Demographics Poll

[BRAKIE]

I'm 72 and join the forum in 2001.. I model in HO although my real love is   N Scale..

I live in Ohio.

[selector]

I see I wasn't the only one to retire in his early 50's.  In my case, I was flat-out told by my Base Commander, with three years until retirement, that I was not going to be promoted.  He said I was too close to retirement.  Well, his actual words were, "You're too old."  So, I took an unaccompanied posting to National Defence Headquarters to max out my pension (best six years in rank), and pulled the plug 13 months later.

At 52, I inherited my recently late mother's seaside property on Vancouver Island, and retired to a life of bliss.  Then two adult daughters returned home.   So, I went to work teaching officer professional development exams on line.  One of them was Leadership & Ethics, also part of a BA curriculum in General Military Studies, but the course was generated and taught as part of the Department of Military Psychology and Leadership.  That lasted for about seven years in total.

I built two layouts in the basement of that place, then a third out in the loft above the 'barn', which was a barn-looking hip-roofed garage not quite double-wide.  Then, things started to show substantial wear and tear, and costs began to mount.  We decided to sell and move into town.  It was a happy coincidence that my aged father wanted to sell his place and move into a first-floor condo nearby.  So, we purchased his place.  The deal was sweet.  He dropped the price $10 if we agreed to take it as is (he didn't want to clean up the exterior.  He installed a new water heater, and the roof and deck were just five years old by then).  It also came with a nice garden maintained by my father, a master gardener.

I'm 68 now, have atrial fibrillation, and have recently dropped 22 pounds.  I used to be a competitive runner, but poor sleep, late night snacks, and sleep apnea helped to place me on the road to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and more serious heart problems.  How did I lose 22 pounds?  Don't laugh...high fat, low carb, and intermittent fasting.  Youtube has numerous videos on those subjects, and I strongly advise people to learn what they can about it.  Just be sensible; more is not better.  Customize your approach so you can live with yourself and so that others will live with you.  If anyone would like some tips or videos to consider, please send me a PM.  I have no fiduciary interest in any of this.  I just wanted to collect my pension for a few more years.

I model HO.  I'm not an expert in anything.  Pretty close with classical music, but that was 25 years ago.  I have moved on and forgotten much.  I also enjoy astronomy, choral singing, cycling, stand-up paddle boarding, running/walking pretty much every day, and of course continuing the legacy garden my father left me.  I peg my road as a protolanced hodgepodge of about six different roads between the time the Pennsy took possession of its first K4s 4-6-2 and the time the last CP T1-a 2-10-4 dropped its fire near 1959. 

[snjroy]

I'm 56, I live in the Ottawa region, Canada. I have a post-graduate degree in social sciences. Not yet retired... Married, and we have two boys.

I'm into HO, HOn3 and HOn30. I loosely model CP, CN and the local logging and mining lines that disappeared from our area in the 1970s. I am finishing a portable O scale layout.

My dad was not a model railroader. But as a construction entrepreneur, he taught me a ton of things about wood, fasteners, tools and paint... I also like fiddling with old 1:1 scale cars. I own a 1986 Alfa Romeo that I enjoy driving in the summer.

Simon

[dti406]

Hello,

I am 72 years old, and have been modeling since the early fifties, I got a Lionel Train set in the early fifties and graduated into HO Scale with a Gilbert Set followed by the Tyco General Set.

I have an Associates Degree in Data Processing and Bachelor of Business Administraton Degree which I earned in 1971.  I ended up working mostly for construction companies which accounts for my moves from my hometown of Toledo, OH to various locations including Loveland and Denver CO, Allentown, PA, Achorage, AK and now back in Cleveland, OH.  I have had the opportunity to work with our project managers and engineers on some challenging project like the dam on top of the mountain in New Jersey, the Alyeska Pipeline, the Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska and numerous building and electrical projects.  Also did some contract work with Timken, Goodrich Landing Gear and other manufacturers.  Spent 4 years training Harley-Davidson Dealers on how to utilize the Dealer Management Software including accounting.

