Hobby involvement

[Bergie]

How has your involvement in model railroading changed over the past 12 months? Vote then share your comments below.

Polls on Trains.com are not scientific and reflect only the opinions of the users who have chosen to participate. The results cannot be assumed to represent the opinions of Internet users in general, the readers of our magazines, nor the public as a whole. Bottom line, our polls are meant for fun and to stimulate conversation amongst our forum users.

[vsmith]

considering that my hobby room only had half the number of trains in it last year, I guess that counts as an increase.

[Anonymous]

[font=Comic Sans MS]When I was younger, maybe 10-15 I loved "playing with my trains". My Grandfather actually helped me build "our" first layout, but after he passed away and I got my Liscence the interest was nearly forgotten. Over the years of driving (I'm now an elderly 19 years of age) the interest started to turn to simple bordom, I drove to school and home, now to work and home. Once the money started coming in from my job the interested started as well. An old flame has been rekindled (sp?) I'm currently working on a track plan and I've since scouted online for some ideas for my benchwork.

[Anonymous]

Stayed the same. Model Training every waking moment

[Bergie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

considering that my hobby room only had half the number of trains in it last year, I guess that counts as an increase.

That'a boy! [:D]

[preceng]

Been reading more. I discovered this site. Been to more shows. And oh, ya, expanded my layout.

[AggroJones]

Decreased a bit, Because of lack of funds.

[Hawks05]

Sky Rocketed

thats because i'm just starting. hopefully it will keep growing and growing and growing.

[eastcoast]

It was ONE year ago, that my wife and I stumbled upon a house to buy,
OUR FIRST ( NO MORE RENT !!!) I jumped at the opportunity to JUMP
right into getting my layout up again without a moment to spare. No
sooner did we sign the papers and move boxes was I drafting the plan
and pounding out benchwork. MAJOR INCREASE I would say. I love my
trains. I go to work and have trains on the brain all day during my shift.
I have been LEARNING AND TEACHING myself everything I can all over
again just to be good at what I do. Someday, I WANNA BE IN THE ISSUE
OF G M R or M R P with my layout. I am striving toward that goal everyday,
I do a little work when I can. I become a better model railroader and practice
new skills that I read about from others who show their work. Model Railroading
is my blood, I bleed lube and goo gone. So, just remember this, someday while
you are flipping through the latest MR , I am the EAST COAST RAILWAYS .
KEN_ECR

[brothaslide]

My involvement has moved to being an "arm chair modeler". The reason? Lack of cash my friend.

[Anonymous]

With a renewed interest in the hobby my involvement has increased 100%. About 8 months ago I started checking into starting up the hobby again. 6 months ago I got a copy of Right Track and started designing a layout. After 3 months and 20+ changes to my original plan idea I started building the layout. I have been building/working on the layout now for about 3 months or so and have the bench work, sub-roadbed and the 2 return loops complete. Working within a small buget the layout is going slowly. When I'm not in the garage working on the layout I'm inside working on the electronics and/or building the structures that I will have on the layout.

I've decided to go DC with control panel. With an interest in electronic projects my control panel is push button electronics with LEDs to indicate which cab has control of a block and which way a turnout is set.

I love this hobby!

[Anonymous]

Seeing as how November is Model Railroad month, All of us in South Jersey, South Eastern Pennsylvania, Northern Delaware and North Eastern Maryland have been busy preparing our railroads for visitation. There are different railroads open through out the month. Every one is welcome.

[bluepuma]

I lost heart this past year with bad equipment, N scale UP FA1/FB1 with one ticking run noise, F1B that doesn't run, draws power/short, but a NYC FA2/FB2 is fine, my SP SD50 loco set drags the rear on the track out of box, the other started squeal, sounds like coming from the truck, my two new SD70 won't stay coupled to each other on the 11 rad. loop, after waiting months to get them, decided I don't like how they look compared to SP, ATSF or UP. My N scale PCC came with the wheels falling off as lifted out of it's box, and I can't get/buy what I REALLY wanted for my mid 50's SP/ATSF layout. Not enough room for staging in my small room without hidden double deck being a real pain to build, I just want to get the layout up so I can do the buildings and run trains, but no wall gives me even a 7 ft run, and no place to park a 8-12 car passenger train without breaking it up into 2-3 sections. Thus, my last models were non powered 1/50th PCC, 1/18 '56 Chrysler, 1/24th 42 ' Plymouth, Chevy Aerosedan fordor. - display at work! If I don't get the layout going soon... I'll try another hobby

[Supermicha]

it stayed the same. so many nice new locos were coming out last year, so the interested is already there and will ever be!

[fndbke]

this time last year we were planning our annual deployment from storgae boxes to a circle around the Xmas tree. Since then we have enclosed a 30x18 space in our basement, built benchwork, laid 225 ft of O track, completed extensive wiring, and started on scenery and buildings. I'd say we've increased! It is great when your spouse has as much fun as you do!

