and provide something for others to relate to, or perhaps provide some balanced or alternate reviews to help people decide whether or not the scene is right for them. Who knows, we might raise some awareness and someone may take it aboard.
One of the other difficulties with preservation and volunteering is the counterpart of it's main attraction; passionate people. A phenomenon that will be all-too familiar to those that volunteer in motorsport, or have an interest in classic cars or just about anything you care to think about, it's the self-important (sometimes 'high-vis') mentalities where individuals, often unsatisfied with their own achievements in the 'real world', feel the need to dominate, and enjoy too readily ordering others about in their spare time. It's also something I can't yet provide a resolution to, but it's probably the biggest cause of people walking away from groups. Confronted by such personalities, difficult to follow rules that aren't shared before you first put on the overalls, antiquated progressions and attitudes, deep-rooted colleagues who are far more established, and the difficult in giving away what time and energy you do have, nobody should have to apologise for deciding that volunteering isn't right for them and feeling frankly terrified and intimidated by these organisations. Leccy Steam would like to see this broken down and help promote an environment that will have to bend a little to the modern era, and reward those for doing what they can to make a difference, and inspiring the next generation to get involved or to pursue careers in the manufacturing, science, technology and engineering fields. It's easier to find institutions than you may think, it seems as an outsider unfathomable that somebody from an industry such as retail could then be a steam driver at the weekend, and you don't need to limit yourselves to the headline standard gauge railways either, with narrow and miniature-gauge railways across the country (and world) needing new volunteers to take up their parts in keeping history and these special skills alive. And, returning full circle on this paragraph, there are some amazing people with incredible stories, unbelievable skills and infectious passion for what they do and even for life in general which can leave you feeling refreshed and positive in your outlook before returning to the real world to face the music. In short, whilst you may have to deal with some difficult souls, equally you may find the best friends you could hope for, or maybe take your existing ones, perhaps even family, with you for the experience.
Anonymity
Although nobody should have to hide, in the day and age of personal theft and personal attacks, and endless social media, the right to having an outlet to share opinions and have adult discussions that remain private seems to be more important than ever. I thought long and hard about whether or not to use my real name but felt I wanted a clear separation between online presence and my family life, my work life (where the details of what I do daily cannot be discussed but are inextricably linked to many of my existing skills), nor would I some of my colleagues, individuals I manage or managers prying into my private life and interests. Nor do I want any contributors or myself to be seen as being swayed by suppliers, we are fiercely independent and make no money from doing this, and equally we want to be honest and maintain integrity without fear of recourse about what we find, which may well upset some suppliers whose livelihood depends on their products but are unable to accept constructive or justified criticism. And, probably most importantly, I wouldn't want any of my, or those of the contributors, opinions to be used as endorsement for or criticism against the activities I (or they) undertake in railway preservation and the railway itself. The systems we have in place, their benefits and faults, remain the property of those railways, and despite the concerns and issues I and other volunteers face, we would never actively seek to harm the railways themselves. Leccy Steam also gives others the same anonymous outlet to share experiences or reach out to the modelling and preservation field.
Welcome aboard, we hope you enjoy the ride.