Life

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Just some ramblings about personal circumstances.

For many years I was building “The CB&Q in Wyoming” in a basement in Merchantville NJ.

Then, in 2010, I accepted a job transfer to Charleston SC, in what turned out to be the most horrible decision I’ve ever made, for both professional and personal reasons.

The most tragic consequence of moving to SC was that I lost my wife to cancer about a year ago.

But this isn’t about my personal loss - it’s about choices ahead.

Now I’m planning on retiring in about 17 months, and have absolute freedom to go anywhere. I considered many places I’ve lived or visited, and it’s come down to two choices - Wyoming, where I grew up (hence the interest in the CB&Q there), or New Jersey, where I still own the Merchantville house (as we moved to SC during the housing depression, we did not sell the house - only rented it out).

I’m leaning strongly toward the latter at this point, for many reasons. The model railroading reasons: a very active NMRA Division, with multiple meets yearly; and enough model railroaders in the area for me to get involved once again is some operating groups, and from which I will be able to draw operators when my layout is far enough along. In Wyoming that’s not not so likely.

So what to do about The CB&Q in Wyoming? Probably I’ll re-design it into a somewhat simpler version (the original was a large double deck design that I would have no chance of ever getting operational at this point in my life, I think).

One of the big advantages to going back to NJ is that I can start planning the new layout now. I know the space available very well (it hasn’t changed from years ago), and can spend the next year working out something both satisfying and do-able.

Life is strange.

2

Sounds like you answered your own questions. Like the Nike commercial says, just do it.

At least you’ve had a chance to actually build and run large layout which is fortunate - my lifes circumstances have prevented me from reaching goal, although I have finally gotten a smaller layout further along than in the past.

Problem is the townhouse we are in we have jerks for neighbors and don’t care much for the area but when we moved in we knew it would only be for a few years. We’ve been there almost 3 years so I have maybe one more year before I’ll have to tear out my present layout but hopefully we’ll be able to find a decent place with a little more space which is a stand-alone house. Cheers.

3

Mark, my condolences on the loss of your wife and my empathy on your failed job choice. Those are tough personal cirucmstances to contend with.

Regarding your dilemma to choose between Wyoming and New Jersey for your retirement relocation, it seems to me that the most important criteria is personal friendships. I am addressing the issue of friends in general as opposed to model railroad buddies. Do you have friends in Wyoming? Do you have friends in New Jersey. What about relatives and family? Where are they?

When you get outside of your hobby, friendships are a matter of utmost importance unless you are a loner by nature. Looking for companionship for an occasional lunch or dinner. Someone to talk with about sports or politics or books or whatever. That is what would matter to me most.

Rich

4

Mark,

At My age…I could not agree more with Rich’s (Richhotrain) post.

Good Luck, in Your decision! [:D]

Frank

5

I agree with Frank about the post from Rich .He touched on what is important. As far as the railroad no matter where you are you can adapt your hobby to space is available.What Rich said is most important.

Ron High

6

You say you won’t have the time to build your dream layout. If you use the newer methods I don’t see why you can’t. I have built a 30x15’ fully scenicked railroad in less than 3 years, with what I have learned and the fact I have more time now I could do it now in 6 months (except for the craftsman kits).

7

Mark … Condolences for the loss of your wife. That is so sad. As far as where to live, there exists no perfect location. Wyoming would be great for scenery and low taxes. However, you are familiar with NJ and people there. You can always make new friends anywhere.

Personally, I do not like urban areas with traffic congestion and crowds. We moved to western KY from MI and now have good friends here. There are three model railroaders in our location at a lake.

I think you once had a website for your old layout, and I was impressed with what I saw.

8

LION votes for New Jersey. Just a stone’s throw from the city. You could ride subways any time you like!

Yeah Yeah Yeah… LIONS live in North Dakota, but it is a very ong wait for a subway train. Him has a nice large layout (14 miles of mane lion) but then LIONS do not need to pay rent, are fed by the zookeeper, and get free veternary care.

But Yes, you can make the layout as long as you like, it only gets complicated when you add turnouts and yards and stuff. LION has 50+ Tortoise powered turnouts, but for full rush-hour operation, only 5 levers on the GRS machine are ever used, all to operate the 242nd Street terminal. Him has 10 trains running on a 3-4 minute headway. SIMPLE!

ROAR

9

Mark, I am very sad to learn that you lost your best friend, the one person who agreed to be the foil for all that you are in perpetuity. We usually only get one of those in a lifetime, if we’re lucky. Or, maybe one could say we are luckiest when we find two who will do it. [8D]

I noticed right away your word choices when you say, “…a consequence of moving…” It gives me to think that it was a stressful time for both of you, the move to SC, and that you think her illness was a result? If so, that would be hard to deal with now…looking back. It would also reduce the appeal, for me, of the SC location, almost a place of defeat. I don’t think you meant this, but, without wanting to pry, I have to wonder.

As Rich and the others have said, friendships, now that your #1 is gone, might eventually be a huge oversight as the years go by if you neglect them now. Even so, I would bet you can make new ones if you must, and have many of them at either location.

I am a rather severe loner. My only friend is my wife. Having moved around in the military, and moved a final time when I retired, my only real contacts are some email friends and my siblings. I have thought about what would happen if my wife were to die before me and I had to be a force of just one. I would have to reach out, or die alone. It’s a stark choice.

