Does anybody get this way also?

[JeremyB]

Hey guys

lately I have not been feeling like working on the layout at all ( or building kits for that matter ) does anybody else feel like this from time to time? last time this happend was in march and was not back working on the layout for 4 months..

hope to hear some thoughts

Jeremy

[selector]

This came up in May, I think, and someone stated that he was in the doldrums and couldn't get motivated by his layout, or even model trains in general. Some of us counselled him to actually give it up for a while, maybe even a year or two. Sometimes we need a break. If you get sick of chocolate, you stop eating it, don't you? Same here.

Tidy up in that space, maybe place a dust sheet over your tracks, and close the door behind you on the way out. Pick up that book you've always wanted to read. Painting exterior doors and their frames is a good investment this time of year (it's what I'm doing between visits here). My guess is, by mid-October you'll have a healthy hankering to get back at it. If not, don't sweat it...wait it out.

One thing that did come up loud and clear on that discussion thread....do NOT sell anything!!! Several guys joined the discussion lamenting that they had gotten so fed up with toy trains that they sold all or most of their stuff and were now regretting it.

[JeremyB]

its not a feeling of I want to get out of the hobby, just I have done ALOT on the layout lately and I thinks its catching up to me,lol

Jeremy

[ARTHILL]

I felt that way for 22 years. Now that I'm back its better than ever. I took a short break a couple weeks ago, kept walking by and pretty soon needed a place to hunt pheasants. The canyon will wait while I plant the corn, cut it and get some plowed. Getting pheasants is as hard as in full scale. It got me going. Who knows, it is a hobby you know.

[DrummingTrainfan]

I had felt that way for a while. Then I discovered this forum and much inspiration for new projects.

[Anonymous]

I feel that way every time I go to the layout room. But, I pull myself up, and kitbash, build kits, and carry on with normal model railraoding activities.

Problem is, I have way too much junk.

uspscsx

[camarokid]

More and more lately. But that's because everything my wife doesn't want or need right away goes on the train table. All the junk on it just makes it that much harder for me to really get going. It has to stop soon because the urge is becoming to great to ignore much longer. Sometime in the next few months the junk is going to be gone and I'm will tear down half of my layout and build it back the way I should have 30 years ago but didn't know it. When I found this forum, all my thoughts and energy went into reading all the posts that interested me and replying. It soon became all I wanted to do and my wife noticed I was spending too much time here and then proceeded to let me know that she knew. Then she asked why and I told her, "with all your stuff on my table, I have no interest." That was in March 05. In October the building and removal of stuff will begin in earnest. You too will get the bug again and will be surprised at how much you missed the fun. It will also be easier to do the job that might have turned you off in the first place.
Ain't it great!!
Archie
PS, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who gets this way

[loathar]

You MUST seek professional help immediately!!! If caught in it's early stages, this dread illness need not be life threatening!!!

[Anonymous]

Quick, where the nearest professional doctor, loathar?

[swg]

uspscsx

[dieselfan04]

I never get burned out in fact, I wish I had more time to work on the layout. I divide my time between working on the railroad, scratchbuilding, detailing and upgrading diesels. The most I go between work sessions is about two days.
The best way I keep interest is when one part gets boring and repetious, I change up and work on another project.

[lesterperry]

Stop working on it and run some trains. Time for a change. I find that sometimes I get so caught up in working on my layout I forget to enjoy why I built it to begin with I LIKE TRAINS.

[MisterBeasley]

Yes, you need professional help. Fortunately, it's as close as your LHS. Think about it. You could go to a shrink, who would charge you $100 and a week later you would have to go back and give him (or her, no sexism here) another $100. At your LHS, you could give him (or her) a hundred, and you would have a new locomotive, or a ton of track, or some rolling stock and maybe a building or two! Fear of driving? No problem! That new locomotive, rolling stock, track or building is only a few keystrokes and a credit card away!

Seriously, I found that the blahs used to be cured with a new record album. That's when music came on vinyl, and cost $2.40, or $2.60 if you wanted stereo. This week, I found some barely-used (like new) Proto 2000's at my LHS. It's like old times, man. Batteries recharged, I laid down what seems like an acre of 2-inch pink foam, and tomorrow I'll be up early (well, early for me) and ready to lay roadbed and track.

[Anonymous]

I get this way every now and then. I think everyone does. My solution (I'm sure it's not the same for everyone) is to keep on pluggin away. I always work myself out of the funk.

[Anonymous]

My level went down with the heat, even though the layout is in the basement, it was muggy and hot so the fun just wasn't there. Once we fixed the central air, well actually turned it on, last year it acted up, this year fine, I found mydelf back and interested.

