If it were up to me and only me, I’d probably still be living at home in my mom’s basement working on a train layout. Fortunately (for me AND mom) God sent my beautiful wife my way 25 years ago, and gave me the opportunity to have my own train room… er… life!
I work from home at the moment, but I’ve always been in and around home construction. I have an old house that always is wanting for something, so there’s plenty of trips to the lumber yard. Naturally, the shopping list usually includes a few necessary items for the layout.
I know I spend way too much time working on the layout, or thinking about working on the layout. But there’s always time for family outings, the “honey do” list, and hanging out with my four kids, either individually or as a mob.
Sometimes I think my wife would just as soon throw my and my stuff out the window, but we’ve always had this rule: You can leave whenever you want, but you have to take the kids.
She’s also commented that my hobby is a big part of who I am, including creativity, some artistic talent, a love of history and architecture, etc. It also doesn’t hurt that I’m pretty good at fixing things, and I work on other people’s trains to fund my own stuff, so I stay out of the family budget for the most part.
My “Other Life” wins every time. This is a hobby that I do for relaxation when I have some spare time and nothing else going on with the family. For one reason and another I never have gotten very far with a layout, but I usually have one going. But now that the kids are gone and I’m retired, I’m ready to start the “big one”. It may not get done either, but that’s not overly important - it’s the journey after all that’s fun.
Nice question. I’m pleased to see the range of responses so far.
At age 69, newly married (3 years) and still working part-time as a magazine writer (sailing, travel), I don’t fit any of the other profiles very well. I have a wide range of interests and the time, health and money to enjoy them. I just hope this continues!
Model railroading is an old interest that I just renewed a few years ago, and my wife, an artist, supports me entirely. She thinks it’s neat. She does her art, I do my model building (or writing, astronomy or ham radio) and we get together for common interests like sailing, ballroom dancing, photography, theater, singing folk music and a host of other things. It’s just about perfect. The time with one or the other N-scale layouts, a bigger one in Florida for winter and a small one in Maryland for summer, varies from an hour per week to a few hours per night, depending on what else is going on.
That, to me is the beauty of model railroading. You can pick it up or drop it. You can get totally absorbed in the history, detailing, or operations for a while and then quit for a while. It’s about the most adaptable hobby I know and it’s independent of weather.
And, let’s admit it. It’s also a splendid link to our childhoods.
To those of you that have a layout, I say enjoy every moment. In the space of 72 hours, a huge 24x24 double layered 22year labor of love has been taken from me. Due to road and land development and the resulting stormwater runoff my wife and I have had to abandon our home and my garage where the layout was built on the second floor. The next severe thunderstorm could actually take the building down. This little stream can knock down buildings and push houses from their foundation as it did on june 5. Greedy developers and politicans have taken from us everything we have ever worked for. We now reside in a apartment where at least we can sleep in safety if it rains. Life is not fair, but to all who enjoy this hobby make the most of every minute. I certainly never thought this would happen but I have run out of track. I have been in this hobby for decades and I will certainly miss it. In closing…enjoy what you have because it could be gone in a flash.
I am new to the hobby. I dont have a layout or anything yet. I am still in the planning and learning stage. When I eventually get the framework built and start actually putting the layout together, its going to be a family affair. We have 2 young children and my wife and I like to include the kids in what we do. So the hobby kind of squeezes its way into “family time”. I have other hobbies for “me time”.
For me it’s been more of an issue of my other life devistating my model railroad endeavours. Actual and planned but didn’t happen moves, and a series of health issues, have resulted in at least 7 aborted layouts over the last 25 years.
Of those 25 years, for the last 13+ years,I’ve been married to a wonderful and very model railroad friendly woman. My first Xmas presant from her was a locomotive. When I had given up on having an HO layout due to health and space considerations, she encouraged me to take the N scale plunge. During my recent devistating health setback, when I was saying to pack up the train stuff and store it, she brought model railroad magazines to the hospital, and when I finally made it home she’s kept up the encouragement. A week or so ago, when I was wanting to order some stuff for the small layout I’m planning, all I got out of my mouth was “Honey, I want to order some train stuff” before she replied “Then order it”.
Today, the other life is not an issue…my physical liitations are. Because of my health/mobility issues the only time I leave the house is for doctor appointments, and the rest of the time I’m limited to my small bedroom and the kitchen. Once upon a time I had the skills and tools to build what ever I wanted…today, I’m on hold waiting for a very good but very busy friend to come and help me build the portable/stowable train table I need. Hopefully once the heavy construction is done, I’ll be able to occupy myself with the detail work of building of the layout.