[walthuston]

My modeling has increased as I prepare to have my layout on tour and in the National Train Show in July 2004, as part of the National Model Railroad Association's PSX 2004 Convention in the Seattle, Washington area. Just last week I turned 9 undecorated cabooses into Aberdeen, Tacoma & Spanaway Forrest working models. There's nothing like being on a layout tour and/or being in the National Train Show to get a body moving. Even though I was in GMR 2003, there's much more to do to get ready for the big show.

[Anonymous]

Since I moved from Indiana to Arizona in September, all my time had been devoted to the art of relocation (selling the house, packing household items, and dismantling the pike). This next year should see a dramatic increase.

[h42man]

My model RR activity has increased in the last year. I am now retired and have lots of spare time. I've been a model RRr for 55 years, bldg small layouts, buying kits, etc and trying to find time to play while raising a family and pursuing a career. Now I have time but have trouble seeing that fine detail, my back hurts, my legs hurt. But what the heck, I do have the time.
h42man

[Anonymous]

Decreased because of a new babay boy! Will so increase because of an excuse to buy him more trains (not that I needed one...)

Richard Macclesfield UK

[cterriers]

With the unemployment being what it is here in the midwest, I have had more time to work on the layout but less money to spend. At least with this hobby there is always something to work on.

[conford]

It has increased. For me, Tony Koester's book on operation has been an inspiration. His message: "get your railroad running so you can begin operations." I found both the quick-start guide" and the shortcuts to operation sections especially useful because they gave me permission to quit envisioning the perfect layout I'm going to build "someday" and start working on what I have now. Other factors include: my hobby shop _gave_ me some old NS fiber tie track (for temporary staging only!) and my children are a bit older now and I can get down to the basement some evenings.

The layout's still in process, but now I have a mainline run, instead of empty benchwork. Thanks Tony, thanks Charlie and thanks family.

Peter
conford

[coachayers]

With Walthers new passenger cars coming out in HO scale, my interest is slowly shifting to passenger operations. Where my new layout ( waiting for the basement to be finished) was going to be freight oriented, I am now planning a 4-6 track stub passenger station. Freight will still be there, but the Proto 200- engines and Walthers cars will be the showpiece.

Bob

[Anonymous]

I finally started on the large scale HO layout I promised myself. I have also added to my fleet of steam locomotives a Rivarossi 'Big Boy', a Brawa 2-8-4, a Life-Like 0-4-0 and a Roundhouse 'Shay'. I have also added four Bachman sight-seeing passenger coaches.

[tomwatkins]

I've maintained the same high level of interest, but now I have a lot more time! I retired at the end of May and it's wonderful. I'm getting lots of things done on the railroad including both new construction and fixing or changing some things that I wasn't happy with. Radiuses on some curves are being increased, some curved turnouts are being replaced with ones with larger frog numbers and staging is being increased. I'm having a ball!

Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

After having retired from the fire service after 46 years, and having heart
surgery a couple years ago, I now have time to devote to my layout, and
improving my skills

[Anonymous]

Increased. This past year I was the Chair that put on the Pensacola Model Railraod Show. First show in over 25 years here. We had great success and are now in the planning stages for the 2nd Annual. The club is growing and the N-Trak modules are multipling.

[pjg0144]

I've been an arm chair model railroader for many years. When on business trips and long assignments away from my family I would spend my time drawing possible model layouts. I measured each room in the house that might me used, including the family room. Kept me occupied.

Now that I'm retired in Ft. Myers, FL, I have joined the local model rr club, Scale Rails of Southwest Florida, a 100% NMRA member club. I have been to many clinics and shows, and am now planning my first layout. I'm also looking forward to working with the other club members as we design and build a new layout in our new clubhouse that we just bought this summer. The layout will have over 1000 feet of mainline track, and I'm very sure that I will learn a great deal about model rr by doing, under the tutilage of experienced modelers.[8D]

[Anonymous]

My involvment has increased, but only because the previous year it had been zero. After 20+ years in the same house and the same job, and a year of running the local NMRA clinic, I moved last year to start in a PhD program. I had to tear down the old layout (24' x 11') and put everything in boxes. The boxes stayed in a closet in the new house until this past summer, when I started working on a modular, around-the-walls shelf layout - HO scale. The first module is done - 5' x 16". It's quite a change. I also joined a local club. It was tough to have a year as an armchair modeler, but everything's working out well. Change is good.

[Anonymous]

After selling my last layout on ebay before my wife and I moved, I now have the huge basement I always dreamed of-now all I have to do is live long enought to make something of it!

[bruce22]

retired 2 yrs ago, relocated to a milder clime 1yr ago, built layout #5 this past year, now spend on average, about 2-4 hrs daily railroading