Model train nut or not ?


rodney mcgiveron

rodney mcgiveron

Member
G'day all....Back in 2008 when I began seriously considering model trains I recall thinking.."Why haven't I done this before"...since then I've been "at it"..most of the time , even dismantling the original layout because i just couldn't get it quite how I wanted it.. the funny thing was that when the baseboard was bare again , lots of discarded scenery , old type track etc...I got excited all over again and elevated the double track , new Atlas Flextrack , bought a NCE powercab and started again..Then I lost my old dog in late 2013 , and since then I haven't done much at all but buy a few things here and there.
A few weeks ago , one warmish Saturday morning , about Easter time , the bug bit again big time and now I wake up in the middle of the night inspired and wanting to find out about this and that , or I'll grab a couple of copies of Model Railroader and read. and read.or check out Trackside Photos in it...Now I've re connected to the internet and been able to re access THE FORUM again..I'm re hooked , hooked up and hooked on model trains again...I think the break has literally re charged the original passion..The thing is that it's only been about a year or slightly more but it's like re finding a long lost and dear friend..Has anyone else had a similar occurrence..Cheers Rod....
 
I had something like that happen to me, although there was about a 40 year gap between my original passion and my rekindled one.

I spent almost all of my spare money on trains back when I was 12, and also the only person in the family interested in them. I had some plastic buildings and I even remember being intrigued by the flex track and buying my first piece of that. Then high school happened with sports and FFA and everything ended up in a box. My chosen field (Forestry) brought a relatively small income, also no internet, just kind of forgot about model railroading.

Then back in 2010 the grandkids were coming for Christmas and I decided to buy a Bachmann set for under the tree. That was the start of it. And now that we have moved into town, there isn't as much outdoor activity as when we had the farm and I spend a lot more time on the layout. It is definitely a creative outlet.
 
Glad to see your interest back again. It's a hard hobby to get away from. I had a period of time when I couldn't get any model railroad supplies before internet retailers came on the scene. My layout sat pretty well dormant for a number of years but my interest was always there.

I was able to pick up some model railroad items when were were on road trips, but trying to work on a particular project was hard because you always needed something. When the internet retailers came on the scene, I was finally able to get moving again. What a pleasure to move ahead with the layout. After some 25 years a majority of the scenery is in and I can finally operate the layout the way it was designed. Laike any layout, it will never be complete.

With the skills I have gained over the years, older parts of the layout will be upgraded and improved. Once you have the bug, I think it's there for ever.
 
rodney mcgiveron said:
I think the break has literally re charged the original passion..The thing is that it's only been about a year or slightly more but it's like re finding a long lost and dear friend..Has anyone else had a similar occurrence..
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Nope. Railroads, Trains, and dinosaurs the interest has always been there, probably always will be.
 
G'day all....Yep , What really got me started was an older chap who set up , in the Town Hall this massive modular N Scale layout.It had two towns and if memory serves three separate tracks but with crossovers .It was quite literally almost half the size of the Hall with it all laid out. Rob Matthews was his name , and his grown up son..He had it set up for a whole long weekend...I recall him telling me it took all day Friday to set up..also was a local HO layout..on the stage...I was there literally for hours , about 4-5 I think...that was in 2007....In 2008 I decided to try for myself , in N , but once I saw my friend's layout in HO I decided that was more for me...I can honestly say that even though , over the past year or so I've done stuff all to the layout , I never ever had intention to give up , never will but sometimes things and circumstances make it obvious to have a spell..Now I can't wait to get home and 'play with my trains again'..A real good friend of mine who runs our local museum is a master ship , aircraft and vehicle modeller and a piano /organ restorer and car restorer and and................ He once told me that one key to keeping the passion is not to get to a point where a task is a 'chore'..When he's doing elaborate rigging on one of his ships for example he stops for a day or two while he's still enjoying it but then looks forward to getting at it again soon..He is a very wise man..Ian Summers....He also now has a small Flying Scotsman layout on the go at the Cranks and Tinkerers Museum..I expect I'll help him do it over time..KEEP THE PASSION.. It's the Worlds Greatest Hobby....Cheers Rod..
 
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I need more engines, I need more freight cars, weather more rolling stock, make more trees, I need more time for the layout and I need more space....! Guess I'm a train nut.

Got to go and watch real trains.

Greg
 
Hey Rodney!

I'm a full blown train nut, addicted to my toy trains! My passion runs like the ocean's tides though. It has more to do with how much time I have to spend with my trains rather than the moon. Maybe that is a good thing because I never have needed a break, not completely. I have gotten bogged down on a project and taken a break from it, but if time permitted I worked on another train project or read a train book or magazine.

I love my trains and reading about our hobby. I thank God for them everyday. My only regret is that I wait so long to play with my trains all year round rather than just Christmas trains.
 
G'day Louis , and all....Very true ...and as the guys have said...You never really lose the passion but sometimes other things take precedence for a while...Cheers Rod
 
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