I have had my share of medical issues. I won't go into all the gory details. One in particular however will present some challenges when I get to building my layout. I had part of my spine fused in 2009 which has reduced my ability to rotate and flex my back by about 35%. That means that getting up from a prone position close to the floor is a major challenge. Getting down there is no problem at all thanks to gravity. In order to deal with that I am thinking of building my layout deck in small sections, kind of like doing a freemo but without the legs. The scenicing will be done afterwards because reaching over things is OK, at least for reasonable periods. Wiring will be ala Lion with everything to the front, although there will have to be some separation between the main buss wires and the rest of the spagetti.
All I have to do now is wait for my son to move out. I was thinking of getting his girlfriend an empty wedding photo album for her birthday!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Although I am not quite a senior yet, I have developed a bad knee (too much weekend warrior house maintenance) and really bad eye sight due working on computers (software testing) over the last several decades. I have found that I have tendency of accidentally breaking off small detailed pieces from locomotives and rolling stock. I found a great solution to my issues; buy lesser detailed locomotives and freight cars! I love the newer Walthers Mainline, Atlas Trainman and Athearn RTR products. If I take off my glasses, I can't tell the difference between these products and the highend stuff! Heck I even save alot of money too!
I'm 68 now and I retired at the end of last year. I have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and now Type 2 diabetes, all of which are being treated with "old man pills." My doctor said I need to get 45 minutes of exercise every day. He said a brisk walk would be fine. So, I've been going out for 2 hours of either road bike or mountain bike every day.
Y'know what? I feel younger. Part of it is not having the drag of getting up too early each morning and sitting at a desk all day. Instead, I'm getting lots of fresh air and exercise, and eating better, too. I'm losing weight and I've recovered some of my lost quickness in my weekly hockey game.
Remember the words of the great philosopher, Yogi Berra. "Ninety percent of this game is half mental." It's something like The Little Engine That Could, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
farrellaa OK, technically speaking I've been a senior for 19 years (turned 74 last week) and it is finally beginning to dawn on me that I am that old. Actually, a lot of things are dawining on be; eyesight (keeping 8-10 pair of various strength glasses around the house, layout and computer helps), knees (shattered one knee cap years ago but it keeps reminding me!), back (3 degenerative discs and 5 years of chiropractor visists), and now I am trying to keep up with my 5 year old great grandson (but he loves trains as much as I do!). I realized that my craftsmanship and painting skills aren't as good as I thought when I see them on the computer, magnified 10 times. So I lower my standards in finishing the layout; some things are just OK that a few years ago I wouldn't have passed inspection. I am about to try my hand at building a curved turnout to replace a straight one that is located in the middle of a very large sweeping curve (probably 6-8 feet in radius). I hope my eyes and hands are with me on this one, it is the last turnout that needs repair/replacement. I can still do most tasks, they are just a little more demanding on me. But as others have mentioned, I do get up each morning and that is a good thing. Old age has one benefit; we know what we should have done back when we thought we knew what we should do! As my avitar byline says: Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans! -Bob
OK, technically speaking I've been a senior for 19 years (turned 74 last week) and it is finally beginning to dawn on me that I am that old. Actually, a lot of things are dawining on be; eyesight (keeping 8-10 pair of various strength glasses around the house, layout and computer helps), knees (shattered one knee cap years ago but it keeps reminding me!), back (3 degenerative discs and 5 years of chiropractor visists), and now I am trying to keep up with my 5 year old great grandson (but he loves trains as much as I do!).
I realized that my craftsmanship and painting skills aren't as good as I thought when I see them on the computer, magnified 10 times. So I lower my standards in finishing the layout; some things are just OK that a few years ago I wouldn't have passed inspection. I am about to try my hand at building a curved turnout to replace a straight one that is located in the middle of a very large sweeping curve (probably 6-8 feet in radius). I hope my eyes and hands are with me on this one, it is the last turnout that needs repair/replacement. I can still do most tasks, they are just a little more demanding on me. But as others have mentioned, I do get up each morning and that is a good thing. Old age has one benefit; we know what we should have done back when we thought we knew what we should do! As my avitar byline says: Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans!
