When I get up in the morning, if I don’t have to get out early, I make a mug of hot tea (I’m not a coffee drinker) and take it to the train room and run trains. I find that to be a good way to start my day, much more enjoyable than watching morning TV. As I was running trains this morning I wondered if other model railroaders do something similar. Do you have a train routine?
It’s tea, cider or Cherry Coke for me, and I have my little holiday layout (still without snow sorry) on a shelf across from where I usually sit and work (ie look for a new job) and I just turn on the lighting and start the train running. Hearing the little clicks of the wheels on the joints in the rails, and looking up to see the F7 pulling a couple wooden reefers around is relaxing and it helps me stay focused (I have A.D.D. so focus on boring things is difficult at best). So yea, I have a train routine.
I'm off on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so today, like any other day I start with a pot of coffee and the morning news. I'm usually cleaning, vacuuming, and doing laundry in the AM. I visit the store for Hofbräuhaus beer, and make lunch when I get home, or noon, whichever is later. After lunch, I visit the train room, clean track, and power up the system. I usually run the same trains from the prior session and then change out either locomotives or entire trains from the main lines after an hour or more. Sometimes I do light maintenance on either locomotives or rolling stock while trains are running, or fix some scenery detail that needs work, or fix a programming issue or make CV adjustments. Music is piped in on a JBL Flip 4 speaker from one of my computers and I have a tablet to monitor the internet forums. I'm usually finished by 1800-2000 depending upon what else is planned that evening. And that's my Train Day every week.
I work nights, so a cup coffee is somewhat a necessity. My mini-T-Trak empire is close by my computer desk, so i can start a train rambling around it and just enjoy it. Even if just hearing the sound of the small motor whirring away.....
It's more of a 'when the mood strikes' thing for me, although I do like your idea (and starting my day with the morning news would be like a small slice of hell... just sayin' )
I would come home after work, driving the BIG TRUCKS, OTR for 45 years, sit down to dinner with wife [don't have one of those NOW], and eventually end up in the layout room. Wife knew to not bother me there. I was unwinding from the Rat-Race. Maybe music on, but NO TV or Video. Just me and my railroad. It's my Railroad, if you don't like it, the door is right over there, don't let the door hit you in the ass, on your out! My Model Railroad and Trains Hobby has helped me retain my sanity for 71 something years now, and I'm not going let stop NOW. PROUD Member of the National Model Railroad Association since the 1970's. Go to: https://www.nmra.org/ for more information. Remember: Model Railroading is FUN!
I get up plug in the coffee, look at the paper, grab a cup head down stairs turn on the radio and run for a hour, to hour and a half. Don
For me, it’s Bible study, Breakfast, check out the forums while finishing my coffee, take a walk, chores and then trains. While having my second cup of coffee in the afternoon I like watching a good video on YouTube or rechecking the forums again. Until planting and harvesting on the farm, that consumes everything. Ralph
My empire is still in the construction phase, but it HAS reached the point that the main portion is complete. So my routine is to wander up to the train room/man cave after breakfast, check emails, forums and auction sites, and then do something train related. It might be track work (I still need to build my branchlines up to the mine and down to the staging yard), or wiring (still need to put in a few feeders and wire some turnout frogs) or I might work on a building ( already built 130, but still have a few left on the shelf) or build a vehicle kit, or work on changing trucks or wheels or couplers, or service some locos or do some DCC conversions........or I may just fire up the layout and run some trains. Whatever my mood dictates. Shortly, I'll add scenery into the mix.
Well, while it doesn't always work, my train routine on non work days is to grab a cup of coffee, and for the first hour dish, do a quick scan of work emails just to make sure all is well, then personal emails , and then see what's new on TrainBoard. With that, I've usually finished that first cup of coffee and its grab a second cup and head down to the train room. There, I'll fire up the layout and let the trains run while I turn my attention to whatever is on the workbench. Then, in what always seems like the blink of an eye, but is usually a couple or 3 hours and cups of coffee, my train time has evaporated and it's on to the rest of the day.
BNSF FAN, It's sometimes hard to control, If not careful my trains will end up running more off of coffee than electricity! I had to cut back to just two cups a day, but they are 48oz cups. Just kidding! But I really do enjoy my coffee. Ralph
Start off with coffee and Devotions, some days my retirement job at the gun store. If not, whatever Honey-dos or hobby/computer.
Wake up Visit the bathroom Start coffee Get dressed Grab a 'travel mug' of coffee (no open containers around the trains) Walk out to THE RV (It's usually through snow this time of year) Turn on power in THE RV Turn on heater Turn on 'The Tunes' Flip the switch to power up the command center Sit at the workbench Watch trains make a few slow laps in the cold Sit down...drink coffee Adjust throttles Turn off track power Back to the house and top off cup of mud Visit the bathroom Back out to THE RV Turn track power back on Sit at workbench Watch trains for about 15 minutes Drink Coffee Decide to clean workbench 30 minutes later......... Turn off track power Back to the house for another cup of mud Visit the bathroom Back out to THE RV Turn track power back on Sit at workbench Watch trains run for another 30 minutes Turn off track power Back to the house for last of the coffee AND BREAKFAST ! Visit the bathroom Back out to THE RV Turn track power back on Sit at workbench Watch trains run for another couple of hours while working at the workbench Usually BarstowRick and/or DCESharkman call...there is another hour ! Turn off track power Back to the house Then the 'honey do list' comes out !!! Visit the bathroom
mtntrainman, I understand the bathroom thing. At my age, if my retirement account was growing as fast as my Prostate, I would be a very rich man!
I'm lucky, as I am old, but don't get up at night to pee.....I still pee, I just don't get up..... I'm here all week! But seriously, when I need to make progress on the layout, I may use my morning time to paint something and let it dry in hopes of gluing it together later that night. Or, glue two 90 deg pieces in the jig, let it sit until lunch when I use 10 minutes of lunch (I work at home) to glue the next parts that I can to keep the progress moving. Honestly, I am not sure why running trains in the typical morning hasn't crossed my mind. Just as in getting some work done, there are so many days that if I say, "Ill get to it tonight" and then I need to do chores, or am just drop dead tired, that it doesn't get done. I will start tomorrow!
I’m confused Richard. The only part I understand is “None.” You have no train routine. I don’t understand what the neighbors have to do with it nor do I understand what CSA means. The only thing CSA means to me is the Confederate States of America (I’m a Civil War buff). Please explain.
If you are a Civil War Buff you should know CSA is not an official name for the Confederacy. Our two POW camps allowed the men to get on trains and coaches to work in the cities because about half the state of Wisconsin was a member of the Confederacy. The largest Chapter of the "Daughters of the Confederacy" is in Wisconsin. And after the army I worked in the Milwaukee/Waukesha area and of course picked up a lot of there slang. As far as "the neighbors" I can't get into that because of the rules. The Old Republican Party was formed in Ripon, WI. Now it's all RINOs in control. Started with Mr. Reagan.
