Garden Railway Forum

I have lost mine, anyone know where it is?

I reckon my job has eroded my enthusiasm but not sure how to get it back...

I often lose my mojo when it comes to my different hobbies. However it nearly always returns sooner or later. At the moment I'm too busy to have much time for hobbies. I have a full time job, am part-time self-employed and am fixing up our house. There is also a new laser on the way.

I've been into R/C aircraft for over 25 years but sometimes I can go nearly a year without doing any building/flying. I've always had more hobbies than I have time for

Don't despair Tom, I think it is because of the time of year when outdoor activities are curtailed!
This time last year I was concentrating on my village properties which kept me going during the dark winter evenings... this year I have turned my attention to coach building, so there is always something to do.
Perhaps a change in direction is something you could do yourself? I'm sure your railway is crying out for additional enhancements!

I sometimes go ages ( months) without doing anything at all, even though at the same time I'm wandering around picking things up and putting them down again. Then suddenly for no apparent reason, a thought will grab me and then there is no stopping me and my wife complains she never sees me and she is a railway widow!
I think we all need to recharge our batteries from time to time and I suspect that you are just going through one of those phases Tom.

Tom, I frequently lose my mojo, and not just for model railways. Sometimes it's for a few days, sometimes for longer. It can be for any number of reasons too. Just get on with doing something else, preferably something you enjoy doing. It doesn't matter what. Family, other hobbies, socialising. Something will at some point re-ignite the enthusiasm.

whatever you do, don't dismantle your railway or sell anything. I can almost guarantee if you do you'll end up regretting it. I don't have the luxury of my own railway. There have been periods of a year or more when I've not done anything connected with 16mm stuff. Right now I've lost my mojo for full sized steam railways despite over 20 years active involvement in the preservation movement. Don't force yourself to do something. Let the mojo return in it's own time.

I find that my enthusiasm comes and goes depending in what else is going on in my life.

A good days playing with trains in good company normally re-kindles enthusiasm.

I find my enthusiasm for this great hobby does stop now and again because of work commitments but when I am on rest days I will get my beloved clockwork locos out and run them.

Busted Bricks wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 6:16 pm I've always had more hobbies than I have time for

I'm in the same boat, (Pardon the pun) a member of a model boat club, so boating every Sunday. I haven't run a steam loco since last summer, as building another boat took over. I find I can no longer multi task like I used to, and my thought processes have become very singular. The railway just being there means I can return at any time.
My advice, Tom would be "leave the railway there" it's not hurting anything, and it means you can return at any time for an hour, or longer.

Chin up tom hope you find some inspiration again.its a funny time of year at the moment the nights are drawing in and it steams to be dark and wet foggy all the time well it does here in suffolk. Great opportunity to stay inside and build some buildings etc .a far few bits on my railway took some inspiration from seeing the rusty bits on yours .hope you get some inspiration back all the best jim

I forced myself into the shed today. I spent ten minutes clamping and gluing wood, then put a coat of paint on the railbus.
I now can't wait until the current wife goes out tomorrow so I can go and carry on.

Thanks guys, can't put my finger on it unfortunately...

Mid-life crisis Tom?

Peter Butler wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 9:04 pm Mid-life crisis Tom?

Well if I am half way through my life I will die at a comfortable age!

That's great news Tom, and, as you say, you 'youngsters' are still able to teach us more senior members a thing or two! Also remember that many have already experienced your situation and accepted that changes are inevitable and we must accept our position in life or make positive moves to steer things in the direction we prefer.
Cliche but..... this is not a rehearsal..... one life, one chance. Make it happen!

Take heart Tom….Look at me and all the things that have happened. I now look forward to doing something with my 16mm, it has given me hope and satisfaction when I thought things were going bad.

Ok I am having some problem with my “Billy” but the help given to me from other members and even your kind offer to look at it, which seems more likely, gives me a lot of hope and enjoyment.

Keep on doing what you want in life Tom and your life will be full and filled.

Hello!

We quite often seem to talk about mood and motivation on here, it seems a common theme. One thing I've learned is not to force it when I'm not in the mood for it - for me at least, making or running trains seems to be a great way of passing the time and celebrating a good mood, but it's no way to lift a bad one...

Anyway, here's a practical suggestion... Apart from tinkering with locos, you seem to really enjoy operating. Your line's good for doing that at short notice, eg after work if the mood takes you (a definite plus which I don't have...) but not so good in that it's pretty short - ie you can't do the classic sitting back with a glass of wine/ mug of tea thing, which can be the best way to relax... So... How about adding a couple of points and curves to allow your balloon loop to become a small circuit accessed via a triangular junction? Yes, it'll be the world's shortest continuous run, but you could do some interesting scenic work with the triangle, and you'll be able to set a train running and let it go for a while. Better still you could indulge in two train running, running round the second train and servicing its loco while the first loops the loop. It's something I've thought about instead of my lower terminus to extend the run on my end-to-end line, but the additional lawn it would take up wouldn't go down well with the rest of the family...

Just a thought...

Hope the mojo returns soon,

Andrew.

I'm still dreaming of putting in the "Return Loop".

I can recommend mid-life crises, I have them on a regular basis. I find they help to keep the current wife on her toes.

Hi Tom,

Rather than lose enthusiasm I find it migrates. I am another one of those with far to many hobbies so I find I stop working on one and get on with another. Have you got other projects on the go?

I've been spending a lot of time gardening which isn't really progressing any projects (apart from being one itself) except next week my mates coming over to help level things out and once that's done I can start sinking railway foundations!

I wouldn't worry about it though, I'm sure you'll be back at it in no time.

Tom

Hi Andrew,

Unfortunately, all my ideas of a continuous run will encroach onto the lawn or patio which the planning committee would not allow and if I am honest I don't want the garden going back to how it was with the railway dominating. I like a garden railway to be part of the garden not plonk a railway down and then the garden has to work around it.

I did though this weekend spent a fair amount of time on the railway but I will post that in my RWLR thread (the weather was lovely, sunny but not too hot).