-Bob
Thankfully, we are not all old and decrepit. I am 70 years old and have been blessed with good health. I have been color blind, near-sighted and occasionally shaky all my life. A couple of years ago I had hernia operations, so I try not to do heavy lifting any more. Fortunately the heaviest thing I encounter building my railroad empire is lugging in sheets of ¾ inch plywood (haul in 2 sheets and go take a nap). No I do not have the energy or stamina that I used to have, so when the “old person” shows up I go take a nap.
Unlike people I know who are madly trying to get their model railroads ready for visitors during the Portland NMRA national convention, I don’t have a deadline or a schedule. This is a hobby of a lifetime and I’m retired; I don’t want PERT charts, critical paths, schedules, deliverables, meetings, briefings, project and budget reviews ever again.
Model railroading is fun, interesting and a challenge to my skills and creativity. It is a great answer to the question of “What am I going to do in retirement?” (Another good answer, that is free, is to check out books at a public library.)
Grinnell
Grinell,
Reading this " I don’t want PERT charts, critical paths, schedules, deliverables, meetings, briefings, project and budget reviews ever again. " sent a shiver down my back.
I remeber those "bad" old days oh so well - and all those wasted hours in meetings to decide we need more meetings :-)
So I was happy to reflect that I now have time to go and fiddle with my layout to my hearts content and not have to worry. Of course, the layout brings it's own problems but they are fun to deal with and no deadlines - no TPS reports to complete.
Chris.
Loco Guy - is a state of mind - not an affinity to locomotives.
Sit back and enjoy your track...
LOCO_GUY Grinell, Reading this " I don’t want PERT charts, critical paths, schedules, deliverables, meetings, briefings, project and budget reviews ever again. " sent a shiver down my back. I remeber those "bad" old days oh so well - and all those wasted hours in meetings to decide we need more meetings :-) So I was happy to reflect that I now have time to go and fiddle with my layout to my hearts content and not have to worry. Of course, the layout brings it's own problems but they are fun to deal with and no deadlines - no TPS reports to complete.
Yes, the endless meetings where the only real work done was power point presentations.
Prepared me well for retirement. That is I have no desire to go back!
Happily retired 5 years now. (I'm 68).
Enjoy
Paul
Sixty nine and a half now & no plans to stop counting any time soon. Surgery started with an emergency tracheotomy and pneumonia in childhood. A couple broken bones as I grew up. Then two back surgeries, replaced both hips (not at the same time, thank you), had a knee arthroscopy and a bit of carpentry work on my spine. Do you want to know about my teeth? I didn't think so. The more new parts I get, the better I get.
Chuck, the hip replacements were among the smartest things I ever did. But be sure to do ALL YOUR EXERCISES. Saying "I can't" is a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Modeling gets more challenging, but I've always loved studying RR history even when I'm not building models. I go at a pace that's comfortable and satisfying. After all, I'm the only one I'm out to please in my hobby time.
Tom
When are we seniors?
Tradition says that when we reached 65 and draw Social Security or even 60 as many use to retire early. It’s hard to believe that when Social Security started more people died before reaching 65 than those that lived.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
I suppose I'm lucky, at now 77, the only operation I had was a circumcision. My plans are to keep playng with the choo choos until rubber bag time. This... I have found to be my fountain of youth............model trains.
I officially retired in 1987 and went directly into model railroading....hobbiest, brass dealer, show promoter, author, custom layout and structure builder plus a few whatevers. Obviously I'll soon become decripit, but since I'm only "cripit" now, I plan on extensinve model railroading activitiy. I'm presently working on six new additions to my pike, and enjoying every minute of it.
My dad years back suffered a serious of really bad strokes, but again buiding O scale car and loco kits, brought life and much happiness back into his life. I learned a lot from this.
Great thread for us old codgers.............
