Retirees, Those Soon To Be and the Hobby

Looking back, when I started this topic almost 5 years ago, I never imagined that it would have over 600 posts and have such interest. Thank you for everyone who chimed in and offered their thoughts. A few posts before, I said that I hope to have less than 2 years now before I can retire, maybe 12-16 months.

I may have also mentioned before that sadly early posters Bruce D. (Electroliner) passed away and I believe also Pre War Pappy, probably some others, too.

In the current horrendous COVID environment, if there is any silver-lining, it helped me to do a dry-run of sorts on what retirement might be like by working 2 days in the office and 3 from home.

In the end, the goal for me and my wife is to flee from heavily taxed lower New York State and relocate to Upper New York or some better, more tax friendly place with a dry basement to carry through with what I tested as a temporary layout/diorama:

Happy New Year and good luck to all,

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

Looking back, when I started this topic almost 5 years ago, I never imagined that it would have over 600 posts and have such interest. Thank you for everyone who chimed in and offered their thoughts. A few posts before, I said that I hope to have less than 2 years now before I can retire, maybe 12-16 months.

I may have also mentioned before that sadly early posters Bruce D. (Electroliner) passed away and I believe also Pre War Pappy, probably some others, too.

In the current horrendous COVID environment, if there is any silver-lining, it helped me to do a dry-run of sorts on what retirement might be like by working 2 days in the office and 3 from home.

In the end, the goal for me and my wife is to flee from heavily taxed lower New York State and relocate to Upper New York or some better, more tax friendly place with a dry basement to carry through with what I tested as a temporary layout/diorama:

Happy New Year and good luck to all,

Tom

Tom, I have the same Lionel red, metal, Pennsylvania caboose as the one in your photo. Do you know if it is pre-war or early postwar?

Arnold,

  The tuscan red (brown) is prewar. The one seen above (red) is postwar.

Tom

Congratulations Peter. Hope you enjoy many years in retirement. I retired after being laid off last April and have enjoyed every minute. You might consider establishing a routine. Sunday is laundry day, Monday is yard work, Tuesday is house cleaning day, etc. I’m more productive with a schedule and still have plenty of time for trains and other activities. Just a thought.

John

@PRR8976 posted:

In the end, the goal for me and my wife is to flee from heavily taxed lower New York State and relocate to Upper New York or some better, more tax friendly place with a dry basement to carry through with what I tested as a temporary layout/diorama:

Happy New Year and good luck to all,

Tom

Tom - I'm in the same boat; retirement in the next few years. Doing  the dry run  now. Anyway, living in South Jersey we have the high property taxes that I have no intention of carrying into retirement.

Per Forbes magazine, Pennsylvania is a very good state to consider for retirement. Most pensions and social security are exempt for retirees and many areas have decent property taxes. Some towns were less than half of what I'm currently paying for similar homes.

Just a thought!

@Sean007 posted:

Tom - I'm in the same boat; retirement in the next few years. Doing  the dry run  now. Anyway, living in South Jersey we have the high property taxes that I have no intention of carrying into retirement.

Per Forbes magazine, Pennsylvania is a very good state to consider for retirement. Most pensions and social security are exempt for retirees and many areas have decent property taxes. Some towns were less than half of what I'm currently paying for similar homes.

Just a thought!

A little more info on PA (where I’ve lived for the last 25+ years)… as noted, most pensions and SS payments are exempt from STATE INCOME TAX as are most withdrawals from 401k’s. The Feds still want their pound of flesh!!! And it can be a nice place to live in retirement.

I finally made it through this whole thread in between bowl game halftimes. Very informative and great suggestions for people like me approaching retirement in the next 12 to 18 months.  Thanks for sharing, guys. After reading it, I’m looking forward to retirement even more.

fyi - this is a link to a great article suggested by one retiree early in the thread. Very informative - https://www.i-orp.com/help/Rea...tirementPlanning.pdf

Thank you to all for the kind words......today and tomorrow I will be running trains on the modular layout......the modular layout comes down for the season on Monday.

Then the new journey begins:

1. We set up the modular layout in our storefront in Midlothian and start monthly displays, when the pandemic is over.

2. Take down my 6x16 home layout. The attic conversion into the train room begins in early February.  I am now starting to clear out the attic and as I remove the train boxes, I will be packing up the existing layout.

