Demographics Poll

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

It has been a while since we had a poll as Kevin stated on the “Expense of hobby thread”. This isn’t really a poll, but you can tell us about yourself, though it would be interesting to find out how old we are and compare it to other grumpy old man statistics.[(-D]

Partake if you wish.

Joined forum July 2006, 6745 posts. When I joined I could not see myself even hitting a 100 posts. Guess I needed more help than I thought from these fine people.[(-D]

Age 63

Retired at 52

Blue-collar/high school education.

Lives, West Coast of Canada an hour SE of Vancouver.

Scale HO

Modelled Treble O scale as a kid.

Current layout fills a 15’ x 24’ room

Likes steam best but can’t resist things from all eras.

Other current and past interests are guitar, skiing down a hill as fast as I can possibly go, golf, mountain biking, flying and travelling.

So tell us about yourself…Or not.[(-D]

1 Like
2

Hi Brent!

Here is my story:

  • I joined the forums in 2006.

  • I have posted 11,597 times.

  • I have a couple of threads that have had significant numbers of viewers. My thread on my old club’s layout construction had almost 70,000 views, and my current thread on building my layout on a rotisserie is at about 16,000 views.

  • I am 66 years old.

  • I have been with my wife Dianne for 44 years. She fully supports my involvement in the hobby.

  • I retired in 2012 at age 58, although I did do a short stint with Home Depot after that.

  • I live in Bradford, Ontario, which is about 30 miles north of Toronto.

  • After years of telling myself that my bad back wouldn’t allow me to build a layout, I am finally building a 5’4" x 12’ layout. The benchwork will be able to be rotated so I can do the wiring etc. without having to crawl under the layout. It will be 36" above the floor so I can work on it and operate it from a seated position.

  • My main interest is in Canadian Pacific during the 50s and 60s, with emphasis on the F series locomotives.

Cheers!!

Dave

3

Started reading the Forum when I retired in 2007, joined in 2009.

EE degree from Texas Western College 1960 (now UTEP).

Age 83, next week.

Married to my wonderful wife Andra for 53 years. She participates in my hobby bulding scenery.

Raised 7 of our own and 1 grandson, 23 grand and great grand kids, three more in the hanger.

Retired at 70, 49 years and 10 months in Public Saftey two-way radio communications.

Stuck living in miserably hot Bakersfield CA.

Started model railroading at 8, Lionel 027. Got into HO scale in 1951.

First HO locomotive MDC/Roundhouse 0-6-0 kit purchased with paper route money in 1951. ($6.85)

Started my fourth and final layout in 1989, 10’ x 14’.

I model the early to mid 1950s. Favorite locomotive Southern Pacific Cab Forward followed closely by the Southern Pacific AC-9.

Favorite portion of model railroading, reviving old clunker locomotives to look and run better than new.

Like all kinds of electronic goodies related to model railroading. Got into CAD drawing in 1984 with Pro Design I, now using DesignCAD 20.

When I need a break from the workbench/layout I draw on my computer, pictures and schematics.

I am one of the grumpy old (older than dirt) men on the Forum.

Mel

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A slightly premature “Happy Birthday Mel!!!”[bday][^][Y][B][D][pi][<:o)]

May you have many, many more!

Dave

5

Lurked for a couple of years before joining the Forum, August 2011.
Age: at last count, 62.
Retire: Yeah right, I should be so lucky!!
Education: Dirty blue collar/ high school.
Jack of all trades, Master of None. Aircraft maintenance engineer for past 33 years.
Lives: A comfy cave near geothermal activity, North Island, New Zealand.
~~Scale 1:~~1. Modelled scale: HO (North American).
Layout: one day!!
Found out, surprisingly that I like the scratch building aspect of the hobby.
Other interests are reading and listening to mainstream and alternative rock.

6

Hmm, don’t remember when I joined, but I have 28305 posts (28306 now [:D] )

Turning 54 in a couple of months

EE degree from Lehigh University, 1988, but I’ve pretty much been an IT geek apart from some of the time at my first job. Been witht he same company now for over 20 years (name printed on my paycheck has changed a few times though - at least they still pay me)

I live outside of Reading - so modeling the hometown road, though I’ve lived all over southeast PA over the years. A friend posed the question on Facebook the other day so I counted, I moved 16 times (not counting living on campus at college) to 14 different places (had to move back home twice to get regrouped).

Pretty much always been in HO, from age 2 on up (a working 8mm projector and I can prove it). Did have a few N scale layouts for a time, as it was the only thing I had room to leave up all the time - the HO except for one layout at home was seasonal only.

Not sure how I ended up modeling the Reading, actually - possibly memories from the Summer before I turned 5, so this would have been 1971. We went on a camping trip to Hersheypark, and the Reading tracks went by just down the end of the row where out campsite was, and every time I heard the train, I ran down to watch - but I don’t recall what it was I saw exactly. But, it all works out, I’m close to the source, and my favorite loco is the Alco RS3, of which the Reading had an abundance.

