Train interest really isn't there anymore...

[Anonymous]

It's been coming on for a while now, but I've been noticing that I've been spending less and less time out in my train room.
I went out the other day to look at my layout, and it struck me that that was the last thing I cared to do. It's as if I'm just sick of trains...
I think I'm going to just put all of my engines and rolling stock away in their storage cabinets, cover my layout with a plastic sheet, lock the door and stay out of there until this coming fall or winter. Meanwhile I'll occupy myself with other things.
So if you folks don't hear anything out of me for a while, you'll know what the deal is.
Maybe the get away will do me good...

trainluver1

[cwclark]

don't feel like the Lone Ranger...I get burned out too once in awhile..that's what makes it a hobby...you do it when you feel like it, not because you have to do it...i'm kind'a there right now anyway...i'll just stop for a month or so, then hit it hot and heavy when i get the urge again..i'm in the process of building a limestone quarry against the backdrop and haven't done much because it's really hard to get to it and is going to be the hardest spot to scenic on the entire layout but i'll be back in the swing of things before too long and at it again...being in Texas and all...it's just to darn hot to do anything right now but stay out of the heat....chuck

[Anonymous]

Im in texas too. San Antonio to be specific. At this point in time I have plenty of work to do on the layout and nothing feels better than a nice cool train room. Im making lots of progress right now but its not like Ive never been burned out before.

[MAbruce]

Been there and doing that now. It happens. Just too many house projects these days.

[cwclark]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JPM335

Im in texas too. San Antonio to be specific. At this point in time I have plenty of work to do on the layout and nothing feels better than a nice cool train room. Im making lots of progress right now but its not like Ive never been burned out before.

I grew up in San Antonio and know the heat well there...it's a dry heat there and doesn't get you sweating so badly as the heat here in SE Texas along the coast..we get all that humidity from the Gulf of Mexico that makes all the difference in the world on how hot the heat feels...you can just step outside and within a couple of minutes ..drenched in sweat...good thing my train room has A/C, but still have to step outside to cut lumber ...not fun at all in this heat!.....chuck [:D]

[Anonymous]

The last time I burned out like this it lasted thirteen years... I've got a lot on my mind right now and hobbies just don't have much appeal.

As for the Texas heat. You're not joking. I almost had a heat stroke a couple of years ago trying to do a rush job on the lawn in preparation for some relatives that were coming by to visit the next day. After a couple of hours, I stopped sweating, got dizzy and really sick. I had to go stand in a cool shower for about an hour before I started feeling better and still felt like hell the next day. I won't ever let myself get that over heated again...
If I ever get the chance to leave Texas and move to a cooler climate, I'm out of here!.

trainluver1

[ereimer]

one nice thing about a hobby is that there are no rules telling you when you have to work on your hobby . take a break , go swimming , or fishing , or waterskiing , or go for drive up a mountain somewhere . take a month off . whatever it takes . the train room and this forum will still be around when you get back

about the heat ... yes , humidity makes all the difference . i'd much rather be in Phoenix AZ at 105 and 5% humidity than here in Toronto ON at 85 and 80% humidity . and don't even remind me of the time i went to New Orleans in july , 90 degrees and 95% humidity every day for a week . thank goodness you can carry your drink with you as you wander from bar to bar there !

[JeremyB]

I get like that every summer, It will come back trust me.

[Fergmiester]

There is a reason for every season. Little goes on the MESS during the summer. Take a break and enjoy somehing different.

Too much of a good thing isn't a good thing!

Fergie

[csmith9474]

I made the mistake once of thinking that I was going to give up model railroading altogether and sold everything that I had. I regret that to this day. Take a break, but don't give up on it. You will get the bug again, if you can make it through the withdrawls.

[fiatfan]

Many of us have been through this at one time or another. Many have offered good advice.. Two things I would recommend would be:

1. If you subscribe to MR or another train magazine, don't give it up. You may just toss it in a corner for now but you will probably want to refer to it in the future. When I gave up mrr last time, it left a 12 year gap in my MR collection which I am now really regretting.

