Model railroading, building model ships, and since I was old enough to think about driving, sports cars have been my hobbies all my life. Today toy trains bring my much more pleasure, as they did when a young child.
Measured purely in total time devoted, models ships were my major hobby. Over a 30+ year period I scratch-built a set of eighteen 1:87 (HO scale) models - one of every major class of warship in the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars: I used repainted Prieser figures as sailors and put several hundred on each of the larger ships. Since railroads did not really exist to any extent during the Napoleonic era there is no overlap. When I had my N gauge layout I scratch built a 1:160 scale Liberty ship for a port area, but that's it.
I certainly spent the most money - and time when in my 20s and 30s - on sports cars, owning just about every iconic brand, mostly one or two at a time, and roughly in order of price, from low cost (MG, Triumph, Fiat) up through Austin Healeys, Jags, Alfas, Lancias, Porsches, Masers and Astons and finally to the car I dreamed about in high school: a high end Italian job with all the right goodies, custom built by the factory - which ironically I drive very little - getting too old.
Connection to model railroads: weak. I actually went as far as getting a quote to have my current car painted in Warbonnet. Is already red, and mid-engined (so its shape would look good in that scheme, I thought, particularly with Santa Fe written along the rocker panel and custom made scrip Super Chief embplems. But me three boys were adamant and talked me out of it - the car should be preserved as it left the factory, they said.
-->So my sports car obsession rolls over onto my train layout only in the unrealistically high portion or cars parked along the streets in my 1950s downtown that are sports cars, and four used car lots/garages: one for early muscle cars, one for British and American sports cars, one for German sports cars, and a "factory" for Italian sports cars evocative of the Alfa, Ferrari and OSCA formula one team buildings in the very early '50s.
Lee- I half joked a few weeks ago in another post about you getting a major project done just about every day. You seemed to laugh it, but the results have kept coming - trailer park and a couple others I think. Now we see you build those high quality ships too! C'mon! Leave some talent and efficiency for the rest of us!