Peter

@CA John posted:

Congratulations Peter. Hope you enjoy many years in retirement. I retired after being laid off last April and have enjoyed every minute. You might consider establishing a routine. Sunday is laundry day, Monday is yard work, Tuesday is house cleaning day, etc. I’m more productive with a schedule and still have plenty of time for trains and other activities. Just a thought.

John

John....I've been thinking along similar lines......this month is the clearing out the attic project......at the same time, I'm going to try to establish a routine, especially with exercise.

Peter

@Apples55 posted:

A little more info on PA (where I’ve lived for the last 25+ years)… as noted, most pensions and SS payments are exempt from STATE INCOME TAX as are most withdrawals from 401k’s. The Feds still want their pound of flesh!!! And it can be a nice place to live in retirement.

Thanks Paul - apparently the Feds want their share no matter where you go. My son lives in Bordentown, NJ, which just across the Delaware from PA. When we visit him we often drive around the PA side.

House prices seem to be pretty much the same but the taxes are so much lower. Plus we have seen some really nice areas.

NJ does have some pension exclusions but we would probably exceed the cap.

As an entrepreneur I find myself tapering back  to a passive work involvement doing only what I want to when and if it fits my time frame.

We moved a decade ago for a high efficiency large ranch house basement and a 2/3 reduction in property taxes in same value home.   It seems like the more a community spends on expensive schools the dumber the kids are??

I now need to make a retirement calendar.

One that shows Saturday-Monday, Saturday-Tuesday, Saturday-Wednesday, Saturday-Thursday, Saturday-Friday.

I find there has  even been time when I forget what day of the week it is.

I stepped away from building bench work for others now finally working on the my own RR most of the time.

To a large extent, TV  seems to be a vast waste land.  Wife and I picked up a pair of Catrike Dumonts.  I find recumbent trikes to be my  best exercise, easier on old joints.  Gotta stay healthy to make it up and down the steps to the basement.

I got my folks one of the week-clocks.  It looks like a clock, but instead of hours, it has days on it.  With this virus, I've found it useful, too.   

@Putnam Division posted:

Less than 4 hours away.....I made it!

Peter

Congratulations, Peter,

I retired from the University last summer, however, since my replacement reneged at the last moment, I'm teaching for this year remotely from home. With no meetings to go to or administrative duties, it's actually fun.

Still in the phase of finishing things around the house that were left undone. However, I was able to put up a larger display near the Christmas tree than in previous years.

Best, Lad Nagurney

Peter - One last comment (from me) on this lengthy thread.  My mother-in-law used to say "The older you get, the faster time goes."  Boy, was she ever right, and now it seems every day seems to fly by!  That's why it's so important for a retiree to do the things you want, exercise (as you've stated), eat healthy, stay active and generally ENJOY LIFE for the remaining time that each of us has on this planet.

I know that you, like all of us before you, will have a wonderful time.  So now - GO FOR IT PETER!

@Trainlover160 posted:

I retired March 2020 at age 65. I wanted to retire at 62, and could have with 401k. However, I just could not bring myself to pay $18,000 a year for medical for just myself. So I waited

I have never missed work. Only miss my friends. With that being said, I think one needs to be careful. Days can go by quickly, and it is easily noon, and nothing done.

So, I refrain from turning on TV in morning. I get up around 6 -7 am, quick cup of coffee and then off to garage, yard, or train room. I stay busy until mid afternoon. I try not to overtime things I want to get done in train room, as I can be a perfectionist at times. Which can be a bad thing at times.

I have never regretted retirement, and am thankful that my wife and I poured every dime we could into our 401k. It has paid off having a comfortable enjoyable retirement. Trying to instill this thinking into both of of our daughters.

Joe Gozzo

Ahh yes- the big two- health insurance and financial security.

Financial planning is key. When I started at my current University job 23 years ago I jumped into their 403B right away and always made the maximum contribution. That along with IRA's (Roth) that my wife and I still fully fund, we are getting there. Still, I will probably work till 70 (turning 59 this year).
We opened an IRA for our daughter when she turned 18 and will do the same for our son when he does too.
I'm really jealous of my neighbors. Both retired in their 40's from the NYPD after they did 20+. Two full pensions and lifetime medical. Well deserved for their service though.

Bob

Best wishes for your retirement Peter. Thanks for your service. Nephrology is hard work .

I finally retired two months ago after 51 years at the same educational institution.

