The Story of a Total Railway Nut - How Many of Us Are There.

[longbridge]

We talk about Layouts, Locos, Rolling Stock and dozens of other things but how often do we talk about ourselves 

I thought it may be an idea to find out just how much time per day or week each of us spend on Railway or Model Railway business, thoughts or actions.

Here is my story of a typical day in Oldrailbugs life since retirement.

I get out of bed at about 5-30am and head to the computer to check on this forum (the wife is still snoring).

At about 6-30am I take the dog for a walk and listen to the BNSF and UP radio chatter on a scanner app on my phone.

I get home and the wife is up and we have breakfast, after breakfast I help her do a bit of housework then head off to the shed to do some work on my layout.

Around 12-30 pm I have lunch, after lunch I sit an read railway books and magazines till about 3pm, I then go back to the shed for an hour or so.

By this time I am feeling a bit selfish and at 4-30 pm I pretend to watch the Bold and Beautiful with her but I am really thinking about trains.

Before tea I take the dog for another walk and listen to the Railroad chatter again then head home and cook tea.

After tea I check the forum again till 7pm and pretend to watch Home and Away with SWMBO.

The wife heads off to bed about 8pm so I sit and watch railway DVDs until I fall asleep usually about 9-30pm.

Most days are the same.

[swisstony]

I read the forums from my IPhone all day on and off I maybe get half an hour here and there on the layout except Wednesday evenings which is the agreed Layout Time with SWMBO

So does that make me only half sad then  ??

[Sprintex]

Being a trucker (at the moment) I start work anywhere between 1am and 7am, working days can be as short as 8 hours or as long as 15 hours, so layout time is whenever I'm not asleep or otherwise engaged watching telly or (in good weather) working on our fleet of cars! 

Luckily when I do get time for playing trains the misses never complains about time spent, mess made, or space taken up. Life's too short for petty squabbles in our house 

I do get on NGF most days though, whether it's on the laptop in the evenings or on my Blackberry during driving breaks 


Paul

[trainsdownunder]

Usually rise around 8:00 ish.     Stagger around doing all the normal wakey-wakey things - loo, cuppa etc, before sitting down to leisurely brekkie.
By the time I've washed it all down with second brew of the day about an hour has past and so settle down for a browse through email and more importantly catch up on the forum.     Spend a short time on EBay quickly checking snipes and a look round to see if anything decent has been stuck on there (Aussie EBay only normally).

Next decide which reno task is next to be tackled - with the youngest daughter visiting later this week, the list from SWMBO of got to be finished seems to have doubled. Spend the day generally do all sorts of bits from plastering, painting, carpentry, whatever even gardening at a push - under SWMBO guidance    .  According to her I'm safe with power tools but not a garden hoe ! Suits me !

Snacky style lunch. Back to reno work.

Late afternoon is usually a bit a PC relax time. Sometimes a cuppa followed by a short nap if I can get away with it.

Final clear up and put away of tools before showering around 6 ish. Catch up the daily news headlines whilst SWMBO gets dinner.

Evening spent between Forum chats/replies and chilling out in front of the TV watching nothing in particular before time to hit the sack - anything between 10 and midnight.

Not all days are this exciting. Sometimes I just sit on my a*&^.

As I have said on other threads, can't wait till layout comes out of storage.
Then I'll really have something to do !

[Jerry Howlett]

This is a total hi-jack from Mrs. H!!   Typical Day - well Jerry's day starts when he gets up about 2 hours after me and wonders downstairs for his first of two mugs of tea that I make him before we take our 3 dogs for a walk.   During the tea drinking there is little conversation as he doesn't "hear" me in the morning.  Our morning dog walking involves the really exciting conversation about what to have for dinner that night - wow!!

As soon as we get back, Jerry gets more of his modelling stuff out, so that it covers every area in the dining room and parts of the kitchen in addition, of course, to the cantina (cellar) where his layout takes up all of the room.   I do find the addition of paints, glue, cardboard, paper, etc. etc. a particular attractive addition to our dining room.   In the summer, of course, there are also the patio & garden area to use for modelling.

When I have the nerve to use our computer to answer, forward or delete e-mails or whatever, I have to stay seated, because as soon as I vacate the chair, his highness rushes in to catch up with the Forum or buy stuff (on my credit card).   It makes a toilet break for me risky and possibly expensive!!!

Have to say that he does the evening dog walk (often stopping by neighbours for a quick drink or two) and  he usually cooks our evening meal - I clear up, of course as he has no idea of where anything goes or why it's necessary to put anything away!!   We watch TV together until he falls asleep and then I wake him up when I go to bed between 11.00 and 12.00pm.   He has promised me that he will have his lay-out completed before I die which, as he's 12 years younger than me, isn't that promising!!!

[Jack]

  

Not many of us can get away with using the whole house and patio for modelling Jerry, but I like your way of thinking 

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  Crikey after reading what you blokes have written I feel like a spoiled brat 

[pape_timmo]

My better half moans coz I play real trains during the day (well, if you call 03:08 start during the day) and then when I come home I play model trains, or plan it anyway, and read railway books, magazines and internet based rail stuff.

Good job we live 2 doors away from each other really, so she does her thing, I do mine 

[longbridge]

My better half moans coz I play real trains during the day (well, if you call 03:08 start during the day) and then when I come home I play model trains, or plan it anyway, and read railway books, magazines and internet based rail stuff.

Good job we live 2 doors away from each other really, so she does her thing, I do mine 

Crikey Tim that sounds like a perfect arrangement, congratulations 

[EtchedPixels]

Good job we live 2 doors away from each other really, so she does her thing, I do mine 

Have you run a 5" garden railway between the two yet ?

Alan

[pape_timmo]

Have you run a 5" garden railway between the two yet ?

Alan
[/quote]

Now there's an idea... hadn't thought of that one he he he. 
N gauge locos wouldn't pull my weight, but 5" gauge would be great