Up here in the Chicago area, golf season ends around the beginning of the second week in November. With the end of golf season, it is the start of model railroading season (November thru March).
This year, with no projects remaining on my 10-year old layout, I am going to run trains as never before until New Year’s Eve, then seriously consider demolishing my current layout and building my Dream Layout after the first of the year.
When does model railroading season begin for you, and what plans do you have for this year?
Down here, even in the dead of winter days in the mid 60s are not uncommon, we even get the odd day in the 70s. with that in mind, there really isn’t a model railroading season. How about for other who live in warm climates?
Most of my modeling season happens in the summer, yes in the Northern Hemisphere!
I’m a skiing & snowboard instructor for adaptive, special needs and wounded warriors at the Breckenridge ski resort. When the snow begins to fall in early to mid October until mid April I’m pretty busy with work. My longest stretch without a day off was 23-days in a row!!!
From April until October is my modeling season. During those months I work with the bicycling program for the same folks but it’s three days a week every other week, which allows me to get in some much needed pike time and enjoy other summer activities; mountain biking, hiking and camping.
If I were to have golf as a hobby, I certainly wouldn’t let a Canadian winter make me suspend it - that’s why I’m a model railroader, and I don’t let summer interrupt it. [:P][swg]
I think of model railroad season beginning again in September, when our local NMRA Division starts having monthly meets again, and when the local swap meet season kicks in. But I try to do a little something every month, even if it is only to fall asleep reading the latest MR or NMRA magazine outside on a hot afternoon. The only actual modeling accomplishment this summer was a weathering project that turned out rather well.
I retired in 1999 after working 31 years on 1:1 trains and began building my present layout. Worked on it all around the year. Three years later I joined a club and model there all around the year too. So for me there is no season of Mrring. It goes on and on.
My railroad season opens January 1st, and closes December,31st and reopens January 1st…
I will finish building my 14’ x2’ ISL. The new bench work is up but,work as grind to a halt due to railfan season. I have several load projects on tap as well…
Living in a cool climate (Minnesnowta) I tend to do as much model work as possible in the summer, when I can paint and glue things without getting knocked out by the fumes. Plus, my work tends to be busiest from January to April…so for me, I’m just starting my end-of-season ‘push’ to get my major projects wrapped up before snowtime.
I am not a golfer. Physical coordination has never been my forte. However, I like to catch the avid golfers off guard by claiming that I have 12 handicap. That is, after I lose 12 balls I quit![swg][(-D][(-D][(-D][(-D][:o)]
To answer the OP’s question, I model all year round.
Living in a temperate maritime climate, golf can be played almost all year round. However as I agree with the sentiments in the quote, “Golf is a good walk spoiled” attributed to Mark Twain, I model whenever w**k and her-in-doors allow me.
Plans??? Finish the ferry and build a switching module or two for it to go on.[%-)]
Can I suggest that you take a good photographic record of your layout before you dismantle it Rich.
Cheers, the Bear.
The golfers in my family play as long as they can find the holes, which, in Sin City, is about 363 days a year. However, I have never been tempted to, “Try to put little balls in little holes with equipment ill suited to the purpose,” even before health problems made that the impossible dream.
My model railroading season begins at 00:01 hours on 1 September, and runs until 24:00 hours on 30 September. Then it resets and repeats. Of course, the year is 1964.
In fact, my model railroading season started on 25 December, 1937 - and hasn’t ended yet. I expect it to end when I do.
Ah… England, wonderful UK where the weather changes on a daily basis! No, there’s not really a season for Model Railroading here. We just pretend it’s winter and pretend it’s summer. In the summer we put on thin clothes and moan about how cold and rainy it is. In the winter we put on weatherproof and thick clothes and moan about how cold and rainy it is.
No, I don’t work on my model railroad from May until September. Mainly in the hope that we will have a gloriously hot summer. But we don’t. We have one day in the 90’s then the next day it’s freezing. But I have noticed that when all the kids go back to school after the summer break, the weather dramatically improves and we invariably have an indian summer with blue skies and warm sun. I believe it’s something to do with new legislation for retired people. Having lived and worked this long, retirees are entitled by law to a two weeks of nice weather child free. However, this may be rescinded if the UK leaves the EU.
Anyway, yes I do have a break from model railroading, but it’s only so I know if each day is a wet cold day in summer or a wet cold day in winter.
Seriously, the UK is a beautiful place and it doesn’t rain all the time! (It just seems like it!)