I have never built a home layout but will be starting soon as I am now semi-retired and waiting for this disruption in the economy to start training a replacement at work. I have collected a lot of stuff over the years including a lot of brass steam engines back in my single days of the 60's and 70's. Have been weeding out the incorrect models and refining my modeling, painting and decaling skills over the last few years.

I have been a member of various Model Railroad Clubs in Toledo, Anchorage and Cleveland areas along with NMRA Division memberships in Toledo and Colorado.

In addition to model railroading, I sang in various church and dicocesan choirs, I bowled in numerous leagues and am the Secretary-Treasurer of two leagues here in Cleveland as well as a Director of the Cleveland USBC Association.

I don't know when I started on this forum, and my history here is all messed up when I changed my E-mail address, so my posts went down to "0" and my old posts all disappeared.

Rick Jesionowski

[Trainman440]

Hi all!

Joined 2014 with 595 posts.

Age 19

Currently entering sophmore year of college (UIUC)

Major in Mechanical engineering, but have great interest in other engineering majors. 

I live 30 minutes outside of Philly, PA (Paoli)

Scale: HO

I got into this hobby simply because I loved the moving valve gear of steam engines. It inspired my choice of major. I entered the rabbit hole of model railroading since age of 8, and haven't seen the end yet!

Current layout is a 4'x8' due to lack of space. Layout is of a "The Virginian" MRR 2012 Project layout. 

I have 90% steam, but I got early diesels(F units) and a single Amtrak F40ph. I model the PRR in the late 40s and Santa Fe in the early 50s, but also have a little NYC,SP, and B&O mixed in. 

I mostly enjoy the restoration side of the hobby. You can tell because my unfinished layout has been on stand still for a while now!

I also enjoy Naval History (mostly WWII), playing World of Warships(ship game), Photography(Instagram: charles.li.photography), and circuitry.

[trwroute]

I joined in March 2012 and have 570 something posts, and am a few weeks away from 57 years on this planet.

I spent many years as an alternative school teacher, but I am currently a professional home inspector.  I have a degree in business.

When our kids were young, I also spent a lot of time doing custom model building and painting for a couple hobby shops.  This allowed my wife to be a stay at home mom, so our kids never went to daycare.  They are now in their mid 20's.

I am currently in scale / gauge limbo.  I have some space to build a layout, but I have built so many different things over the years, it makes it hard to decide.  Am leaning towards N (which I began modeling in '74) or HO.  My dad was an HO modeler.

My other main hobby is motorcycle restorations.  I love to ride dirt bikes! 

[Pantherphil]

Sixty nine turning 70.  Semi retired attorney from Maine.  Started with Lionels in the 50s and 60s with my dad.  Had a nice HO layout for my kids in the 80s and then switched to a nice little N scale Atlas Gulf Summit Line with my son in the early 90s.  Catzilla, a damp basement and my son growing up and losing interest led to scrapping that one.  Moved to a new house with a big dry walk in daylight basement without cats in 2008 and turned the remains of my old N layout into a new 4 x 8 which is now pretty much complete and operational.  Most locomotives and cars are 1990 Atlas, Kato and Bachman all still working after 25 years. Now adding a second larger N around the walls. Track work around 80% complete.  Should drive the golden spike this winter.  Both layouts are loosely based freelance on East Penn--  PRR, Reading, LV --  where I grew up and Northern New England--  Maine Central, Bangor & Aroostook, Boston & Maine, Central Vermont,--  where I have lived since 1980.  Mostly transition era.   I have a Lionel Polar Express set up for my 6 year old grandson.  Model railroading is my winter hobby.  Summer is for baseball (I play in a 45 and up league and umpire high school and rec league), golf, fishing and hiking/camping in the Maine Woods.  

 

 

 

 

[BATMAN]

I have enjoyed reading all these responses, thanks to all those that contributed. I hope we get a few more before this thread drifts onto the back pages.

selector

Don't laugh...high fat, low carb, and intermittent fasting. 

