So I didn´t choose wisely! My wife left her job as a teacher even before we became parents and while our new home was being built. Ever since then, we had to rely on what I was bringing home, which, at times, was plenty, but there were, and right now are, times, when every penny had to be turned twice before spending it. In the days of plenty, I did not have the time to be spend on the hobby, now I have the time, but very little to none extra for my hobby.
Our marriage of 34 years now really has been a for "richer or poorer, for better or worse, but I wouldn´t want to trade a single moment, though.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
SeeYou190I am glad the trains took a back seat when I was a young adult. I am exactly where I wanted to be right now, but I sure took a weird route to get here.
My young adult married life wasn't a bowl of Cheerios due to the publics unpopular opinion on my tour of duty in Viet Nam and wasn't for the hobby during that hard time I would be in the funny farm today.
Sure wife and kids came first but,I kept everything in perspective and still enjoyed the hobby.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Doughless Jimmy_Braum No girlfriend, so there's no drain of funds there. Drain of funds? A wise man said to me: Son, the best financial investment you can ever make is having a working spouse. (That was back in the day when it was less common) Choose wisely.
Jimmy_Braum No girlfriend, so there's no drain of funds there.
No girlfriend, so there's no drain of funds there.
Drain of funds?
A wise man said to me: Son, the best financial investment you can ever make is having a working spouse. (That was back in the day when it was less common)
Choose wisely.
With emphasis on the choose wisely part. I was young and daft and didn'nt choose wisely the first time around. During the marriage the train hobby didn't go well at all. After too many years I came out the other end in worse shape financially and living a substandard life for some years. Many are able to brag about having a house paid off by middle age, not so with me.
That said, my 2nd wife has been a good financial investment. While she isn't a "big" wage earner, she works hard and helps in way that improve our standard of living and is very caring.
So I agree with Doughless - having a train friendly wife who is a contributor and not a drain, or high maintenence will actually enhance your life in many ways, including the model railoading hobby. That isn't to say it isn't challenging at times to find the time to get things done or a layout built. That is why RTR models are a help.
Again, choose wisely as that does make a huge difference.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
- Douglas
Hello my fellow young adult (28 here). Hope all is going well!
Well, I'm 26 here, so that still is young adult.
I don't have the space or funds for a layout, but, I'm in the collecting phase, and am a member of a model railroad club. So that lets me run my stuff.
In the process of finding a full time job, and eventually buying my own house (WITH A BASEMENT!).
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
BRAKIEDon't you think your kids wants "me alone time" to do whatever kids like doing? I had two teenagers and their top priority was hanging with their friends Friday and Saturday nights
.
This was an aggravating situation for all three girls. Their friends always wanted to hang out at our house whenever they had nothing to do. My kids would want to go out, but the group wanted to hang out.
I was also heavily involved in anything the girls wanted. If I needed to spend all weekend building games for a school carnival, fine. If I needed to build props for the school play, fine. Karate lessons, math team, guitar, it did not matter to me. Those three kids came first in everything.
It might have been annoying when they were growing up, but they stayed out of trouble and all did well. We always knew where they were and always knew who they were with. Now that they are in their twenties and thirties, they look back and are thankful they always came first.
I am glad the trains took a back seat when I was a young adult. I am exactly where I wanted to be right now, but I sure took a weird route to get here.
My last three layouts were all mis-fires because I had other more important things to take care of (3 of them), but now I can have a dream layout. That is if the house ever gets completed.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190There are other ways to do things in the hobby, but if you are living right, your children will take priority in all situations.
Don't you think your kids wants "me alone time" to do whatever kids like doing? I had two teenagers and their top priority was hanging with their friends Friday and Saturday nights and as worried as I was it was their right since its part of growing up. They turn out to be productive adults so,mission accomplish.
A young adult can enjoy the hobby..He just has to have the desired to do so.
Kevin,Some times kids return to the nest for various reasons and bring others with them..
riogrande5761 SeeYou190: NO! Model Railroading is not a hobby for young adults. I say this from an experienced perspective. In my mid twenties I had the opportunity to build my dream house, I was married with two daughters, and my wife and I were both paid quite well for our ages. . I built the dream house complete with enough room on the second floor for an N scale empire, workshop, staging rooms, and CTC room. . riogrande5761: In the above paragraph, it sounds like you contradicted yourself.
riogrande5761: In the above paragraph, it sounds like you contradicted yourself.
