In My Little World I Leave This Troubled World Behind

I think I would be diagnosed as obsessive compulsive if a shrink saw my train collection

Nope... just a hobby, like fishing or photography or whatever. Not an escape. Maybe you should consider changing careers...

Mark (happily) in Oregon

Funny you posted this. Had a really bad week at work myself . It is an absolute pleasure to know at the end of my day that I get to come home to a wonderful loving family and a great hobby sitting and waiting in the basement for me. Particularly this week it was me hanging with the family down stairs while working and running some Marx trains I purchased. It's definitely a therapeutic hobby for me.

So Arnold, a divorce lawyer huh? I can understand why model trains would be a good “escape” from that. 😉

I’ve been retired for ten years now. But even though I have much more free time, I find that running trains is still therapeutic for me and an escape from this crazy would we live in. There’s something about having created a miniature world and being in charge of it, along with the movement and sounds of the trains, that seems to recharge my batteries and get me through the week.

I play music, too (pedal steel guitar and some think we’re an endangered species 😂), with a small band. Playing is a different kind of escape, because you try to do well and concentrate. Those of you who play a musical instrument know what I mean. Although there is that musical satisfaction, it’s just not quite the same as relaxing with the trains.

Most definitely.  They're are a welcome respite that allows me to relax and unwind after a long day.  After all, isn't that what a hobby is for?  Something you enjoy that provides relaxation and pleasure.

-Greg

You are one hundred percent accurate Arnold. At any age it’s a respite from the calamity in your life and the world. As we age it’s also what helps us keep cognitively fit. In your little world Arnold, I’m sure that there isn’t any divorce. As always, thank you for your insights and thoughtful questions into the human condition.

I have done a lot of good train work at 2 AM after waking and worrying whether I am making the right decision for a client's project.

I had to laugh when I saw this one, Arnold. Two things: back in '85 I had a heart attack - I was 32 years old. On the way home from the hospital, I stopped at French's Trains in Baltimore just to calm myself down. It worked, and I was able to put things in a better perspective. Last summer at age 68 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma. First thoughts were to sell off the trains and movie posters I've collected - after all, I was going to die, right? My wife and friends told me not to and thank God I didn't. During treatment on the days when I felt up to going down to the basement, there they were. Even if I didn't run them, they were a pleasure just to look at, and would calm me down. In December I was told that I was currently in remission. It really is time to start thinning out the collection, but not all of it. I still need that place to leave the world behind - just in case.

artyoung, there isn’t anything that can be added to your sentiment; you captured it all. So glad to hear that you are in remission and still enjoying “your little world “.

Ahh...Arnold, you nailed another aspect of RRing in my own little world.  Sometimes I just walk around in it taking in the various right a ways, eye balling grade consistency,  checking point feathering, installing hand throws, dusting and vacuuming, etc.

In the middle of the night when sleep escapes me, like the old movie;  I "Run Silent Run Deep" .  Operate with out the sound down in the basement.

There is always something to create, something to adjust, something to rearrange.   Sometimes just enjoying the eye candy.

In fact, between 2 to 4 am this morning unable to sleep,  I was installing two dozen toggle switches in a new sub panel for level four and five which  wrap around 75 feet of walls  to accommodate some of my ancient track powered conventional engines.

<<Three rail looper and two rail lower.

@Yellowstone Special posted:

So Arnold, a divorce lawyer huh? I can understand why model trains would be a good “escape” from that. 😉

I’ve been retired for ten years now. But even though I have much more free time, I find that running trains is still therapeutic for me and an escape from this crazy would we live in. There’s something about having created a miniature world and being in charge of it, along with the movement and sounds of the trains, that seems to recharge my batteries and get me through the week.

I play music, too (pedal steel guitar and some think we’re an endangered species 😂), with a small band. Playing is a different kind of escape, because you try to do well and concentrate. Those of you who play a musical instrument know what I mean. Although there is that musical satisfaction, it’s just not quite the same as relaxing with the trains.

Boy, do I ever relate to what you say Vern; well stated.

Arnold

@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:

You are one hundred percent accurate Arnold. At any age it’s a respite from the calamity in your life and the world. As we age it’s also what helps us keep cognitively fit. In your little world Arnold, I’m sure that there isn’t any divorce. As always, thank you for your insights and thoughtful questions into the human condition.

No divorce lawyer, but there is a law office on my layout:

The same one where the Tyrannosaurus Rex devoured the lawyer in Jurassic Park!

