I am disabled with permanent brain damage that is mild enough but still effectous enough to be a pain in my eh. I got this and other physical injuries from a wicked crash (me; pedestrian. Driver; doing 110 km/h) that happened when I was 17 in 2005.
I don’t let that stop me from doing model railroading at all, in fact it gives me all the time during the day that we all wish we had to spend at our layouts. I’m really lucky that way, in fact I need to take breaks from modeling!
I like all the artsy stuff that goes into modeling. Painting is soothing, which is good for brain injury survivors. building plastic kits is really cool. Obviously running the trains is awesome but I like adding and building the most because it’s what I like, beneficial to the fact that it is beneficial to the brain to keep active doing something. Contributing to my own 4x12 layou is a good way of keeping my brain working… My favourite part of building/adding to my layout is wiring/electronics.
I have always been fascinated with electricity. I think that signals and lights and whatnot are really cool, and it’s really cool to see a well illuminated layout at nighttime when it’s nighttime on the layout or in the dark.
I toil for my electrical systems though. Because of my disability it’s really hard for me to focus and I find myself working for about 2 days / 1 night to get something as simple as a couple of LEDs hooked into an SPST, making about 472,000,984.7 mistakes along the way (just a random, fictitious, not too embellished number). Wiring all 9 blocks on my cab eh was turmoil for 6 nights straight, but cab b was just wiring into the feeders and only took 3 or so nights. I find it really difficult, but I dig in. My ABI (acquired brain inbjury) also led to frustration issues, but mring gives me the least amount of frustration PER hour I put into it and Per unit of effort I put into it.
If anybody is reading this I say that it is great for just anybody to have a hobby
Bravo! I agree that regardless of disability, any hobby provides avenues for you to learn new things. Hobbies offer creative ways of broadening how we view a particular subject.
Hobbies offer people a lot of positive gains. Studies have shown that people who do hobbies have healthier outlooks. Viewing thing is a positive way reduces stress and negativity. Both have the ability to make people less willing to trying new challenges. A growth mindset is invaluable for everyone.
So good for you! I don’t have any disability (other than ADD), but sometimes I get down on myself over my work in my professional life. When my mind turns to the trains, that eases me into a world that helps me forget my failures and frustrations.
On the wiring part, (one of my least fovorite things to do in model rialroading), it took me about a month to wire the control panel on my old layout. I figure you don’t necessarily have to have a disability for things that you’re not familiar with to take extra time.
One last thing, you are blessed to find something that makes you want to get out of bed each morning, and that is a very positive thing!
In addition to being a railfan and owner of the freelance Buckskin & Platte HO scale railroad I am also a skiing & snowboarding instructor at The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Every day we assist people with T.B.I.'s to achieve their goals.
Thank you for sharing you story with this community.
Occupational Therapy- -no matter what the form- -is great for folks with T.B.I.'s.
I am glad that your form of O.T. is in the model train world.
Frustration can be a hurdle with T.B.I.'s (and P.T.S.D.).
Don’t worry if it takes you…
We all have made 472,000,984 mistakes, don’t let that 0.7 get to you…welcome to being human.
Find what attracts you to this great hobby and focus on that.
Don’t fret on what can not be achieved, focus on how you succeed!
Take a look at my signature and…
I hope this helps.
Post Script: There are many participants on these forums with alternate abilities. Please feel free to reach out to them, or myself, when things get overwhelming. jjdi
Good to hear from you JJRR. What part of the Great White North are you from? I am about an hour SE of Vancouver.
I returned to MRR when a certain type of Arthritis hit me hard and fast and MRR helped me remain sane for sure.
My son and I worked a lot with disabled sports, mostly Sledge Hockey. It included a lot of wounded warriors with a vast spectrum of injuries including brain injuries. I have seen the frustration caused by brain injuries first hand, however witnessing the tenacity of people that still want to participate to their limits is inspiring to say the least.
Welcome aboard, hope to see a lot more contributions (and pics) from you.
I agree, Steve. Come here if you want supportive and encouraging interactions and good advice on how to achieve your goals.
I’ll also speak up as to the fact that many here have similar, if less severe struggles to overcome. I started building my layout after a shoulder operation in part as a means to rehab the shoulder. There’s also 3 or 4 significant back injuries involved. Staying beneficially active is something a layout helps with, in part because it’s a way to have great fun while building towards your model railroading dreams.
As the OP provided extensive evidence for, you can do just about anything if you apply a little thought to a situation. One thing that’s helped me a lot with shoulder and back issues is to use square drive screws. You just need to keep the bit in the hole, which is much easier than the pressures involved with keeping a Phillips head driver in a Phillips head bit.
