Bob, Well said!!! I could not agree more!
Bob
@CP BOB posted:Bob, Well said!!! I could not agree more!
Bob
Thanks.
I have come to realize that if I am frustrated in the hobby, it’s not the hobby that’s the problem. It’s feeling overwhelmed in some other part of my life that’s the real issue. Work insanity is the vast majority of it.
In those cases I find a way to simplify the hobby. Run conventional engines, paint a building etc. Then all is good for me.
In my old age all I figured out is that a hobby shouldn’t have to be rational.
@RSJB18 posted:Besides trains, I enjoy playing golf.
Of the 2, golf is THE most frustrating of them, maybe of all hobbies. I worked at a local golf course for 10yrs after I retired from my real job and got to play for free. Can't tell you how many times I've played and I've been playing since I was old enough to ride my bicycle to the golf course with my clubs in tow.
So after 60yrs of playing golf...I finally learned you don't have to kill the ball to hit it well. Didn't learn that until last year after I had my right shoulder replaced and couldn't/didn't want to swing hard. Now I hit it just as far and a lot straighter.
What I find odd about model trains is I hesitate at ripping into a fairly inexpensive piece of rolling stock to correct/fix a part, but have no fear when it comes to tearing apart a steam engine to remodel it into something I want.
Toy trains have taken most of life's stress out of me for years and given me calm in some sad and sometimes frightening moments. Thank you, Mr. J. L. Cowan!
I don't really see some stress in anything as truly being a negative. Stress is a natural reaction to some frustration and in limited amounts it is quite healthy. That is what helps me take the next leap forward in developing a new skill, gaining new knowledge, or just rethinking the challenge so that it isn't stressful anymore.
My biggest enjoyment in this hobby and in any of my many hobbies is to always grow and with a little bit of stress I am forced to.
Life presents many a stressful situation. Model railroading should not be one of them.
Chill. Happy New Year to all!
As I plod along building my first layout and more often than not having zero experience with little knowledge of what I am doing. Stress becomes my regular companion; I have found there are many diversions if the weight of stress becomes too much or unwelcome at any particular moment.
I can change tasks, ie; put down the saw and pick up the paintbrush. Or pull up my SCARM design and do a little mental remodeling. I got books on small and big trains alike.
Yesterday I had my moment of stress and a twisted piece of Gargraves, so I stopped and sat; then I opened the forum and read the early replies to this thread. Next, I found 3rail's latest video, The "Heavyweights" and quickly the stress disappeared, and my motivation returned. Lots of great videos by many talented hobbyist on this site. I have found that if I walk away from the stress, and change focus, that when I return to the problem with a clear head, the solution come much easier.
My thoughts are that stress is unavoidable and can even be healthy if properly managed. This hobby is loaded with challenges and with challenge comes problem solving and that leads to individual accomplishment followed by confidence. That is why as you walk away and are about to turn off the lights ; you turn around for one last look and smile to yourself.
NOTE: I am only writing now as I am currently having another stressful moment. if I thought that section of Gargraves was twisted yesterday.....ya should see her now!
kevin
ALL human endeavors in this fallen world are subject to setbacks and frustrations. The frustration is magnified when the endeavor at hand is meant to be relaxing.
When the frustration arises, stop and go do something else, even something else hobby-related.
When I got "serious" about the train hobby, I was 40, building a big layout using N gauge trains and components I had bought as a teen in the 70's. N was still pretty rough around the edges at that time and my main source of frustration in an otherwise pleasant hobby was trying to get the trains and switches, already at least 20 years old, to run smoothly. Add to that the stresses of raising a family and of working, and my life was pretty much one long series of stresses.
Fast forward to today: I am retired, my kids are grown up and employed, my house is paid off, and I have a decent pension. My train hobby doesn't stress me any more. I just do what I can when I can, take naps regularly, and give thanks every day that I am where I am.
Did about 20 laps, then started to record a video.