LOL, Arnold

@artyoung posted:

I had to laugh when I saw this one, Arnold. Two things: back in '85 I had a heart attack - I was 32 years old. On the way home from the hospital, I stopped at French's Trains in Baltimore just to calm myself down. It worked, and I was able to put things in a better perspective. Last summer at age 68 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma. First thoughts were to sell off the trains and movie posters I've collected - after all, I was going to die, right? My wife and friends told me not to and thank God I didn't. During treatment on the days when I felt up to going down to the basement, there they were. Even if I didn't run them, they were a pleasure just to look at, and would calm me down. In December I was told that I was currently in remission. It really is time to start thinning out the collection, but not all of it. I still need that place to leave the world behind - just in case.

So moving, thank you, Art, for sharing.

Yes, the model train hobby helped me to keep sane during some rough times in my life.  It is keeping me active and involved with other people in retirement.  NH Joe

@Tom Tee posted:

Ahh...Arnold, you nailed another aspect of RRing in my own little world.  Sometimes I just walk around in it taking in the various right a ways, eye balling grade consistency,  checking point feathering, installing hand throws, dusting and vacuuming, etc.

In the middle of the night when sleep escapes me, like the old movie;  I "Run Silent Run Deep" .  Operate with out the sound down in the basement.

There is always something to create, something to adjust, something to rearrange.   Sometimes just enjoying the eye candy.

In fact, between 2 to 4 am this morning unable to sleep,  I was installing two dozen toggle switches in a new sub panel for level four and five which  wrap around 75 feet of walls  to accommodate some of my ancient track powered conventional engines.

<<Three rail looper and two rail lower.

Wonderful

I thought there was a chance that this thread might strike a chord, and now I see it's exceeded my expectations.

I know we have Forum moderators who, thankfully, keep us on the straight and narrow of our Forum rules and regulations, but don't know how much they review our postings for positivity. Seems to me that sharing most of the above contributions in OGR Magazine and/or other medium might help promote our hobby in a significant way.

Another hugely positive development with model railroading has occurred during Covid. IMO, our hobby was, and still is, a wonderful escape from the troubled world of the pandemic.

Arnold

Fair enough.  🙂

This Forum has been a real help to me during the past few months, while dealing with my back issue. It's given me an outlet for my hobby interest while I'm incapable of being able to do anything physical...like sitting down and working on something!

Surgery this Wednesday and after recovery I promise to post less!  😁

Mark in Oregon

I received OGR Magazine Run 323 in the mail today, several hours after I started this thread early this morning. This evening I glanced through the magazine and read Alan Arnold's article: Are You a Lone Wolf or a Groupie, which says, among other things, that lone wolf model railroaders mostly do the hobby alone, "which in some ways allows them to escape the trials and tribulations of every day life."

In my case, I was almost exclusively a lone wolf hobbyist as a young adult, but not by choice, because I wanted to get together with train guy friends, but had very few and hardly ever socialized with fellow model railroaders.

It was the OGR On-Line Forum that turned me into much more of a groupie type model railroader.  Some of the nicest and most interesting people I've met since joining this Forum in November 2018 are fellow Forum members and model railroaders. Arnold

Every Morning I come here just to see what folks are talking about and what Arnold is posting . I have been more of a gatherer over the last few years without a layout. But in the process of clearing out space. I have taken everything out of the totes and have them on stacked on tables. A few I forgot I bought that surprises but not too many!

I have had a subscription to OGR for 20+ years to keep me in touch and then forum came along. Between the 2 they kept my interest alive.

Time to expand my little world, and this thought just came to me "if you build it they will run".

Live Train Show on 4/3 , Retirement date is 4/15.   

Nice to see that the hobby has such therapeutic benefits. I have indulged in hobbies since I was four years old, first with trains both real and miniature, then cars (again both kinds), photography, bike riding, playing squash, and music. There has never been a time in my life I was not involved in some kind of hobby. I agree that hobbies have been key to maintaining my sanity.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

No divorce lawyer, but there is a law office on my layout:

The same one where the Tyrannosaurus Rex devoured the lawyer in Jurassic Park!

LOL, Arnold

I would like to get one of those lawyer in the outhouse, where did you get it and Thanks

Rich

@Bigboyrich posted:

I would like to get one of those lawyer in the outhouse, where did you get it and Thanks

Rich

I believe the Outhouse is included in the Hobo Jungle by Plasticville. I added the sign that says Law Office.

The figure with his pants down on his cell phone is made by Arttista.

Arnold

Thanks…

I have a couple of stories about my trains being a welcome distraction from the day's events.

My father spent over two months in the hospital before his passing in 1990.  The hospital was a little over an hour drive from our home.  My brother and I decided to visit on alternate nights, allowing us to take care of things at home while still keeping Mom company at the hospital.  On my nights at home I would work diligently on my new layout.  This kept my mind off what was going on with Dad.  I was able to complete much of the scenery before he passed.  After his passing, I walked away from the layout for several months.  It was a welcome distraction, but also a vivid memory of what he went through.