I think Terry from MR summed it up about me, when school is starting is when it feels right.

[BMRR]

I've got burned out working on the train " room ". Been putting up new trim, trying to get ready to paint. I know if I don't get the room finished, I can't start my layout.

Stan.

[TrainFreak409]

Like anything, you may need a break from it every once in a while. I haven't experienced this for myself yet, since I haven't started a layout. But, like said above, take some time to run your trains, and reap the benefits of what you have completed so far.

[jfugate]

For me, there are so many different areas of things I can work on in the hobby, it doesn't get boring.

Want to ballast some track? Want to weather some cars? How about make some trees? Or install some decoders and loco lights? Or paint some backdrop? The list goes on and on.

One thing I do to motivate me is host regular monthly operating sessions. I know if the guys are coming in a couple weeks, I'd better get off my fanny and work on the layout, so I'll have something new to show them! [swg]

[Anonymous]

I'm just coming off a 3-4 month break from working on the layout, which I mainly took because the layout is in a spare bedroom in the top back corner of the house, and the air conditioning doesn't quite cut it up there when the outside temps are hovering in the 90s like they have been. But that hasn't stopped me from continuing to shop eBay and HobbiesUSA to keep building my rolling stock collection. [:D]

Actually started working on the layout again this weekend, since I had to drag out all my woodworking stuff to build some cabinet doors for She-who-must-be-obeyed. Figured since I had it out anyway, I might as well use it to start cutting up those two 4x4 pieces of plywood that have been laying around since May...

[mcouvillion]

I like having my train room where I can close the door and no one else goes in there. I have "walked away" for up to 4 months and been able to pick up what I had been working on. I find that sometimes my "muse" is not on my shoulder and to try to force myself to work on something always results in disappointment. But, when the muse is there, watch out, 'cause I can get some very interesting things done in short order. Right now I'm not in the mood, and I have a couple of projects that need finishing, but I will just wait 'till the time's right, then they will go fast and as they should.

Mark C.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JeremyB

Hey guys

lately I have not been feeling like working on the layout at all ( or building kits for that matter ) does anybody else feel like this from time to time? last time this happend was in march and was not back working on the layout for 4 months..

hope to hear some thoughts

Jeremy

Yes, I think I am getting burned out. Also, school has started, so you guys may not see much of me for a couple weeks until i get settled in to the routine...

[Hawks05]

I wouldn't say it's not wanting to do anything on my layout. It's just that I'm going to school in a week and right now I have a lot of stuff I want to/need to get done before I leave for school. Most likely including putting all my cars and locomotives back in boxes. Grabbing the stuff I need to make kits, my new (old) tackle box that I got from my friend and her parents for my birthday and of course kits. Today was my last day of work so tomorrow after I get done hitting up at the field with one of my friends I might come home and find a picture of an Illinois Central boxcar that I can try and use as a prototype for weathering and what not. There is so much I want to do and when I get a second of free time I'm usually to tired and don't feel like doing it. I'd rather relax and play NCAA Football or work on my computer making a moive of all my pictures or something like that. Maybe down at college I'll have some time to put some kits together.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hawks05

...Maybe down at college I'll have some time to put some kits together.

PFFFFFF. HAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

MWAAAAH HAAAAAH HAAAAAH HAAAAAH

HEEEE HEEEE HEEEE HEEEE

Sorry man - I couldn't resist. College is the best. Enjoy it, and get smart.

[Anonymous]

From what I've heard it's normal for people to not work on their layout from about April until October. The reason why is because people during the summer want to go on vacations and have all kinds of activites going on, so if you don't feel like working on your layout right now (August) then go do something else for a while. Especially with it being EXTREMELY HOT, our thermometer was registering 116 Degree F about a couple of weeks ago, so with it this hot no body is going to feel like doing anything on their layouts. Wait until it cools off outside and there are no more outside activites to do, then go down to the basement or wherever your layout is and start playing around with it, don't make yourself think you have to get this done or that done, just do whatever you want to at that time. I personally think a good time to start working on the layout is September when the temps. go down to about 80 degree F. Also, if you don't feel like doing Model Railroading at all, then don't force yourself to work on the layout because you'll just be miserable and get to the point where you'll give it up completely, if you're not in the mood for it right now then do something else for a little while. For example, here lately I haven't felt much like working on my board so I've been doing a lot of reading and research on the 1999 Conrail merger and I've been doing a lot of reading in my Model Railroaders and doing lots of planning for the layout.