Make sure the sound is up.
No stress, my butt. 😏
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Even as I'm evolving more into the scale side of things, I certainly don't have any "rules" on what should or shouldn't be part of my layout. Looking at my Holiday layout while typing this, I have my Lionchief Polar Express on one level , with eclectic mix of Christmas themed buildings, and my MTH CP Holiday Train on the other, pulled with a Lionel Dash-9. Why the Lionel Dash-9, you ask? Because the MTH one fizzed out with unknown issues. Yes it was frustrating, but I didn't let it deter me from ENJOYING my Holiday layout. I remember posting awhile back when some were complaining about Menard's product. For me, Menard's has put some FUN back into the hobby with affordable, colorful items that reminds one of MPC. I grew up with MPC, so it brings that era back to me like so many of you with Postwar. I once told my wife when she rolled her eyes with my latest acquisition "Well, it's cheaper than therapy!"
Rob
As I get older, especially the last couple of years,I realize I have a lot more important things that give me stress. Trains are not on that list at least not more than initial 5 minutes, then I move on.
Sure paint issues, broken items, and other things can be a pain but I’m done letting trains stress me.
I hope you folks can find some peace. Of course sometimes even with the mods trying this forum could be part of your problem.
Sure-we stress out about things in our hobby. But they get fixed, it passes, then we are good again. Many times after a while I can't even remember what I was stressed about. Nick
@Bob Paris posted:I started displaying trains on the wall of our living room in 1990. It took me 30 years to convince my wife to allow me to build a layout. With help from my daughter, she said yes and I began construction. I had already designed the track plan on the computer as a pipe-dream a few years before. I wanted to display and operate Lionel accessories for the enjoyment of myself and guests. Over the decades I had collected a bunch of Modern Lionel - most of everything I needed, and the stuff was in storage for decades. When setting up numerous new items that sat unused for years, I found that most had to be disassembled and cleaned or serviced. In many cases, items seemed to be designed as "non-serviceable" or parts were no longer available. Was I stressed? No, since I had nothing to lose. If I was able to fix the item and make it work, I would feel a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. If not, I would be on the lookout for a replacement. The entire process was fun and I learned a lot thanks to this Forum, Lionel service books I had acquired over the years and online resources. Like others, I feel a sense of awe and wonder whenever I step into the room and flip the switch to power up the layout.
Wow….that is a supreme example of craftsmanship and a well implemented environment with respect to color and texture. Model railroading with style! Bravo!!
John
@Scrambler81 posted:Did about 20 laps, then started to record a video.
Make sure the sound is up.No stress, my butt. 😏
I can relate. When I was a kid, my Dad and I built my first layout. It was HO 10x8 L. I had two main lines with yards and an elevated second level with a big suspension bridge over the lower track. Each Christmas it became a tradition for the whole family to see my trains run (especially the new ones Santa brought). My aunt was an amateur photographer and would film the event with her 8mm movie camera.
I'd spend weeks before the big day getting everything in tip top shape, clean the track, tune up the engines, check each of those awful HO hook couplers, etc. I'd run the trains for hours and everything ran perfectly.
As soon as the camera was turned on......BOOM!
Even 10 year olds get stressed........
Last night I came across this video. I thought of this thread, and although a day or two late I still thought it appropriate.
This year; today, I'm hoping for a good future for railroads of the past
I had another thought about a hobby being de-stressful and remembered my father. His favorite thing was to fish and he was out on the lake or the coast at every opportunity. Funny thing is he didn't eat much of what he caught, just let it go except for a few select ones. My brother was also a fishing fiend and moved to Florida so he could fish with dad which I sometimes did, but just wasn't my thing with that getting up and being on the water at sunrise.
One time I was out with my father after he retired and amazingly I was pulling in more than him, in fact I had seen him only bring in one the entire afternoon. When I asked him if he had checked his bait he responded "I don't need any bait, that just attracts the fish",..
