Tracklayer,
I think you sound quite normal to me! I have two hobbies - model railroading and playing guitar - they come and go in importance to me, modelling is in the ascendance right now and has been for the last 4 years or so, but if I meet some like minded musicians who knows waht will happen tommorrow?
I can't help thinking though that if your layout is "finnished" so much of this hobby is about construction that its maybe those elements that you enjoy most and thats why you're not satisfied when your just left purchasing things? I think that one aspect of the hobby that's not often referred in so many terms is those who just collect pieces for the sake of it. A different strand of the hobby ...
Also there's no such thing as "not enough space"! Here in space starved England (where basements just don't exist) we find space for layouts in the tinyest of spaces. If you go round the NMRA meets here you will see no end of portable switching layouts no more than about 6ft x 18" - that could fit on a shelf even in a small appartment. Another way British modellers deal with it is that layouts are sectional (slightly different to modular in that the layout sections only fit together one way) and only get put up at club days or exhibitions.
Hope this helps
TA462 wrote:Tracklayer, it almost sounds like your bored. I've seen this in the car hobby as well. People spend 5 years restoring their car only to find they are bored with it after its done. Usually they end up selling it and begin building a new one. The hobby is the building part for most people and it sounds like your done building. Its time to rip up an area of your layout and start building again.
Yes, I think as others have pointed out, sometimes you have to sweep the house of cards into a drawer, shake 'em up, and start over. And as Tom pointed out, the cell phone and the trombone are not things that will cause us to hemorrhage if we tear them out of our hands. Also, I understand Mark a bit more now that he has used the word "gulty". I felt the same way after I spent a princely sum on a nice telescope about 18 years ago. It was a pure self-indulgence at the time, fully supported by those around and closest to me. After a while, I found that it owned me...not the other way around. If I didn't use it at least once a week, I felt that I was letting myself and others down. I faithfully kept a log of my observation sessions, amassing many scores of entries. Of course, with it came a used SLR film camera, larger eyepieces, a dew shield to keep the main outer lense clear on cool humid nights, and so on.
I guess I am saying you don't have a problem so much as you are repenting over self-indulgence with what now seems to be no justifiable cause. The problem will become a real one if you continue to feel this way and do nothing constructive about it. If it would be a reasonable solution, sell stuff on ebay...be brutal and cull the herd of all but a handful of really nice, unique, hard-to-replace items, some favourites. Gash the rest. While doing that, do unrelated things that need doing, and build the desire up a week at a time. By summer's end you will have the drive again.
-Crandell
P.S. - and you know you have painting to do.
Tracklayer wrote: I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...Tracklayer
I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...
Tracklayer
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
jeffrey-wimberly wrote:... I've already got enough locos for now.
Jeffery, try to avoid using foul language on the forums. The very thought of having enough locomotives is... well, un-model railroader at least and should never be put in print.
Now, when are those Tower 55 Heritage units coming out???
Tilden
Tilden wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote:... I've already got enough locos for now.Jeffery, try to avoid using foul language on the forums. The very thought of having enough locomotives is... well, un-model railroader at least and should never be put in print. Now, when are those Tower 55 Heritage units coming out??? Tilden
REPETITION is boring. It numbs the mind.
CHALLENGES to surmount are needed. They activate the mind.
PERHAPS a change is in order: a Garden Railroad or change in scale. (G scale on a 4x8?), Boating (building an 'Ark' in TX?), raising Armadillos, collecting snakes, ... the possibilities are limitless.
Tracklayer wrote:It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...
It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...
In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor. And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in "guilty pleasures" as long as they weren't over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them.
Clearly, if you're having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it's time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.
And I have to invoke the dirty word here: Do you have a personal budget? If not, that's the first step to getting your $$$ in order.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote: Tracklayer wrote: I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...TracklayerEver think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?
As a matter of fact Jeffrey I have, and may start thinning out my collection this coming fall. Don't get me wrong, I really like trains, but I'm not really one that gets attached to material things - especially when they have value...
You're kidding, right... I appreciate the advice TA462, but I doubt I'll build a new layout for a long, long time if ever again.
nucat78 wrote: Tracklayer wrote: It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor. And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in "guilty pleasures" as long as they weren't over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them. Clearly, if you're having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it's time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.And I have to invoke the dirty word here: Do you have a personal budget? If not, that's the first step to getting your $$$ in order.