Crandell, My diet is high fat low carb and I eat my first meal of the day at about 1400hrs and dinner at 1800hrs so I also follow the intermittent fasting routine and I have never felt better. I suffered horrible Arthritis pain taking Oxycocet and 6 Tylenol every day. Sugar (carbs) is the great giver of inflammation. I lowered my carb intake and within a week I was pain-free after years of a miserable existence. I don't need any help with pain relief at all. 

Staying fit keeps cholesterol, blood pressure and all other chemistry at perfect levels.    

 

[selector]

I am very pleased to learn this about you and your success, Brent. 

When I went to a family gathering at my younger brother's in Nanaimo about six weeks in, I explained my situation ahead of time so nobody would look askance at my refusal to eat everything offered.  Two weeks after that event, I saw my brother again and he thanked me for explaining what I was doing, and why, adding he had lost six pounds in those two weeks.  So, IF and low carb works, as we have both happily learned. Whew!!!  It's not even a diet!  It's more of a change of eating behaviour and a new lifestyle.  Anyway, that and apnea are my two new companions in life, and both are under control.  May you continue to get relief for many more years to come.  After all, you'd like to cash as many pension cheques as you can as well!  

[RR_Mel]

BATMAN

I suffered horrible Arthritis pain taking Oxycocet and 6 Tylenol every day. Sugar (carbs) is the great giver of inflammation. I lowered my carb intake and within a week I was pain-free after years of a miserable existence. I don't need any help with pain relief at all. 

Staying fit keeps cholesterol, blood pressure and all other chemistry at perfect levels.    

 

 

Must not be so with everyone, I wish it worked for me. 

I have been on a sugar free low Carb diet for about 5 years (diabetes) and still suffer from terrible arthritis pain and inflammation.  I only have one kidney so INSAIDs are a No No.  The only thing that works for me are topical ointments and sometimes they help and sometimes not.

The Old age thing doesn’t help either, I’m 83 and older than dirt.

Glad it works for someone!  Living with daily pain is the pits.

Thank you guys for the happy birthday greetings, that helped a lot with my pain yesterday.



Mel



My Model Railroad  
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 

[selector]

I won't post any more about my eating habits as I don't want to impose my new eureka on Brent's interesting thread.  However, what you don't want is to combine carbs with fats.  Any other combination is fine, but if you have a donut or potato chips, you're very much eating incorrectly.  The body will deal with, in order of preference: fructose (only the liver does the work on fructose), carbs of other kinds, proteins, and then fats.  If fats are left over after all your needs have been met, insulin will cause you to store the fats at 2.2 times the calorific density of either carbs or protein. So, don't eat the fat if you're going to have oatmeal or Cheerios...or toast.  No butter, no peanut butter, no wedge of cheddar...

I agree with the previous poster about the modern diet.  Who, who lived 10K years ago, had shelves with blueberries from N. Zealand in January?  Or grapes from Mexico.  Fruit was only eaten when it ripened and was sufficiently decent to eat and abundant in the northern hemisphere, and that means for about 6 weeks in the mid-late summer and some apples into the fall.  Otherwise, it was pretty much meat and fat...if you caught it.  Maybe some dug-up tubers.  Fruit raises blood sugar very quickly (the fructose), but it therefore causes an insulin response.  Insulin is a storage hormone...period.  What do you want going for you as winter approaches?  Insulin.  And berries.

[rrebell]

I eat what I want but mainly 1 meal a day, dinner. Our ancesters never ate a regular breakfast much and proubly didn't eat every day. I also let my body tell me if I need food at any other time, I do need a small snack at times but not much, never used to so must be age. Was perfectly heathy till recently and still am but had some dental issues and the pain that goes with so hopefully that is behind me as any pain near the head bothers me more than most people. But I am back building my railroad and missing cabinet came in so helping finish a kitchen as the last step in a total home remodel for relatives.

[tin can]

Age 61.

Still working, although retirement will happen within the next couple of years.  I can retire comfortably at my next birthday; whether I actually do is dependent on how the current pandemic plays out.