Covid was the main motivation for the change as I have always enjoyed the work along with my co workers.

No problem finding stuff to do when I can get outside. Little harder to stay busy during the freezing weather though plenty of train projects to work on.

The biggest loss due to the pandemic is no longer going to the gym which I tried to get to every day. Hoping we can get back to at least near normal soon.

Pete

Peter, That is wonderful news. Congratulations!

Hope to join your ranks two years from now.

@Norton posted:

I finally retired two months ago after 51 years at the same educational institution.

Covid was the main motivation for the change as I have always enjoyed the work along with my co workers.

No problem finding stuff to do when I can get outside. Little harder to stay busy during the freezing weather though plenty of train projects to work on.

The biggest loss due to the pandemic is no longer going to the gym which I tried to get to every day. Hoping we can get back to at least near normal soon.

Pete

Pete, as a substitute for the gym, you might try jogging or long athletic walks outside which I do. Also, consider joining a hiking group, which I just started to do. Arnold

@Putnam Division posted:

Less than 4 hours away.....I made it!

Peter

CONGRATULATIONS, Peter!

Here's to a vERY enjoyable and LONG retirement.

You'll like having time as your own.

Best wishes!

Clearly, almost everyone on this Forum who has retired is happy.

My oldest sister, who is no longer with us, had told me that many retirees she knew passed away soon after their retirement, so she planned to continue working at least part-time.

Seems to me that our blissful golden years can be attributed, in substantial part, to what we all have in common on this Forum: one heck of a good hobby.  Arnold

I've been retired 14 years now from civil service!!!  When I first started working, a handful of guys were getting ready to retire, they all died within a year of retirement.

Having things to do will help.  I played golf and worked at a golf course for 10 of those years (quit last May and haven't played golf since Dec 2019), I have my trains, and 2 years ago took up target shooting which I have a lot of fun doing (except now that prices of ammo have gone sky high).  Nothing like shooting a 75yr old Mauser or Mosin to wake you up, even with a bad shoulder (which needs to get replaced) it's still fun.  My latest purchase was a M1 Carbine.  Love the WWII guns.

I have come to hate yard work, I need to get an electric start mower or pay someone to cut the grass.  My shoulder just won't let me pull the cord anymore.

I don't watch a lot of TV, other than you Youtube, Netflix, and Prime.  Seal Team is about the only show I watch on the main networks, no reality TV for me cause what they show ain't real.

Good thing is, you can take a nap whenever you want!  You'll find out new things about yourself too.  My music habits have changed, now I listen to Agnes Obel, Caro Emerald, and even Dead Can Dance.  Can hardly understand the words, but I like the sounds they make.  When did they stop making rocknroll songs, I haven't turned on a car radio in years.

My wife and I sold our business three years ago and at the time were uncertain as to what would absorb our time. We love to travel around the country visiting grandchildren, can't really do that with covid.  Planned on being more involved in the train club, can't really do that either. Take a lot of walks with my wife, bought a new fishing boat which turned out to be a great isolation hobby when at the lake house. Hopefully soon we can all get back to normal,  Umm, wish I had a train layout

Congratulations to all those that have retired, and are soon to retire!  It just occurred to me, I'll be turning 62 in a few more months, and maybe I'd better retire too.  I've been debating whether I should wait until I turn 65 or 66, or go ahead and retire early.  After much contemplating (5 or 10 minutes worth), I think I'm going with the 62 thing.  It's a tough choice, but sometimes a guy just has to make sacrifices.

And my wonderful, lovely wife has recently reminded me to not forget to thank her for me being able to retire a little early at 62.  Sitting back and reminiscing about it, I guess I do have to thank her.  If it hadn't of been for all of her 'help' over the years, I probably wouldn't have been able to retire until I was at least 55 or 56.

All kidding aside, I've already been semi-retired for the past few years anyway.  A good paying, part time job lets me contribute something for my upkeep and also gives me some spending money for my trains.  The extra time available for hobbies has been wonderful, and for right now nothing is going to change much except I may consider cutting back a little more yet on my part time job.

OK.......6 months are gone and it has been great.

I was worried that I would be bored and depressed switching from a 60 hour work week with both clinical and administrative responsibility to one without any set hours and essentially no or unknown responsibility. I'm relieved that I now can say, "I can't figure out how I had time to work"

Maybe I'm playing a little too hard............(notice the cool hat along with my orthotics).

