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Modelling mojo and state of mind


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My blue trains mojo seems to have left, think I will be sticking to steam in OO and selling all my Southern units, they're not really giving me any pleasure.

 

It's sad really as they're are lovely units but better to be someone else's pride any joy than packed back into their boxes and left on a shelf

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  • 2 weeks later...

Currently a little frustrated at myself. When I look at my shelf I have a couple of unpainted wagons, a wagon to be started, a chassis for a Roundhouse Billy that needs the boiler and body purchased and the coach body from a Connessiour kit awaiting completion.

And I just can't be arsed to do any at the moment. The change of job has been a little more problematic than expected and stress levels have shot up. I'm neither here nor there.

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Currently a little frustrated at myself. When I look at my shelf I have a couple of unpainted wagons, a wagon to be started, a chassis for a Roundhouse Billy that needs the boiler and body purchased and the coach body from a Connessiour kit awaiting completion.

 

And I just can't be arsed to do any at the moment. The change of job has been a little more problematic than expected and stress levels have shot up. I'm neither here nor there.

Sorry to hear that, as many other contributors have said, modelling is a great stress buster. Perhaps just make your self 'have it' for half an hour and I'll bet you'll notice a difference in your stress markers. 

 

Guy

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I am in the process of eliminating the last of my older wagons, some secondhand and some survivors from my previous modelling life a quarter of a century and more ago, because of their moulded hand brake levers; the last with brake blocks out of line with the wheels went over a year ago.  Half a dozen wagons will be withdrawn and either replaced with modern equivalents or have their bodies removed to have new chassis supplied.  I am happy enough with the body mouldings, some of which have been weathered or otherwise tarted up by your intrepid reporter, but I will not miss the plastic wheelsets, dodgy couplings, moulded handbrakes, and mushroom head buffers.

 

So, this will generate a new programme of wagon upgrades and replacement when the coal empties rake is complete, which is not far off and may be achieved later this week.  I will leave the jury to decide if this is need or want driven purchasing; do I 'need' the new wagons and upgrades to provide a goods service to Cwmdimbath in the 1950s or am I just indulging myself.  Whatever the jury decides, I will ignore it and do what I want to anyway!

 

My goods and mineral fleet will then consist of entirely metal wheeled stock with good scale underframes, proper handbrake levers, decent buffers, and NEM mounted couplings, which should provide better consistency.  Some of my passenger rated stock, dating from the 70s and 80s, still has plastic wheel sets and older type Mainline couplings, and there are even some brake blocks that do not align with the wheels, most annoyingly on the Airfix auto trailer that is my most recent passenger purchase.  But one thing at a time; goods fleet first (minerals are now all modern and up to scratch), then we will work on the passenger stock.  I am but a poor pensioner and cannot do things all at once...

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I just spotted this thread today.

 

Quietly and without too much fuss I have started to build what will likely be my last layout. Baseboard built and full size Scarm layout plan pinned on that, I have secured suitable track and am now contemplating laying my first point after a long think as to how I would approach that. The layout is easy to lift and hump around and resistance from the distaff side has evaporated as the size has been seen.

 

I have eschewed some silly mods to the layout that will take too much modelling time to justify their existence.

 

I am cautiously optimistic and my health is holding up well. Not too sure these last are connected but hey ho!.

 

This layout is 53" by 24" approx. and will be fed by cassettes.

 

Completely fictional but based on a real place the design was done years ago.

 

I am hoping that one or two exhibitions will take me and my layout on but if not then it might sell OK at my local dealer.

Edited by Lady_Ava_Hay
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You are in a similar place to me about 16 months ago when what is probably my last effort, Cwmdimbath, a South Wales BLT from the 1950s, got under way.  Like yours, mine had been kicking around in my head for a good while in various forms, waiting for good time to start.  It has progressed much faster and more easily than I expected and is substantially finished (there will always be detail to improve, but the track is laid, most of the buildings and infrastructure are there, and so is the scenery).  I also 'eschewed some silly mods' to save time, as my age suggests I only have about 20 years of it to play with.  I also, with some reluctance initially but it has proved to be the right decision, deferred to the deterioration in my eyesight and hand-eye coordination that had crept up on me in the quarter century or so lifestyle enforced modelling break, and 'reverted' to tension lock couplings, after some faff!