Started a new job in April - willingly left the old one - and have been putting in 60-80 hour weeks ever since. Between the long hours and travel what’s largely left has to go towards home maintenance and family time, so not a lot for railroading. Still, I try to get in a little railfanning after work while on the road and a little time on the 'net talking trains too.
My youngest has been bitten, so hopefully the hours will get reasonable in the near future and we can get started on “Daddy’s layout” in the basement train room.
There is a life other then model railroading? surely you guest!
I decided edit my post a bit, in short model railroading could take up a lot more of my time if I let it and had the financial ware with all to do so but unless the power-ball coughs up my numbers that ain’t gonna happen. Even though I may not actually be spending time “working on the railroad” I do find myself thinking about it a lot and looking at different things that can be used for kit bashing and scenery etc. It’s one of those things when your in the home center or some place and something catches your eye and the model railroad bell gos off in our head! Hum? Now how can I use this on my layout but then again I have always found myself doing that when it came to working on cars and motorcycles boats or hunting. I guess it’s just the nature of the beast.
I would say that model railroading can be a very consuming hobby if you let it become that way, but then again so can motorcycle, golf, fishing or hot-rods or just about any hobby for that matter.We all know what we need to get done vs what we want to do in our “other life”
Being a student it is pretty easy. For 8 months of the year I don’t do much of anything cause I’m away at school and the trains do not come with. I go home for a few days over thanksgiving holiday and for winter break but otherwise I’m in Pennsylvania while my trains enjoy the weather in California. Once summer comes I fit the trains in when I feel like working on them or if I have time. At school the internet is all I rely on to keep whet my train appetite.
Me too. Been retired for 2.5 years now and have finally gotten things organised somewhat. So after I have sufficiently recovered from my accident I’ll be back full steam working on my layout.
I love model railroading and I manage to find time to tinker and play with my layouts but I have other things going on in my life as well…
I moderate 3 different Linux related forums and administrate another one, I’m going for my MBA after years of hands on experience and having such great weather here all year round, the girls and I go swimming, camping and fishing and biking.
My other life consists of get up at 5:30 get dressed and ready for work. after getting off work around 3 or so I come home to hyper dog who HAS to be played with for at least the next fifteen minutes or so, then I can go and take a shower and get cleaned up, fix something to eat, then I spend about an hour just relaxing and doing nothing. As some of you may recall from a post I put up when I first got back into these forums I will be moving soon and unfortunately I will be taking down a small layout that I had just started on several months ago, sorry no pictures.
But I may have a solution for that although it will take awhile, if I can do it I am thinking of getting a small storage building and using it for my laout room. There is a local Co here that just started up making small (anysize you want) buildings that are very well built, they have a small lot here in town with several types on display. They have one that will work real good for what I want It measures 12x 32 and even has a small front porch that is covered on it.
I am not married so that has some advantages in that I can do most anything I want at least when I have the money to do it! Until the time came up when I had the opportunity/misfortune to move again (coming up soon) I tried to get in at least 2 or 3 hours every evening of what I called train time. I am one of those strange people who likes building the layout aspect of the hobby as much as “watching the trains run”. Probably why I never seem to get very far past the bare framework and trackwork stage. LOL
Well, my work on the layout has pretty much stopped lately because of my “other life.” But that’s OK–our second child was born seven days ago, which leaves zero time for trains right now. Baby takes priority, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Now, I look forward to introducing him to the hobby.
Congratulations. A child sure does change our priorities.
I do not have much time for my trains. We recently moved into a new place and that certainly gets me motivated to start a new layout. I do find myself lately not being very focused on my work life(plenty of time for the family though). Which I know is not a good thing as I run my own landscaping business. My lunch break spent flipping through back issues, planning the new layout instead of working on my bids. They do get done but I procrastinate till crunch time. It’s not good and I need to find a better balance.
I make train time when the rest of the family is abed or otherwise occupied. That’s generally late at night and Saturday mornings. So I’ll sit at my workdesk all bleary-eyed resisting my body which is telling me, “You should be sleeping!” Many a night my body wins the fight - I’ll wake up at my desk an hour past anything I remember. Explains why it’s taken me a couple of weeks (thus far) to assemble that E&C Shops covered hopper kit.
