Your work history and your RR

[shawn-118]

How does your work history affect the type's of industry that you have on your RR, or are going to have on your RR? I have a sawmill, plup mill and OSB plant. Now I'm planing to add a fiber shipping area and maybe a lumber loading terminal. If space allowes I'm hoping to add a contianer loading terminal also. I've worked as a Longshoreman for 3 years and for the last 8 years I've worked in a sawmill in B.C. Canada.

[Javern]

none for me, strictly childhood memories and living next to rr tracks

[rexhea]

I tend to model industries that I am familiar with either by work association or with those that I can easily get first hand information on. However, the final selection I choose depends on the flow of raw product to finished product and if it will fit in my overall operation. i.e., coal to coke to steel, timber to lumber to sales, oil production to refining to sales.

REX

[Fergmiester]

The RR that I'm building is based on the geography of where I'm modelling. Saying that because of my work assosciation with the sea there will definitavely be a seaport.

[Anonymous]

Lets see I have a Fire Station (I am a fire fighter) a Police Station ( I was a cop) a flour mill ( my dad works at one) a machine shop (father in law works there). I quess my work history and my family all play a part in my railroad. I did this as kind of a living history for my son, when he gets older he will have something to relate to each of his family members.

[krump]

Correctional Facilities and all the significant business and residences that I recall.

Shawn-118 - where in BC Canada are you?, what Mill do you speak of?

cheers,
Krump

[Anonymous]

Strickly fiction with some scenes that were from the train set up from my childhood.

[DonaldAgne]

I don't have any industries on my layout. I modeled a mountain resort and small village and included lots of places I like to go (ski resorts, Japanese inns) and things I like to do (camping, fishing, motorcycling, hiking, skiing, karaoke).

[cwclark]

I plan on modeling a refinery, sawmill, container yard, and limestone quarry..All of these industries are in my immediate area, except for the limestone quarry which I remember as a kid from the RR tracks behind my house ...I work in the refinery business and my wife works as a longshoreman for the port of Houston so yes..a lot of the layout pertains to my wife and my occupation...Chuck[:D]

[tomwatkins]

My work history doesn't play a part in what I model. I spent my career in the automotive industry. Where I live certainly does. I live in the southern Blue Ridge mountains in NE Georgia, and model the Southern and L&N in western North Carolina.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

My job in no way reflects my modeling. I just have an image in my head that I'm trying to capture in my layout. I can see old dirty buildings, heavy manufacturing industry, and somewhere in the bowels of a large eastern city. The year would be somewhere around 1955 to 1965.

[simon1966]

My work history has no impact on my layout at all. My wife's family history does however. I have modeled the mine in which her grandfather was killed. I have also modeled an animal feed mill owned by a friends family.

[Anonymous]

No connection for me. Logging and mining is too hard a life.

My LPB's seem to enjoy it though.

Wayne

[Anonymous]

People have often assumed I was interested in modeling ships because of my career with the Canadian Coast Guard. While I was in shore based technical positions, I did deal with ships, buoys, and lighthouses on a regular basis. Never happened - that was work and trains were for fun. The closest that I got to doing anything related to my work was a small lighthouse I scratchbuilt many years ago from some hundred year old plans we had in the office. It is on my latest pair of modules.

One aspect of my work that did influence me in a different way was flying around the area in our helicopters for my 35 years with the CG (I retired 3 years ago). I modeled several CG choppers and accumulated around 150 or so helicopter models. But they took up so much room when built and just became dust magnets so I only built a dozen or so. I still have an interest in aviation, but not in modeling it.

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

I'm modeling areas that I grew up in. Some towns from the New York and Long Branch commuter route, the oil refineries around Newark airport and MP54 operations around 30th Street station in Philadelphia. (modeler's license is being used big time to get them together on one layout!). The only thing that comes to mind that I might model based on my work is that when I was stationed aboard ship at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, I was always fascinated by the carfloat operations across the bay. Trying to figure out how to incorporate that. I do plan to name some of the businesses on my layout for friends and family. For example, my last CO on ship was a big time baseball fan. Perhaps a sporting goods store could be "Enderly's Sporting Goods" etc. etc.

[n2mopac]

Not exactly my WORK history, but I grew up on a farm, and much of my modeliing revolves around agriculture industries--large grain elevators, ag products distributors, fertilizer, anhydrous ammonia, propane, etc.
Ron

[orsonroy]

Since I'm modeling a prototype line and the prototype industries that were served by it, I really don't have any of my job-related industries online. In my working life, I've worked on a horse ranch, in the US Army, in a lumber yard, in a corporate headquarters, and in two electronics firms. None of those really equate well to a 1950-based model railroad (well, I suppose I'll have some flatcars loaded with tanks roll through once in awhile, as well as Motorola and Magnavox radios in boxcars. And I don't have any online lumberyards...)