I did not mean it that way. The point was that I was in a rare situation for a twenty-something. I had a house custom built with the layout room given top priority. I was a young adult that could also be a hard-case model railroader.
Even with all that... parenting, bills, and the careers took priority, and the layout stalled, and eventually became wasted space.
I guess I should have said that building an empire is not for young adults. There are other ways to do things in the hobby, but if you are living right, your children will take priority in all situations.
Now the kids are away and the house is mine... One empire coming up!
ATLANTIC CENTRALOnce again it is about choices. The discussion between Brent and I is not about "how great we are", it is just about our less than main stream choices, choices, a direct factor in this cknversation.
Exactly, Sheldon and I were just sharing a story about the different paths we took in life to get where we are. If someone comes on here and says I went to University for XX number of years and now I am a geologist, it wouldn't even occur to me that he was trying to blow his own horn.
We all make our own choices in life. My goal as a kid was to have what my parents had without the occasional financial stresses they endured. A comfortable middle class life. I am way better off than my parents ever were. The only reason I think I have had an easy life is because I deal with any problems that come up rather than dwell on them.
Want trains and can't afford them, go work the resource industry. Our friends two boys took a year off school, went to Saskatchewan and drove these for twelve hours a day in and out of an open pit mine, they will come home with $150,000.00 in their pockets and that will pay for their entire University education. All you need is a regular drivers license and they will train you. Two speeds forward, one speed back. They said that they were bringing in guys from China to work as they were so short of labour. Or you can work at 7-11 and whine about how you can't afford any MRR stuff. If you don't know how to get the things you want, then find out how and do it.
Want trains and can't afford them, go work the resource industry. Our friends two boys took a year off school, went to Saskatchewan and drove these for twelve hours a day in and out of an open pit mine, they will come home with $150,000.00 in their pockets and that will pay for their entire University education.
All you need is a regular drivers license and they will train you. Two speeds forward, one speed back. They said that they were bringing in guys from China to work as they were so short of labour. Or you can work at 7-11 and whine about how you can't afford any MRR stuff.
If you don't know how to get the things you want, then find out how and do it.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
SeeYou190If there is time with the babies to be had, I will be flexible. I do not regret one minute I spent with them doing what they wanted. I would reccomend every parent do the same.
While I spent time with my kids I gave them their space to do the things they enjoyed. I let go of the old woman's apron string shortly after we were married so we could have our space to enjoy the things we liked doing.Her hobbies was fishing, raising flowers and knitting mine was model railroading,railfanning and fishing.
For 6 1/2 years Chessie System ruled my life but,my wife and the young'uns was well provided for.
All of my efforts to kindle my son´s interest in model railroading utterly failed, so I finally gave up. For years, my son problably thought his old man was simply nuts, playing with trains, but that changed dramatically when he got into wargaming and started to make and paint his own figures, using a 3D printer he build himself,. He also builds wargaming dioramas and has developed a certain respect for me and my skills building the scenery of my layouts.
I guess most of the older model railroaders like me come from a time when traveling by train was still the way to go. We didn´t have as many other distractions as the kids have these days, so the hobby of model railroading was nearly a natural choice for many. That has changed completely. Trains are not an every day experience - at least for you folks at your end of the Big Pond. Here in Europe the situation is quite different. Trains are still an integral part of life and the hobby enjoys a much greater social acceptance - thanks to endeavours like Miniatur Wunderland and others. Railroad preservation groups are also to be found nearly everywhere and they still attract a good number of young people to go into the trade. Mind you - the hobby was declining dramatically some years ago, but seems to be on an upward trend now - thanks to a growing number of teenagers and young adults joining!
My two daughters were into competitive ballroom and polka dancing, and I can dance a respectable quick step waltz, but my main mission was get them to lessons and competitions.
My son and my stepson played baseball, I went to the games, but I don't even follow baseball anymore.
Clearly we all see parenting differently.......
My grand daughter dances, I fund it, because I can....
I'm a quiet person who likes peace and quiet, model trains provides that solitude when I have had enough of people.
Wargaming, not even on my radar.
Again, we all make choices......
Sheldon
rrinker Having girls is certainly no reason to switch hobbies.
For me it kind of was.
I spent TONS of time with the girls before the moved out, and I would not change any of that.
The fact they wanted to go to wargaming conventions with dad was a thrill.