[Rotorranch]

I have to admit, I haven't even been in the train room for almost 4 years until a few months ago. So I'm a little "out of the loop". My time the last few years has been taken up with opening and running my Hobby Shop/ Slot Car Raceway. It's been a nearly 24/7 deal since we finally opened in 2002, and I really didn't have the energy to work on the trains.

A few months ago, The Kid started bugging me about running trains again, so we started clearing out the accumulation of stuff that had gotten stored in the train room. We had started to stock train stuff at the Hobby Shop, and I guess that piqued his interest again, as it did mine. So we got back to it.

The thing is, you have to have interest in the hobby. When I got away from it, I had been spending most all my free time working on, or running my trains, for almost 10 years. I think my hiatus has increased my interest in the hobby.

Anyway, it's taken me over 40 years to get to where I am at this point, ( my Phase 1 Subdivision is on the same piece of plywood that I started on so many years ago ) so maybe in another 40 years I may actually be satisfied with where I am on my layout.

On second thought, that'll never happen. A layout is NEVER finished!

In conclusion, if you are feeling burned out, step away for a bit. Go fishing, clear your head, take a vacation. You'll still have stuff to do on your layout when you get back, and may have new ideas to try.

It's like riding a bicycle...you never forget how!

When the time comes, you can go back with the same vigor you had when you started!

Rotor

[dgwinup]

I'm glad everyone has contributed their thoughts on this. Makes me feel a little bit better.
I took a short break from model railroading that lasted nearly 25 years. I had been working on an N gauge layout that occupied about 1/3 of my 25 x 40 basement. Then we moved.....
Even though there was space in an outbuilding, I never put anything together at that house, even though I was there for 10 years.
Then I got divorced. And moved again pretty quickly. For several years, I thought that my ex had taken the trains, so I didn't keep up on the hobby very much.
Then I met someone who made a real difference in my life. She also had 3 sons who were adults (or close enough). Still my interest in the hobby was not re-newed.
Then the oldest boy had two sons of his own. What was that passing thought? Kids naturally love trains. I started planning. And found most of my old trains where I had carefully stored them, forgotten in the basement.
When the grandsons were 4 and 8, the bug really bit again. Even though I could have enjoyed a layout over that 25 year period, it wouldn't have been enough to keep me interested.
So the plan was to build a small layout to re-sharpen my hobby skills and at some point turn it over to the boys. In the back bedroom, I built a 30" x 48" layout using John Allen's original 4' x 8' layout plan, slightly modified. I used foam for the entire layout base (placed on top of an old kitchen table), plaster-soaked towels with cast plaster rock outcroppings. The curves were too tight and the grades were too steep for anything except short trains, but it was MY layout for the first time in 25 years. It was up and running in a few months, and presentable by the middle of the year. By the end of the year, another 30" x 40" extension was added to make an "L" shaped layout.
A thought struck me. Since my partner and I were now 'empty nesters', we didn't really need the fourth bedroom in the basement. A new plan was forming - the DREAM layout in 12' x 16' and in N gauge! I was drooling with anticipation. And reading every modeling magazine I could get my hands on.
Then the youngest son got divorced and moved back in. Where? You guessed it - my DREAM layout room! Plans on hold.
But the DREAM was still alive, and the grandsons were still prime targets for inheriting my little layout.
Sadly, although the grandsons like going to train shows with me, they didn't develop as much interest as I would have hoped.
Then the yougest son got remarried.....and had a son! Another chance! I carefully plotted how to properly expose my newest grandson to trains in order to foster an interest that I could encourage (spoil) him with. I needn't have bothered. HE WAS A NATURAL TRAIN-A-HOLIC!!!
He's only 3 years old now, so it will be a while before he develops the motor skills to handle electric trains. In the meantime, I am working on a wooden railroad layout for him. And planning for that DREAM layout again, only this time, it will be in a first floor bedroom. Smaller (11' x 13'), but closer to my partner who is now partially disabled. All I have to do is move the old layout (preferably to my granson's house), find a new space for the computer, build new bookshelves for my magazine collection (I got my hands on quite a few!), and organize the whole house in the process. Maybe build a garage, I don't know.
The point of all this is that it's okay to take a break. I don't recommend 25 years, but a few months can do wonders for you.
I have been blessed with a Father who instilled in me a love of trains, a partner who tolerates my addiction (most of the time), a house with enough room to have a great layout, an inheritance that provides an adequate income, and a grandson who loves trains! God has REALLY been good to me.
Take a break, come back when you are ready, and be as blessed as I have been. It's a great hobby for a lifetime and a great life for the hobby.

Darrell, obviously not being quiet enough, but will be.......for now