I don’t think you face quite that stark of a choice, and if we were to agree to swap circumstances, I’m sure you’d be highly reluctant. With the friend problem largely laid to rest for you, you are down to the environments, both indoors and out. You appear to have a fondness for the NJ setting, and if memory serves, you might still have that Smithsonian-quality helix [8D]. Wouldn’t that be worth a drive all by itself?

Seriously, as sad as this time is for you, generally, for having to face these choices without your late wife’s in

10

Well, having just moved to Georgia from 30 years of living in Indiana I can feel your situation. Not that GA is worse than IN, but living anywhere for 30 years, a person’s young adult to mid-life, creates a sense of home that is difficult to make somewhere else.

What place would feel like home to you? Will WY be the same place you left as a child or will NJ be more familiar now?

11

I live in PA, and the wide open spaces of Wyoming would be most attractive to me.

However, you will need a network of friends to hang out with, to keep you mentally stimulated so you don’t just sit in a chair too much and then decline…It sounds like NJ might be better.

Personally, I’d recommend the greater Harrisburg, PA area, as our taxes have to be considerably better than NJ all the way around, and we have some of the rural character remaining, especially in Lancaster County, PA, but we are so close to major cities and train shows and you could develop a network of train friends here, too. There are a few good train shops remaining in Central, PA, or South-Central, PA, as well.

John Mock

Marysville, PA

I live about 1 mile as the crow flies from the west end of the famous former PRR Rockville Bridge, in a small town of about 6,000 people, yet 15 minutes from the downtown/state capitol.

12

[sigh]

Hi Brunton,

I have been thinking about you lately, I always do when I go to visit my Son in the Laurel area of Mt. He lives just north of the yards there.

Our sincere condolences on the loss of your Life Partner/ Wife. Over the last few years of Cancer treatment for myself and it’s ongoing problems, my Wife and I have discussed how difficult it would be for either of us to be without the other. Although we have not experienced this for real, we have certainly given it much thought. So we can somewhat know what you have gone through and the pain you feel along with all the other nuances of retirement and move etc.

Whatever door HE brings you to, He will see you through it. Put your Trust and Faith in the place where it belongs and you will be blessed in ways you know not of at this time.

My Prayers, kind thoughts, and fond wishes are with you.

Johnboy out…

13

Being from Joisey, I’d recommend going back as there is much more model railroad activity in the northeast and mid-Atlantic areas. If your house is a two story, sell the thing ASAP and purchase a ranch house with a full basement unless your present home has an ample size basement which will accomodate your plans. Also this would give you a better opportunity start over.

As far as completing a complex layout, it has nothing to do with age, but much about present physical condition. I’ve known several model rails still actively building and well into their 80’s. There are now several new techniques in just about all phases of the hobby that are incredibly time and cost efficient. I’d be most happy to share some of what I have learned or pioneered over the years.

I’m so sorry to hear of your loss, but a hobby like model railroading has many healing qualities.

HZ

14

First off, to Brunton . . . sincere condolences.

Second, to John . . . I was born and raised in the East. The South, actually. Florida. I understand your sentiment. I moved to Wyoming six years ago, and I love it here. But the wide open spaces are not for everybody. When easterners come here, particularly those who intend stay longer than the tourists, they sometimes have an odd reaction to the wide openess. They get a hard-to-describe uneasiness under such a big sky, a strange feeling like some giant hawk is gonna swoop down and carry them off or something. Really. It has been described to me often by newcomers and family visitors. But don’t get me wrong. You (and anyone else) would be most welcomed here. For one thing, we could always use a few more model railroaders. There are (maybe) only 30 or 40 in the entire state, and you’d increase our numbers by 2 or 3 percent right off the bat. [:)] And don’t worry about the weather. Sure it was 15 degrees last week and there was about six inches of snow, but that has passed and the snow has melted and the temperature is well into the forties right now.

15

A few years back, we went skiing at Big Sky in Montana. For some reason, we ended up riding the lifts with a number of retired airline pilots.

These were generally guys who were pretty well off, and had literally seen the world, so they had a lot of first-hand experience. And, they chose to locate to Montana. There must be something there.

Personally, I would find it kind of remote, and after my old bones take me off the hockey rink, ski slopes and bicycle, I think it would be a lonely place, but to each his own.

16

I could live in Missoula. I stopped there while motorcyling around the West on a vacation. It seemed like a lovely place.

Cold in the winter, but I spent a few years in Alaska, so I know what it would be like.

17

New Jersey incredibly high property tax and just passed a 23 cents per gallon tax on gasoline Yes 23 cents per gallon. Wife from Palmyra and me from Philly Not enough reason including some family left for us to go back from Michigan

18

Sell the house and buy this:

http://commercial.century21.com/listing/100-park-ave-cresson-pa-16630-C2124326385

Lots of room for a new model railroad in there.

There should be enough money left over to buy a house nearby, and there’s even a busy rail line right across the street’

19

My deepest condolences on the loss of your wife.

Re the railroad… I know somebody who tore down his basement sized railroad and rebuilt it when he was in his 70s, so don’t worry about your age!

20

Hi Mark:

I’m sorry for the loss of your wife. If that happens to me I’m going to be in pretty rough shape.

As for where to live, I think you should stay close to friends and family. You can visit other places as often as you want (as funds permit of course), but people contact is more important than the view.

Dave