-Mike in NC,
@Mike in NC posted:I had another thought about a hobby being de-stressful and remembered my father. His favorite thing was to fish and he was out on the lake or the coast at every opportunity. Funny thing is he didn't eat much of what he caught, just let it go except for a few select ones. My brother was also a fishing fiend and moved to Florida so he could fish with dad which I sometimes did, but just wasn't my thing with that getting up and being on the water at sunrise.
One time I was out with my father after he retired and amazingly I was pulling in more than him, in fact I had seen him only bring in one the entire afternoon. When I asked him if he had checked his bait he responded "I don't need any bait, that just attracts the fish",..
-Mike in NC,
I like the way your Dad thinks, Mike.
He knows what retirement is all about
I view the "stressors" as challenges and lessons that help me learn and spend time working on my trains. My last one was two trains that keep uncoupling in spots. Was it the couplers themselves, the track laying, the speed of the trains, or what? It was fun to, by the process of elimination, finally get my trains back into smooth and reliable scale speeds.
EXCUSE ME! - My #60 Lionel bump 'n go seems to have gone and went. Time for professor gadget to get back to work.
Someone told me a long time ago..."If money can fix it, it's not that important." Took me a while to chew on that, but I think you'll find that it is true. I love the hobby. At times, I wish I knew more about electricity etc. But the problems get solved. I've fried boards and switches etc etc. You fix it or buy a new one. Trains should be relaxing and fun. The layout is never "complete". That is why it is fun for me.
There are always challenges in life, without them things would be pretty boring. How YOU handle them determines if they create stress or a learning/growing opportunity.
Remember these are just TOY trains. Sometimes with all the fancy electronics it can seem like you are performing Brain Surgery. But if the fix doesn't work, the train may still be dead, but no one has actually died. Well unless your domestic CFO finds out what you spent, then all bets are off. LOL
BTW I have and will continue to ask others more experienced for help and advice. Life has taught me "knowing what you don't know" and proper planning can lessen the chance of "something going wrong". This can prevent a future challenge and the possibility for stress.
Lastly I consider myself Darn luck to be in a position to indulge myself with these toys. On the other hand I have worked hard consistently throughout my life to get here.
To paraphrase Red Green, "I don't need stress management, I just need people to quit p***ing me off!"
When something in any of my hobbies get too stressful, time to walk away for a bit. If a project is too much, slide it into a box - label everything and come back in a day or two. I actually learned that lesson in a backwards way from my father. He refuses to ever walk away (which is admirable in a way) no matter how much stress is involved. I refuse to lose sleep over repairing a locomotive myself.
To each their own, I suppose.
Off topic a little bit but if you ever drop something small…..the easiest way to find it is to take your shoes and socks off and start walking around…..you will find it! 😄
Hobbies can be stressful. As a kid I build U Control model airplanes. I had two larger ones that cost me a lot and took a month to build. When flying them I was stressed out and only did safer simpler flying. I saved the fancy flying for flying combat with cheap and fast to build flying wings. Another stressful activity was beginning self taught fancy diving from a 3 meter spring board after learning on a one meter board.
Modern things are stressful especially those with costly electronics like computers, newer cars and newer trains that many of us can not fix if we screw them up or they fail. Recently I had to replace an older car and purposely bought a four year old one that has some modern features but not all the latest, and best newer stuff. Many newer autos do not have a radio volume and tuning knob quickly available and no CD playing ability. I did not want a turbo charged engine and large touch screen like the Tesla ones have. The more fancy stuff an item has the more likely something will fail. I have a 30 year old cloths dryer that I have repaired a couple of times. We are on our third washing machine in the same time, each one being fancier and having more un-fixable items.
I have lowered the stress with my model trains by sticking with my postwar trains as it would be stressful for me to buy and operate a DCC train system that I could not figure out what was wrong and could not be able to fix it. My post war conventional layout is not simple as it has 31 switches, operates 4 and 5 trains at a time and two trains per loop. I understand it as I designed and built it and can figure out what is wrong when it has faults and I can fix it.