Wargaming also allows a lot more creativity and cuteness than model railroading ever will. These are some wargaming figures painted by my Middle Daughter when she was 13-14 years old. This kind of stuff would never be met with approval at a model railroading event, but wargamers love it.
Having your army wiped out by a 13 year old girl with three purple Wraith Lords painted with smiley faces is an interesting experience. The pink Stegadon was also cool. She also has a blue one. The Wraith Lords were named DeeDee, LeeLee, and MeeMee. The Stegadons were Curt & Courtney.
My youngest went into Cosplay heavy, so I switched again.
If there is time with the babies to be had, I will be flexible. I do not regret one minute I spent with them doing what they wanted. I would reccomend every parent do the same.
Switching back to model railroading is easy.
I was twenty five when I first got into trains. Any time before that would not have worked out because I was simply just too wild when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. Even so, I lived in a small two bedroom apartment so I had to build a small 2 x 3 foot layout that I mounted to a board and kept under my bed when not being used. It wasn't until I moved in to my house out here in the country that I had time, money and room to build my current layout and buy my collection of locos and rolling stock.
So to answer the question of the OP. I guess it depends on the person and their state of maturity and all. Most people until they're settled down are just too busy and preoccupied with other things to get into trains. I do however say hats off to those that do get into the hobby at an earlier age and continue to enjoy it the rest of their lives...
Once again it is about choices.
The discussion between Brent and I is not about "how great we are", it is just about our less than main stream choices, choices, a direct factor in this conversation.
My kids and my grand kids only have passing interest in the hobby, has no effect on me, I'm not interested in living vicariously thru them. They grow up and make their own lives.
We all choose differently..........
Has life allowed me to do everything in model railroading when and how I wanted? No. But that has not discouraged me one bit.
riogrande5761 I hate to rain on their parade but odds are they will forget about trains and it will not be a life long hobby.
Jim,My oldest Grandson would disagree seeing he's enjoys the new higher detailed models and buys all the CSX/NS he can since he's in the Air Force..No rain there I betcha!
However..
My youngest grandson like his dad (my son) has zero interest in the hobby so,a thunderstorm there I'll bet.
Two brothers same background,same hobby introduction..One blossom into a very knowledgeable modeler while the other brother wilted away.
I hope this is not turning into a variation of the "the hobby is dying" theme, which it isn´t. It´s just changing.
Having girls is certainly no reason to switch hobbies.
Has anyone actually given that reason to switch hobbies? It's daft. I had a daughter and never once thought about switching hobbies. No way.
There may not be a lot of women in model railroading but there's no reason they can't be.
True, other than genetic's, which is a real biggy! This is one of those things I've observed after being in the hobby all over the country for the past 40+ years, you just don't see that many females into the hobby - only a tiny fraction. It seems to be in the genes that women are generally not drawn to the hobby - anyone want to do some gene splicing?
Sure, there is no reason why women can't be in the hobby if you can over come the genetic propensity for them to not be interested as a gender. Most of us are just happy to have a wife which is tolerant of the hobby.
Having boys guarantees nothing - neither of mine are really interested, they stopped being interested in trains after the Thomas phase ended.
Yep. We frequently see older grandpa model railroaders showing off photo's of their grand children getting all excited about trains and saying something about a future model RRer. I hate to rain on their parade but odds are they will forget about trains and it will not be a life long hobby. It reminds me of the old fashion notion that so many fathers wanted their sons to follow them in their trade or career - and then are disappointed when they prefer something else.
Having girls is certainly no reason to switch hobbies. The guy who was chairing the the modular committee at the club (responsible for setting up the venues and running the display layout) recently stepped down and one of our female members has taken his place. There may not be a lot of women in model railroading but there's no reason they can't be.
Having boys guarantees nothing - neither of mine are really interested, they stopped being interested in trains after the Thomas phase ended. Now that they are older (27 and 23), I doubt they would even go on a train ride with me. I did get the younger one to help a little on my previous layout, but only because he wanted to cut wood, so he cut all the chunks of 2x2 I put on the bottom of the legs. Tony Koester mentions the same thing. Sometimes it skips a generation - in various columns he's written that his grandkids LOVE the trains. I'm not ready for grandkids just yet, don't think either of mine are ready for kids at this point.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
SeeYou190I decided when this thread started that I would not reply unless it got to three pages. I use that policy on a few threads. . Well... here we are on page three.
