When You’re Running Trains Do You Sit, Stand, or Move Around with the Train?

When sitting, I use one or the other of the two swivel chairs that I have in my train room.

When standing, I wear my fluffy slippers.

Ladies do not sweat. Horses sweat. 

When I am just running trains, I stand, although I am wanting to get one of those stools to sit on: my layouts about 39 inches off the ground so I need a good, high, stool. 

But usually, when my trains are running, I am not "running" them: I set three or four to chugging around the layout and then go about my business at my workbench, where I am sitting, or standing while working on the layout. 

Mostly stand. Since the layout is in the living room, I mostly stand in my stocking feet.

I have a tall stool to sit on when the mood strikes.

All depends on the mood I'm in.

All of the above; except for the fluffy slipper part. Haven't found any in Men's size 13.....

The only time I sweated was when I had to chase down a young reprobate that stole a caboose off of one of our trains and went running out of the Craft Hall with it. His mother was highly indignant when I took it away from her precious little darling.

Gilly

I stand, in stocking feet on carpeted floor, and tend to move around a bit to follow the action (command control equipped layout).  I only wish my train room was large enough to work up a sweat.

Ours is a shelf layout in our kitchen/dining room.  So we sit, and the train 'runs' around us.  Sweat may occur when eating spicy foods.   Footwear optional.

Rick

We'd love to sit.  We even talked about getting those MTH and Lionel stools that are overpriced at $100+.  However we always find ourselves walking around the layout to get a different view, switch track, couple/uncouple cars, move accessories, etc.

I tried to convince my Doctor that running trains was like 30 minutes of cardio, but he wasn't having any of that.

Ron

Great question. I do all three. Have three chairs and one swiveling drum stool. Also have a large double main lift-out to enter the train room and can sit there and watch the train come straight for me.  Have to brake hard sometimes to avoid putting it in my lap.

Stupid, stupid fun!!!!

Layout is now dormant but when still active, I stood at the Control area about 1/3 of the time and sat on a high stool the rest[or "to rest" ]. I operated both TMCC and Conventional from Cab 1 but seldom walked around because I was too lazy to release the hinged Drop Section to enter the small 9x16 round-the wall attic layout. 

Stand.  Not much room in the garage for a chair.

- Mike

With my current layout which is small I sit on a stool. I hope to be up and moving around and/or sitting with my next.

I have a "around the wall" layout in my carpeted bedroom.  I'm either running trains and following trains with my Lionel Cab-2 in stockings or (my favorite) laying in bed with the lights off watching the trains, signals, switches and buildings all lit up.  The only problem with running at night is Tex, my dachshund howl's when I blow the whistle or horn. 

Steve, Lady and Tex

All of the above, depending on who is with me.

All of the above.

Sitting; MTH or Lionel Stools

Standing; Work boots, for good support.

Walking:    "        "

Sit, stand and walk around to follow trains.   No sweat.   A bit more train-following when my LionChief Plus locos are on point.

While seated, Lionel bar stool.

Standing, hiking shoes.

Moving around with the action only to quench thirst with a mug of Old Milwaukee!!!!

I pretty much have to walk around with the train.

Usually standing, however I have a chair that I use sometimes that I should use more often. At 40" sitting in the chair puts the trains about eye level making the operation of scale steamers, visually far more interesting.

Yes to all three, depending on how much traffic is on the layout, how many visitors we have and how much my feet hurt.

Good morning, I like to walk around my layout with the DCS remote in hand.

I have several manual switches so I move around the layout to throw the switches to change routes.

My layout is 42" off the basement floor and a times I like to get down on one knee and watch the train go by.

While doing this I am always looking for better places to take photos of my layout or what I could change to make the scenery better.

The basement floor is bare concrete so comfortable shoes do help the back if you are down there for a while.

Mark Strittmatter

TCA # 14-69917

All of the above. It just depends on the mood.

I could walk from one end of my layout to the other in two steps.  I'd look really silly trying to "follow the trains."

I run conventional on a 9' long layout.  I usually sit on one of two high stools that have a back.  Sometimes when I want a street level view of the layout I sit on a card table chair.

Like some other respondents, I am apt to do any of the three.  For sitting, I have a wooden chair with upholstered eat that is somewhat higher than a dining chair.

If standing a long time, probably good support would be called for.  I just use loafers, as I'm not usually in the train room for more than 45 minutes at a time, I would guess.

Haven't broken a sweat yet - room not big enough.

Most of the time I stand and periodically move to different points on the layout for a different view.  Sneakers are the footwear of choice.  When I do sit I do so on a metal folding chair.

--Greg

Since ours is a "walk-around" type layout, with all command control and mostly manual-throw switches, it is thus a "stand-up/walk-around to operate" situation. We do have stools available, for those that NEED them, during Run Beer - Drink Trains sessions.

Sit, Stand and walk.

Sit on a padded workbench stool similar to the Lionel or MTH ones.

Stand or walk, New Balance walking shoes, only ones I can get that are wide enough (feet have spread out over the years, glad nothing else has ). I haven't been able to find any fluffy slippers (or any other slippers) in widths, but those do sound nice and warm and comfortable for winter operation!  

I do all three but i try to sit more if i can do to my health problems.

DCS remote and follow the trains. 100 foot perimeter and ground throws.

Clem

Small table layout that's about 3.5' off the ground. My ZW is on a chair so I am too, usually. Sometimes I stand, either in socks or barefoot, but the chair I sit in is from my kitchen table that's not too far away.

3 S's...Sit, Stand, and Sprint!...in that order!

I don't run the trains often enough, nor is the scenery complete enough, that 'things' find their way piled onto the benchwork.  After all, when you come down the basement carrying an armful of ....stuff..., that empty spot to park the...stuff...is too enticing not to take advantage. 

Time to run trains?  Turn on the power, crank the throttle, and away we go!

We sit, libation often at hand.

But wait!....what's that stuff-looking mountain down there at the far end????  I don't remember that being there!!!

We stand.....for a better look.

OMG!  I think it's sitting part way on the track!

We sprint....for some URGENT closer inspection slash geographical alteration!

Meanwhile, back at the sit spot...

Fluffy slippers?  I don't think so!!  Besides, Millie and Daisy (our Golden girls) would've adopted fluffy slippers as their toys long ago.  Carpet.

KD

Enjoy mostly sitting in front of the com-"man"-d center where I can see the TV and have a nice view out the window and down the hill. Will be standing and moving around more if I ever get "mobile" DCS up and running. Also have a chair on the south side of the layout where the view and track sounds are better.

Standing to assemble a few consists and then get them rolling. Once Ive established confidence in the integrity of the trains, if I tire of standing. I often move to the couches, and chairs of the living room. If I get tired I can shut them down, and move to the bedroom to laydown and fall asleep on the bed while watching the multi-track ceiling layout (with timer). 

I have 5 stools on the layout for my guests, but I have never sat while running trains.  I usually follow my train or trains so I can be the engineer and operate switches at control panels located around the layout.  During operating sessions we have people assigned to control panels to operate switches and they usually sit at their location. 

Art

ME TOO!  Usually I sit on my "folksinger" stool.

Pete

Pete