Civil engineer, design and project management of construction of wastewater treatment works, looking forward to retirement in two years time to sent more time on construction of a larger layout in a 21X16 area of my garage once I sell off part of a prevoius hobby of restoring a 1967 Lotus Elan FHC sports car.
Mike.
NevinW wrote: What do you do for a living ?...
Norfolk Southern Construction Gang Signalman (soon to be retired !)
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Been around over the road, oilfield, and farm trucks all my life. My dad drove and worked on them. I started out in my teens at a International Harvester truck dealership working the parts counter. After the oil boom went bust, started working in a small shop with my dad for several years, then opened my own shop. Been doing that for the last 16 years.
Retail, sadly . I sell shoes at a major department store chain. I have A+ computer repair certification and an associate's degree, but no one's hiring for full-time and all the contract jobs I'm offered are filled internally the day before I'm scheduled to show up. I just got bumped off commission by my company and am facing a huge dock in pay, so I'm currently job hunting. I want an IT job, but it looks like I'll have to settle for another retail job .
I'm a general contractor/ finish carpenter. Now I specialize in kitchen and bath remodel. Over the course of my 30+ years in the trade I picked the brains of all the old timers from all the affiliated trades to diclose some of their tricks and know how. When younger, I enjoyed residential framing especially rafters, gables and hips. It seems that now I spend most of my time tearing into customers homes to right all the wrongs over the years of poor quality workmanship and materials. This is the only course to take to have straight, square and level walls and floors to build upon. I don't bother with building the cabinets these days. The overhead in shop/ equipment and time involved is not worth it now. I'll let others build the cabs or use quality out the box units.
I still do the occasional stair/ ballastrade, architectral moldings and most favorite -restorations on some of the old homes around Boston.
Custom ceramic tile and stone work is another favorite of mine.
I love my work and as long as I'm physically able will continue to satisfy my customers with quality work
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
I just got back into MRR and I'm 28 years old. I stopped when I was about 15. I took my trains out for my nephew a few months ago and I decided after much enjoyment that I would make a real layout now that I have the patience.
I am a Biologist and Environmental Scientist by training (Bachelor of Science). Right now I work for a Pharma Co in PA. I was in Environmental Consulting for 4 years previously.
pastorbob wrote: Currently semi retired, but serving as pastor of a rural church at Pomona KS. Live in KC, so drive 45 minutes each way.After graduating from seminary and college, I took a small church in Topeka KS area, couldn't live on it, went to work then at Santa Fe GOB in Topeka in 1960, got in on the ground floor of the computer revolution, spend the next years after going to about every IBM school in America working in programming, system design while pastoring small churches. In 1970 went to the Federal Reserve Bank of KC in computers, pastored small churches in KC area, retired from FED on early buyout in 1996, remain pastoring.I grew up in a Santa Fe family, have always loved trains, always had trains from age 6 months.Bob
Currently semi retired, but serving as pastor of a rural church at Pomona KS. Live in KC, so drive 45 minutes each way.
After graduating from seminary and college, I took a small church in Topeka KS area, couldn't live on it, went to work then at Santa Fe GOB in Topeka in 1960, got in on the ground floor of the computer revolution, spend the next years after going to about every IBM school in America working in programming, system design while pastoring small churches. In 1970 went to the Federal Reserve Bank of KC in computers, pastored small churches in KC area, retired from FED on early buyout in 1996, remain pastoring.
I grew up in a Santa Fe family, have always loved trains, always had trains from age 6 months.
Bob
I guessed you were a pastor for some reason
Web designer and site owner since 1998. I now operated 6 sites which, cumulatively, are viewed by about 450,000 folks and serve over 10 million webpages per day. I'm sure some here are familiar with at least one of them. :)
im a carpenter by trade now, I use to do bodywork for a living and to leave for medical reason.
Here is my projects I just finished.
I work at a university-affiliated research lab. My official job title is "Database Administrator", but I'm actually a business software developer - at least that is what I do to keep myself busy, while making sure our systems stay online. I hope to retire from here in 15 years. The pay is pretty decent, but I'm in a high-cost-of-living region (central Maryland) and also paying for all my kids' educations. That pretty much devours most of my would-be model railroading budget.
I'm afraid if I depended on mrr-related work as a source of income, I'd quickly lose interest in doing it as a hobby.
-Ken in Maryland (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)
I am an IT Geek for a large bank here in Columbus, Ohio. Hobbies include, Railfan, model railrading in HO, learning how to build from scratch, HAM Radio, Classic arcade gamming (MAME), Electronics, and trying to make stuff I see in MAKE Magazine http://www.makezine.com/
Question: What does medically retired mean?
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
Truck Driver / Delivery Driver for a local milk company based in Pennsy and I work out of one of their plants here in Delaware. Aww the heck with it you can call me the milk man lol. It's not a bad job and I really like it for the most part but if something better were to come along I might jump on it. Would love to open a nice size hobby shop if I could but have to many other things to worry about right now. I love to drive trucks in general and if u do ur job the boss dosent have one thing to say to u except hi or bye which i like... lol but would love to try other things. Things i have done in the past... Safety inspector, Quality Control inspector at a concrete plant, have dabbled in H/vac, electrical, and plumbing with a general contractor, worked parts counter for a local RV dealership, and Batch plant Operator for another concrete plant.
I am a software engineer. I plan to retire in about 2 years and then start a larger layout.
Enjoy
Paul
Dave Vollmer wrote:I'm a Major in the United States Air Force. I'm a weather officer.Right now I'm assigned to NC State University. I'm in my third (and final) year of my PhD in atmospheric science (specifically dynamic meteorology).Next year I'll be reassigned to Headquarters Air Force Weather Agency, Offutt AFB, NE.Here's me at work (before I pinned on Major) over Baghdad in 2003:
I'm a Major in the United States Air Force. I'm a weather officer.