You didn't need to wait too long with all the folks who go quickly off-topic and go on and on about how wonderful they are.
NO! Model Railroading is not a hobby for young adults. I say this from an experienced perspective. In my mid twenties I had the opportunity to build my dream house, I was married with two daughters, and my wife and I were both paid quite well for our ages. . I built the dream house complete with enough room on the second floor for an N scale empire, workshop, staging rooms, and CTC room.
In the above paragraph, it sounds like you contradicted yourself. Anyway, young adults may not be able to do many of the same things a some older and more established people on the average such as build a sizable layout, but they can still enjoy the hobby going to clubs and working on models.
Things I did not consider were: 1) You have no time when you are a young adult. 2) Your financial situation is not stable when you are a young adult. 3) Life will throw you serious curve balls when you are a young adult. . Model railroading requires SPACE, TIME, and MONEY. In my situation I had space. I think that is better than most twenty-somethings can put together. There was some money, but no time.
1) You have no time when you are a young adult.
2) Your financial situation is not stable when you are a young adult.
3) Life will throw you serious curve balls when you are a young adult. . Model railroading requires SPACE, TIME, and MONEY. In my situation I had space. I think that is better than most twenty-somethings can put together. There was some money, but no time.
Consider this. Even when you are older - in your 40's and 50's + you may not always have time or be financially stable (think last deep recession from around 2007 lasting for a number of years). The things you listed above affect you and older alike. Often modelers also have wives with honey do lists (raises hands) and long commutes and busy work weeks even well after the kids have left the nest. Sometimes you really don't have much time until retired.
SeeYou1901) You have no time when you are a young adult.
Baloney. Many of us raise families and still found time for the hobby.Even when I worked on the Chessie I found time for family and hobby.
------------------------------------
Who saids? Nobody said you need a Godzilla size layout or the latest models just to enjoy the hobby. I was still using BB engines while others was stepping up to Atlas,P2K and Kato.. Find a club to join and enjoy the club's layout.
-------------------------------
3) Life will throw you serious curve balls when you are a young adult.
-----------------------------
So,you give up and throw a self pity party? I been up,down, twisted and sideways and the only thing that help me through those bad times was my hobby.
----------------------------
I switched to Pokémon Cards, then to full-bore war gaming. These were hobbies where I could include the girls, and all was good for twenty years or so.
------------------------------
No time for model trains but,plenty of free time for Pokémon and war gaming a very costly hobby.
Your daughters could have help build a small layout and do scenery work.
I'll stand by my answer. Baloney! Young adults can and do enjoy the hobby.
I decided when this thread started that I would not reply unless it got to three pages. I use that policy on a few threads.
Well... here we are on page three.
NO! Model Railroading is not a hobby for young adults.
I say this from an experienced perspective. In my mid twenties I had the opportunity to build my dream house, I was married with two daughters, and my wife and I were both paid quite well for our ages.
I buit the dream house complete with enough room on the second floor for an N scale empire, workshop, staging rooms, and CTC room.
Things I did not consider were:
Model railroading requires SPACE, TIME, and MONEY. In my situation I had space. I think that is better than most twenty-somethings can put together. There was some money, but no time.
Between school functions, overtime, family vacations, etc, model railroading was not an option. To top that off, I was paying the mortgage on a train room that was not being utilized.
I switched to Pokemon Cards, then to full-bore wargaming. These were hobbies where I could include the girls, and all was good for twenty years or so.
So, I will stand by my answer of NO.
Young adults have other things to do. I gave it a go. It did not work.
If you are a young adult model railroader, you should be honing your skills, building modules, building kits, joining a club, etc. Building a home layout requires more than you have to give.
BATMAN ATLANTIC CENTRAL Brent, Are you purposely being vague here? If so, it's ok, I understand. I am not sure what you mean by this but after rereading what I wrote, I may have given the impression I attended the University Of British Columbia, I did not, I just went to the bookstore as it was the only one that had the books I needed. I bought up all the ones used in the courses they taught. Before I started to learn about the world of the stock market and other related subjects I also first bought a 1 bedroom high-end, 12th-floor condo and rented that out. Then I bought a four-plex with a large outbuilding out back and rented the outbuilding to a car restorer. It was after that, I had decided not to put all my eggs in one basket and started learning about investing. All in all, I was in the same boat as most making an average wage right out of high school, it is what I did with it that made the huge difference in where I am today. Never drank until I was in my thirties, didn't have time as I was always working. Nothing wrong with being self-taught, I hear too many say "I don't know how to do something" and leave it at that. I wish I had the internet back in the late seventies/early eighties, I could have learned even more.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Brent, Are you purposely being vague here? If so, it's ok, I understand.