HZ
I hear you guys and Im in the over the hill club to. I thank God he has let me live for as long as I have. As a pastor,I keep busy preaching on Sunday and on Thursdays at the nursing home. I love my model trains and still find time to run and work on my n scale and ho scale layouts.Remember guys,one day at a time. May God Bless.
All those reflexes, good vision, steady hands and energy wasted on the young.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
A couple of thoughts on coping with under layout stuff-----I use a padded mechanic's creeper to get around. It is comfy enough that I could probably ( and some day probably will) take a nap on it. Since small copper wires ready for splicing or soldering can visually disappear against a background of 1x4's, I now have a pair of portable 300 watt halogen construction lamps that can be focused on the work area in question. Nothing is perfect, but if it works well enough to get the task at hand accomplished, I break my arm patting myself on the back in self congratulations.
Be of good cheer and keep on keepping on!
Don H.
JoeinPA Aging is not for the faint of heart.
Aging is not for the faint of heart.
Joe, my friends and I have said this often. While I do consider myself quite fortunate to "be on the right side of the dirt", aging can be one of the greatest challenges of life... which may seem a bit ironic. I'm only 68½ and just had a knee replaced, but am looking forward to getting my small layout to aplace that I will be happy to call complete (so I can just run it and "play with my trains"). I have had spinal and joint troubles for years, and I knew getting under the train table would be tough, so I built it high enough that I can sit on a stool (actually one of those tub stools you get after surgery, turns out it's exactly the right height). Even though I am a geezer, I still am able to mow the lawn and take care of things like cleaning out the gutters. I don't get any sympathy from wifey... she had both wrists repaired (carpal tunnel) and both knees replaced in 2006.
So, I say to all my fellow old guys (& gals), keep on keepin' on!
Mike in Louisiana - Modeling the Canadian National in 1959
BroadwayLion Him had cateract surgery x2, and thought this is great I can see again. (NOT). My primary specticles are no-lines... Then I got another pair for working the computer... I got some 1x readers for closeup work , and of course the optivisor for working on the railroad.
Him had cateract surgery x2, and thought this is great I can see again. (NOT).
My primary specticles are no-lines... Then I got another pair for working the computer... I got some 1x readers for closeup work , and of course the optivisor for working on the railroad.
Hehehe.. Lion, I hear you roar. I have a set of trifocals for driving (gotta see the road, the mittors and the dashboard), bifocals for watching TV (gotta see my phone or tablet during commercials), computer glasses, reading glasses and both 2X & 4X clipon magnifiers (plus an optivisor). If I happen to have the right glasses on me, I can see pretty well still despite the fact I had a detached retina and cataract in one eye, and still have a minor cataract in the other.
BTW, I always enjoy (and usually learn from) your posts.
Geez, I feel lucky. At 73, I have no major problems. I can still rip off 20 or 30 miles on my bike. Just reg glasses and reading glasses. I stay away from doctors, except for an annual checkup and labs at the VA.
The best part is we have all the time in the world to work on the layouts. Do a little work and go take a nap. I have a goose neck lamp I take under the layout when I have work to do or soldering. Plenty of light makes it much easier. I also have lots of carpet remnants, several layers, covering the floor under the layout, making the floor quite soft on the hands and knees. I ordered glasses online, using a prescription I came up with about halfway between my reg glasses, and my reading glasses. Perfect for running trains on the layout. I also try to walk a couple miles every day. At our age, you either use it or lose it. And you can lost it real fast if you are sedentary.
hobo9941
You are lucky! My back problems mean that I can't walk any distance without experiencing pain. I'm talking like 100 meters here. It is very annoying. I have taken to using a cane and it helps a lot, but things like cutting the lawn result in a lot of discomfort. It is not sharp pain thank goodness. I had my share of that before the surgery, but it aches enough that I have to push myself to keep walking. I haven't asked my doctor for pain killers yet because I can get through it. In May we went birding at Point Pelee and I was able to do about 12 kilometers over 3 days with the cane, but it wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been, and I had to sit frequently.
So, enjoy your good health while it lasts!