 

Mine differs from yours in being narrower and longer (stop that at the back, I mean the layout) and in being conceived from the outset as a layout permanently set up in my bedroom for constant daily used, not for exhibition or potential sale.  It was designed from the outset to be simple to build and wire (I am too much a Luddite, and too poor, for DCC), but offer good operating potential; I like operating.  Cost had to be minimal, as I am but a poor pensioner, but I have exceeded my planned budget very considerably; most of my older locos have failed irrevocably and have had to be replaced, and a new controller was not budgeted for either.  Lighting has cost much more than allowed for.  It is designed to be taken down in 3 sections if necessary, and the wisdom of this in a rented property was borne out last May when my Landlord went for a complete refurbishment and the layout had to be taken down for several weeks.  A takedown involves cutting track and scenery at the board joins and rebuilding when the layout is set up again.

 

Potted history on Layouts thread under 'Cwmdimbath; South Wales in the '50s' if you are interested; there are some photos which expose my standards very cruelly.  

 

As far as mojo is concerned, I experience periods of clinical depression which can submerge me into a world of complete ennui; I am sure any fellow sufferers will not need an explanation!  But when things are not so bad, the layout is a very big help as distraction therapy in keeping them so (I am fortunate in that my partner is very supportive; I am training her to be a half decent driver).  But my mood alters a lot and unpredictably, and the advantage of having a permanent erection in the bedroom (stop that again at the back; no giggling in class, detention if you persist) is that the layout and the work table are always available.  Sometimes I run trains, sometimes to timetable and sometimes ad hoc as I feel, then sometimes I sit at the table and build or paint something, and sometimes a mixture of both, running a train or performing the next shunting move while a coat of paint dries or glue goes off; I find this helps methodical procedure in building kits and the like.

 

This ability to do different things, or nothing at all, according to my mood, suits my particular situation very well.  If you can achieve a similarly satisfactory situation with your layout, it will give you a huge amount of enjoyment irrespective of how different (or similar, for that matter) your approach is to mine.  Good luck with it and welcome to the madness; let us know how you are getting on!

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Just revisiting this thread, McCann and I saw your Stuart Adamson quote.  It's from "Eilidon", isn't it?  

 

I was an avid listener to those albums as a student in the early 90s.  Stuart is sadly missed, he was quite a poet.

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I've watched this thread for a bit and I've got a question about something that is and has in the past affected my state of mind and mojo. I've built my layout and, if I'm honest, I'm pleased as it's prob the first layout I've done that I could say is finished. Now my thoughts have moved on to something else and I was wondering how you all decide what to build as I've got a few layout ideas and I cant settle on one. What normally happens is I'd end up doing nothing as I end up getting snowed under with my thoughts. I really don't want that to happen as I've enjoyed what I've done. It might seem a trivial question but it's really starting to drive me mad.

Steve.

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Hi Steve, why don’t you write a list of pros and cons? I love lists and write them all the time; they are marvellous for keeping organised and focussed. That way you can discuss with yourself what you really want to do and eliminate what’s not that important to you. Hope that helps.

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That works in lots of situations so I see no reason why it shouldn’t help you decide upon a new project. I think I need to use a similar process to get my project going.

Having just had a good weekend at Glasgow and with lighter days and evenings now starting to arrive, I feel an upswing in creativity. A combination of my new part time rest day pattern and my winter holidays means I’ll only be at work six days across March so come Thursday it’s full ahead for modelling and getting the garden sorted. Looking forward to it very much!

 

D4

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I hit a mental impasse when I was restoring a house. No matter what I did, I could never get going. Finally, now the days are drawing out, hopefully I'll get going again.

 

In the meantime, I've been pricing a railway shed. My requirements have meant that a ready to build shed is many thousands, more than I expected. So, I found that a bit of elbow grease brings the cost down by about half. That's better!

