How long have you been at this?


Since my first trains for Christmas in 1956. Interest kind of waned when I nailed the track down to my dad's ping pong table but picked back up in 1965 but fell completely in 1967 when I was in high school. It picked back up in 1981 and has been full steam ahead since then.
 
I started in the late 50's, but had a bit of a dry spell with no layout while I was in the Navy during the 60's. After getting out, I started a small N scale layout being that we were stuck in an apartment. I moved back to Montana in 1977, into a house with a nice basement area. I expanded my N scale layout to the point where I had about 16 scale miles of main line. Unfortunately, back then the running qualities of the majority of N scale locomotives were what I would call marginal. It was ripped out in the early 80's when I moved to HO scale. I did this because HO scale at the time had a lot better running locomotives, and a lot more road names were available.

Since that time, the running quality of both N and HO scale has improved greatly. Now that I am a bit older (an old fart now), I an appreciating the larger size of HO scale.
 
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montanan said:
I started in the late 50's, but had a bit of a dry spell with no layout while I was in the Navy during the 60's. After getting out, I started a small N scale layout eing that we were stuck in an apartment. I moved back to Montana in 1977, into a house with a nice basement area. I expanded my N scale layout to the point where I had about 16 scale miles of main line. Unfortunately, back then the running qualities of the majority of N scale locomotives were what I would call marginal. It was ripped out in the early 80's when I moved to HO scale. I did this because HO scale at the time had a lot better running locomotives, and a lot more road names were available.

Since that time, the running quality of both N and HO scale has improved greatly. Now that I am a bit older (an old fart now), I an appreciating the larger size of HO scale.
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Montanan -

I regularly visit the N vs. HO debate for myself... I've always been HO, but am sorely tempted by the fact that all my layout spaces have been good-sized for HO (e.g. call it 400 sq. ft), but if I used N, "I could have the layout I've always wanted... with tons of mainline, broad curves, etc."

Oddly, it's dichotomous: The better N gets (and for my part, I'd say it's plenty "good enough" at this point), the more other factors (eyesight, etc.) of age militate against it. At this point I'm probably so invested in HO and so unable to work in N that it's over and done.

HOn3 to try for the best of both worlds? Yeah, it's occurred to me. But my love of big steam and passenger ops precludes that.

But I still dream of what could be...
 
The eyesight thing is starting to be a problem. I am finding that things that I used to do without thinking, and just took a few minutes are becoming a bit more difficult. I used to do a lot of custom painting, which I enjoyed. I also enjoy putting a lot of detail into scenes, and this is a lot easier in HO scale. Not just with the larger scale of HO, but the availability of detail items are a lot more abundant in HO.
 
Montanan -

My saving grace has been what's called a "jeweler's eyeshade"... years in the jewelry industry have made me keenly aware of them: flip-down uber-magnification headgear. Makes you look like some sort of alien freak, but they sure work. I know my dentist uses something similar too, and recall seeing similar stuff sold for modeling use.

Oh yeah, and light. I've learned to appreciate drenching my workbench in high-intensity light...

The irony is, my eyesight really ain't bad compared to many folks I know! Had perfect vision until a couple years ago when everything closer than 12-18" started going blurry on me.
 
I keep a few of them around. They are handy. Even when my eyesight was perfect, they were a big help when detailing locomotives, freight cars or other detail projects. Now I just find myself using them a lot more often.
 
montanan said:
I keep a few of them around. They are handy. Even when my eyesight was perfect, they were a big help when detailing locomotives, freight cars or other detail projects. Now I just find myself using them a lot more often.
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FWIW, I've found you can get them for half the price at "jewelry supply" websites vs. "hobby supply" websites...
 
American Flyer S scale W/ 0-6-0 Dockside: 1962
HO, started with Varney Freight Train set with SP A-B-A F7: 1968
N scale: 1995.

Depending on how you look at it that would make it 52 years.
 
How long?

7 years as a teenager (age 12 thru 19); no home layout, but had a huge collection of Athearn bluebox locos which I ran on the BSME club layout. Did a lot of train-chasing as soon as I got my drivers license.

15-year hiatus dealing with all the normal young-adult challenges.

26 years to the present time. Had none of my original trains leftover, started over completely. Always been in HO, though N looked temping for awhile when the quality improved in the mid-90's. Now I'm glad I stayed with HO because, as some of you have mentioned, my eyes don't focus as well as they used to. During some periods, family commitments severely limited my available time [and space, and funds, ...] to 'practice' the hobby. But I always kept a foot in the door, now I have a 24'x22' garage layout capable of hosting op sessions with 3-5 guest operators.
 
My first train was a Casey Jones American Flyer that I got for Christmas when I was about eight. That lasted a couple of years, then I bought my first N scale trains in 1970 when I was 15. That progressed on and off until 1989, never getting beyond the Plywood Prairie stage. Then a move back to Illinois and model trains were all but forgotten, until the last few years when I've started over. I'm really impressed with the quality of N scale trains now, I think that the lack of quality was the biggest reason I quit in 1989. LIfeLike was just coming out with their "good" stuff then but it was still kind of disappointing. I've bought a lot of new stuff and quite a bit of new and used items off E-bay. This time it's serious, with a major remodel of what will be my train room (10x16) and this time there will be scenery!
 
kjchronister said:
Modeling post-marriage is kinda like dog years... You should get multi-year credit for each one you sustain!
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Yes. I think had I not been a big time modeler before marriage I would have never started. Not because of opposition, would have just had different interests.
 
I've been playing with trains ever since I can remember. Went HO at age 7 with Varney set. Started building kits at 8. Will be 61 this year.
 
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