MBA.  Didn't want any more higher ed, but working in higher ed, it was a necessary evil to advance.  I have worked in higher ed for 20 years, started as an accountant; now an administrator for a large Central Texas community college.  Before that, I owned a hobby shop for 3 years; and served 17 years in the banking industry (banking started out fun, and got miserable).

Live in College Station, two adult children.  We are the outliers in that both my kids received full athletic scholarships to college; son played football at Purdue (started 27 games; 2 surgeries) and received his civil engineering degree.  He just moved to Milwaukee; his wife will teach at Marquette.  My daughter played volleyball and threw for her track team at Western Carolina.  Double degree in construction management / marketing.  She is now working on a masters in marketing at UT Dallas.  The pandemic has her going to school online; she has moved back home to save $$.  

I have 027; G; N and HO.  Haven't set up the big stuff in years.  My daughter and I piddle with N scale using Unitrack; she has enough stuff, although lately I think she messes with it to humor me.  My main focus is HO.  I am in a local club, have been in clubs in Abilene and Dallas.  I am an alumni member of a modular group based in SW Dallas county; I occasionally run with them at the Dallas train shows.  I had a 4 x 6 layout as a kid; when we moved to a larger house my junior year of high school, I got the attic.  Caveat was, I had to floor the attic.  My dad acquired some old flooring, taught me how to install it.  Once finished, I could start a layout.  It never got very far, but I could run trains and switch a small yard.  Once my dad realized how much time I spent in the attic; he had an AC vent added to cool the place down.

Celebrated my 34th wedding anniversary last Sunday.  My wife tolerates my trains.  

I have been planning a HO layout based on the ATSF San Saba subdivision that runs from Lometa to Eden.  I discovered the old Santa Fe roundhouse in Lometa when I drove past it going to and from college in the mid 70s.  I was able to photograph it before it blew down in a windstorm.  What i build will be determined by how much space I get in retirement.  We plan to move to a place where I can have an outbuilding devoted to trains.

I also love Santa Fe CF7s.  Although I also like the trains i saw growing up; Santa Fe Fs; Santa Fe 2-6-2s; red Katy diesels; blue T&P / MP geeps and the shorty cabooses that dotted all of their trains.  I tend to assemble trains that I can take and run at club or on modules.  

I have been very slow to convert to DCC.  I have several engines that I have purchased with DCC, but I have close to 50 DC engines that need to be converted.  I recently made my first "hard" DCC installation which involved soldering and replacing headlamps with LEDs.  It went well, so there will be others.  I also have a bunch of TCS WOW kits to install in some Athearn F and CF7 units.  But when I build my layout, I will wire it for dual control.

I have way too much train stuff.  I still have lots of inventory from the hobby shop and lots of other stuff I have acquired in the 40 years I have earned disposable income; I intend to divest myself of much of what i have when I retire to finance the train room.

In my younger days (before wife) I did a lot of community theatre in Abilene.  I have been diagnosed with type II diabetes; and I have lost 45 lbs. watching my diet and excercising.  I try to walk 5 nights a week; 3 to 4 miles a night.  We enjoy hiking in Texas state parks; Dallas Stars hockey; and Purdue football.  We were big Astros fans until the cheating scandal last year.  I abhor cheaters, and until ownership renounces the WS title; I won't have anything to do them.  I love to snow ski, but it is too far away, and too expensive.

I love to play online games, mainly COD and Battlefield; got into it as a way to connect with son when he was at Purdue.  Have not done as much lately as I recently set up a space in my garage where I can actually work on my train projects.  

[SeeYou190]

tin can

I also love Santa Fe CF7s.

I am also fond of the CF7 locomotives. I wish there was something similar that would fit in with my 1954 date of simulation.

-Kevin

[up831]

Current age 71, married 42 yrs

not retired, actively looking for work, but age is now a big factor.