I now have tons to time to devote to model railroading. Sometime after Labor Day, my Mianne order will be shipped......then, I will start my new attic layout. I will likely get my track and buy more Glenn Snyder shelving at York.......

Right now, I am heavily involved in our modular group layout as we get it ready for the Fall season with an expanded classification yard, new wiring, expanded modules with new scenery and refreshed older modules. It didn't take long for the guys to tell me, "well, you always said you couldn't be an officer while you were working....guess what? You aren't."   ......and I became club president......and it's been great fun to do......

What about work? Well, I miss the patients. I miss my colleagues and I miss the science. What I don't miss is the 50-10 life and death decisions I had to make every day. I have been able to keep connected to medicine in a different, non-stressful way....I was part of the mass vaccination clinics from January through May and I'm involved at the hospital where I worked in a capacity where I help process improvement( this keeps me connected to all my colleagues).

My wife is still working. She's a Pediatrician and her schedule is nowhere near like mine(she may get 2-3 calls/night, whereas, I could get 2-3 calls/hr all night). She says that when I stopped working our life has been transformed. Even when I dropped night call, I would eat dinner and disappear into the basement to work on a pile of charts or the computer for 2-3 hours. Now we visit every night. We go for walks; watch TV; go out to dinner; etc......a completely different life. We've known each other for over 40 years and have been married nearly 37......but until now, we had never had a life that did not revolve around the hospital and patient care. What a transformation!

I have also lost 22 lbs by not stress eating and junk food gorging......and I am getting regular exercise (but right now I'm laying off the weights and just walking a lot).

So, in short, I am big fan of retirement. Yes, in the back of my mind, I was afraid to do it. I didn't know how I would adjust. You just have to plan things to do to keep your mind going and your body moving.......... and, there is more than enough time for trains!

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

OK.......6 months are gone and it has been great.

I was worried that I would be bored and depressed switching from a 60 hour work week with both clinical and administrative responsibility to one without any set hours and essentially no or unknown responsibility. I'm relieved that I now can say, "I can't figure out how I had time to work"

Maybe I'm playing a little too hard............(notice the cool hat along with my orthotics).I now have tons to time to devote to model railroading. Sometime after Labor Day, my Mianne order will be shipped......then, I will start my new attic layout. I will likely get my track and buy more Glenn Snyder shelving at York.......

Right now, I am heavily involved in our modular group layout as we get it ready for the Fall season with an expanded classification yard, new wiring, expanded modules with new scenery and refreshed older modules. It didn't take long for the guys to tell me, "well, you always said you couldn't be an officer while you were working....guess what? You aren't."   ......and I became club president......and it's been great fun to do......

What about work? Well, I miss the patients. I miss my colleagues and I miss the science. What I don't miss is the 50-10 life and death decisions I had to make every day. I have been able to keep connected to medicine in a different, non-stressful way....I was part of the mass vaccination clinics from January through May and I'm involved at the hospital where I worked in a capacity where I help process improvement( this keeps me connected to all my colleagues).

My wife is still working. She's a Pediatrician and her schedule is nowhere near like mine(she may get 2-3 calls/night, whereas, I could get 2-3 calls/hr all night). She says that when I stopped working our life has been transformed. Even when I dropped night call, I would eat dinner and disappear into the basement to work on a pile of charts or the computer for 2-3 hours. Now we visit every night. We go for walks; watch TV; go out to dinner; etc......a completely different life. We've known each other for over 40 years and have been married nearly 37......but until now, we had never had a life that did not revolve around the hospital and patient care. What a transformation!

I have also lost 22 lbs by not stress eating and junk food gorging......and I am getting regular exercise (but right now I'm laying off the weights and just walking a lot).

So, in short, I am big fan of retirement. Yes, in the back of my mind, I was afraid to do it. I didn't know how I would adjust. You just have to plan things to do to keep your mind going and your body moving.......... and, there is more than enough time for trains!

Peter

So glad, Peter, to hear that you are doing so well.

Know, deep down, that your life work as a physician is God's work. IMO, no work is more important.

Your retirement, including the joy you experience with your family, the Greatest Hobby in the World, and your continued connection to your profession and colleagues, is richly deserved.

When I hear a story about a physician like your story, Peter, I wonder about the myriad people that you helped get well, and the extraordinary contributions that many of them were able to make.

Arnold

@Putnam Division posted:

OK.......6 months are gone and it has been great.