AFter 6 years in this house, I finally had the basement redone to make a nice train room and I finally started a serious layout. Work progresses slowly. But it’ll get there.

Other interests: reading (sf, mostly. my Kindle Unlimited is almost always maxxed out, I read a LOT), electronics, computers, listening to music and going to concerts (classic rock, prog rock, and blues).

7

I live on the Gulf Coast in South Florida.

I am 52, retired earlier this year at age 52.

I have been married 32 years, have three adult daughters, but no grandchildren.

Grew up in Gainesville, Florida on the Campus of the University of Florida.

Except for a year in Slaughter. Louisiana, and a year in Nashville, Tennessee, I have lived in Florida my entire life.

Dropped out of college at 18, later went on to earn degrees in Diesel Engine Technology, Mechanical Engineering and Adult Education.

Worked for the same employer from 1990 to 2020. Went from “Apprentice Novice” to “South Region Manager of Technician Certification and Dealer Development.”

I have built five layouts of my own, two for others, and been majorly involved in three more.

I joined this forum in 2017 right after I tore down my layout in the spare bedroom. I have been without a layout for 3 years. I have never been without a layout before.

Modeled in N scale from 1981 through the mid 1990s then switched to HO scale. I have always modeled my private roadname STRATTON AND GILLETTE railroad, although it has changed location, era, and scale several times.

Was a founding charter member of Scale Rails of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers, Florida in 1982. Left the club in the mid 1990s.

I was a member of the Florida Live Steamers from 1984 through the mid 1990s.

Other hobbies are Board Gaming, Wargaming, Cosplay, and Photography.

I am a classically trained pianist, but a severe injury to my right hand & arm in 1982 put an end to that. I have played the guitar for 30 years, but still play like a novice because of my hand injury.

I am a master miniature figure painter, but have yet to win a Golden Daemon, Golden Sophie, or a Golden Paintbrush… that is a personal goal for someday.

-Kevin

8

I joined this forum in 2014 when I got back into the hobby-- this is my 175th post. I don’t post a ton, obviously, but I read what’s posted here daily and take in a lot.

Might be on the younger side here-- turning 31 next month.

I’ve always been in HO scale-- started with a 4x8 my mom built for me, then built my own 4x8 at age 12 and got rid of it at 18 when I went off to college. Returned to the hobby at 25 and started concentrating my interests (and layout space) down to what it is now-- I model a Colorado short line on an eight-square-foot shelf layout, with one locomotive.

My model work, layout included, is all designed to be portable because, since jumping back in, I’ve lived in five states: IL, PA, CO, CA and now NC. (Insert millennial jokes here.) And it looks like in another year I’ll be moving states again, so right now I’m all about having my fun in small spaces that can be adapted to new living situations.

Phil

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I’m 73 and have been in model railroading since I was a kid.

Been on the Forum off and on for many years

Started out in 3 rail O gauge, went ho, then to N scale and now back to ho to stay. .

I model today’s railroads, love big modern diesels with sound and dcc.

worked for 54 years in the grocery industry in various positions.

have lived in NE Pennsylvania my entire life

high school and some college education

have built many layouts in many scales, now building a ho layout. No theme just nice scenery to run my trains.

Dave

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  1. Litigation lawyer for over 40 years. Not retiring, in any sense of the word. As they say, old lawyers never die, they just lose their appeal…

First “model train” was a Hornby clockwork freight, small radius in O (sort of). That would be a “valuable” tinplate collector set today. Best early hobby memory was taking that set to my long time friend’s house on an overnight visit. He had a used large radius set with TWO locomotives. We built an enormous layout combining the two sets (British houses were very small so bear that in mind when assessing “enormous” and we were six). I recall my small radius loco would take all the curves at top speed whereas his gigantic large radius locos derailed dramatically on the small radius curves until they wound down from top soeed. His track was three rail ( for clockwork?..) so “real” toy train stuff. Mine was two rail and all pressed steel, including the sleepers. I imagine his track came with isolators beteeen the outer rails and the steel sleepers for electric trains.

Next was a brand new electric Hornby OO tank freight which came with a 12 V battery connector. My Dad was an amateur everything so actually built me a transformer. I suspect he did so to save money given how much I ran that thing. Saved my pocket money to buy a set of points and a siding track as well as my pride and joy: a Saxo salt wagon.

Came to Canada in the winter of 1965 with cash from the sale of my HO scale slot car set and my OO trainset. Splurged on a Scalextric slot car set first, disappointed they only had Indy car model sets, evil handling ugly brutes that they were. Prototypically awful handling but great speed and very powerful.

