I was in my winter routine in March, which consisted of model railroading, golf and leading the local volunteer income tax group. The tax program came to a halt, which meant more time for the other two. Unfortunately, our travel plans had to be cancelled.
I accelerated my work on the layout (started 2012) and completed the scenery, added some more details such as street lights, more people (patiently painted). I then built some more car kits from my inventory of prior purchases. Painted all the freight car wheels & trucks. Reset the sound levels on all my locos to comparable levels.
I don't run the trains all that much, as I prefer to be working on something. I'm contemplating building a F-100 model (I used to fly them) that I have had in a box for several decades. I need some new ideas on the railroad front. I could add crossing lights and automated gates but am somewhat hesitant to take on the crossing gates. Maybe just the right project, now that I think of it.
Now that fall is here, it is time to be preparing again for the volunteer tax program. Training our volunteers will be virtual, so I have found it an interesting project to master Google Meet (comparable to Zoom) as the presenting "host". Ultimately, the virus situation in early 2021 will dictate whether we can offer our services, after all the preparation. Our evening TV options have been expanded, as there are few if any new shows. We watch lots of Amazon Prime TV series, plus some from Brit Box and Acorn. Mostly murder mysteries.
I don't complain, as our situation is fortunate compared to many. The biggest disappointment is seeing the kids and grandkids rather little since March.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
These whimsical topics with misspelled titles, typical of MR forums, do have a way of veering out. Sure keeps the moderators on their toes! So here we go, in before the lock!
Yeah, I'd say the present times are hardest on extroverts. Those who are introverts, less so. Or those who aren't independantly wealthy and can afford to do all of these things out and away are probably affected less as well. I agree, the news is particulaly disturbing and seems to have a darkening affect. Reminds me of the lyics from Don McLean's American Pie song. "bad news on the door step, I couldn't take one more step", although it was about something else.
I worry, (or maybe wondering) if I'm going to become one of those individuals that has a bunch of models with nary a layout.
Welcome to the club. I went through many years of life due to circumstances moving often, living in small apartments, etc. where I was a "collector", that evil word, and circumstances where a layout was not happening. Keep the faith.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
SeeYou190 I hope this thread does not wander into forbidden territory and get shut down. Remember... No actual discussion of the pandemic. I took early retirement before the pandemic with the full intention of spending 12 months working on my house non-stop. Thus it has not effected me very much at all, except for the fact that permitting and inspections are very delayed and slowing things way down. I have not been "model railroading" in a long time, but that was planned. This is what has changed for me... and I DO NOT like it at all: Before the pandemic shut down everything, I was out in the world all the time. I travelled all over the United States, saw people everywhere, and had a very positive oppinion of my fellow human beings. Now, I do not get to go out at all. I have not been to a sit-down restaurant in 7 months. I have not been to a Wargame Convention, Cosplay Convention, or Train Show. I miss my Friday Night Wargaming group. All I know about the outside world comes from weekly trips to Home Depot and Publix, and people are on tension in these places. All my information comes from the news, and it is always bad news. Shootings, Home Invasions, Road Rage, Robberies, and so on. My oppinion of my fellow human beings is changing, and I know it is because I do not get out and interact with them any longer. All I know about other people is what I see on the bad news. People, face to face, are wonderful. There is an empty space that needs to be filled. I am hating this. I need people. I need to talk to someone face to face and see their smile. This is really beginning to wear on my soul. -Kevin
I hope this thread does not wander into forbidden territory and get shut down. Remember... No actual discussion of the pandemic.
I took early retirement before the pandemic with the full intention of spending 12 months working on my house non-stop. Thus it has not effected me very much at all, except for the fact that permitting and inspections are very delayed and slowing things way down.
I have not been "model railroading" in a long time, but that was planned.
This is what has changed for me... and I DO NOT like it at all:
Before the pandemic shut down everything, I was out in the world all the time. I travelled all over the United States, saw people everywhere, and had a very positive oppinion of my fellow human beings.
Now, I do not get to go out at all. I have not been to a sit-down restaurant in 7 months. I have not been to a Wargame Convention, Cosplay Convention, or Train Show. I miss my Friday Night Wargaming group.
All I know about the outside world comes from weekly trips to Home Depot and Publix, and people are on tension in these places.
All my information comes from the news, and it is always bad news. Shootings, Home Invasions, Road Rage, Robberies, and so on.
My oppinion of my fellow human beings is changing, and I know it is because I do not get out and interact with them any longer. All I know about other people is what I see on the bad news. People, face to face, are wonderful. There is an empty space that needs to be filled.
I am hating this. I need people. I need to talk to someone face to face and see their smile. This is really beginning to wear on my soul.
-Kevin
Kevin- For the reasons you stated above, I rarely watch the news anymore. This is my self preservation manuever, and I would counsel anyone who is starting to feel like you do, to do the same. But I can say that the vast majority of the country is still just us regular folks making do. You can still get in the car and travel to other parts of the country with less restrictions and open restaurants, and the ability to interact with others. This is one of the many reasons I just relocated from WA state to SD. Hang in there brother.
Being an OTR driver that pulls a reefer (food), my workload has actually increased with less home time (it's currently going on 5 weeks since I've seen the house). We are exempt from the HOS Regs now until Dec 31st- people want to eat. On the positive side, my income has risen. What limited hobby time I had has dwindled to being almost non-existent. I still managed to find a few items to purchase, but I worry, (or maybe wondering) if I'm going to become one of those individuals that has a bunch of models with nary a layout. I found this has had the recent effect of actually dulling my interest- what a predicament huh?
