No Longer Enjoy Spending Money On Train Items...

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
21

Interesting discission here,

There have definately been slow periods for me, but I’ve never really ‘lost’ interest. Twenty years and counting.

My periods of low hobby funds never bother me, because my enjoyment is in the hobby, not the aquiring of stuff. Some things are “free”, some cost money.

As far as the money part, yes, my monthy hobby budget goes up and down…some months nothing, other months $500. I don’t think I could build a layout in a cardboard box (after forclosure!), so obviously, priorities are in order. Sometimes there is a surplus, so after putting extra in the savings, yes, I can splurge a little.

One reason I don’t mind spending $ is that everything I buy, I almost immediately build it. I also keep tight on my era/road/locale, keeping me from splurging on something I’ll never really use. I like to keep my kit shelf empty, and no matter what I have spent $ on, I rarely experience buyers remorse. Another thing is that I work VERY hard for my $ (6 days a week, 9-15 hr days) so when I DO drop some cash on something, I’m CERTAIN that I need that item to furthur my vision I have for my layout. Also, I will usually build my kits SLOWLY,ensuring the best workmanship I can give…I see that as getting the best “return” on my “investment” that I can.I have very little to no “stock”. If I buy it, I build it.

And there are always things to do on the layout. There have been times I’ve gone months without purchasing more than a copy of MR or Trains. Never even phased me, I found a site on the web that you can download car card templates and print for free. So it was 3 weeks of cutting and taping card and holders. Never noticed that I didn’t have money to spend.

And no, I’m not rich. Just an average Joe. Money comes and money goes, it’s just another “tool” for me to continue my vision.

I see folks who buy buy buy, and I don’t see much improvment in their skills. Every

22

Yes ereimer, I realize there’s more to the hobby than buying things. The problem is, my layout is complete, and all that’s left to keep me interested is buying an occasional item. The thing is, I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean…

Tracklayer

23

You just want to see me have to get out there in the hot sun and do yard work and repairs on the house. That’s okay. I’ll remember that Crandell… ([;)])

24

You’ve probably mulled this, but a fresh layout may get you going.

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently, or have your skills grown since you started your current one?

Maybe just doodling some new track plans, even for a smaller layout if cash outlay for new contruction is an issue.

If your line is fictional, how about a new layout depicting “further down the line”? This way, you can keep the investment in your current locos, rolling stock, detail items, etc.Maybe sit down with a notepad, and start drawing up a “history” for your railroad, with maps and all, and then you may stoke the coals a bit, giving you ideas for a “fresh canvas” to work your magic on.

This may be eye-rolling advice, but personally I just hate to see modelers (especially talented ones) get burned out.

Bringing a layout “to life” always keeps me going. Along with your “history”, you can use your computer to print up mock timetables, travel advertisements, etc. What can it harm? Just the cost of copy paper? Maybe once you start thinking and playing with this, new and fresh ideas might start flowing.

Just throwing some ideas your way.

Rich

25

Tracklayer,

Along with what Crandell has already shared with you, I’d like to pass along a story to you that I hope will make a point.

Every June, after the end of the orchestra season, my bass trombone teacher from college would take a 3-week vacation with his family at their cottage in Maine. The cottage was off the mainland on a remote island. No electricity. No distractions. The only way to get there was via a small dingy.

The first year they went, he brought his trombone along with him because he was afraid to take so much time off. Every day it was a constant reminder for him to practice. He couldn’t even really enjoy his time away and his vacation wasn’t very relaxing for him. (Any orchestral player will tell you that after a long season, you’re tired and you need a break.)

Well, the next year they went to Maine…my teacher left his trombone at home. He told me years later that that time away allowed him to really rest and rejuvinate. When he returned from vacation after 3 weeks, he said it was like being a kid: He was excited to pick up his trombone again and he practiced with new vigor and enthusiasm for the summer season at Blossom.

The point of the story is: Sometimes you just need to take a break from something for a while to get away from it and to take care of other things. Give it some time and come back to it at a later date when you’re fresh. You might find that, after a long enough vacation, the “kid” will return and get excited once again about his previous passion.

Hope that helps…

Tom

26

i stepped away from buying train items for awhile then after i got a house big enough i said " hey i always wanted a space for a big layout". with all the stress from my job it is a welcome break from reality. you never really leave the hobby even when i did i would still go railfanning. so take a break you will come back. i have and hope to have my bench work finished by end of summer. i have a 34’x16’ room and i live in cincinnati lot of rr’s to model around here we even have a restored southern rr depot which you can watch trains from. hope this helps…bill

27

Thanks for the advice 45T-2. I actually had considered building a new layout a while back, but I have a little problem called not enough space… But then again, I have to admit that I’m actually content with the layout I have because it’s so versitle and I have so much time and work tied up in it.