Charlie
@Choo Choo Charlie posted:Hobbies can be stressful. As a kid I build U Control model airplanes. I had two larger ones that cost me a lot and took a month to build. When flying then I was stressed out and only did saver simpler flying. I saved the fancy flying for flying combat with cheap and fast to build flying wings.
Modern things are stressful especially those with costly electronics like computers, newer cars and newer trains that many of us can not fix if we screw them up or they fail. Recently I had to replace an older car and purposely bought a four year old one that some modern features but not all the latest, and best newer stuff. I did not want a turbo charged engine and large touch screen like the Tesla ones have. The more fancy stuff an item has the more likely something will fail. I have a 30 year old cloths dryer that I have repaired a couple of times. We are on our third washing machine in the same time, each one being fancier and having more un-fixable items.
I have lowered the stress with my model trains by sticking with my postwar trains as it would be stressful for me to buy and operate a DCC train system that I could not figure out what was wrong and could not be able to fix. My post war conventional layout is not simple as it has 31 switches, operates 4 and 5 trains at a time and two trains per loop. I understand it and can figure out what is wrong when it has faults and I can fix it.
Charlie
Charlie, Amen to that.
While it is in our best interest to continue to learn new things as we age, this hobby presents a multitude of such opportunities. If something enjoyable becomes too frustrating then we are more apt to step away. Because it no longer provides enjoyment, we find reasons not to engage. There is much to problem solve and discover with the electrical components and scenery possibilities in general to keep our neuronal networks expanding.
Jay
The day that model trains stress me out, that’s when they can bury me!!
If I encounter a problem with the layout or the trains I just leave it alone for the moment, get a cold drink and do something else. Watch a ballgame or a movie or go outside and sit by the pool and listen to the waterfall.
Or, I just think about my first wife and everything seems easier!
Choo Choo Charlie,
You mentioned U control and I flashed back 60 or more years when I flew U Control and learned stunts. My trusty Mc Coy 35 must have had a hundred hours on it or more.
Thanks
I agree completely with MONON_JIM.
For the most part the vast majority of people on this forum are very helpful.
But we do have rivet counters or those that find fault in everything they buy. What I don't get is, if the hobby is so frustrating why do they stay in it 
Nothing is perfect in life and things are not always as we'd like them to be. But we take the good with the bad and chalk it up to life experience's.
I don’t believe that wanting accurate models for what we pay for them is a bad or even stressful thing. Those that want accuracy are just as valid as those who don’t care about accuracy. There’s no wrong way to enjoy the model train hobby.
I myself enjoy reading and learning about the prototype and how well or close a model is built to the prototype. Even though I prefer scale size models I enjoy all trains of all scales.
If someone reviews a model and says it’s not perfect, that’s ok. I will take that information and make my own decisions if I want to buy the model based on what I see, like, dislike, road name or pricing. (And I’ve made A LOT of decisions). After all it’s not like we have multiple choices to pick from. So I factor in if we’ll ever see the model made again by another importer. (e.g. the Lionel scale command control Penn Central “Black Jack” GG1)
No stress, just fun!