Y'all take care and stay safe
Kevin
As a retired person, now 16 years into it, there has been no change. Well...maybe one or two. I wrote a letter to the local paper about dogs off leash. My wife and I encounter some entitled person daily, it seems, and its worse with young dogs who are not being trained to respect personal space. What makes it particularly bad is the owners who get huffy and insist that my dog should be leashed if it's that unruly, while their princess is just fine. The town's bylaw is clear, if they'd bothered to read it: dogs off leash in public spaces are deemed to be 'at large'. There are no off-leash spaces within the legal boundaries of the Town of Comox. I don't imagine they care. This has only been a problem with personal space and the COVID-19. The Town's bylaw officer has left a message on the machine, and will return his call tomorrow.
Other than that unpleasantness, my routine is the same. I fast from 1800 hrs to 1200 the next day, and get in a run/walk session of 15-20 km late in the fast to get depleted from liver glucose and muscle glycogen. I eat, hit the computer, watch some TV with the missus, or we go out and garden, or shop, or go for a bike ride. I volunteer as a shopper for shut-ins in the Valley, and I am on the board of Crimestoppers. I also sing in the bass section of a local choral society....not much of that happening. I sometimes model, but have done nothing substantial since end-June of this year because there's so much else to do during the summer.
I am getting ready to head out and complete the yard. A few more days of putting the garden to bed for the winter, and then I have modeling.
The weather has more of an effect on my layout activities than the "social climate". The better the weather, the less time or interest in the indoor hobbies, and more activity on the outdoor stuff.
Building an 18x40 shop for welding and vehicle repair and maint is the big project this year. It uses a 40 foot container for one side. Rearanging and even moving some of my many sheds is related to that overall project.
I'll turn back to the train room when the outdoor elements drive me indoors, ever so happy i have it to get me through the winter. Since I'm a loner in the hobby, it's been business as usual. I continue mainly to reach out here anyway, as far as RR related discussion goes. Dan
Trainman440I hope that was on topic enough... Charles
Perfect! Thanks Charles.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
My college has been doing mandatory twice weekly testing(UIUC), and I gotta say, its been effective.
Downside is, now Ive been away from my layout for longer than I expected.
And for some reason, all the good deals on ebay always appear when Im not home!!
So I'll admit I've been buying more locomotives on ebay, some impulsive, some not. I've got a pretty good system going, where if the engine is listed as junk, I ship it to my home. If it claims to be new, or working, I ship it to my out of state college apartment, and test it on site.
Because of the extreme testing, and the fact that my college is located in the middle of nowhere, my college model railroad club has been allowed to host meetings, and layout workshops so thats been great! Its nice to socialize again.
Also, yes, trains has been a great way to fill up free time otherwise spent partying and traveling.
I hope that was on topic enough...
Charles
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
SeeYou190I hope this thread does not wander into forbidden territory and get shut down. Remember... No actual discussion of the pandemic.
Yes, if we can keep the discussion as it pertains to the hobby we should be fine.
Living the dream.
Hi Brent,
The pandemic has certainly put a stop to socializing. We were supposed to be having a party this weekend with some long time friends but we decided it wasn't worth the risk. I used to go for coffee every week with an old work buddy but I haven't seen him since February, and we have decided that we won't be going for coffee until well into next year.
As far as model railroading, I haven't been affected by Covid-19 at all. I'm still working on the layout at the usual slow pace that my back allows. I have had to go out a couple of times to buy model train related supplies like lumber, but the only real difference was that I had to wear a mask. Amazon has allowed me to avoid having to go into stores for small items like screws, glue and tools so I have had to visit very few stores.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
So here we are the best part of a year laying low to avoid the scourge that has enveloped the planet. When my sons University in Ottawa shut down on a Thursday afternoon, he was on a plane home Saturday morning. It was a little bit scary to be suddenly hauled out of his acadamic routine to be on a airplane bound for home and he freely admited a tear rolled down his face when Vancouver came into view out the window of the plane. My Daughters University shut down in Victoria and I was on the ferry the next day to get her home from residence.
With that being said, through all this I have not really noticed much of an inconvenience in my daily routine. I get up, drink two cups of coffee, then workout, then play my guitar(s) for a couple of hours and then hit the trainroom at my leisure. Lockdown for me was pretty much like any other day.
I have friends and family that are not doing well through the pandemic as they have hobbies and interest that involve leaving the home and having lots of interaction with other people. My sister is a dog show judge that constantly flys all over the world judging. She is not doing well at all being grounded, her mental health is suffering.
There have been periods of time over the years when the trains did not get as much attention as I would have liked to have given them but I always had a warm fuzzy feeling knowing they were there waiting for me when I was ready to get back at it.
As usual, the Filosophy Phriday question isn't much about Filosophy but rather a starting point for disccusion.
How has having a hobby/interest that allows you to carry on uninterupted through the pandemic make you feel? I know I have been able to gloat to some of my friends and family about my choice of hobbies as most of them have been shut down, suffering cabin fever as a result. Being a model railroader the pandemic just means a whole lot more time on the layout for me.
I am suffering a little bit from train show withdrawl but find myself ordering a few more items than usual from retailers to get my fix. Trainshows are my only interaction with fellow model railroaders other than social media.
Are any of you ordering more from retailers to fill the train show gap?
Operating sessions must be affected to some extent.
If your employment has been affected, have trains helped to ease that stress?
I could go on and on with questions as they relate to covid-19, but why not just tell us how model railroading has fit into your pandemic weathering life.
Winter is approaching and I feel like I somehow missed summer along the way, oh well, to the trainroom!
What say you?