My Mother-in-law passed away last week and the funeral was held this past Friday.  After the funeral, one of our nephews stopped by with his family.  The two boys, ages 2 and 3, are fascinated by trains and were eager to see my layout again.  We also had out 4 year old granddaughter at house at the time.  It didn't take long for the request to see the trains to occur.  As I had been doing some video work on the layout, there were several trains parked on the main line.  It was going to take several minutes to get everything in order to actually run a train.  While I was organizing the various trains, the 3 year old great nephew snuck out of the room, grabbing a MTH crane as he left.  Our daughter quickly intercepted him and returned the crane to its display shelf.  Meanwhile, the 2 year old great nephew got his hands on a transfer caboose and shoved it into the side of a moving train.  The resulting derailment was small, but enough of a distraction to allow the boys to start harvesting figures from various vignettes.  Our 4 year old granddaughter called the boys out and retrieved the figures and handed them to my wife, who just walked into the room.  I finally got a train running with a NYC ten-wheeler on the point.  Our granddaughter wanted to blow the whistle, which I allowed her to do.  I then showed the boys how to blow the whistle using my TMCC Cab 1.  For the next several minutes all I heard was the whistle blowing.  I thought the smoke unit was going to run dry!  After prying the Cab 1 away from the boys, I was trying to explain to our granddaughter why I couldn't run her Thomas the Tank Engine right now.  With that I looked down to see the 2 year old eating ballast.  When I pulled his hand away from his mouth I heard a "click".  The 3 year old had discovered the control panel for the layout switches and was randomly pushing buttons...while the train was speeding down the tracks.  I immediately handed the Cab 1 to our granddaughter, who immediately began to blow the whistle.  I dove for the throttle on the Z-4000 to kill the power before the train hit any misaligned switches.  In the meantime, the 3 year old took a que from his brother and decided to taste the ballast.  Miraculously, there were no major derailments and nobody was injured.  I am still looking for the Cab 1, however!

If that didn't take my mind off the events of the day, nothing would!

Tom

Tom:  ROFL! 😂 THAT is one funny story! It’s a good thing you were able, if barely, to stay a little ahead of the shenanigans before any damage was done.

As a father and grandfather, this made my day. Thank you for posting. 👍

@Tom Densel posted:

I have a couple of stories about my trains being a welcome distraction from the day's events.

My father spent over two months in the hospital before his passing in 1990.  The hospital was a little over an hour drive from our home.  My brother and I decided to visit on alternate nights, allowing us to take care of things at home while still keeping Mom company at the hospital.  On my nights at home I would work diligently on my new layout.  This kept my mind off what was going on with Dad.  I was able to complete much of the scenery before he passed.  After his passing, I walked away from the layout for several months.  It was a welcome distraction, but also a vivid memory of what he went through.

My Mother-in-law passed away last week and the funeral was held this past Friday.  After the funeral, one of our nephews stopped by with his family.  The two boys, ages 2 and 3, are fascinated by trains and were eager to see my layout again.  We also had out 4 year old granddaughter at house at the time.  It didn't take long for the request to see the trains to occur.  As I had been doing some video work on the layout, there were several trains parked on the main line.  It was going to take several minutes to get everything in order to actually run a train.  While I was organizing the various trains, the 3 year old great nephew snuck out of the room, grabbing a MTH crane as he left.  Our daughter quickly intercepted him and returned the crane to its display shelf.  Meanwhile, the 2 year old great nephew got his hands on a transfer caboose and shoved it into the side of a moving train.  The resulting derailment was small, but enough of a distraction to allow the boys to start harvesting figures from various vignettes.  Our 4 year old granddaughter called the boys out and retrieved the figures and handed them to my wife, who just walked into the room.  I finally got a train running with a NYC ten-wheeler on the point.  Our granddaughter wanted to blow the whistle, which I allowed her to do.  I then showed the boys how to blow the whistle using my TMCC Cab 1.  For the next several minutes all I heard was the whistle blowing.  I thought the smoke unit was going to run dry!  After prying the Cab 1 away from the boys, I was trying to explain to our granddaughter why I couldn't run her Thomas the Tank Engine right now.  With that I looked down to see the 2 year old eating ballast.  When I pulled his hand away from his mouth I heard a "click".  The 3 year old had discovered the control panel for the layout switches and was randomly pushing buttons...while the train was speeding down the tracks.  I immediately handed the Cab 1 to our granddaughter, who immediately began to blow the whistle.  I dove for the throttle on the Z-4000 to kill the power before the train hit any misaligned switches.  In the meantime, the 3 year old took a que from his brother and decided to taste the ballast.  Miraculously, there were no major derailments and nobody was injured.  I am still looking for the Cab 1, however!

