Would Another Hobby Replace Model Railroading?

I have several interests...

• Collecting and doing living history with a focus on US WW2 stuff
• Space history, and am a public representative for the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville (although I live nowhere near there)
• Sci-fi, I collect screen-used props and costumes from movies and TV series
• I'm also a reasonably accomplished artist and cartoonist

If you click my link below in my profile, most of this stuff is shown ion my own website...

I will be devoting the remainder of my life to collecting wax lips.

Jesting. Since I have been a maniacal railroad and model railroad enthusiast since age 3 (1948) don't envision being seduced by another hobby. Although your erotic etching next to your gun rack is interesting!

 

That's all very impressive, Lee, but you didn't answer the question:

 

Would any of those interests REPLACE model railroading?

 

Rip Track Hal  (I would assume that would be the P-51D...)

 

 

 

 

 

HEY MARK,

 

That erotic picture on the wall is a genuine Vargas Print, which cost me quite a few pesos!

 

RIP TRACK  (I beat you...I was three in 1939!)

 

Whoa, authentic Vargas!   Even in my decrepitude, I still love a bit of Vargas eroticism. Nice  art piece.

Model railroading/railroad history have always been on the back burner even when I

was more heavily into cars, in which I'd be fully involved, if there was no model

railroading interest, although the prototype history interest would persist.

Yes, I'll stay with trains.  I think almost everyone here has more than the one interest.  Myself, I've been in trains my whole life.  Many other interests have come and, for the most part, gone.

Well, other than performing stud service, trains will always be my number one hobby.

Yes, moaning and *****ing. That seems to go hand in hand with toy trains anyway.

No, absolutely not.

Hello everyone, it would have to be overwhelming new hobby for me to walk a way from model railroading.

For me it's the scenery and making things look as if they would in everyday life.

Then you get into the wiring and track planning.

It's always a new challenge.

Then it's the wow factor when people come over and see this little world that you have built.

 

And the fact that when things don't go right you unplug everything turn off the lights and go up stairs and come back another day to try it again!!!

 

Mark Strittmatter

TCA # 14-69917

Indiana PA

Robotics.

In some ways, by way of command control, LCS, and etc., robotics is already being incorporated into model railroads, but eventually the limitations of wheels on rails will no longer be accepted.
Rovers, crawlers, and arial drones will be programmed by hobbiest and builders to accomplish tasks and provide entertainment.

It depends.  I build model ships, too.  I do both ships and model railroads and have time for and like both.  If a third hobby came along, I might back off on one or the other or both, or not.  

 

Years ago, years and years ago, my main hobby was cars, restoring and hot rodding.  Now I do less of that - prefer trains and ships.  Darwinism in hobbies.  

 

So yes, if something came along and was really more interesting than trains, I'd move on.  Can't imagine what it would be . . . 

No other hobby for me, trains have always been my greatest interest.

I'll probably change scales a few hundred more times in my remaining years, but I doubt anything would ever replace model trains of one type or another.

 

Jeff C

Seasonally, absolutely. Still don't want to miss opening day of Deer season. Would never want to miss the Jimmy Barrett Blue Ball Open Golf Tournament. There's still time to spend on the boat. And I have two vehicles in process of restoration. 

 

Railroading isn't a side-line hobby for me, but there are times during the year that it falls to priority 3 or less.

 

Gilly

You have stop buying 2x4's Brian. ��

My first 'hobby' was trains. If you call little die cast trains that ran on the floor a 'hobby'!

But it did lead to a Lionel set that I had until HO came along around 1964.

But when we moved to So Cal in 1960 plastic model car building was introduced via a friend. I got into that heavy....along with vintage real cars. Trains were always there but more at Christmas than year round.

Now I am down to 4 vintage cars....and that will go to two soon. I do some freelance work in the plastic hobby kit business so that's 'work' now and I have come full circle with trains as my main hobby!!!

 

I can't see me ever selling this one.......change is the only constant so who knows!!!

My JAVA-LYNN sitting on the ex C&O Greenbrier branch roadbed......

 

Have always had some type of vintage car to play with.

Dabble in 1/32 scale slot cars and model cars, especially since my youngest son (15) is digging into my stash of 1/25 scale models.

There is something special about model trains though, and for now it's O scale 2 rail and On30.

SJC, I'm interested in CUA also. Oldest son graduated in May, 2nd son is a Junior.

 

Trains have always been THE hobby for me since birth (62 yrs. ago). Other present day interests are collecting classic films, mechanical music (Wurlitzer Band Organs, Nicklelodians, Caliopes, Orchestrions - and no, sorry to say I don't own any - too much $$$$$$), trains, and trains.

I could do RC flying, or collect miniature soldiers from history. Maybe join the battle reenactments with the small stuff. But nothing beats the Americana, nostalgia, and lure of model railroading for me.

My avatar photo is me sitting in the cockpit of a Mustang, in original flight gear, all complete with parachute, life vest, even push to talk switch, all from my collection. I took a 90 minute formation flight in this very plane with a B-17 and B-24, even intercepting the bombers over water. Best hour and a half of my life, nothing ever came close to that (yes, my wife knows this).