[cjcrescent]

I too am modelling the era and part of the area I was raised in. My work history has had no impact on my modelling. After all, how many RR's serve a hospital?

[twhite]

When I was in college, I worked summers on a US Forest Service fire suppression crew at Truckee, CA (got the job because my dad was the Forest Engineer, ha-ha!). I grew up in a Forest Service family, and when I get the scenery really going on my Yuba Pass line, I'll have a Ranger Station and a fire lookout on Sierra Buttes. Maybe a crew putting out a small bru***imber fire (non-RR caused) somewhere.

[Anonymous]

My industry on my HO scale Eastern RR. Are name after somebody that I know who has a business. Ex. Roberson Printing Co. Paul and Son Shipping Co., where Eastern RR gets alot of our piggy back services.

[Anonymous]

I don't work ( except for lawn mowing[:D] ) but the industries on my layout ( I think ) somewhat accurateley portray the era and region that I am modeling.

[vsmith]

No my layout has more to do with my interest in history than with my profession. If it had to do with my Profession my layout would be sleek monorails wisking thru an ultra-modern glass and steel city. But I dont wank to do that, I like modeling old beat up engines and ratty desert towns of questionable character.

[vw-bug]

.

[eastcoast]

My work history has really affected my hobby. I do collect all kinds of
police cars though. I am in the Security and Loss Prevention career field,
have been since 1991. My layout is fairly new being that military moves are
hard on layouts after time. I build freelance East Coast Railways and just
"Go WITH IT!" Right now , my scenery is concentrating on a military training
area. I love my job, I love my trains even more.[:)]

[Jetrock]

My current career is in mental health, so maybe that counts, since model railroaders do tend to be just a little cracked...

The profession I studied for (teaching history) definitely had an effect--my love of history and love of trains are very intertwined, and in fact my return to model railroading may end up precipitating a change of career--since I have discovered I like historical research as much as model railroading (I spend more time researching my pike and its setting than operating or building it) I'm planning on returning to school for a Master's degree, and am hoping to work in the museum/archivist field (ideally, at a railroad museum!)

[shawn-118]

Krump
I work at Tolko in Quesnel. It's a mid-size mill, and one of the last mills that has not been bought out or merged, over the last year in this area.

[Anonymous]

Lets see, I once worked for 2 years on a dinner train (part time-weekends) I worked up from carman/labor to assistant conductor to mechanical conductor. When I found out that the dinner train company was going belly up, I drove out to the yard, and walked around in a foot of fresh snow and shot off 4 or 5 rolls of film, documenting and sketching interior plans and car info. Even though much of the work was hard, and I typically put in 22-26 hours a weekend, it was the best part time job you could ever have.
Shortly after the company broke up, I started modeling the dinner train. Now the set is 90% complete. (3 more cars to go!) I can now relieve those crazy, fun, and exhausting days whenever I want, without going out in the hot sun, freezing sleet or driving rain.
Yes, I was affected.[;)]

[krump]

Shawn-118: I'll be in Quesnel for the Train Show in the Spring, probably going up with the family, but our club will also attend with the module layout.
I'm through Quesnel several times each year (1 month ago actually) as my out-laws reside nearby (south of and in PG, Willy's Lake)
I almost took a probation job in Quesnel about 15 yrs ago. - see how the work and modelling tie in?

perhaps we'll meet one of these months.
drop me an email when you can, thanks

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cjcrescent

I too am modelling the era and part of the area I was raised in. My work history has had no impact on my modelling. After all, how many RR's serve a hospital?

There was the 2 footer to Togus (Veterens Home) in Maine for starters and over here in the UK we had at least 4 rail served hospitals that come to mind - mainly mental asylums (Whittington, Hellingly (with overhead electrics), Leek, one near to Preston) and military - Royal Victoria in the First War. Fascinating models thay would all make too and have done.

My last layout had scenes from the East German Border which reminded me of my days in the British Army.

All the best

Kev

[BRAKIE]

My layouts industries is base on the prototypes I have seen over the years.I have modeled warehouses to casket distributors from Meat processors to Tire distributors all based on actual rail served industries I have noticed and made notes of for future modeling.I also base my industries around the type of cars I like such as Boxcars,steel coil cars,covered hoppers,tank cars and reefers.I tend to shun flat cars,hopper cars and gons.