What were your hobies before trains? Mine was airplanes, airplanes, and more airplanes.
There was life before trains???
Heavy drinking and stamps ( I hate to say this but, I believe stamp collecting is the biggest hobby (hobie) in the world, with everything else a long way down the list—I’m staying with trains.
For me there was.
Before trains??? Got my first trains when I was 2.
I also have had other hobbies over the years, I was into model cars and military models for a while. I was a fishrerman until my health failed. I still do astronomy and amateur radio.
I received my first Lionel when I was 6months old,so i guess it must be my first hobbie. I do enjoy stamp collecting also but Trains is NumberOne[:D]
my winter hobby is trains. my other hobbies are gardening, carpentry and rebuilding old toyota landcruisers
I didn’t have any hobbies before trains, but after I started modeling, I got an interest in rocketry and mail as well as a model or two here and there.
Reed
collecting Hotwheels, Matchbox and Johnny Lightning (until I had 7000+)then I slowed way down!
R/C race car and plane.
Woodworking (still do alot of that)
remodeling my 2 story farmhouse, fishing and hunting.
[:)]
My other hobby Barstool building, racing bit more dangerous than model trains
it does 30mph
Ken
Hot Rods & Drag racing. Old car rebuilding & customizing. Did all that along w/trains.
I still collect Hot Wheels & Matchbox. I only have 800 this time around.
My hobbies before trains was Ham radio and still is . I have had some kind of train layout throughout the years. Lionel O gauge and HO . Now I am using N gauge.
John KE2UN
I only started getting in to mrr’ing when I was 11 or 12, and before that I liked model cars, R/C stuff, and maybe some airplane and battleship stuff. I still have most of my model cars, although I don’t collect them anymore.
The same stuff average kids enjoyed. Toys and video games ‘n’ such. Then I realized what was in my blood and turned railroad.
I don’t remember ever not being into trains, but during my adolescence trains kind of took a back seat to roleplaying games, wargames, comic books, and science fiction, as well as assorted ship/tank/airplane/car model building. In college I kept up with all of the above as well as science fiction miniatures wargaming, the SCA, getting completely wasted, and punk rock. In my twenties I pretty much stopped modeling and roleplaying of all sorts but kept reading voluminous amounts of comics and SF, and started writing and trading punk fanzines. I utilized my model-building skills for a while by getting into leatherwork, selling leather & spike things at goth clubs and fetish clubs, and getting rather heavily into building and rebuilding computers for fun and profit.
In my thirties I got into promoting events (which is a hobby if you promote weird unpopular events that don’t make any money) like experimental/noise shows/festivals, goth clubs and punk shows. About two or three years ago trains showed back up in my life and announced that it was time to get back to them. I still do a smattering of the above (as well as my other new hobby, volunteering at railroad museums and community historical/historic preservation organizations.)
It’s funny how having lots of hobbies increases one’s breadth–learning new things increases one’s flexibility at learning other new things. Keeps life from getting stale.
Mine were basically like jamison1’s. I have atleast 800-900 diecasts, including matchbox, hotwheels, 1:18th, 1:24th vehicles… but I still do RC cars though. And I played video games and pc games, but for some reason play more now than ever
Now for my next hobby evolution, REAL CARS!
fast cars, loose women and beer for my horse. Now I’m too old for all of that.
Military board games, then military based computer games, the map for my largest board game was about 32 sq ft, I still have the board games and play computer games at least once a week.
I have been in and out of trains for over 55 years. My other hobbies were racing and cruising sailboats. I haven’t raced since I retired 6 years ago and when I sell my boat i won’t be cruising any more either. But i’m more into trains now than I ever was before, and very enthused learning about realistic operations. Having sound units helps that immensely!
Model railroading definitely came in handy in military wargaming–a lot of military wargames use HO equipment that can be ordered straight out of the Walthers catalog, or modified to suit–15mm equipment is a bit smaller but is “close enough” to work. I also used to use tables that had originally been my dad’s old layout tables for STRIKER and WARHAMMER 40,000 games.