Do You Work Alone on Your Layout, or Do You Have Friends Help in The Construction?


I have usually been alone. I have about as much room as I can utilize without getting lost in the layout.

Several of my friends have children interested in trains. Unfortunately my layout room is a bit of a man cave. I really need to find a high chair and clean up the room. Then I could have them over.

Modeling the roaring 20's
President of the Lancaster Central Railroad
President of the Western Maryland Railway
 
I guess I should say, I have had a lot of suggestions of what I should include and how I should do things on the empire, but I never find a credit or debit card on the kitchen counter top after they leave. Dang, can't fund projects without mullah.
 
D&J RailRoad said:
I guess I should say, I have had a lot of suggestions of what I should include and how I should do things on the empire, but I never find a credit or debit card on the kitchen counter top after they leave. Dang, can't fund projects without mullah.
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Haha. My friends do that too me about other things in life." You really should xyz". I feel like saying "when you donate $20,000 to me then I will either follow your suggestion or someone else's, until then I will do what I can with the resources I have at hand". Some of my friends don't understand not having enough money for everything you want.

Modeling the roaring 20's
President of the Lancaster Central Railroad
President of the Western Maryland Railway
 
With the exception of a friend dividing off & building the room that the trains are in, from there on, the layout has been all me. Into it three years now. Quite the learning process's, wood working, foam working, soldering, track laying, DCC,......etc etc etc. .....Pure Pleasure!
 
I do like to be doing my own thing. Sometimes I wish someone else could do the scenery.

Modeling the roaring 20's
President of the Lancaster Central Railroad
President of the Western Maryland Railway
 
I had help on the electrical wiring for turnouts and such. I HATE TO WORK UNDER THE LAYOUT!! (its even 59" off the floor). I prefer scenery, detailing and tuning my steam loco fleet and building detailed structures. But.... I got tired of the railroad so everything is coming down. Glad I didn't paint the track or glue down any ballast gravel. As I get older, my arthritis in my hands is hampering any enjoyment.
 
I definitely work alone on my layouts. Periodically my wife might help by holding something when I solder it but 99.99% of the time, it is me, myself and I.

Aside from there being little room for more than the three guys I mentioned above, if something goes wrong (and it will) I only have myself to blame and I hate arguing with myself or the other two guys either :)
 
I'm building my current one by myself, although my wife I'm trying to interest in doing some scenery. Past ones, since 1985 or so, I've built by myself.
 
By my self, I'm in a spare bedroom and my wife does scrap booking in the next one. I kid her about opening up the wall so she can see me. Well the walls still there.
 
I have for the most part (as stated earlier) built my layout by myself. However, after I started, there was a small period of time where my oldest son did put some work in on the layout.

This begs the question; therefore, other than NMRA how can others be found who might have an interest. I have considered an ad in my local paper; or, asking a reporter to come out to write a personal interest article about the hobby. However, I wonder about the sanity of putting that kind of information about myself out there.
 
NP2626 said:
I have for the most part (as stated earlier) built my layout by myself. However, after I started, there was a small period of time where my oldest son did put some work in on the layout.

This begs the question; therefore, other than NMRA how can others be found who might have an interest. I have considered an ad in my local paper; or, asking a reporter to come out to write a personal interest article about the hobby. However, I wonder about the sanity of putting that kind of information about myself out there.
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Go to your local NMRA Divsion meeting to find other modelers that may be interested in helping. Thats how i got to know a group of round robin guys that have operation nights that i attend.

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I'm pushing 90 miles from where divisional stuff happens. Not saying I won't be going, only that what happens there, appears to be few and far between. My location in the TLR is fairly far from much model railroading activity.
 
NP2626 said:
I'm pushing 90 miles from where divisional stuff happens. Not saying I won't be going, only that what happens there, appears to be few and far between. My location in the TLR is fairly far from much model railroading activity.
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Check your local Chapters website for people in your area. That was my first contact to the group of guys i run with.

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CSX, already done that, long ago! As far as working on my layout, I would really prefer to do that on my own. The reason I would like to link up with other "Local" Model Railroaders is more for operations and Comradery.
 
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NP2626 said:
CSX, already done that, long ago! As far as working on my layout, I would really prefer to do that on my own. The reason I would like to link up with other "Local" Model Railroaders is more for operations and Comradery.
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That would be the reason I'd like someone close as well. It doesn't really matter how much fun or interest you have in something, it is always a bit more fun and a bit more interesting when you can share that with another person or persons.
 
At the end of September, I went to the Northern Pacific's NPRHA annual convention. It was fun, saw some layouts and talked to some people who had worked for the N.P., one had been an engineer and is 92 years old and "Sharp as a tack"! My wife enjoyed talking to his wife and I enjoyed his conversations and ended up buying his book "Tales of the Northern Pacific and other railroad adventures", written as an engineer starting at the end of steam and retiring as an employee of the Burlington Northern! I understand fully the connections made at conventions with other people of like interests. It's probably why I spend time here!
 
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