overwhelmed by trains?

[tom mann]

I decided to go through my purchases last year and I'm amazed at how much I acquired vs. how much I've actually built (and I think I build a lot).  In other words, I probably won't be able to finish all the projects this year that I had in mind and bought last year!  And new cool things come up every day, like the z scale boxcars this month from MT.  I bought two of each, so it'll probably take me a month just do finish those!

For me it's not a money thing.  I don't buy a lot money-wise and I do sell things to recoup costs.  For me it's a unfinished product vs. finished product thing.  I am acquiring trains at a rate greater than what I can work on them.

As a positive note, I should have plenty to do when I retire...

 

[wm3798]

Being self-employed, I have to ride the wave of revenue when it comes in.  I tend to stock up on staples like track and turnouts, scenic materials and kits.  That way when work slows down and the cashflow ebbs, I have stuff laying around to work on so I don't feel like I'm deprived of my pass-time.

A number of years ago I did a custom run of CSX Intermodal cars for their marketing dept., and worked a deal with a LHS that got me a commission there in store credit.  I stockpiled detail parts, scratchbuilding supplies, and a bunch of other stuff, some of which I still have in the packages...  And that was back in 91!

Lee

[Mark5]

I've been accumulating over a considerable period of time. I was transient for all of the 1980s and most of the 1990s.

I've got projects to last for years ... ;D

[amato1969]

For me it's not a money thing.  I don't buy a lot money-wise and I do sell things to recoup costs.  For me it's a unfinished product vs. finished product thing.  I am acquiring trains at a rate greater than what I can work on them.

I hear ya, Tom!  With a full-time job and two kids under 6, my train time is also at a premium.  I do most of my work after 8 PM, when the kids are in bed, so most of my projects take a long time...

  Frank

[Mark5]

yeah, I have a more than full time job, 4 kids, I'm in a band, I have project 1:1 autos, and a fixer upper house ...

so this is just a hobby - one I intend to enjoy for decades to come. ;D

[Erik W]

I have an interesting spin on the title of the thread “Overwhelmed by trains”.  About 4 years ago I reentered the hobby after a nearly 2 decade hiatus.  I jumped in with both feet and started building my current layout (pictured in my Railimages account).  A few months after getting into the hobby, I randomly sent a resume into InterMountain Railway Co., 1 mile from my house.  They called me back and ended up hiring me.  So, I wound up working 9+ hours a day on model railroad stuff at work and then working on the layout everyday after work and on the weekends.  After about two years at IMRC I moved back into the “Civilian” work world.  Several months after I left IMRC I was trying to figure out what the next project I’d work on would be.  Nothing sounded appealing.  I had hit the wall.  I didn’t even want to look at the layout.  After 6 months of enjoying a train free summer I caught the bug again.  It felt good to be newly motivated and get reacquainted with the layout again, to see it through fresh eyes.  From a hobby perspective, being employed outside of the model railroad industry was the best thing I could do for my hobby enjoyment.  I would have never thought it before, but there is such a thing as too much trains!

Erik

[Chulvis]

Erik,

I have an interestingly different viewpoint.

I go to the shop everyday and deal with trains. I handle them, I test them, I offer opinion on them to customers when they ask. The odd thing is that during the work day they are "product" and I treat them as such. I stack up boxes of trains by part number, sort out orders, pack them up and send them off to a new home.

At the end of the day I pick my daughter up from after-school, get her home, make dinner, do homework with her etc. Many nights I have work to do from home. Recently I realized that I really miss just working on train related projects the way I used to do.

So a few months ago I decided I would make more time to relax and get back to train projects. I spent New Years Day cleaning up the work bench, sorting out all my projects and have created a list of things I want to do and have actually started doing them. I'm having fun again. Very Cool.

[Ali Kenneth]

Gents,

I have a similar problem. I work 8-10 hours a day for English Welsh and Scottish Railways running freight trains throughout the UK and into Europe and when I get home at night that last i want to deal with is another train.

However the romance of model trains was regained by ditching the modelling of the UK for modelling the NS in the states. I can spend hours on rrpicturearchives.net looking at the recent posts and marvelling at how different railroading is in the States to the UK. I find the standard of websites, such as this one, to be a breath of fresh air and it means i can make a decent stab at modelling NS operations with ever having seen an NS train in the flesh!

Th fact that i've never built my dream layout in the garage and never actually run more than a 2 unit consist up and down a couple of pieces of flexi-track should not be held against me here. It will happen sooner rather than later but until then the arrival of my latest parcel from Chulvis with a couple of SD60s in has made me motivated once more.

I actually look forwards to the post arriving now, awaiting my next parcel with an e-bay purchase, or the next arrival from FRTS!

In the end what Model railroading gives me is a release from the dreary reality of working with trains and, even without a layout, a bit of escapism to this other world, Modern day US railroading with a NS focus!

Alasdair

[John]

Ali .. first of .. welcome .. You have my dream job .. driving trains .. although, I don't think I want the hours .. Here in the US, the life of a train crew member can be pretty nomadic ..

As far as modeling, there are some of the most knowlegable NS people here you will find on the net ..

Feel free to share some of your pictures, especially of rolling stock, and locomotives ..

[Ali Kenneth]

John,
Unfortunately I don't have your dream job, I don't drive trains just deal with Head Office duties in an office that I can't even see any trains from.
But on your other points photos will be forthcoming as soon as i can get a better camera to take photos with. I want to give back to everybody who posts great photos of US Trains with some of what is going on in the UK today.
And i agree about the NS knowledge base, there has always been an answer from somebody whenever i ask a question that there is no published answer for.
Such is the beauty of this forum!

Alasdair

[John]

John,
Unfortunately I don't have your dream job, I don't drive trains just deal with Head Office duties in an office that I can't even see any trains from.

Yuck .. thats what I do now .. sit at a desk all day and deal with bureaucrat all day long .. thats why I like to model my trains .. I am in charge there