How does your career aid and abet your toy train pasttime?

[TurboOne]

JIm H. I did the domestic engineer thing for two years after I told my wife "how hard can it be" Hardest job I ever did.

I work to have fun, and I have fun while I work. That lets me do the money thing, so I can buy my trains.

Take care all

Tim

[jimhaleyscomet]

Well all I am a homemaker (was a Mechanical Engineer before that). Being a homemaker has a few advantages.
1. I can surf ebay and the net at various times of the day. For example my kids are in Language class at the library and I am here on the net while I wait for them.
2. I can visit hobby stores as I drive my kids to lessons (not that there are many train stores in Houston).
3. Sometimes I have large blocks of time during the day when I can work on my layout (especially when my wife is off on a business trip)

On the other hand....
1. I spend 3-6 hours per day preparing and serving food, cleaning house and running errands. All time I could be working on my layout.
2. Many days I am constantly interrupted for school work or some other kind of assistance.

All in all being a homemaker is a plus but makes my hobby work somewhat erratic.

Jim H

[Anonymous]

Hello All: Groing up in the electrical contracting business has helped me a lot, but not as you would think. The best part is driving the 150 mile radius in southern Ontario, I know every hobby store & train shop in the area. We also had customer's with layout's in their homes (guess who got in trouble for being to long on those job's).If I have learned anything it been how we all come from different walks of life, but come together in a harmonious way, respecting each other's thoughts & opinions, & still managing to smile at the end of our day.[:)][:)][:)] Kind regards to all Steve

[Anonymous]

It certainly has in several ways. My past experience in the construction business has helped me in the planning, bench-work and scratch building aspect. Now my current sales position in a several state territory provides the opportunity to visit many different hobby and train shops. One of the things I really enjoy now that I didn’t before I got involved in the hobby, is taking in the scenery in my travels and getting ideas to incorporate it into my layout.

[Buckeye Riveter]

As a Civil Engineer with a structural background, I can tell the difference between the toy train and the real thing. [;)] In other words, if you really want detail work with the real equipment, track and structures. In the real world we really do count the rivets, i.e. bolts. We coordinate the construction and design with environmental concerns, property ownership, pedestrians, vehicles, commercial establishments, historical sites, utilities above and below ground, and the list just goes on and on.

In fact today, I am writing a proposal for the replacement of a bridge over the tracks. There are issues of train clearance, detours, pedestrians, emergency services, existing reuse of abutments after evaluation, major utilities, and construction vibration. I haven't even seen the geotechnical information and that can always be a nightmare. I'm also looking into the location of nearby schools. So far I don't see any high ground water problems that would make construction costs skyrocket. This is a small project just under $2,000,000. The design should take 18 months or less if environmental or historical matters do not impede the project. It should be open to traffic in 2008. [:0]

So when I state the obvious about knowing the differences, I certainly believe I know the differences. Size does matter. [:D]

[Dr. John]

I can't say that being a minister aids and abets my toy train pasttime - but then again, it doesn't hurt either! I do have a few static train displays in my office which elicit comment from people, which helps the hobby I suppose.

[Roger Bielen]

Though my BS is in chemical engineering my career was in project and facilities engineering. This gave me a lot of experience in the other engineering fields that a Chem E. normally wouldn't have. What also helped is my schooling was pre-CAD and I had to learn mechanical drawing and be able to read/draw a print/plan. I was lucky to also have a more practical, rather than theoretical, education.

[selector]

Hmm. Good question, Dave. I used to be a miliatry psychologist, but I don't see much in that work that assisted me to complete my road. However, my ability to do research and to communicate, afforded to me by my graduate studies, have come in handy on this forum. I guess, too, that I persevered during my career with many problems. Building a 'satisfactory' layout, as I defined it, was as big a challenge as I could muster after retirement. I had to believe in myself, skills not withstanding. That was the case throughout my career, first in the tank corps, and later as a psychologist.

Wait...I just thought of something concrete! Early in my career in the tanks, I was a walking disaster of a map reader. I did get better, though, and it was my appreciation of topography (old tanker's saying, "Tanks don't go where bullrushes grow.") that helped me to design and build a successful mountain with tunnels.

[Dave Farquhar]

My journalism career taught me how to draw something on the computer and print it out before I build it, which wasn't an option when I was into this in the mid 1980s.

My second career as a computer technician taught me some skills like soldering that are useful when trying to bring really old stuff back to life. I deliberately avoid electronics so as to keep my hobby from being too much like my job, though I may eventually add some very simple electronic circuits. And a good technician has to be able to find stuff online, so I find a lot of good stuff on the Web, including crossover stuff from other hobbies, that help.

[tjsprague]

Well, it's said that we'll all have 7 "careers" before we retire, so you could apply different talents;

When I was in avocational high school I was in the electrical department. So I have little knowledge of electricity and wiring.

I decided to be an artist, went to art sc hool. I like to model, and paint quite a bit of the details on my layout.

I'm now in advertising, and I also design web content, (among other mediums) so I've got all the wiz-bang computers and programs at my disposal to design things, and create content for showing off my layout, or selling stock on-line.

Of course, if I went to med school instead of art school, i could hav a layout like Bill Bramlage, or a collection like Paul Wasserman.

...but I'm working on both with my own career path.


...Time to get back to work.

Tim

[jonadel]

Because I would travel to different schools about 18 times a year it allowed me to visit (when available) different hobby shops or more importantly, rail fanning. When I was in college I used to chase fire trucks for pics, my camera was always with me. I haven't chased a fire truck since college but my camera still goes with me whenever I travel. I guess the only thing my job or background really provided was that I do have huge stereo speakers under the table with great music and authentic train sounds on CD's.

Jon

[jkerklo]

Bob, me too.

My efforts as a kid to try to get two trains to run on one track led me to EE and computers. I owe toy trains for a profession that has done well for me for forty years.

Thanks, toy train hobby.

John Kerklo
TCA 94-38455
www.Three-Rail.com

[zwbob]

I don't have a career just a job and it gets in the way of my hobby. I could be home working on the railroad instead of working. Oh well 7 more years till retirement, I hope.

[lionelsoni]

It's the other way around. My interest in Lionel trains as a kid led me into electrical engineering.

[FJ and G]

(Without answering the obvious answer: money and peeks at the forum)

for example, I can see how a civil engineer or electrician would help with electrical work or construction of benchwork. A professional painter might have a nice backdrop, and so on.

In my own case, my profession of web content editor for the Army's homepage doesn't have much bearing on my toy train layout, but my graduate degree and past work in human factors engineering gives me a better eye for ergonomic considerations such as reach, clearance, organization, etc.