So, in short, I am big fan of retirement. Yes, in the back of my mind, I was afraid to do it. I didn't know how I would adjust. You just have to plan things to do to keep your mind going and your body moving.......... and, there is more than enough time for trains!

Peter

Peter,

  I could not be happier for you and your wife. Thanks for updating your retirement story. I hope to leave by early June of next year.

  Just so you know, I could not view your picture in the last post.

Tom

Peter,  I'm glad retirement agrees with you!!  I'm glad for doctors like you who have been helping me through my retirement, which has been 20 months now.  Dedicated doctors and other medical personnel have been helping me through a knee replacement, double lumbar fusion, eye surgery, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis during that time.  I'm amazed I got as much done on my layout as I did, although work sessions and walks have been very limited in duration.

With your schedule, I'm surprised you had time for trains, the River City 3 Railers.  I hope to see you in York, but recovery will dictate that.

It just occurred to me that we have quite a few enthusiastic model railroaders in the Forum like Peter, who are in the medical profession.

What a wise choice for them to be in the hobby to help them cope with the stress of life and death situations during their working years, and then have something as creative, fun and engrossing to do during their retirement.

Of course, this probably applies to most of us during our careers and retirement. It sure has applied to me as a divorce lawyer and mediator. Arnold

Well I should chime in here, I "retired" on June 4th and have been keep on as a part timer about 10 hours a week. Medicare started on 7/1, I think I will be starting a post on the building of my new layout in the cellar of our 108 year old house.  Definitely "Crappy Basement participation trophy" but it is home and I want to get my collection out of boxes on a table.

I have all the Mianne  base and plywood I need.  At this point it is all NH except for a few things I just had to have(maybe more than a few things) .

The forum has kept me in the hobby for many years , many ups and downs in the actual running stuff. Also OGR for about 30 plus years even when I hadn't come back to it yet.

@PRR8976 posted:

Peter,

  I could not be happier for you and your wife. Thanks for updating your retirement story. I hope to leave by early June of next year.

  Just so you know, I could not view your picture in the last post.

Tom

Tom.......here is the picture again.....hmmm....it's showing up on my screen fine.....

Peter

@Mark Boyce posted:

Peter,  I'm glad retirement agrees with you!!  I'm glad for doctors like you who have been helping me through my retirement, which has been 20 months now.  Dedicated doctors and other medical personnel have been helping me through a knee replacement, double lumbar fusion, eye surgery, tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis during that time.  I'm amazed I got as much done on my layout as I did, although work sessions and walks have been very limited in duration.

With your schedule, I'm surprised you had time for trains, the River City 3 Railers.  I hope to see you in York, but recovery will dictate that.

Mark.....the modular group came at the right time.....my son had a license by then and was off doing his own thing.....then in 2011, he left for Yale and except for brief periods has not lived here since.....so, it was time to find "new pals".

Peter

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

It just occurred to me that we have quite a few enthusiastic model railroaders in the Forum like Peter, who are in the medical profession.

What a wise choice for them to be in the hobby to help them cope with the stress of life and death situations during their working years, and then have something as creative, fun and engrossing to do during their retirement.

Of course, this probably applies to most of us during our careers and retirement. It sure has applied to me as a divorce lawyer and mediator. Arnold

Arnold....I think I became a loop runner because there were times when I needed to be mesmerized by things just going round and round!

Being a model railroader is fun, but having a community of model railroaders is so much better! This Forum kept me engaged when things got tough and I needed to de-stress......

Peter

This has been interesting reading.  I'm 78.  The last time I got fired was back around 1975.  Forty five years without a job.  I have no idea if that is unusual or not.  I was on a roof this morning putting a Silicone coating on.  When the temp got to the low 90's I stopped.  I really have no idea how to retire.  I don't really understand how one stops doing what they enjoy.  I like my buildings and like working on them however I am also aware that it is probably a self imposed trap of sorts..  My sons probably will take over and do it very differently.  Maybe and maybe not I will get around to building a layout.  In the meantime all my trains are fine sitting on their shelves.

@Putnam Division posted:

OK.......6 months are gone and it has been great.

"I can't figure out how I had time to work"

I now have tons to time to devote to model railroading.