2. Remember that you have many friends here on the forum. Please keep in touch.

Tom

[Anonymous]

I haven't done a lot with my trains for at least 10 years. I keep adding to my collection but haven't put my trains into action. I'll get to it one of these days.

[AntonioFP45]

Normal.

Got to pay bills, take care of loved ones, other obligations. I've gone 4 months without touching a freight car or locomotive.

Yet, this will always be my favorite hobby.

[WickhamMan]

I just came back to it after about a 6 month hiatus. Now I'm spending a lot of time on it again. Like anything, it comes and goes. Once work picks up again, I'm sure I'll fall off the hobby wagon. Fortunately for me, I have a 5-year-old who's interested in trains and keeps bringning me back to it.

[selector]

Go, trainluver, and don't look back.

As all of your wellwishers are saying, it is completely natural. My other two great interests are classical music and astronomy. I have as much invested in each of those, both in terms of time and money, as I have in toy trains. Except for my committment to Tuesay nite choral singing, I never listen to classical music these days, and my Sky and Tel mags get a very cursory once-over when they arrive. I don't feel guilty, because trains is where I am at the moment. Of course, as csmith says, i have not for one minute considered selling my telecope, and I'd sooner part with a rather tender part of my maleness than give up one of my carefully selected CDs.

Life happens, and you should turn and face it with the same energy that you will later provide to your trains...when the time comes. We'll be here.[^]

[bikerraypa]

Same thing here, bro. It's too nice outside. I do most of my work AND play with the WARR in the fall and winter months. During the summer, there's R/C airplanes and cars and boats and helicopters, and there's fishing, shooting, motorcycles, vacations, yardwork, outdoor projects, gardening, whatever.....so I let the fireboxes cool for the summer and engage in other pursuits.

So I guess you're as normal as I am. My condolences. [:D]


Ray out

[cheese3]

I just got out of one of those down periods. The urge to model came back and i am happy again.

[Adelie]

This time of year is tough for the Bunter Ridge, too. A lot of outdoor projects intrude. That said, I did manage to get some work done on it this morning before I had to fly out on a business trip. Unfortunately, I'm doing a lot of travel for the job these days, so that doesn't help. But it did feel good to get about an hour's worth of work done on it.

The track gangs will fire up again in the fall, in full force.

Give it time, trainluver.

[Sunset Limited]

trainluver1,
I went through this also, during the late 90's I decided this was too much, too many projects, cost of trains, no room for HO, hard to find items, family, kids growing up, life changes, work changes [xx(]. I decided to try something I used to like and alot cheaper and alot less room, I decided to build plastic model kits (Trucks/Cars/Roadsters). I really enjoyed it! I learned alot from this hobby that I use in my railroad now. But I still have that railroad heart! I eventually went back and things turned out a little more managable. Glad I'm back!
Speaking of Heat! As a fellow Texan who lives in the West Texas, El Paso, it's like Phoenix here, dry air, always bright and sunny and desert sand![8D] Just take a break! You'll get that feeling again!!!

[Anonymous]

I just rode out a rough time where I did nothing at the workbench for a month. I figured that the projects can wait for a while.

Take your time, keep everything safe and away from potential damage. Go about your days doing whatever you want to.

In time, we will see you back here raving about the latest project or something on your trains.

Good Luck!

IF we did not know the lows, how then do we understand the high places?

[Anonymous]

Trainluver1!!
Man,don't sweat it. It's summer time, just about eveybody has something to do outside basketball,golf,vacations,yardwork etc. Your creative juices will flow again, I go though lows like that to. It's best to stay away when you don't have any ideas going, you stand a chance of doing something or making something on the layout that will look really out of place or crappy. The trains and us your MRXRer friends will be here when you return. We don't have the heat here in Oregon like you guys in Texas, so we just have to deal with RAIN and sometimes wind. That's probily why layouts up here get done so fast, :) On the serious side, Trainluver take some time off and enjoy the summer and who knows? you might see or think of something that might give you great inspration for your layout!!! GO SPURS!!!!
TrainsRMe

[cmrproducts]

The same here as I just LOVE mowing the lawn but I fear that I will get tired of this also (probably right around the end of September) and then it will be back to the trains.

