Kind of like a gut punch…

And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
"When you comin' home, Dad?",,,,,,,, 

Sounds like you dont need to hate that song!

Really sorry to hear.

Our grandson is now 14 and doesn't come over much. I didn't get why some posters here on the forum said they were jealous.

Now, I really, really get it. Although he kept me jumping, constantly changing out engines and trains, it was fun. I just didn't appreciate it fully.

I will get back into it and find some fun.

I experienced the exact same thing Curt, …..right down to the abandoned town, ….but where one chapter closed, another began, and the model trains is the glue that keeps our communication and enjoyment still going strong, …….it’s a bond my son & I have forever, and nothing else matters when we get together to enjoy it,…..

Pat

My dad and I shared a 16'x24' HO layout that he mostly built starting when I was 12.  I ultimately got to do some things on it, like put in the second 10 track yard, wire a reverse loop, and do some scenery, but mostly we both just ran trains on it.  Being HO, 100 car freight trains weren't hard and most of the passenger trains ran at 9 cars plus.  When I went off to college and then migrated west after, the layout stayed in the attic until my parents sold my childhood home in 2002. 

I had a similar feeling when my father disassembled the layout.  During my last visit to help move the last items from the house, the layout had already been removed. 

However, I will say that my father and I still enjoy the hobby together a great deal.  Our interests are similar so discussing the latest find and regular visits has been just as enjoyable as sharing a layout together.  It's great your son is still in the hobby.  For me it is a lifelong bond that I will always cherish with my father just as he did with his father.

One thing about this. He learned a lot from a great modeler and it will be awesome to see what he comes up with. A good thing is that the hobby is moving to the next generation. That is about the only positive thing I can say about this.

Sad to see but you should be happy and proud that he will carry on the tradition of model railroading and pass that on to your future grandchildren.

For so many kids, model railroading is a phase to be fogetten after childhood.

You should be doubly proud.  Not only have you successfully past the hobby to your son, you also past the skills to design, fabricate and maintain a pike for his family.  This is a Dad's success story.

Thanks for all the comments guys! It’s nice to know I’m not alone with this feeling!

One good thing is that Max lives less than 25 minutes from his mother and I. I’m getting to help with his new layout so, the father/son hobby involvement will continue! 👍

Curt

@shorling posted:

You should be doubly proud.  Not only have you successfully past the hobby to your son, you also past the skills to design, fabricate and maintain a pike for his family.  This is a Dad's success story.

This right here!! Although it's bittersweet, you kept him and his interest in the hobby after all the years! Hopefully you'll be bringing engines to his house to run, and maybe rebuild a simple "new" layout at home, to lure him back occasionally

Pnt8baller; I still have my own 15’X12’ layout downstairs so, running trains here (or up at Max’s) won’t be an issue.

The bittersweet aspect of all this is his layout pictured in my original post was the first one he built 100% by himself from bench work to laying track, wiring and scenery. If memory serves, he built this when he was 14 and it shared the basement with my layout for about 12-13 years.

Max is his own man but, I am happy that at least one of my three boys has continued the hobby into adulthood. I’ll note my oldest son has resumed running trains for his two year old who - at this point, at least - seems to have his grandfather’s train gene too! The multi generational potential in this hobby of ours is one of its attractions!

Curt

One chapter closes- another opens Curt.

You've definitely got some good boys there.

And now you can run trains at his house too.

Bob

This is not what I'm looking forward to in the future. About a year ago when my son was six, I got him his first ho set. He got sucked in to trains just like I did! Now,a year later he's really wanting a bigger layout next to mine. He's also wanting to get into o gauge as well. The plan is for me to build a 12x9 layout and a 4x9 for him once we get the basement  redone. I'm super excited for him and I! Your story makes me want to appreciate these moments more. I know someday he'll grow older and move on. It's a good thing to continue this great hobby tradition rolling! Thank you so much for sharing and take care.

Ah yes, I call the female version of it "Daughter Withdrawal", when they head off to college, or come back for a few days, or visit. The youngest, my son, is heading back soon, will have to face it again. Sigh.

The strange part of it is you must have done something right if your son is married and has his own house. (None of mine do so far).

If there is a plus to the hobby of trains, it is that usually there is a father in the household, he has time to spend with his kids, he has extra money to use.  So many households today, this is not the case.  If you can support your kids in the variety of things they show an interest in, it has long range payoffs that may not be obvious as they are growing up.  When your adult son or daughter comes to you and asks if you will help build a train layout like they one they had when they were a kid with you grandchild, you know that time and money was well spent.