Loved trains since I was 3.  First layout: a 4x8 O-27 Lionel at age 8.  Got started in HO in 1959.  Had a few different track plans on the same 4x8 up until 1969.  Parents moved overseas for a couple of years. Sold the layout, but stored the buildings and rolling stock.  Still have all of it, but haven't had a layout since,...yet!

Model UP and SP centered around 1962, but have a small passion for tunnel motors, so I'll allow those with 1960s equipment.

Worked as rock n roll musician for 15 yrs, then got out of the industry in 1980 and got a job drafting and industrial engineering for over 20 yrs. Got associates degree in Interior Design in 2009.  Been involved in that since.

After being out of music for 40 yrs, my interest rekindled recently.  Now, just slowly starting to learn to sight read music and concentrate on classical guitar.  No rock n roll anymore! I dont have to prove a thing to anyone, anymore.

Enjoyed reading everyone's stories.

[Water Level Route]

OK, I'll play.

Joined the forum in 2015.  588 posts counting this one.

Age 44

Bachelor's in History (for teaching), but working in safety instead.

Lives: Ludington, Michigan

Scale: HO

Also have N that I dabbled in during my youth, O27, G, and starting to gather On30 for a new train around the Christmas tree.  That old O27 is just too loud for that.

Layout:  Roughly 12x18 plus staging.  Based on the "Moth Lake & Mount Ahab" plan.  Modeling the late 1940's.  (With some modelers license)

Love Steam, first generation diesels, second generation diesels, third gen.....

Other interests:  Video games, football, traveling, camping.  Would love a classic car, but don't have the time, money, or space.

[Track fiddler]

Joined March 2017, roughly 4000 posts

Age 56

Semi retired, still working by choice.  If I don't work part-time I stiffen up like a board with rusty nails in my joints

Blue-collar  Education-architectural drafting  Learned carpentry, plumbing, electric, and HAVC from my Father

Home, Minnesota

Scale N  Layout 4x8 twice around

Favorite is steamers and older locomotives but love the modern day double stackers

 

Other hobbies and interests

Building Bridges, Woodworking, mountain biking, downhill skiing, snowmobiling, playing and watching hockey,  football, traveling, reading, photography, auto body, classic cars, playing golf, hiking, rock climbing, swimming, jumping off cliffs into the water, hunting & fishing, cooking and eating as a sport.

Love creating my own little world with model railroading

 

 

TF

[dti406]

SeeYou190

 

 

tin can

I also love Santa Fe CF7s.

 

 

I am also fond of the CF7 locomotives. I wish there was something similar that would fit in with my 1954 date of simulation.

-Kevin

 

You want something as ugly as a CF7 then the BL2 is for you!

 

Rick Jesionowski

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

dti406

 

 

SeeYou190

 

 

tin can

I also love Santa Fe CF7s.

 

 

I am also fond of the CF7 locomotives. I wish there was something similar that would fit in with my 1954 date of simulation.

-Kevin

 

 

 

 

You want something as ugly as a CF7 then the BL2 is for you!

 

Rick Jesionowski

 

I model 1954 and I have BL2's, C&O, WESTERN MARYLAND, and ATLANTIC CENTRAL.

Sheldon

[SD45M]

I joined the forum in May, occasionally read it beforehand when looking for help on certain modelling topics and prototype information. 

I'm 15 years old, and since school has been cancelled amidst unexpected circumstances, I've devoted much of my time to learning about model railroading.

I model HO scale, particularly Conrail in the Piscataway, NJ area, though I don't have a layout yet.

I've been interested in trains since I was 2 years old, when my dad brought me near the railroad tracks to watch trains. My first model train was an Athearn Norfolk Southern train set, with a EMD GP38/40 (can't remember which), and a red NS caboose that aren't as common as they used to be.

I live in an apartment with my two parents. We don't have a basement or any space for a layout, so I keep my model trains in drawers and storage tubs. I'm a member at the Bound Brook Presbyterian Model Railroad Club, which is where I run my trains. 

It's nice to learn more about my fellow forum members and I hope all of you appreciate the information I have given here. 

