Frugal fru·gal (ˈfrü-gəl) – Characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources.
The Frugal Model Railroader is a site dedicated to helping folks afford the wonderful hobby of Model Railroading. Things can get expensive, very quickly, especially with a majority of the manufacturers of the hobby pivoting to “collector level models”. When you realize a string of 20 ready-to-run boxcars can easily set you back $1000 USD, your wallet might just run screaming from your hands!
We want to introduce (and sometimes re-introduce) model railroaders to the 20th century ideas that really impact the budget, as well as the new 21st century ideas (such as 3D printing) which can really knock the costs down.
We’re also here to be positive about the hobby. Yes, we might gripe a little bit about things, but our goal is to show we can afford the hobby and it is not as difficult as it might seem!
Through interviews, our podcast, articles on tips and tricks, as well as listener and reader feedback, we’ll do our best to show off the best the hobby has to offer when it comes to being frugal. And a little silly.
Handwavium – What an individual views as acceptable in their approach to the hobby. Highly subjective!
Handwavium originated in sci-fi to “handwave” certain concepts which were not real, but part of the worldbuilding. An example might be the transporters of Star Trek.
For us, Handwavium is about what you deem acceptable. For some hobbyists, this might mean they only want the highest levels of prototypical accuracy. For others, it means just running trains around a layout and they care much less about details.
The important part is respect.
We all enjoy this hobby in different ways. The important part is to not talk down to someone who has a different level of Handwavium than you do. We all are here because we love trains!
Don’t be a gatekeeper. That just makes people leave the hobby. Be supportive, be encouraging, and bring your best face!
As an example, this NYC passenger consist is, from a prototypical standpoint, very very wrong. But for me (Brian) it is fun to run it behind my Broadway Limited streamlined Hudson. Enjoy!