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For the last 8 months or so I have been working on my new 6 x 9 1/2 "retirement" layout. I find myself doing several projects off and on simultaneously--laid down the track, but have only got the inside loop "finished" with foam roadbed and painted ballast.; have been working on the outside loop and sidings--not finished. I have several structure kits that I'm working on-- all currently 80% done. I'm turning MTH Boris Car Lot building into a representation of my local Chrysler Jeep dealer (75% finished). My Korber grain elevator is 90% done, just needs a few more details. And then there are a number of small things I want to do before wiring the track and some accessories. Am I the only guy chasing a bunch of projects at once?

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Gondolawillie posted:

For the last 8 months or so I have been working on my new 6 x 9 1/2 "retirement" layout. I find myself doing several projects off and on simultaneously--laid down the track, but have only got the inside loop "finished" with foam roadbed and painted ballast.; have been working on the outside loop and sidings--not finished. I have several structure kits that I'm working on-- all currently 80% done. I'm turning MTH Boris Car Lot building into a representation of my local Chrysler Jeep dealer (75% finished). My Korber grain elevator is 90% done, just needs a few more details. And then there are a number of small things I want to do before wiring the track and some accessories. Am I the only guy chasing a bunch of projects at once?

I've got several HUNDRED projects NOT going on simultaneously, let alone individually.

Can anyone top that? 

Let's see, at the moment I'm...

  • Making a pink foam mountain for the center rear portion of the layout.
  • Adding ground cover for the north section.
  • Fixing a switch on the south section, then once that's done some rewiring.
  • Reworking the scenery underneath and around my timber trestle.
  • Building up the roadbed near where I'm gong to cut in a switch for a a siding.
  • Laying out the beginning of what will eventually be some sort of town or village scene.
  • Planning stages of a yard

Friends keep asking me when my layout is going to be finished. I'm not sure it ever will be but if it is, I know I'll be sad.

Let me try to list them: Upgrading all 30+ passenger cars to LEDs; Building an electronic station stop, hold, & go for my subway; Installing a new flasher unit on a 20+ year old RR crossing flasher from Shiloh Signals; Building a railside signal cabinet to hide the infrared transmitter on a PRR 7 light position signal; Installing three ERR Cruise Commanders for customers; Helping a friend lay several hundred feet of HO track on his new layout; Helping the same friend getting the horn working on his old horizontal motored Lionel F unit; Freshening up the 25 year old scenery on my own layout with the several bags of clump foliage i bought last Sat. at a train show; Upgrading as many as possible incandescent lamps in buildings with LEDs as possible; Getting back to scratch building a New Haven EP3 on a GG1 chassis; Repairing my Williams scale 44 ton switcher.

The question is "Am I having fun yet?

Your not the only one. I have multiple locomotive, accessories, and a couple freight and passenger car restoration projects, all from prewar to modern era. I'm slowly getting the parts and appropriate tools that will complete them. Along with some Revell bomber plane kits and model car and boat kits that are still in their boxes and a battery operated Marx tinplate toy plane that needs to be repaired...

xrayvizhen posted:

Let's see, at the moment I'm...

  • Making a pink foam mountain for the center rear portion of the layout.
  • Adding ground cover for the north section.
  • Fixing a switch on the south section, then once that's done some rewiring.
  • Reworking the scenery underneath and around my timber trestle.
  • Building up the roadbed near where I'm gong to cut in a switch for a a siding.
  • Laying out the beginning of what will eventually be some sort of town or village scene.
  • Planning stages of a yard

Friends keep asking me when my layout is going to be finished. I'm not sure it ever will be but if it is, I know I'll be sad.

See?   You qualify just fine with seven things in the works!  Welcome to the club!  Right now I have in the pipeline:

  • a scratch built piece of motive power that will be presented at the national S gauge convention
  • a Pine Canyon gas station (almost done)
  • a Pine Canyon custom auto shop (well into the process)
  • repainting seven kit-bashed Osgood Bradley cars for New Haven made from cut up Flyer cars
  • finishing off two resin shell DL-109s, also for New Haven
  • beginning an Art Deco theater kit from Twin Whistle (just arrived today)
  • bashing a few Hot Wheels cars into something with a more prototypical paint job
  • Finding places for a growing list of buildings that are bound for The Layout
  • sitting in the middle of my layout and simply watching trains around me for a Zen break
  • tweaking the hand built turnouts to make everything as smooth as possible
  • playing trains with my grandson once or twice a week on The Layout (he has a corner to himself and runs trains anywhere he wants - thanks to FlyerChief)
  • gathering a bunch of items I'm taking to major train events to thin out the "herd"
  • Doing minor restoration and cleaning of recent acquisitions
  • working from time to time on a scratch built Michigan Central depot in Ann Arbor
  • also wondering what I'll do when my layout is finished.  I ain't doing THIS again!

Why so many things at once?  I used to be in a job where you HAD to  stick to one thing to get things done.  No more.  When I get tired of one, or stuck on a detail, I go to another while keeping them all in mind searching for solutions or a logical plan of attack on another project.  And remember, trains are only a part of our lives.  If we're lucky, we still have a Significant Other in our lives, kids and grandkids, friends and other interests.  I also have a 1937 Ford street rod in my garage that needs to be driven, but is waiting for the salt to be washed off the streets and a bit of warmer weather to come our way.  Then there's the house chores and sometimes simply sitting in the back yard with a nice beverage and thinking how lucky we are.

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