The outside activities are keeping my mind off the layout but not completely. When it is so hot out, the basement is always 20 degrees cooler, so that is where I do spend some time and the computer is in my office just off the layout room so I spend a little time there too!

BOB H - Clarion, PA

[Fergmiester]

Latest studies are now saying we need some sun to fend off certain cancers and other conditions such as depression. So manbe your body is saying "Get your behind into the sun and relax ". Read a good book. The brain needs to take breaks to reorganize and do some filing. Who knows when you get back into it you'll be more inspired to do greater things!

Fergie

[cwclark]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Fergmiester

Latest studies are now saying we need some sun to fend off certain cancers and other conditions such as depression. So manbe your body is saying "Get your behind into the sun and relax ".
Fergie

Hey Fergie..you ever been in a Texas sun for too long?...It'll blister the hide right off the bone!....Nature's radiation treatment?....[:D] Chuck

[grandeman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1

It's been coming on for a while now, but I've been noticing that I've been spending less and less time out in my train room.
I went out the other day to look at my layout, and it struck me that that was the last thing I cared to do.

[voice] of Sgt Carter (Gomer Pyle's Drill Sgt)[/voice]

TRAINLUVER1, GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GET TO THE TRAIN ROOM! DOUBLE TIME! [:D]


Seriously, if you feel like taking a break, there's nothing wrong with that. The trains will wait for you. Give it some time and, when you're back in the mindset, get back into it again.

[grandeman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TA462
[Cutting the grass, cleaning the pool and working around the house takes priority over the layout.

Man, you're dedicated. By the time I take a train break, the yard looks like a little section of Cambodia.[:D]

[JPowell]

As for me, I've found myself doing less and less on my layout, due to personal problems in my life. Once they're all cleared up, then I'll be alot less 'stressed' and be able to move on with my life as I feel fit (including resuming my layout planning, etc)
JP

[Anonymous]

I've found during stressful times in life, I lose all interest in model railroading and even sometimes drumming. Yikes!

I'm hoping in the future that won't happen so much, but you never know...

When life "gets good" again, I always seem to get interested in my hobbies again.

[Anonymous]

My interest is sagging because I am in the middle of doing something I strongly dislike - benchwork, tracklaying, and wiring. I also have stress factors in my life, such as a corporate reorganization where I work, and huge unplanned expenses (thousands of $$).

But I still have to force myself to do the unpleasant layout work if I want to reach my goal of actually running trains, can't afford to let a temporary emotion paralyze me into doing nothing.

[robengland]

I'm with Ken: gotta get over that hump of benchwork , tracklaying and wiring. Blah!

I agree with everyone who says nothing wrong with giving it a rest (I did for 30 years). On the other hand, there are a few tactics to keep your enthusiasm up if you want to:

My main source of inspiration is other people's work. I'm in a round-robin group that meet monthly at eachother's houses. I also visit clubs and conventions. When I see good stuff it really fires me up

The other thing that kicks me along is showing the trains off to visitors, especially kids.

One thing I'm doing is to move the layout into the house: four and a half feet up the walls of my study to be precise. I'm hoping to get lots more time on the layout this way, in many little chunks instead of occasionally mounting an expedition into the basement.

Other suggestions I have seen:
Do a model or a diorama in another scale, or even a layout (i've just gone into G in the garden)
If you are bogged down in one phase like trackwork or wiring, get a small area of layout to "completion", then move on to another area.
Alternatively go all out to at least get trains running
Go railfanning, especially a week somewhere else :-)
Go back to the armchair