 

Building this should get me over the stalled house project, just in time for winter 2018.

 

Writing this makes me feel better already!

 

Ian.

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I am slowly but surely emerging from the depression which has gripped me (on and off and to a greater or less extent) for more than a decade. I am now contemplating coming off ADs altogether, having already reduced to the minimum dose. There have been no ill effects, if anything the contrary. It is a slow process but I find my focus - for want of a better word - is returning, and I even have patience for such tedious tasks as ballasting. Is there a more tedious task?

 

The point of the post is to say that tunnels do eventually end, no matter how long and dark they are. Although I shall be on guard for the rest of my life, at least I know now what the enemy looks like and how best to react.

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Glad to hear you are coming out of the tunnel, Poggy, and that the light at the end wasn't an oncoming train.  If you can cope with ballasting, then you really are on the mend, but if you want really tedious, try putting the numbers on a rake of coal wagons with HMRS transfers (tip; a pause to go outside and scream at the moon will help...)

 

The Black Dog is a miserable beast, one that will not face up to it's deserved kicking but which skulks and lurks in the background.  There's a lot of it about; nearly all my friends and acquaintances suffer in some way, but that might be because I am drawn to people similar to myself and have an unrepresentative bunch of friends.  I attend a weekly self help group and can seriously recommend this sort of thing to anyone suffering, especially if you're feeling a bit isolated; you are anything but alone in reality!  But be in it for the long haul; the benefits are palpable and considerable, but they are not immediate!

Edited by The Johnster
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Hi Steve, why don’t you write a list of pros and cons? I love lists and write them all the time; they are marvellous for keeping organised and focussed. That way you can discuss with yourself what you really want to do and eliminate what’s not that important to you. Hope that helps.

I'll try the list, thank you. I've actually dug out an exercise book to draw ant plans and maybe a list along side.

Steve.

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I'll try the list, thank you. I've actually dug out an exercise book to draw ant plans and maybe a list along side.

Steve.

Steve - lists are good, I agree.  However, they CAN cause further confusion as you can't decide whether the three Pros of one idea are more important that the five pros of another.

 

Try a Paired Comparison exercise as well, where you do a table listing your ideas along one column and again on one row.  Then ask your self how does idea A compare to ideas B, then C and so on. Then compare B to A, C etc.  Eventually it becomes obvious which idea "wins".  This is a technique used by management consultants (I used to be one, for which I'm truly sorry) for product/service design to establish the most important requirements from lists of hundreds.

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Steve - lists are good, I agree.  However, they CAN cause further confusion as you can't decide whether the three Pros of one idea are more important that the five pros of another.

 

Try a Paired Comparison exercise as well, where you do a table listing your ideas along one column and again on one row.  Then ask your self how does idea A compare to ideas B, then C and so on. Then compare B to A, C etc.  Eventually it becomes obvious which idea "wins".  This is a technique used by management consultants (I used to be one, for which I'm truly sorry) for product/service design to establish the most important requirements from lists of hundreds.

 

I'd give that a go, not sure how to though. When I was working we used to do a lot of stuff like that, some good some bad. You never know until you try.

Steve.

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I have battled with depression for a long time. This time last year I finally went to the doctor at the insistence of my wife who was getting really worried about me.

I was prescribed anti depressants and found that within a few weeks I was sleeping better and had more energy and focus.

This then prompted my return to railway modelling after a break of 30 years (with a half hearted attempt and few years ago). The shed was cleared and I now have a running layout which I am starting to do scenic work on.

I find that even half an hour in the shed, building a kit, doing some scenery or even just playing trains is a great tonic for mind and soul.

Edited by StevieD71
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You did the right thing, Stevie; it is not always as easy as it sounds to accept that your depression is so far advanced as to need the help of your GP.  Kudos to your wife for persuading you and to you for accepting her good advice.  I am glad to hear that the medication is working well for you, and hope your experience will prompt others perhaps more in need of help than they are prepared to admit to seek it.

