Hi:
My Dad got me into modeling when i was 6 or 7. So I was building anything plastic you could buy in a kit. Cars, planes, tanks, soldiers, ships, subs, you name it. Topped out by building the U.S.S. Kearsarge with full rigging. Got my American Flyer set for Christmas when i was 7. Ran it constantly until i was about 10 when i started building U-Control airplanes. Put away the flyer about the same time and got into HO. Had a neighbor who modeled in it and an Uncle who had a layout to die for. Truly inspirational, kinda like some of you guys.
Got into radio control planes next and stayed in that until i discovered girls. Gave up all hobbies except girls and cars at that point. Oh, occasionally i did a little hiking just to try and air out the head
I got the Flyer out of the box for Christmas ‘94 when all of my family got together at our home. Thought it would be fun for everyone to see it running again and my two kids had no idea that Dad ever had a hobby other than fixing the house and any $0.50 toy of theirs that broke. Well, everyone, including me, enjoyed the trains so they’ve been a part of Christmas any year when we’re not traveling the whole holiday. Then, in June of 2000, I went to a GATS show here in town.
As luck would have it, the Atlantic Coast S-Gaugers were there with a modular layout. I had no idea people actually ran their Flyer, except me! (From the prices people were paying on E-Bay I figured folks must treat them like gold!) Turned out to be a great bunch of guys, a club with only one rule, “No Rules” (and no dues), and I was hooked. I’ve built 6 modules, four 48-inchers and two 60-inchers. I doubled the number of turnouts on their modular layout with mine and built the first CAB controlled section of the layout (thanks to Shamus’ wonderful article in the Archives and some good advice and encouragement from members of the club). Don’t have a good place for a permanent layout at this house. My modules are currently set up in the garage so I can add some roads and update some wiring before the next show. Oh, and so I can run trains while I’m “working” on them. So being in the club gives me a chance to run trains 4-6 times a year. Great fun!
So I guess, if you subtract the 24 years due to girls and kids, I’ve been actively modeling 18 years. We won’t count the 22 years of going to school and then working as an architect. Those models are for WORK! And in my house, trains are not work.
Regard “S”,
Ted
