Summer Layoff?


montanan said:
I do have one question. Does running trains during the summer count ????? Like flyboy, if it really gets hot, the train room is a great place to cool off.
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I guess this is a question you need to answer, not me.

At one point, I thought that many would be like me, using their spare time in the cold months to be in the layout room, building models/working on their layout/running trains. It appears, once again, that my perceptions of reality are wrong! I guess that because I have other activities that can only be done when it's the warmer time of year, that this clouds what I think happens. There is no right; or, wrong here, we do what we do because we can. Thanks for your responses!

Also, I am, as we speak, building an an HO American Model Builders Northern Pacific 1700 series wood Caboose kit in a small storage locker at the Campgrounds where we spend much of our time in the summers. However, this is not in the layout room and I take a long time to build when doing this as there are many other activities for me to partake in. However, doing this in the summer makes me feel like I am keeping my hands in the hobby. So, even the starter of this thread isn't completely inactive with the hobby in the summer.
 
You're a traditionalist Mark, that's how modelling trains was always percieved, a Winter hobby, because of it's mainly indoor activity. Times change, occupational edges have got blurred for many reasons. Home air conditioning in the summer would probably have contributed the most.
 
You've got that right, Toot! Technology has all but buried me somewhere along the ditches! I don't carry a Cell Phone and don't want one, I like to participate in the internet right here with my desk top computer. I love to build models, from scratch; or, kit and that part of modeling, is what holds my interest. My 2014 Chevy Sonic does to much of my thinking for me and have absolutely no interest in a car that drives it'self, because I am not addicted to texting on my cell phone! I'm not saying there aren't great things that technology has brought forth: Digital cameras, the computer, DCC and DCC and sound, etc. etc... Having been a tool and die maker and seen my trade be replaced by CNC machines and computer programmers, I do have a proclivity towards remembering how things where and a distaste for how things will be.

So, you people who are addicted to the new technology and feel you must put me in my place, can save your breath! I'm 67 years old, retired and no longer need to be in the "Game"! I like my ideas about how things work and am maybe to stupid to convince I need to change my ways!
 
I tend to ease off during the summer but I don't stop. Depends on the project, the weather the yard work, etc and so on.
 
I live in Southwest Michigan:

Summer time in Michigan is the time to move the table saw and radial arm saw from the basement to the garage. When not doing yard work or checking things off the "honey do" list, I work on and operate the layout. I will cut the lumber to be used as bench work for an addition to the existing layout in the basement. This means no sawdust clean up in the basement. Also.... summer is the time for family and friends to come over for nightly bonfires. And of course there is plenty of beer at the bonfires. But the beer is not the best part... the best part is that I collect all of the empty cans and bottles left behind. We have 5 and 10 cent return on cans and bottles here in Michigan. I turn them all in for the returnable money...which in turn is used to finance the layout. So when the cold weather hits in the fall and winter... I stay nice and warm in the basement building the bench work and adding to the layout with the money from the returnables. I refer to this as the "circle of life" ;)
 
This layoff got me thinking. (Don't want to do that too much, I may hurt myself) For the past two summers we totally renovated our home, with most of the work being done on the weekends. With family helping I figure that we probably saved big bucks, but our regular summer schedule got shot in the butt. We usually take a few road trips during the summer, and if there is some time available, I do usually have a couple of projects sitting on my work bench, at all times. (Some have been there a loooong time) I guess it is a matter of how well I can procrastinate and ignore the work bench sitting in the same room as the computer. Some work does get done, but any major work is done in the winter. Most train activity during the summer ends up being running trains.
 
I try to keep at it all year `round but summer's usually when I do more of my model building. As a kid it meant I had more time for model railroading since school was out. Plus in the summer it's nice and cool in the basement. Usually during the winter I spend more of my time watching football and hockey.
 
I get some free time between jobs in the fall, winter and spring. Sometimes I take projects with me to work on at the motel but when I work 7-12's nothing gets done! Sometimes not much on 6-10's either!

Now that summer is here and I'm laid off til fall, it's work on the house, car, truck, motorcycle or whatever needs it. Barring that it's motorcycle riding time! Sometimes I can combine them, the wife and I are going to ride our CanAm Spyder to Galesburg Railroad Days next weekend. The best of both worlds!
 