I am not sure what you mean by this but after rereading what I wrote, I may have given the impression I attended the University Of British Columbia, I did not, I just went to the bookstore as it was the only one that had the books I needed. I bought up all the ones used in the courses they taught.
Before I started to learn about the world of the stock market and other related subjects I also first bought a 1 bedroom high-end, 12th-floor condo and rented that out. Then I bought a four-plex with a large outbuilding out back and rented the outbuilding to a car restorer. It was after that, I had decided not to put all my eggs in one basket and started learning about investing.
All in all, I was in the same boat as most making an average wage right out of high school, it is what I did with it that made the huge difference in where I am today. Never drank until I was in my thirties, didn't have time as I was always working.
Nothing wrong with being self-taught, I hear too many say "I don't know how to do something" and leave it at that. I wish I had the internet back in the late seventies/early eighties, I could have learned even more.
Now the picture is clear, thanks.
Drinking, still don't. Or, I should say I was only a very occasional social drinker from my 20's to my mid thirties. My first wife decided after 17 years I was no longer enough fun, so she left me with three children to hang in bars with her new boy friend.
After seeing drinking distroy a few lives, I decided I had no use for it at all.
Been with the current wife 24 years.
All the eggs not in one basket, that's for sure, we each have our careers (the wife just retired), we have the rentals, and a few other investments. And we have no long term debt........
My current prinary business is very diverse and flexible, and is mostly great fun, a requirement my father suggested for any career path.
ATLANTIC CENTRALBrent, Are you purposely being vague here? If so, it's ok, I understand.
Brent,
Are you purposely being vague here? If so, it's ok, I understand.
You have made a number of interesting life choices, and clearly they have worked for you.
Likewise my choices have not been real conventional either.
I have been self employed most of my life, in several different businesses, often in more than one at a time.
When I have worked for others, it has never been for any large company or for government. In fact, at age 20, I took a drafting job with a very large manufacturing company, I could not even stand it for a week. After three days I called another small engineering firm that had also made me an offer, they were happy to have me. The personel director was very upset when I marched in her office and told her I was leaving.
Additionally, I never stayed at any "job" very long. Self employment has suited me well.
My wife and I once had money in the stock market, and we did ok, but she did not have the risk tollerance for it. We have done well with rental real estate, which we manage ourselves, no property management fees.
College is necessary for some career paths, but I wanted to "create" wonderful homes and save old homes. Turns out an architectural degree is not really the best path for that. Lucky for me I figured that out early.
PS - And I reached my dreams and goals without giving up this hobby, or family life, and without moving around the country or doing any serious amount of traveling.
Being intelligent doesn't make you educated and being educated doesn't make you intelligent.
An awful lot of baby boomers my age went to University for no other reason than vanity as it was what our parents expected. Most of my friends and family work in a field that has nothing to do with what they studied. Like good parents mine started saving for my University education when I was born.
It was clear I was not going past high school as I thought it was a waste of my time. My parents gave me what they had saved so I could get my commercial pilots license. However, one day I was flying somewhere and had the autopilot on and decided that being a pilot for a living was nothing more than a glorified desk job, so on to other things.
I found a blue collar Government job that was a perfect fit for what I wanted out of life. Better still I got to spend a lot of time around airplanes and I quite liked what it involved.
ATLANTIC CENTRALCollege? who needs college. Libraries are full of books........and I can read.
However, the blue collar wages weren't what I wanted, so off to the University Of British Columbia and the bookstore. The friend that came with me that day was shocked at how much I spent on books on the world of finance and stock markets. It was the driest, toughest reading in the world, but at night I would sit in my truck out under a big light somewhere on the airport in sight of the runway waiting for a flight and read. I educated myself and have had a very comfortable life as a result. I am way better off than anyone in my extended family or any of my friends and they are all highly paid professionals.
If you want a career in something specific, go to school and get that piece of paper. If you just want enough to meet your goals in life, making money is easy if you have the discipline to self-educate.
NYBW-John It isn't a hobby for young adults. It's a hobby for very old kids.
It isn't a hobby for young adults. It's a hobby for very old kids.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!