The reason I asked this question is that more times than not I find that if I have an hour in the evening I will not invest it in the layout, just because I find an hour isn’t enough to get into something before I have to clean up. Any thoughts?
I’ve just been at this a little over a month, and I’ve tried working (as opposed to operating) on my layout on “work nights” several times. It has been spectacularly unsuccessful. Things always take longer than I anticipate, and I am too obsessive to leave something half done that I had planned to complete. Consequently I’ve stayed up until 2:00 - 3:00 AM trying to get things done. This is not terribly beneficial to my job performance the following day.
So now I restrict working on my layout to weekends.
Even if its only an hour, beat’s watching “Gilmore Girls” anytime…
It varies. Sometimes an hour is plenty to get something accomplished,sometimes it’s not. It really depends on what is “next” and what I feel like doing. Time spent in the railroad room is always time well spent even if it’s just looking and planning.
Tom Watkins
I try to get some work done while I watch “American Idol”. Kill 2 birds with one stone.
Hey Fergie, If you have a copy of Great Model Railroads 2004, read Andy Sperandeo’s editorial. It got me off my butt.
At first I didn’t really get into it unless I could spend some time working on things, but lately I have been more and more willing to go out to the garage (it’s a detatched garage) to spend a few minutes out there between one activity and the next, and believe it or not, I’m getting more done. I can only do a bit at a time, but that little bit gets done instead of waiting for the next big layout session. It’s also a nice way to do things like laying on multiple coats of paint and otherwise waiting for things to dry/cure/solidify etcetera.
When I can spend an afternoon out there, I do it…I don’t work on the layout late at night only because the only access to the garage is through a front garage door I can’t close securely and my neighborhood can get a little sketchy at night. I do want to install a new side door in the garage, which will probably annoy my wife to no end as I stay up until all odd hours working on the layout!!
Time?, Who has time? [sigh]
I sure don’t. [banghead] At least I didn’t until the wife started a hobby of her own! [;)]
The only real time I have to work on the layout is when the wife decides she wants to scrapbook. Fortunately enough for me [;)] we have a freind that also scrapbooks so I can usually arrange for a scrapbooking session. [angel]
Her daughter plays with my daughter, her son helps me as he likes playing with power tools, & the two women scrapbook!!!
It’s all part of my diabolical plan for more railroad time!!. [swg]
Gordon
Usually I’m mentally exhausted at the end of my work day, and working on the layout is a no-no. I will run trains if I feel so inclined but that’s about all. Any work that needs to get done is relegated to weekends. Maybe I need to stock up on vitamins/energy boosters to stimulate the body–that might help during the work week![^]
I’ll usually work on the layout for a couple of hours before dinner and a couple after. But if I
get on a roll, sometimes I can still be on it at midnight. Very relaxing Dave
After working with teenagers all day any time doing something else is benifical to my mental health. An hour is better then nothing, I try to save small task for that amount of time instead of doing several small task in a large block of time.
i haven’t been able to really work on a layout. but i’ve put some kits together over the weekend and i’ve been getting a list ready for saturday when i go to a show. i also finished painting a caboose the other day. i put i’m a night owl because my parents are sleeping by 9 so that means i’m up while everyone else is sleeping. in the summer i know i’ll be doing a lot of work at night as i hope to find a day job then i have baseball at night. i do what i can when i have time or feel like doing something or i’m a night owl.
I used some of that interstitial time today–time in between waking up and going to the mechanic to pick up my car. Only about an hour, but it was enough time to build the porch and from my Maxwell Avenue House kit–the day before yesterday I painted the brick, yesterday I painted the walls and mortar-washed the brick, and tomorrow I’ll assemble the building, install a floor and ceiling and paint the roof. Then hopefully sometime this weekend I’ll be able to work on the interior and put it all together…
then sometime next week I can get it on the layout and lay down foam for the yard.