Later used my paper route earnings and bought a Triang CN freight set, F7 motive power (probably), with those goofy hook and loop couplers that didn’t couple with anything North American. Built an adapter car from the boxcar that came in the set cutting off the stock couple

11

I’m 72 and aging fast…

Grew up in NY / NJ and graduated as chem engineer from Penn State.

Got to fly F100s in the Air National Guard for 7 years.

I worked for an oil company (in LA & TX), retired at 58 and we moved from Houston area to central TX.

I think I’ve been on the forum since 2010.

I built a snap-track 4x6 HO layout in Jr High (in an apartment), a flex track layout (poorly done, many derailments) in 1980. Did not get much past rioadbed & track stage and gave it up after a few years.

I got interested again in retirement and around 2008 I planned some modest layouts with XTrackCAD. Started the current 5 x 9 or so layout in 2012, completing ballast & scenery this year.

20200424_090128 by Paul Ahrens, on Flickr

I enjoy building structures, converting locos to DCC with custom speaker arrangements, and building car kits.

I have a very strict UP period modelled, from a camelback & 2-6-2 to C44-9W & SD70M. (I say I have a UP museum, and buy any loco I like.)

A favorite activity is running trains for the 7 grandkids and friend’s young ones. Thus I like the folded loop layout, which can run two trains handily.

My other key activities are family visits, golf, occasional vacations, and volunteer income tax prep for the AARP TaxAide program. A prior hobby was restoring, starting 1991, a '66 GTO, which I sold 2 years ago.

Though I never knew my grandads, one was a switcher engineer in Sidney, NB, and the other worked at the Baldwin Loco works in Philly. A great-granddad was a construction supervisor on the parallel UP mainline additions in the late 1800s.

I got to chase UP #844 two times with my grandson in TX a numb

12

This is an excellent thread for so many reasons.

I’m now 82,

Played with trains since 1941

Influenced by my dad, two uncles who ran steam, and John Allen.

Started with pre med in college and after being tossed out after two semesters, then found a job on the Southern Pacific for almost a year.

Went back to college… Parson’s School of Design, NYU, Universities of London and Paris…BFA Industrial Design

US Army throughout the 60’s and became a professional pilot. Quit in 1977 and started an Industrial Design firm…sold it 10 years later and retired into model railroading as the co-promoter of the Great Scale Model Train Show and owner of the Piermont Division/brasstrains.com which was sold to Dan Glasure in 2005.

I built several model railroads…some for others, and my own which I think is well known…HO and O scale. I have added two rather large additions over the years…henceforth the huge space.

I’ve been married to Sandy now for 18 years after two failed marriages. She is wonderful and supportive.

I began [website URL removed] building custom buildings and now rolling stock in any scale.

I also started a hobby shop in 1973 as a part time venture with mostly HO trains. I sold it in 1975 as I had received an incredible opportunity to fly as chief pilot for a major company which required 100% of my work time.

There is really too much other stuff, but my other passion is old timey and folk music. I play clawhammer banjo and guitar for a popular local string band with a bunch of other dinosaurs including my wife Sandy who is the fiddler. Our band slogan is “Live music by folks nearly dead”. I once played fiddle, but Sandy and cats will not allow me to take it from the case.

I grew up in north Jersey (Allendale and Teaneck) and moved completely to Maryland in 1966. Also I have never laid claim to having my groundhog fully baked.

13

I have a feeling that I am going to be the youngest on here!

  • Just turned 21

  • I work in a dodge dealership, actively persuring a job in the rail industry

  • Just moved into an apartment with my amazing girlfriend who let me put up a 8x2 layout in our living room, she loves it!

  • Had a 4x8 when I was 10 and never progressed more than track nailed down to plywood

  • started another 4x8 about a year ago, never finished becasue I was moving out

  • now I am modeling WSOR in southern wi and northern IL, specifcally the fox lake sub with a taste of the CNW lake geneva sub ( now abandoned and a walking trail with some really cool bridges)

  • This forum has been a really nice experiance for me, lots of great guys with great advice

  • love cars and trucks as much as trains, my silverado is my baby. Hoping to buy another one soon and turn it into a drag truck with a big ole supercharger

14

Thanks, Brent, for starting this. It’s interesting to read the background of others who enjoy this site.

Age: 68

Retired: Age 64

Educaton: Master’s Degree from Louisiana State University at New Orleans

Work: Teacher, then school prinicipal for 42 years, much of it in the mid-city section of New Orleans

Now: Middle of the Great Plains in a town of 7,000. The nearest town over 7,000 is 50 miles away, and that town has only 55,000, which is huge to us

Joined Forum: 2018

Railroad experience: Started my first layout in 2017

Model railroad: N Scale, ‘L’ shaped layout 9 ft by 8 ft. Modern locomotives, Union Pacific and BNSF. I also have a Stratton & Gillette boxcar on the layout, thanks to Kevin

Discovery: Like Bear, I was surprised to find that I enjoy scratchbuilding structures more than any other part of the hobby.