Tracklayer wrote: It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...
Yes nucat78, I do in fact live according to a budget, plus, I'm one of the biggest tight wads in this part of the state. Since I was a kid I've always had a fear of running out of money, so I've always pinched pennies and gone the cheapest most least expensive route on things.
Thanks.
Don Gibson wrote:REPETITION is boring. It numbs the mind.CHALLENGES to surmount are needed. They activate the mind.PERHAPS a change is in order: a Garden Railroad or change in scale. (G scale on a 4x8?), Boating (building an 'Ark' in TX?), raising Armadillos, collecting snakes, ... the possibilities are limitless.
G scale on a 4x8 ? Yes, it's possible and is currently being done in smaller spaces than that! Did you ever hear of Gn15? This combination is G scale on HO standard gauge track. It usually represents industrial/mining/logging 15 inch gauge railroads. Gn15 can run on curves much sharper than the 18 inch minimum for HO and is a basher's and super detailer's delight with the convenience of HO. Check out www.carendt.us/ and Malcolm Furlow's Mexican Hat layout for some ideas.
Tracklayer--
Right now, the temperature here in Sacramento is scheduled to be above 100 degrees for about the next week. And everything here is is going to settle down to the worst air this side of Los Angeles, thanks to SUV exhausts and pollen. I have a garage railroad, I also suffer from allergies and COPD. Which means I'm inside, while my layout is in the uninsulated garage. If you think i'm going out THERE for a while, then we BOTH need a talk, LOL! No, I'm not spending money on train items until the weather breaks, even though I'm in the process of putting together a Rio Grande dome car from about two kits, a whole bunch of decals and some interior goodies. But I'm doing this on the kitchen table, and that's my project for a while. When the weather breaks, I'll go out and test the air and hope my allergy shots have taken. But until then, it's the little kit I've got, and the fact that I've got to help plan next year's choral music for my choir at the high school where I teach, which starts up again in mid-August.
So it's not that I don't have anything to DO, mind you, I just have other things to do except go out and fight the air quality to work on what is supposed to be an enjoyable HOBBY.
So don't feel like the Lone Ranger, okay? Sometimes stuff happens, and there's nothing we can do about it except let it ride.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Tracklayer wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote: Tracklayer wrote: I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...TracklayerEver think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?As a matter of fact Jeffrey I have, and may start thinning out my collection this coming fall. Don't get me wrong, I really like trains, but I'm not really one that gets attached to material things - especially when they have value...Tracklayer
Any HO Milwaukee Road?
Tracklayer wrote: nucat78 wrote: Tracklayer wrote: It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor. And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in "guilty pleasures" as long as they weren't over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them. Clearly, if you're having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it's time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.And I have to invoke the dirty word here: Do you have a personal budget? If not, that's the first step to getting your $$$ in order. Yes nucat78, I do in fact live according to a budget, plus, I'm one of the biggest tight wads in this part of the state. Since I was a kid I've always had a fear of running out of money, so I've always pinched pennies and gone the cheapest most least expensive route on things.Thanks.Tracklayer
I am a bit of a tightwad also. But I buy quality items, I wasted enough money as a child on crappy junk. 50 dollars MSRP on a 4-8-4 that could not pull itself was the last straw and a lesson in life for me. It was 10 years before I got back into it again.
MilwaukeeRoad wrote: Tracklayer wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote: Tracklayer wrote: I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...TracklayerEver think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?As a matter of fact Jeffrey I have, and may start thinning out my collection this coming fall. Don't get me wrong, I really like trains, but I'm not really one that gets attached to material things - especially when they have value...Tracklayer Any HO Milwaukee Road?
No brother railroader, sorry. No Milwaukee Road...
Tracklayer: I may have gotten lost along the way on this thread and correct me if need.
It sounds that you have a lot of "RR stuff" collected at this point. But yet spending money / buying more is no longer fun! And that you need to spend time, effort and money on other issues.
So, are you a collector, more so then a builder? Or does the need to collect (got to have one of these to add into the scene someday) over shadow the time for building? Do you buy on impulse, and then think of where you might use that new (WHATEVER) after the fact?
I chime in, because for many years I was a collector, store housing supplies for the day I would have the space to actually build my pike! Most of what I purchased back then (some of it 15 years ago or better) is all good quality stuff...Even though I may not use some of it now as plans change.