But re-enacting did replace model trains, for a very long time. Now it goes alongside it. I was into O as a little kid, got into HO in my pre-teens, was into that until my late teens and a very horrible experience with a module club. I collected G scale for a while on the side and sat on that or years. I dabbled with the idea of a G scale layout in the Army, then totally gave up on all model trains for so long, when I got back into it once Bachmann released their ten-wheeler in On30, I realized so many techniques for the hobby had changed since I was away, I had to re-learn a lot of stuff.

 

And here's a few random shots to go along with the other things I do for fun:

 

 

In the future, collecting and restoring old cell phones will likely become popular.

 

There will probably be forums and magazines dedicated to it.

 

There will be constant fighting over which is best, you know, Apple vs Motorola guys or Blackberry vs Samsung.

 

There will be articles on how to build special display cabinets and how best to restore them.

 

There will also be custom painters, along with those who will argue that painting anything but the original color is heretic.

 

There will be meets at York to trade and sell them, ironically, no cell phones or cameras will be allowed to be used in the halls.

 

 I just hope none of us live to see the day, because it will be the most boring hobby only slightly better than collecting bellybutton lint!

 

 

 

Yeah Dave, I should stop lumbering around.

Replace?  No, but guns of the American west ca 1850-1895 are as important to me.

 

I still like model trains,but playing and collecting pinball machines has been the main hobby interest for the past fifteen years.

Dan

Hello Everyone…

Since I just bought a hunting license and have been doing some target shooting it appears a new Hobby has snuck up on me….Target Shooting/Bear Hunting!!  (See Nuisance bear after my chickens Video below)….  

My only problem with my second interesting/fun Hobby is the lack of funds.  With that in mind I have been considering selling one of my Vision Line Engines, but, I would never give up the O- Gauge Hobby completely…

I’m a Lone Wolf when I run Trains, and a Mountain Man when I shoulder my new Marlin 1895 SBL 45-70  Guide Gun…lol 




K.C.

Model railroading is my main hobby because it keeps me home and I can enjoy it with the kids.  Having said that, being on a single income and having 3 kids, it can become expensive, much like everything else in life.  

 

My other hobby that I have been into for a few years now is firearms.  Yep, I am a gun guy.  The hobby is extremely expensive but when I have the funds to go to the range, I take full advantage.  

 

Does one hobby replace the other?  No, not really.  I love both but tend to do the railroad thing more often then not because, well, its right in my basement!  

Shooting is my second hobby too. Anything from the occasional Sporting Clays or Trap, handguns at the range to airguns in the backyard. But trains have been with me a lot longer and probably will remain with me until they pry a train from my cold dead fingers. LOL

If there were enough guys in my local area that were also into it....Strat-O-Matic baseball, perhaps.  But then I'd probably never leave the basement!

 

- Mike

What cool interests you guys have! I have had 2 pass times that competed with model railroading:

 

1. I restored an old Ford LTD (1969 2-door). I LOVED that car. It went to a priest friend of mine who needed a car about the time I lost my house. Then it got sold to another priest friend of mine about an hour from here. My baby now enjoys the comfort of her own garage and a lot of TLC.

 

2. I am a classically trained organist. I used to play a couple of concerts a year as well as local gigs for $. To be any good, one has to spend HOURS a day practicing. Not only is finding the time an issue, getting into the churches where these instruments are housed can be tricky.

While I'm into cars, they would never completely replace trains.

I do it all:

 

1) Model Railroading

2) Slot Cars

3) Model Rocketry

4) Wargaming with Miniatures

5) PC Gaming

6) Muscle Cars

 

I would not replace any of these, I just rotate them.

Archery (target) is currently at the top of my list, then comes reading 2-3 books a week (mainly historical fiction), 3-D photography, then trains. I still belong to a gun club, but have not been active with shooting for a while.

Well Hal, in a way he did answer your question.  Like myself, Lee has more than one hobby or interest going at the same time.  None of our other hobbies replaces Model Railroading but they do give us a break from railroading at times during the year and I believe this is a good thing. 

 

Each individual is different.  For one reason or another a model railroader might get away from the hobby all together when another interest evolves while others enjoy multiple hobbies at the same time.  If your want a more definitive answer, I myself would not abandon model railroading for a new hobby, I would just enjoy my new interest around my time with model railroading.  Like I stated, everyone is different and there is nothing wrong with that. 

 

Steve, Lady and Tex

my summer hobby...

 

 

HEY ALAN ROGERS,

 

Do you play Bach's "Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor"?

 

Are you from the Rogers Organ family of electronic classical organs? 

 

My favorite classical organist was E. Power Biggs. 

 

The busiest man in the world is one playing a classical organ and reading all three staves!

 

RIP TRACK

For me, fishing.  I've done cars, built them and restored them, drove them, and had fun with them.  Now, although I still have the physical tools, my skills, strength, and vision have deteriorated enough where it isn't fun anymore.  And, I don't like creepers either.  

 

Yeah, fishing is good.  Could it replace model railroading for me?  I think it could, but it probably won't.  That's my answer, and I'm sticking to it.  

 

Hey Rip, can you send me an email with the Vargas depicted?  Seems to have been eliminated from the original post (at least on my computer).

 

Bob

Oh heck yeah, if I could play a pipe organ and had access to one, that's all I'd play on the thing!