Right now I'm assigned to NC State University. I'm in my third (and final) year of my PhD in atmospheric science (specifically dynamic meteorology).
Next year I'll be reassigned to Headquarters Air Force Weather Agency, Offutt AFB, NE.
Here's me at work (before I pinned on Major) over Baghdad in 2003:
Thanks for your service to our country Dave!
Ed aka TheK4Kid
I'm a local truck driver, presently disbaled due to a broken left foot, hopefully I'll be out of this "walking cast" soon,that I'm in right now.The good news is I can now get into my basement to work on my hobbies, and my PRR HO freelanced layout is making some progress again.Thanks to all of the great people on these forums who have helped me with questions I have had.If I get some time, I'll take some pictures, and post them, and I'll have some more questions soon.
I am also a private pilot and enjoy flying.I own and fly a vintage 1946 Ercoupe, which is undergoing the final stages of restoration at this time.I also build and fly RC airplanes, mostly sailplanes( gliders) and like the bigger ones, from 8 to 14 feet in wingspan.
I find everyone I have traded posts with on these forums to be a really enjoyable bunch of folks!
Driline wrote: sfrailfan wrote: Driline wrote: Please Tell me jobs for this field are lucrative and that he will NOT be spending the next 10 years of his life living in my basement working at Wal-Mart passing out smiley faces.IOWA!!! I have friends here in NYC from Iowa. Well, the ultimate answer is good, this is an industry where once you get outta college you have to kinda make your own way. But there are some must dos to be successful:Don't try to start your own design firm off the bat...1. Pay your dues... it's partly a learning experience; as necessary as college is the first job or two become kinda like grad school. Tell your son to STOW THE IGO AND NOT TO BE AFRAID TO LEARN. This industry is now flooded with premaddonas... everyone thinks thery are the best.1a Learn to take critisim by a. observing where it comes from, if this person doesn't know what they are talking about: disregard them b. If they do know their stuff: take the advice c. In either case if the person is outwardly rude: feel sorry for them2. Although production is very boring, it MUST be mastered. Be aware that unless your son intends on doing production forever (there's nothing wrong with that) be sure he does not get pigon-holed into this.3. The bigger cash is usually near the cities but this is not a rule.4. As in all industries be aware of those that want to take advantage, again this can be a learning experience.5. Finally YES, as long as he is at least half way talented and interviews well he can expect $35,000-55,000 to start depending on whats available in your area. Start finding that out now.DanZVISIONThanks for the info. In that case I'll go ahead and rent his room out. (More money for the trainlayout).He was an honor student in engineering and dropped out because he was bored.So, you can see my frustration after he changed his major to "Graphic Design". His artistic skills are excellent and he has won local college awards for his endeavors, so I guess I'll give him a small break.
sfrailfan wrote: Driline wrote: Please Tell me jobs for this field are lucrative and that he will NOT be spending the next 10 years of his life living in my basement working at Wal-Mart passing out smiley faces.IOWA!!! I have friends here in NYC from Iowa. Well, the ultimate answer is good, this is an industry where once you get outta college you have to kinda make your own way. But there are some must dos to be successful:Don't try to start your own design firm off the bat...1. Pay your dues... it's partly a learning experience; as necessary as college is the first job or two become kinda like grad school. Tell your son to STOW THE IGO AND NOT TO BE AFRAID TO LEARN. This industry is now flooded with premaddonas... everyone thinks thery are the best.1a Learn to take critisim by a. observing where it comes from, if this person doesn't know what they are talking about: disregard them b. If they do know their stuff: take the advice c. In either case if the person is outwardly rude: feel sorry for them2. Although production is very boring, it MUST be mastered. Be aware that unless your son intends on doing production forever (there's nothing wrong with that) be sure he does not get pigon-holed into this.3. The bigger cash is usually near the cities but this is not a rule.4. As in all industries be aware of those that want to take advantage, again this can be a learning experience.5. Finally YES, as long as he is at least half way talented and interviews well he can expect $35,000-55,000 to start depending on whats available in your area. Start finding that out now.DanZVISION
Driline wrote: Please Tell me jobs for this field are lucrative and that he will NOT be spending the next 10 years of his life living in my basement working at Wal-Mart passing out smiley faces.
Please Tell me jobs for this field are lucrative and that he will NOT be spending the next 10 years of his life living in my basement working at Wal-Mart passing out smiley faces.
Thanks for the info. In that case I'll go ahead and rent his room out. (More money for the trainlayout).
He was an honor student in engineering and dropped out because he was bored.
So, you can see my frustration after he changed his major to "Graphic Design". His artistic skills are excellent and he has won local college awards for his endeavors, so I guess I'll give him a small break.
Retired Firefighter. 7 years Municipal, 23 years Airfield Crash/Rescue.
CHUCK
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Retired USN weather forecaster/analyst/flight briefer. Have done several things since retiring - repaired copiers, drove 18wheelers (belly dumps off road no CDL required) and ran my own pilot car company for about 4 years.
I currently work as a dispatcher for transient aircraft at Hill AFB (Dave, if you are ever at Hill stop into the TA shack and say hi! Its right next to the WX office).
George
"And the sons of Pullman porters and the sons of engineers ride their father's magic carpet made of steel..."
Ted Marshall wrote:What the heck just happened? What happened to Jeff's tirade toward Dave Vollmer? I went to post a reply, but got an error?
Looks like I went to bed too soon last night... I missed the fireworks!
I don't see Jeff leveling a tirade against anyone, so I would have been suspicious. Jeff and I have both suffered through being stationed at Fort "Puke" (Polk), there near Leesville, LA.
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.