Other interests: Not many. I watch a lot of 1930s and 40s Turner Classic Movies on TV, and naturally enjoy time with my daughters and their families, although none of them live close to us

Forum Favorites: Jeffrey’s Trackside Diner and the Weekend Photo Fun!

Happy Birthday, Mel! You, your modeling skill, and your website have been an inspiration to me in this hobby.

15

I’ve been here since December 2004. I’ve got over 19,000 posts.

I’m 73 years old. My health isn’t what it used to be, but until a couple of years ago I still played ice hockey and did downhill skiing. Now I’m happy to just bicycle.

I also play Flight Simulator and I enjoy cooking, although dietary restrictions have taken some of the fun out of that.

After a divorce a couple of years ago, I’m a happier man but my trainroom is smaller. Maybe this winter I will make a serious effort to reconfigure and reassemble the layout.

16

I’m 38 years old, married with no kids. Grew up in Butler, Pennsylvania and am old enough to remember when the big gray building in Lyndora still said PULLMAN STANDARD on it. Been in Northern Virginia and DC for 10 years now.

I’m a Federal contractor, currently working at FAA headquarters supporting a team that manages air traffic control systems. Most of the last 10 years I spent at NASA headquarters in performance management.

Did my B.A. in Political Science/International Relations at Penn State. In less than a month, I’m starting grad school for my Master’s in Transportation Policy, Operations, and Logistics at George Mason.

No layout right now, only three modules for my modular club. We bought a house last summer and the basement renovation has been very delayed from the original plans. When I get the basement refinished, I’ll be building a contemporary Pittsburgh area layout.

I like to watch college football and my Penguins. I enjoy playing board games, but wouldn’t call myself a board game guy because those people are way more serious about games I can’t even wrap my brain around. Like doing projects around the house, even if sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. I also like going antiquing with my wife. I resist a lot of things because I don’t want to become a railroadiana guy, because you want to talk about an expensive hobby? There’s one. I also enjoy American military history and particularly like the Revolution. Found out my house is on land once part of one of George Mason’s plantations, which I thought was neat. Although he had 676 acres here and I have .25 acres of it.

17

First, thanks for starting this.

It’s interesting to read the background of others on this site.

Age: 70

Semi-retired:

Graduated from Portland, Oregon’s Benson Polytechnic High School in 1967.

I have helped manage a small machine shop untill 1976 then started an automotive body shop specializing in the repair and custonmizing of corvettes which opened the door for being a fiberglass component subcontractor to Freightliner, did this for a few years until the economy tanked in the early 80’s.

Worked in the boiler industry from 1985 through 2006 then went to doing Industrial Mechanical Project and Site Managent consulting which I still do.

I left Oregon in 2001 for employment in Wisconson, then to Nebraska and now in Tennessee looking for another opportunity.

I think I joined this forum in 2004

I was given a Lionel train set for christmas in 1952, got interested in HO back in 1957 to 1962.

Left the model train world in 1962 and then started back up in 1974 with N Scale and have been there ever since.

Currently I have my layout in storage while my wife and I find a sutable house for us and my 27 ft, by 24 ft pennsula shaped lay

18

I joined in Dec. of 2014.

Age 29.

Caregiver for my disabled father. (My mother is very petite and can’t do the heavy lifting etc.) I’m attempting to write a graphic novel, but it’s on hold at the moment due to noisy, annoying neighbors.

I live at home, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Scale is HO.

Started out with O and G scale as a kid.

Current layout is a 6’ by 4’ oval with a spurr/team track that’s about 3’.

Like BATMAN, I like steam the best, but can’t resist things from all eras. (And road names).

Other interests include model building, (I’m currently in the finishing stages of building a Nebula class starship from Star Trek. (It’s a kitbash of an AMT/ERTL Galaxy class Enterprise D model). Also drawing and reading. I also enjoy classical music.

P.S. Happy early birthday Mel![bday]

19

I am sorry for this. When my middle daughter was in 11th and 12th grade we had a very noisy and annoying neighbor. She was in AP mathematics classes, and I could not believe how much more difficult this situation made concentrating on her studies.

Right now my neighborhood has the best set of neighbors we have ever had. Noise is minimal and eveyone is getting along. It has not always been this way.

I hope you can continue work on your graphic novel.

-Kevin

20

Thank you, Kevin. I wish my neighborhood was like yours. Something I forgot to mention is that I was born in Gainesville, (small world, isn’t it?) but we lived in Ocala, then Pensacola, back to Ocala, and then here to Colorado Springs when I was 3, and we’ve been here ever since. All of us would love to move to Wyoming though. Just waiting for the door to open.