What about work? Well, I miss the patients. I miss my colleagues and I miss the science. What I don't miss is the 50-10 life and death decisions I had to make every day. I have been able to keep connected to medicine in a different, non-stressful way....I was part of the mass vaccination clinics from January through May and I'm involved at the hospital where I worked in a capacity where I help process improvement( this keeps me connected to all my colleagues).

I have also lost 22 lbs by not stress eating and junk food gorging......and I am getting regular exercise (but right now I'm laying off the weights and just walking a lot). So, in short, I am big fan of retirement. Yes, in the back of my mind, I was afraid to do it. I didn't know how I would adjust. You just have to plan things to do to keep your mind going and your body moving.......... and, there is more than enough time for trains!

Peter

Peter,

A co-worker who retired two years before me said that I would find plenty of things to occupy my time after retiring, and he was correct. But, in recent years, it has involved a lot more time on the Forum and less in keeping up with my career field. I was busier during the first five years while building my 10'-by-5' model railroad. Now that the layout is complete, I do more model train running and photography, and less model building. In fact, almost every time I run the layouts, I take pictures and videos as material for the Forum. I hope that Alan Arnold and Allan Miller realize how important the OGR Forum is to retirees.

Sometimes, I think about doing personal research or consulting, but the stress of any scheduled work commitment puts me off. I also do a lot of reading about current events, railroad history, and engineering but haven't written any articles for OGR magazine lately, although several model locomotive reviews are pending for one of the railroad historical societies. For now, the pandemic has prevented my daily train trips through Connecticut and into New York, but I'm looking forward to resuming them and train shows.  And, fortunately, in my case, there are adult children, grandkids, and my wife. I do hope you enjoy your retirement. As a physician, it is certainly well deserved.

MELGAR

@Putnam Division posted:

Being a model railroader is fun, but having a community of model railroaders is so much better! This Forum kept me engaged when things got tough and I needed to de-stress......

I think the hobby would be totally different if it weren't for all the great folks I know and I meet new ones regularly!  I so look forward to things getting back to normal, train shows, modular club outings, having visitors over now that I actually have a place to run.

I retired October 1, 2020.  I came back on contract 3 days a week for 6 months.   I was off one entire week during that time.  Since April, 1 I’ve been working 7-12 5 days a week.   So things are winding down with an end in sight.   I’m hoping within 6 months to a year I can shut the mainframe down.  Every once in a while I feel a glimpse of freedom and it feels great.  Contracting has been good financially.   I’ve paid everything off.  I’m now saving some extra money for extra trips that we will start next year.  

Retired 12 months ago at 70 and 1/2. I thought I would miss work but I don’t. We hoped to travel more but COVID worries has delayed that. I was able to finish the layout room in the basement this winter and now have made good progress on the layout. I still don’t have enough time to get everything done! This forum is a great place to learn about the hobby I appreciate the memberships help on numerous topics.

When does retirement begin? When you start collecting SS? I've been retired for 2 months.

Or does it start when you are mentally DONE with working for somebody else for a living? In that case I retired 5 or 6 years ago.

Someone else mentioned the cost of health insurance and that certainly led me to keep working, until a business decision laid off the entire project team I was working with in 2019, one month before Covid hit. There were a few job leads early on but once the lockdowns started everything dried up. So, I paid Cobra prices for 18 months, ending last month. I won't turn 65 until December so I have 5 months of insurance premiums to pay before medicare kicks in. I remember when Cobra was expensive, today I'm paying almost $100/month more than Cobra for a policy with a $6900 deductible, just in case.

Anyway, I don't miss working for a paycheck at all. I get contacted by contract recruiters at least once a week now days but I just delete them. (They don't listen when I tell them I'm done, retired, out the door never to return!) My wife and I decided we are not moving, staying put in our big house, so there is plenty to do outside around the house, and I have a list of interior jobs for the winter months.

My woodworking and planning for the new O gauge layout keep a lot of my time occupied. Finding OGR a few years ago started me thinking about the O-27 train set my grandfather gave me that I still have. I bought some K-line O-27 track from flea bay and set up a loop on the shop floor, more of a large square with 0-36 curves. Anyway, I had fun with that old 2026 from my youth, still runs great. I wasn't allowed to bring this train home, it was too noisy or something, so now I am over-compensating for my lost railroading youth.

When I need to relax and decompress a bit my third hobby kicks in. I turn on the glowing tubes, lay a vinyl disc on a spinning table, drop the stylus and disappear into the music. Sometimes I can go 10-12 hours.