Like I said earlier. I think it’s just a case of feeling guilty for blowing so much the last couple of years on train stuff and not more important things.

Tracklayer

28

Thanks Tom. Aside of feeling guilty about blowing too much money the last couple of years, it could also be as you say that I need to take a break for a while…

Tracklayer (Mark)

29

As a earlier post stated you have to have priorities. I’m disabled & live on a fixed income, so I needed to lose some weight & can eat when next month’s check comesLOL! But seriously, just step back & give yourself a break. Anything done too excess can dull your enthusiasm. I had thought of selling off part of my equipment because of a bunch of bills. After talking to my creditors I was able to work out agreements (mostly medical bills). I’m glad I didn’t sell anything, it would be like trying to decide which kid to sell. bogp40 sorry to hear of your lose, hang in there & things will get better.

30

I can’t really blame you. For me trains usually end up taking a backseat to some of my other interests like fishing and car cruises during the summer. I’d say devote a little extra time to some of your other interests for a while and see how it goes. Having a couple other interests definately helps me keep from getting burned out.

31

Tracklayer,

I think you sound quite normal to me! I have two hobbies - model railroading and playing guitar - they come and go in importance to me, modelling is in the ascendance right now and has been for the last 4 years or so, but if I meet some like minded musicians who knows waht will happen tommorrow?

I can’t help thinking though that if your layout is “finnished” so much of this hobby is about construction that its maybe those elements that you enjoy most and thats why you’re not satisfied when your just left purchasing things? I think that one aspect of the hobby that’s not often referred in so many terms is those who just collect pieces for the sake of it. A different strand of the hobby …

Also there’s no such thing as “not enough space”! Here in space starved England (where basements just don’t exist) we find space for layouts in the tinyest of spaces. If you go round the NMRA meets here you will see no end of portable switching layouts no more than about 6ft x 18" - that could fit on a shelf even in a small appartment. Another way British modellers deal with it is that layouts are sectional (slightly different to modular in that the layout sections only fit together one way) and only get put up at club days or exhibitions.

Hope this helps

32

Tracklayer, it almost sounds like your bored. I’ve seen this in the car hobby as well. People spend 5 years restoring their car only to find they are bored with it after its done. Usually they end up selling it and begin building a new one. The hobby is the building part for most people and it sounds like your done building. Its time to rip up an area of your layout and start building again.

33

Yes, I think as others have pointed out, sometimes you have to sweep the house of cards into a drawer, shake 'em up, and start over. And as Tom pointed out, the cell phone and the trombone are not things that will cause us to hemorrhage if we tear them out of our hands. Also, I understand Mark a bit more now that he has used the word “gulty”. I felt the same way after I spent a princely sum on a nice telescope about 18 years ago. It was a pure self-indulgence at the time, fully supported by those around and closest to me. After a while, I found that it owned me…not the other way around. If I didn’t use it at least once a week, I felt that I was letting myself and others down. I faithfully kept a log of my observation sessions, amassing many scores of entries. Of course, with it came a used SLR film camera, larger eyepieces, a dew shield to keep the main outer lense clear on cool humid nights, and so on.

I guess I am saying you don’t have a problem so much as you are repenting over self-indulgence with what now seems to be no justifiable cause. The problem will become a real one if you continue to feel this way and do nothing constructive about it. If it would be a reasonable solution, sell stuff on ebay…be brutal and cull the herd of all but a handful of really nice, unique, hard-to-replace items, some favourites. Gash the rest. While doing that, do unrelated things that need doing, and

34

Ever think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?

35

Jeffery, try to avoid using foul language on the forums. The very thought of having enough locomotives is… well, un-model railroader at least and should never be put in print. [swg]

Now, when are those Tower 55 Heritage units coming out??? [(-D]

Tilden

36

You might notice, I said for now. That leaves the future wide open.

37

REPETITION is boring. It numbs the mind.

CHALLENGES to surmount are needed. They activate the mind.

PERHAPS a change is in order: a Garden Railroad or change in scale. (G scale on a 4x8?), Boating (building an ‘Ark’ in TX?), raising Armadillos, collecting snakes, … the possibilities are limitless.

38

Right on the old nail head Don!

39

In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor. And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in “guilty pleasures” as long as they weren’t over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them.

Clearly, if you’re having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it’s time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.

And I have to invoke the dirty word here: Do you have a personal budget? If not, that’s the first step to getting your $$$ in order.

40

I think someone above got it right, when spending money on things and stuff becomes more important than the hobby, maybe it’s time to look for another outlet for your spare time, I guess there really are people out there that have that spare money to buy “stuff”— must be nice.