If that didn't take my mind off the events of the day, nothing would!

Tom

Tom, you are one patient, tolerant and kind grandfather. I loved reading about you and your grandchildren's interactions with your layout.

Arnold (and Alan) I also enjoyed the Publisher's Corner discussion in Run 323.

I am both a Lone Wolf and a Groupie.

When it comes to working on Warrenville or individual projects, I prefer to work by myself (Lone Wolf) but I really enjoy sharing the results with friends either in person, here or on www.WarrenvilleRailroad.com (Groupie).

I am also a social Groupie attending train shows and club layout open houses with friends, or visiting their layouts and collections. Road trips to train museums, conventions and hobby shops are fun with friends too.

Last year I invited a couple guys out to lunch - we decided to make it a monthly thing, the first Wednesday of every month. Word got out and our little group has grown to 14 guys - usually 10-12 attending the lunches. Layout visits afterwards many times. Some of these layouts have been shared in the monthly Friend's Layouts feature on my site.

A great hobby, we have!

Now that’s an excellent way to spend Hump Day John.

I love your posts Arnold..I dont think Id have my layout if my grandson whos a train nut didnt come along..Always wanted one just never did it..the summer before he was born I started looking at O Scale stuff after I saw you could run them remotely!! WOW.. So off to Charles Ro I went and got me a Visionline Niagra..it sat on the shelf for a couple yrs and then one day after shoulder surgery I started a 11x12 Low layout so he could play inside and see everything..I tore that all down and last summer started my 12x16 ...my point to all this is Ive spent many hrs on here..and various Train related sites and working on them..All the while forgeting the everyday stuff ..Including my wallet shrinking

I enjoy my trains whenever I can.  I have had a little train buddy for a while now.  He turned 3 years old last month.  He spent the weekend with us while his parents were out of town. This was our project on Saturday.

And today I introduced him to the joys of watching trains go in circles.

Ahhh, how I remember those days and the thrilling scent of ozone.

Have a great day

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

@Snkbittin posted:

I love your posts Arnold..I dont think Id have my layout if my grandson whos a train nut didnt come along..Always wanted one just never did it..the summer before he was born I started looking at O Scale stuff after I saw you could run them remotely!! WOW.. So off to Charles Ro I went and got me a Visionline Niagra..it sat on the shelf for a couple yrs and then one day after shoulder surgery I started a 11x12 Low layout so he could play inside and see everything..I tore that all down and last summer started my 12x16 ...my point to all this is Ive spent many hrs on here..and various Train related sites and working on them..All the while forgeting the everyday stuff ..Including my wallet shrinking

Great photo

@Greg J. Turinetti posted:

I enjoy my trains whenever I can.  I have had a little train buddy for a while now.  He turned 3 years old last month.  He spent the weekend with us while his parents were out of town. This was our project on Saturday.

And today I introduced him to the joys of watching trains go in circles.

Ahhh, how I remember those days and the thrilling scent of ozone.

Have a great day

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

More great photos.

IMO, all the photos showing the little ones in our little worlds are priceless. Arnold

yes they are an escape for me especially living with ASD and anxiety and depression

this week is my spring break and i really need to pull out the trains because college has been a disaster and it keeps getting worse coupled with the fact that Russia could start WW3 any minute now

i'm just kicking myself that i didn't preorder the new lionchief graffiti set because i doubted it would get made

now it made it through and i'm stuck

@Lionelski posted:

Arnold (and Alan) I also enjoyed the Publisher's Corner discussion in Run 323.

I am both a Lone Wolf and a Groupie.

When it comes to working on Warrenville or individual projects, I prefer to work by myself (Lone Wolf) but I really enjoy sharing the results with friends either in person, here or on www.WarrenvilleRailroad.com (Groupie).

I am also a social Groupie attending train shows and club layout open houses with friends, or visiting their layouts and collections. Road trips to train museums, conventions and hobby shops are fun with friends too.

Last year I invited a couple guys out to lunch - we decided to make it a monthly thing, the first Wednesday of every month. Word got out and our little group has grown to 14 guys - usually 10-12 attending the lunches. Layout visits afterwards many times. Some of these layouts have been shared in the monthly Friend's Layouts feature on my site.

A great hobby, we have!

I just want to comment further on Run 323, IMHO the best issue I can remember.

I Learned a lot from Don Keister's article "Verticality for your Layout" article, Larry Flis' "Take a Tour on the Family Lines" article, Gary Beatty's "Modeling Marghuerita's Margaritas" article and Joseph Fauty's "Build a Better Ice House " article.

Thanks All!

OGR: Please continue printing  inspirational and how to articles like these - the layout tips gained are valuable.

MORE "How to's" Please!