For me getting started with the building was the hard part and making a transition from "Wow, that would look great," to "Wow that looks great" was hard. I'm rambling...
But, if there is any advice from me in this, here it is:
The hobby (any hobby) is a balancing act with both time and money. Spend as much as you can (time & money) and only what won't upset the rest of your life.
Work on all of the aspects so as to not get bored. As example; I have areas that range the spectrum from mostly finished / detailed, to some landscaping, to no landscaping, to wiring, to still building lower level benchwork! In this case, I can always find a project that will fire my missile at that moment.
Devise a plan and stick to it. Buy what you need for the project at hand and make sure you buy only what will fit the plan.
And lastly: From a fellow that now wishes he would have started actively modeling / building a MRR earlier in life. I think we all go through times of "gee, I'm wasting a lot of time and money on this and to what end" but if it gives satisfaction and it can be balanced with life around us...What great fun!
I would imagine your frugality and love for trains have squared off against each other. When the passion for modeling is red hot, it's easy to overlook the money. When there is a lull, it's easy to feel guilty about the expenses. My wife asked, " so what is the point of doing this? When your done, what do you have?" I asked her, what do you have when you're done reading books, nothing. It's the joy of doing it. I must say though, I'm trying to pace myself so I don't get burnt out. I would step away from the trains for a while. I guessing in no time you'll be excited again.
Tracklayer wrote: Here lately I've gotten to where I no longer enjoy spending money on train related items... The last time I got like this I put everything away and didn't touch it again for about ten years or so. Every time I see a loco or rolling stock that looks interesting, an alarm goes off in my head and brings me back to reality. I guess there's so many other things I want and need to take care of that I can't relax and enjoy myself until everything else has been tended to.Anyone else out there having this problem?.Tracklayer
Here lately I've gotten to where I no longer enjoy spending money on train related items... The last time I got like this I put everything away and didn't touch it again for about ten years or so. Every time I see a loco or rolling stock that looks interesting, an alarm goes off in my head and brings me back to reality. I guess there's so many other things I want and need to take care of that I can't relax and enjoy myself until everything else has been tended to.
Anyone else out there having this problem?.
Yup...big time. When hem-hawing around about taking another stab at the hobby, this time in N because of the probable perminant lack of space, part of what was holding me back was the money issue. I'm retired on disability, and we've downsized everything (hense the lack of space). My wife convinced me to take the plunge..."we'll make it work". Well, we couldn't. I invested several hundred "shouldn't have spent" dollars on Unitrack, a couple of F units, and a Super Chief A set; before things got worse...wife's job got sent to India. Now I have nothing but a tiny temporary twice-around sitting on the table....and a whole heaping pile of guilt for spending money that should have been saved for this kind of situation. <sigh>
Reality...an interesting concept with no successful applications, that should always be accompanied by a "Do not try this at home" warning.
Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.
"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."
Have fun with your trains
Yep time to throw in my
I have collected over the last thirty years , more than I need. 80 some odd locos etc etc. I don't buy much anymore because I know I don't need it. My layout would have to be ten times the size I have in order to use all that I have. So now I've just settled down to looking at little details that I can add, most of which I don't even have to buy , because their stashed away already , somewhere ! LOL. Now it's detailing , I wish I were as good at it as Bob Gresh , or Misterbeasley. But now I run the trains more and buy a lot less. The passion now is the operation.
Jerry SP FOREVER http://photobucket.com/albums/f317/GAPPLEG/
I know what you mean Tracklayer. Theres things that should be done before the model railroading bug gets its share of money or time spent on it. I havent really boughten anything huge for the layout since February had other issues to go for. Right now I'm in the fishing hobby or sport whatever you want to call it so my time is devoted mostly to yard work getting things on the parents house fixed up that needed it And of course the occassional putsing on the computer to see what other MRR's are doing. Plus with the prices increasing more and more for things we either A want or B need its not that fun. I remember picking up locomotives for 35.00 Athearn BB ones now its almost impossible or they went up to 50 or 60 dollars.
ereimer wrote:you do know there is more to this hobby than buying things , right ?
Holy Smoke !! I thought I was the only one that "thunked" along those lines, it does get a little droll seeing quote after quote about the vast numbers of locomotives some people buy(how can they afford it?) then stick it away on a shelf. Some replies to this forum will be "the guy with the most crap wins" - - -and they are not kidding, get some scale wood and build something.