I'm in my 70s raising young kids so I'm not a total fuddy-duddy. Let's get that out of the way, lol. I'm an 0 gauge addict and never want the cure. I run my trains traditionally from ZW's and KW's w/1033s, etc., for lights or operating features for different voltages.
It's lost on me that so many railroaders prefer running their trains from distances using remotes, iPhones, etc. I certainly get that train speeds, including crawls, are easier and more definite. I can just walk away from my transformers and follow on my 25x5' layout. I do that consistently, and because my trackwork by now is so well-known and trouble-free I don't sweat it - never more than a second, two, or three away from a derailment, which is something you don't want to be that far away from with some of the newer tech.
So, really I'm just making an observation here, that having things in one place so that I must interact and push buttons, raise or lower engine speeds, operate turnouts, pick up or place rolling stock here or there is very enjoyable to me. I know that new tech brings more realistic speeds; ie- making locos crawl, and that doesn't happen on my layout, but once the rude startup is over, I can cut speed to make a fairly realistic motion, so to me, not such a big deal. I think what I'm really observing is moves away from hands-on to remote viewing and control that to me takes away some fun of operation from different controls, push buttons, uncouple/unloads, switch-flipping, etc. that I get from trad control. Just a thought - what's your opinion?