[Doughless]

IMO, that Life Like P2K BL2 in C&O paint; blue, yellow, and silver, is actually a pretty sharp looking loco.

 

 IIRC, LL may have rerun the BL2 in their old bluish box vintage, which would probably have more conventional innards.

[basementdweller]

I am 52. I got back in to model railroading back in 2001when my son turned 7. The children are all grown now and we have two wonderful grand kids.

Been married for 30 years. 

I work as a fire fighter, been at it for 27 years and hope i can get 5 more in before i call it a day. I am getting too old to drag hoses into burning buildings. 

High school education. 

I grew up with Hornby OO in the UK.

I model HO scale and focus on the PRR around 1967.

Other activities include cycling to stay fit, and trying to eat better. 

Not sure how long i have been on this forum, i came over here after the old Atlas forum shut down. I find i am generally online much less these days which is fine with me. 

My favourite part of the hobby is layout building. I do not enjoy track planning. 

[SeeYou190]

dti406

You want something as ugly as a CF7 then the BL2 is for you!

I do like the BL-2!

This is the one the STRATTON AND GILLETTE had in N scale 20+ years ago. It still sees occassional service on my friend Randy's layout.

-Kevin

[OldEngineman]

tin can said: "I also love Santa Fe CF7s." And SeeYou added "I am also fond of the CF7 locomotives..."

They may have looked interesting, but those things were awful to work on. Amtrak traded SDP-40f's to Santa Fe and got two or three of these back for each. SF got the best part of the deal.

They had horrible toadstool seats with arms that dug into your sides, control stands and brake stands that weren't positioned very well. They did ride like typical EMD's, however... smooth. But every time I had a work train and saw these on them, I gritted my teeth, because it was going to be an uncomfortable night...

Locomotives are like books... can't always judge 'em "by the cover"...

[Track fiddler]

BRAKIE

I model in HO although my real love is   N Scale..

 

Larry,  I remember my first thread here about 3 1/2 years ago.  I was getting back into the hobby after 35 years.  I had modeled N scale when I was quite young so I stuck with it.  I was stating the fact my eyes were not as good as they used to be and I wasn't sure if I made the right decision.

You texted  "You are in the right scale".

N (Normal) scale

HO (Horribly Oversized) scale

I remember laughing and I have stuck with it since.  Guess I'm a Lifer.

 

This shouldn't offend anyone as I'm sure it's all in good humor.  I probably would be modeling HO if I had the room for it.

 

 

TF

[Track fiddler]

SeeYou190

I do like the BL-2!

 

I think the BL-2 has character.

It looks like a bulldog man.

And that particular paint job and graphics ain't too shabby either

 

 

 

PH

[tstage]

All I can say is...I'm glad the NYC didn't have any BL2s in their roster.

[doctorwayne]

dti406

...You want something as ugly as a CF7 then the BL2 is for you!...

I agree, and if you don't mind stretching the time period a little bit, you could include the GP30 in the mix of ugly, too.

Wayne

[dehusman]

Joined forum 2003, 9700+ posts. 

Age 64

Retired at 60

Civil engineering degree, retired railroader.

I lived in St Louis, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, St Louis, Van Buren, AR, Houston, Omaha, N Little Rock, AR, Salt Lake City, Omaha.

I have worked in HO, HOn3, N.

Current layout fills a 24x24' room

Started out freelance road, then club road, then 1960 PRR, then 1974 PC, then 1970 LV, then 1965 RDG, then 1950 MP, then 1970 RDG/LV , then 1948 RDG, now 1903 P&R.

 

[gmpullman]

Maybe we should start another thread?

GM&O #1900 Ingalls Shipbuilding by Gary Bechdol, on Flickr

Although I do kind of like the "vestibule" at the rear end. Otherwise 

I do have a fondness for the GP30, though. I got to run a few back then and they were quite capable, IMHO. The reason for the high forehead was to hide a too-tall electrical cabinet.

2006 photos 703 by Edmund, on Flickr

Regards, Ed