How I manage the world's greatest hobby: 1. Am taking a new inventory of all my train sets to establish baselines for any issues. I have a rotation system, so that each set is run in a particular order.2. I am making short videos of each set to have certainty for insurance purposes and availability of my trains if ever I have to go into a home someday. If so, you can find me with a laptop watching my trains. 3. I simplified my layout to a single main line, with a series of towns, representing a transportation system. At one point, I used to run four trains at a time and it was too stressful. One train = more enjoyment. 4. The trains are in the basement, meaning I climb stairs, an aerobic matter. My bedroom is on the second floor. Up and down all the steps I go every day. Mr. Old Man will never visit me, if I can help it. I also have a garden railroad and I am active with it during the summer, also keeping me in shape. It also has only one main line. I also belong to a resort in the summer, where I go hiking, walking and dancing every weekend, so there is balance with the trains, as I also socialize. 5. Yes, I am divorced and maintain cordial relations with the ex. All three children stayed with me and one still lives with me. What I am describing is a well-balanced life, with trains having a central place, along with reading much non-fiction. 6. I buy trains and books, because that proves, to me, there is a future. My son has the train gene and he can figure out what to do when I go to the great roundhouse. Mark
Do We look stressed? Working volunteer's George Reneris & Gene Maag at Santa's Trains Look Park, Florence MA. The Pioneer Valley Model Railroad Club run three layouts for this annual event which attracted over 14,000 people this year. We have fun with just a little stress.
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I'm probably as good a rivet counter as most. I'll often compare the model to the prototype to the extreme. It gives me 3 choices. 1) I can choose to not buy the model. 2) I can buy the model and fix it. 3) I can buy the model and live with it, flaws and all. The model does not care what people say about it. A train forum such as this one is a great place to learn about models and how they compare to the prototype.
@Freight Train Jim posted:It's a great hobby until you get that derailment in the back corner of your layout you can't reach easily. Then stress sets in.
Enjoy it the way YOU want it.
this is why i'm taking a page out of Phil klopp's book and building my layout as an around the room shelf layout which i hope to finally start this year
fastrack with indoor/ outdoor carpet and plug and play accessories and mostly traditional o with a few small legacy engines like GP30s maybe a kline style berkshire and lots of postwar and mpc and lionchief plus 2.0
The only stress I get from my model railroad / hobby is not getting my butt downstairs to work on the layout, if that makes any sense.
I also designed the layout to be stress free, no command systems, no interlocking tracks and a limited amount of switches. I give up some features on the newer locomotives, operation is not that realistic and a remote would be nice but I’m happy how it works and I figure there is less to trouble shoot.
As to counting rivets, to each his own. Someone here once said “your layout is your kingdom it’s up to you.” I figure the more people who participate in any shape or form in this wonderful hobby the better. IMO
My journey with OCD has cost me hundreds of dollars in undue costs in this hobby. Layout build 3.3 will be my last. For the previous 10+ years, I had been on a hamster wheel of getting the layout to a certain point, dismantling, and starting over. I have kept myself off the wheel by reminding myself what the goal of the layout was in the first place, and sticking to it. Also, treating my illness consistently and under the care and consult of professionals has helped me maintain a comfortable place in the hobby. Now I am attempting to complete this build and leave it alone as a therapy to conquer the OCD that creeps in the background trying to destroy what should be a source of enjoyment. I want to encourage anyone who feels that illness is clouding their goals or enjoyment in this hobby to look into it through the proper channels.
BobRoyal, I really appreciate your comments, and good for you to look inside yourself and share.
I have often wondered, would I build a train layout if I were alone on the earth? In other words, am I building a layout for myself or others? Including the approval and appreciation, I may receive from others.
I suspect when I am done building my layout few will see my layout and those that do will most likely have very little interest in what I have built or model railroading. It is doubtful they will share this same compulsion I have; as I do not live near other enthusiasts'
In an earlier post, I mentioned that when I am finished working and I go to turn off the lights I have one last look,
Maybe it is that "Last Look" of satisfaction. Maybe I am doing it because it's in my DNA, Maybe something else, and when the trains finally move. Maybe that "something else" I will then understand.
kevin
Life takes its toll on all of us. Some in different ways than others. The layout will never be finished. There’s no way it could be for me, because it is the construction-train running-construction-train running that is therapy for me and for many of us. If I am the only one who enjoys it then so be it, it has served its purpose. If someone comes over and shares it and enjoys it then that’s the gravy. If I can pass the trains and layout fever to my kids or grandkids then that’s the icing!