BCK RR, Your suggestion doesn't really work. I think the fact that there is so little activity here on ModelRailroadForums.com suggests that activity does fall off for many of us in the summer!
 
I would say that during the summer I do "slightly" less model railroading that in the winter months, only because I have a couple of other hobbies that are not possible here in the dead of winter. I have wanted a layout for the longest time so that is were my focus is now. The Train room is partitioned off in my shop building, insulated on all four sides & ceiling, as is the shop building itself, fully insulated, including the role-up & walk thru doors. The work bench is in the house, so I give it a good solid effort to work on some aspect of the layout every day.......
 
As I stated I model year round, that's between homeownership, household chores and looking for new employment.


BCK RR
 
Last weekend was chase the 844 up and back. It came down from Cheyenne Thursday afternoon. Ran from Denver to Cheyenne and back on Saturday, then on Sunday it returned home. I was only going to chase it as far as Greeley on Saturday. But then I hung around at the museum and waited for it to come back. Then I wasn't going to chase it Sunday at all but the skies were so blue with pretty clouds I couldn't resist. Chased it all the way to Wyoming. For being alone I actually got some pretty good shots. Just north of Pierce, CO.
844 Northbound.jpg
 
I have to take most of the summer off since I have my layout upstairs and its much too hot up there to spend any time during the day. That's when I used my train sim on the computer.
 
Like most have said: they are still somewhat active in the hobby, this statement fits me also. I have a small shop set-up where we spend much of the Summer and I build models in this shop. Right now I am building another American Model Builders Laser Kit of a Northern Pacific 24 foot caboose. This is the recent release from them that builds an N.P. Caboose, where the sides of the cupola are one piece with the sides of the caboose. I liked the kit so well, that I immediately went to Modeltrainstuff and purchased another one that I will either build this Winter; or, next Summer, like I am doing right now. If you have never built one of AMB's Laser Kits and you like a good modeling project, you owe yourself the pleasure of doing so.

Anyway, my point is that many folks do put the hobby aside for the warm months. If you keep doggedly at it, good for you. If you don't (and gathering from how little traffic there is here on the Model Railroad Forum) join the crowd. I know that I am looking forward to getting back hard into it come the end of September and beginning of October.
 
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I'm weather dependent. Winter cold = MR Spring rain = MR. Summer heat = MR and fall, well fall is beautiful during September & October so doing outdoor things, BUT, I'm preparing my christmas wish list :rolleyes:
 
I live most of the year in St Augustine, FL, but a portion also in Khon Kaen,Thailand with my Thai wife. Sometimes this can dictate my model rr activities. There was a time when I considered shipping some of my RR stuff to Thailand, and maybe setting up a small layout in a coffee-shop/explorers club atmosphere. I thought it might prove rather interesting for some of the Thai's since I have never seen model rr in Thailand. But I could not find a shop with reasonable rent, and cool enough to warrant.

i collected quite a bit of HO stuff over the years, and now hope to put some of it to use. I've installed a 'dedicated train shed' (12x16) in the rear portion of my carport. I am presently embarking on designing a dbl-deck, around the wall layout for that space. I've insulated it well for those really hot sticky florida days that just want to invite one to stay indoors. So I'm guessing I will spend some summer days on rr stuff. Fortunately the carport roof over the shed keeps the interior reasonable cool with just a ceiling fan running,...I'm surprised. I installed a window type AC unit as a backup.

I was just getting into making some cardboard mock-ups of my ideas, when along came a friend who invited me to escape the Aug heat of FL and go up to Lunenberg Nova Scotia,....nice and cool and low humidity up here
 
I've been working on my layout almost every day for the past soon to be 2 years (November)
My frame work is all done, 95% of my tracks are installed and now working on the wiring.
Hope to have trains running the entire layout by November.

So for me, there's no summer, winter, spring nor autumn layoff. Some days it's working on buildings, other days is bench work or layout, but every day or almost every day, something gets done on the layout.

Later
 
Yesterday, I started the first of three new Accurail box car kits. (70s era Short Line, per Diem Cars). This morning, I finally ran my two new Rapido NH LW coaches. Now, I need to find where I stored my Rapido FL9. I'm also about ready to extend my benchwork.

Summer modeling does compete with yard work, baseball games etc, but there is always time for model railroading.
 
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