Indeed, as Mike said, a lot of us here are getting older and it means changing the way we do things, so we can keep enjoying this hobby we all share a love for. There’s always a way, as the OP has shown. Another good example is the simple control for Lionel trains that Neil Young helped develop so his son (and others) with CP could enjoy running trains too.
There’s a sense of comraderie and helpfulness in this hobby that isn’t always so obvious in other hobbies. Sure, we don’t always agree, but in the end - the a repectfulness for other’s accomplishments, even if what they did is not your favorite thing. That people can carry on in the face of, in some cases quite extreme, adversity only adds to the overall sense fo community.
The way I see it, when life throws you a curve ball, you can go hide in a corner or you can carry on to the best of your ability. It’s not easy, but since when is it ever easy? People like the OP are an inspiration to everyone.
Great to hear from you. I’m glad you found this hobby. As you say it’s a great hobby for anybody. As you noted it can be both soothing and challenging, there are so many parts to it. I have found it to be a great stress reliever - even when I make a mistake and have to redo something.
I hope you visit here and give us updates frequently. Model railroadinhg has been my passion and relief for stress and frustration for over fifty years.
Definitely a worthwhile hobby and hearing of stories such as yours make it even better.
Thanks for posting your story. I agree a hobby is a great escape for many reasons for many people and can really be a Healthy for the mind. Hope to hear more about your Layout.
Well it looks like you are doing ok or at least the best that you can. Walmart will hire you at $12/hr or so to greet people in their store. (If you live close enought to one… after all, I assume that you cannot drive.
Your willingness is what matters.
Do you live with your parents or are you in some sort of an assisted living situation.
As for me… (I am a LION) I love wiring and soldering.
This is the relay room that powers the signals of the LION…
I’m always impressed by the resiliency and determination of those who are dealt a hand that would stop others dead in their tracks. Bravo to those who refuse to roll over, including our OP.
I’m sure I have forgotten others, but Blind Bruce comes to mind as another used-to-be poster here; haven’t seen him post in quite a while…?
I have to agree with kasskaboose. Bravo for not letting your disability prevent you from enjoying your hobby. Because of a spinal cord injury, I had put off modeling for almost a year. Because of my aggressive rehabilitation regimen, I regained my ability to traverse the stairs to my basement, er, train room.
You are a good example of the power of positive thinking![tup][bow][yeah] Keep it up!
I don’t have anything even close to what you are going through, but my back problems put a stop to me building my own layout several years ago. Fortunately, at about the time that I gave up on building my own layout, I joined the Barrie Allandale Railway Modellers. The club was in a rough situation when I joined, but since then we have found a new clubhouse and we are well along with the construction of a new permanent layout. I’m having a ball! The club chose my layout design over several others. What’s not to love?
What’s even better is that my severe depression is being mostly held at bay because of my involvement in the club. In fact, I am now the President. Dealing with all of the myriad of issues that have cropped up has been a challenge, but the depression has only reared its ugly head a couple of times in the past three years. In fact, my involvement in the club forces me to maintain an even keel which is exactly what I need.
I do have one bone to pick with you![;)] You have been a forum member for several years, but you have only posted six times. Unless your post count is wrong, IMHO you have denied us the pleasure of interacting with you for far too long. You are an eloquent writer [bow] and I’m sure you have much more to offer. Please speak up more often.[yeah]
And where the heck did this 1000 word per post rule come from?!? If that were true I would have had half my posts deleted by now!!![(-D][(-D][(-D]
Keep up the great work. Having a disablity can wreak havoc with all facets of one’s life. There are many things I wish I was good at, or better at, but do to my own disablity that I was born with, that will not happen. Having mental/brain disablities is the invisable one to many others in the world. Sometimes not being very obvious unless your around that person constantly. I know your struggles all to well. My brain process slower and differently and yours got changed when the accident happened. I cannot multitask, stuff to complex overwhelms me and I have to walk away from it or I will have a melt down. In my live steam modeling in gauge 1, I love coal firing, but its to complex to deal with constantly as its a balancing act to achieve a good run from a model. My anxiety goes thru the roof, followed by a melt down. I find scenery work and accurate benchwork almost impossible and I lack the patience to build many of the more complex kits, yet I love to fine tune and tinker with brass locomotives and vintage live steam models. I rely on others to help me with what I cannot do myself. For many years I was to proud or ashamed to ask for help, but with help from my therapist to accept that I am autistic and no matter how hard I try, there are some things I will never be able to do or do to my satisfaction. And that asking for help is ok and does not make me less of a person. By accepting my disablity, and getting help thru the state, led me to get my good job with FCA automobiles at a local factory, with support in the factory to help me cope with the working conditions and noise, better understanding from my wife and many other facets of my life. Keep up the great work and dont let what you cannot do or do well get you down. Cheers Mike the Aspie