 

Like you, I have found my railway to be a great help to me; it is, by my standards anyway, a relative success in a life defined (in my mind) by failures, and is brilliant distraction therapy.  I can indulge myself in it according to my mood; sometimes modelling, sometimes painting, sometimes adding detail, and always operating; I love operating.  But even this is variable; sometimes running strictly to timetable, sometimes just in sequence, sometimes just as I feel like it.  This is a hobby with several different disciplines, a social side, shows to go to (avoid the crowd times if you have issues with that), and a great time absorber.  It is constructive, creative, and educational, all aspects of positivity in a world that can look a bit bleak to people like us.  Or, put much more succinctly by your good self, 'a great tonic for mind and soul'.

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  • 4 weeks later...

The good news is that I am clean! The six weeks and three month blood tests are all clear. And a change in policy says that this is all I need.

 

Happy days

 

Ian

 

Well, just when things are on the up..... it has been a bad few weeks due to an incident at work for me, but this could be something that affects the rest of my life!

I work in an A&E department and between Christmas and New year I was on the receiving end of a "needle stick injury" from a drug addict that had hidden their dirty used needles in the sock. They arrived with us unconscious and breathing. At this point no one knew that they inject drugs, and one of the first things we do is a heart tracing (an ECG) and attempt to gain vascular access (a cannular). All was going well until I rolled up their trouser leg and found two used needles stuck in my fingers. Queue my turrets! It then turns out that this scum has a blood born virus and I have been exposed to it. Now I have to have blood tests to see if I have caught anything for this dirty little scumbag. The blood tests are at six weeks, 3 months, 6 months and maybe 12 months. I am told that the risks are low, but there is still a risk! The following day I get a telephone appointment with occupational health to get the obligatory "safe sex lecture" from the nurse young enough to be my daughter! To compound this the HSE want answers....

Just to make things even better....this was an extra shift to help fund some of the new Peco Bullhead track....

Model railways are currently helping me keep my sanity along with my good lady wife.

Arr!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian

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Well I thought I'd found a bit of mojo over the last couple of days, put a wagon kit together at work on Saturday, the beauty of being standby. Then dug around a bit last night and came up with a Little Engines D11 I bought secondhand a couple of years ago. Had the idea to do a bit with it tonight but after falling foul of her ladyship's moods again earlier can't now be bothered, although somehow it was my fault?

Done a few things around the house today that needed doing so well prepared for an evening doing something for myself, couple of words in the wrong place and back down again.

So the days are getting longer and pretty much another fruitless winter for me, just want to get back to work!

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Theres an equation you can do to work out if its your fault or not:

 

P = Problem W = Wife M=Modeller T=Trains

 

(T+M = P) according to W

W>T+M

 

Yeah I don't do equations very well, but basically everything is your fault by default :P

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If your equation goes to default, perhaps you need to change the symbols a bit.

 

So:- (T-W= 0P). I tried hat one , but the results were inconclusive. These usually resulted in 0W, and NT (No Tea).

 

I introduced some new symbols to your equation, and these seemed to work.

 

The new symbols are:- D= Distance, and H= hearing. H is a variable. When multiplied by D has a dilutory effect.

 

P also varies, from P+, to P-

 

This gives us:-

 

(T+M+(DxH)should give you 0P*

 

Users of the equation should also pay attention to the velocity (V) factor, as frying pans in flight can carry long distances!

 

*Users of this equation do so at their own risk. No liability will be accepted, or emergency rectal insertion.

 

Ian.

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Problem is....for me.....I have too much time....I know that sounds stupid, but I went part time and now get 14 days off a month.wife at work, kids at school....but it’s a tad lonely at times, I sometimes stare at the models and think, “ there must be more excitement to be found somewhere “.

 

 

Coupled with feeling a bit stale....I’ve been messing around with 37s and the EWS era for 20 years now,,,,I’ve a few ideas left for planks but I can’t seem to get enough motivation to start over with another scheme.

 

I thought I’d maybe do a BR blue by way of distraction, but I dug out one of my Bachmann 47s and that just put me off ...with it’s extra rivets, bogie bits that shouldn’t be there, and crappy fuel tanks...

 

Ah well, we soldier on ...

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