Using the hobby, as an escape. How to/how do.

[atsfan]

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit a friend's freind's train layout. Think big layout in a large basement, about 80 percent finished.

Much like a good round of golf, I was able to take my mind off of a various issues which can serve to get me/you stressed. I won't go into details but, other than some personal stuff, just read the papers or internet site of your choice and get gloomy.

Anyway, for about 2 hours, time went away. He had no TV on or in the basement. He had some sort of 40's music piped in. And we just ran some trains of all types (I mostly watched) and hung around and goofed off, and otherwise escaped to the basement. No rants about foobies, or botched details, or other items. No fast clocks, or time cards, or dispatcher orders, or foamers yelling I was using their DCC jack.

It did not dawn on me until later that, heck, that was a good time. Probably something I need more of.

So I was wondering how or do other folks escape to the basement and shut off the outside world?
Or don't you?

[riogrande]

That sounds like a good time to me! I'm trying to afford a basement of my own, but housing is so expensive, I may have to settle for a bedroom to build a layout in for now. If I had a basement or bedroom to tinker in, I'd probably spend less time wringing my hands on forums!

[edwardsutorik]

I'm going to a free-mo setup on the Labor Day weekend. It's a not-open-to-the-general-public event, and trains will run when conversation lulls. And vice versa.

THAT will be very much like your experience. Only much, much longer.

Yipeee!


Ed

[Paul Cutler III]

I don't know how anyone can "escape" just by running trains in circles. My mind is always working...there's no off switch for me. The only way I can "shut off the outside world" with our hobby is by concentrating on something else. For me, that usually means operations; car cards, schedules, fast clocks, etc. Building kits is another method, as well as working on my layout (I'm in the middle of adding a turntable and roundhouse), and researching the prototype to make models more accurate. IOW, I need to be distracted with something that makes me think.

Staring at a train going around and around and around is incredibly boring to me. I watch it go around once, and I'm done. It's completely unthinking...like watching paint dry. My mind naturally just drifts back to the other non-hobby things in my life.

But if there's an operation session at my club or on my home layout, it's 2 or 3 hours where nothing from outside matters at all. The most important thing seems to be getting the trains in on time...not what it's in the newspaper or what's happened at work. I don't have time to think about the evening news when I've got 20 fellow members depending on me, the dispatcher, to get them through the single track mainline w/ sidings. Can it be stressful? Yes. Do I like it? Heck, yes. Why? Because, at the end of it, it's just a hobby. In the words of a fellow member and active RR engineer, "Here, the worst that can happen is an engine drops to the floor. At my real job, people can die. This is nothing."

[edwardsutorik]

Aug 21, 2013 17:01:39 GMT -8 Paul Cutler III said:

"Here, the worst that can happen is an engine drops to the floor. At my real job, people can die. This is nothing."

That may well depend on the engine that's falling.



Ed

[riogrande]

Aug 21, 2013 17:01:39 GMT -8 Paul Cutler III said:

I don't know how anyone can "escape" just by running trains in circles.

Your comment kinda sounds like a "straw man" easily knocked down. If it were a large layout, I tell you that would be a step up for me! Although escaping to the basement to me means more than watching trains run, it also means tinkering, listening to music, weathering, laying track, painting. All the things I used to do when I had a basement. Besides, no one said watching trains run in a circle alone was the ideal escape. Right now I don't even have room to escape with a simple oval of track but I'm working on changing that. So count your blessings ye with many better ways to escape.

[Brakie]

Your comment kinda sounds like a "straw man" easily knocked down.
--------------------------------------
Jim,Looking through Paul's eyes(well kind of) its not a easy "straw man" to knocked down..I found running trains in mindless loops is very boring and does absolutely nothing for me..I'm happiest working a freight or passenger yard,running a local or dispatching.

Of the things you mention other then laying track you can do at a student desk.Yes,you can easily weather track at the desk as well for future use.You can even cut and stain ties there as well.
No student desk? A old card table will work just as easy and can be folded and slid into a storage area when not needed-my late wife taught me that trick.

So,turn on you favorite vibs and get modeling.

[kentuckysouthernrwy]

First thing I do is get off the dang internet and all the REAL model railroaders there and just go have a chill, might just be tinker with the sound settings on an engine, or, heaven forbid, run a train around in circles. A nice train with a couple dozen old blue box cars round and round and round. Last year I double headed a pair of 4-6-6-4s and hung 75 cars on the back of them and ran them around, relishing in the asynchronous sound as they traversed the layout. At the end, the world hasn't stopped. I've done something that was fun and all is well.

Other times I might get a few cars in the yard, shuffle them around and make up a train for the next time I want to run around in circles.

[Deleted]

Aug 21, 2013 17:01:39 GMT -8 Paul Cutler III said:

I don't know how anyone can "escape" just by running trains in circles. My mind is always working...there's no off switch for me. (Snip.) Staring at a train going around and around and around is incredibly boring to me. I watch it go around once, and I'm done. It's completely unthinking...like watching paint dry.

So, running a single train in a circle is "unthinking"? Mindless? Well, that's exactly what I do, and no, it is NOT boring, nor is it unthinking. Nor am I unthinking. What works for one may not work for someone else, but it doesn't merit a put-down. I am reminded of a thread from a few years ago that asked what model railroading meant to everyone. One poster said something to the effect of, "I'm not sure exactly what model railroading IS, but I'll tell you what it is NOT. It is NOT one person saying their way is the right way, and everyone else is wrong." Enough said.

Getting back to the original question, I run long-distance Amtrak trains, primarily the Southwest Chief. Single, main-line track. No switches. No yards. My operation doesn't need them, nor do I want them. I'm not a switcher. I'm a runner... a main-line runner. And, yes, it is a nice escape. Yeah, the train just runs around in a continuous circle (or oval, in my case), but it doesn't feel that way to me. I envision myself aboard the train I'm running, and I simulate the actual passenger run, end point to end point. That's how I escape. I know the routes I run, and I envision exactly where I am on the route. When I hit Raton Pass, I'm running 25mph, negotiating the curves in my mind. (Imagination!) If I'm out west of Albuquerque, I'm runnin' 90. I book myself in a roomette, and enjoy the trip. When it's time to hit the Diner, I hit the Diner. If I get up too late and miss breakfast, then I go to the Lounge and get a sweet roll. If I have an engine fail, which I just did tonight, then I have to get relief power from somewhere, which delays the train. Just like the real thing.

Part of my fun involves being able to run different phases of the Southwest Chief. One trip will be present day. Another trip may be 2001, with all the M/E on the back. Another trip may be 1992, with Pepsi Cans leading and ATSF Hi-Levels mixed in with the Superliners.

Once I get into the train mindset, which sometimes takes awhile, I'm really in the mindset, and it gets me miles and miles away from my problems. Works better if I leave the TV off, though. It's hard to concentrate on the train and all its nuances with the TV chattering away in the background. Sometimes, I'll have music on in the background. Something calming, like Hearts of Space, does wonders. Anything too rambunctious ends up being a distraction. I have to have space to conjure up the sounds of the train... the engines, squealing brakes, suction toilets going off, the lead unit's K5LA horn blasting, etc. It's amazing the places one's imagination can take you. If you let it.

[nscaler711]

Aug 21, 2013 21:01:17 GMT -8 @swchief3 said:

Aug 21, 2013 17:01:39 GMT -8 Paul Cutler III said:

I don't know how anyone can "escape" just by running trains in circles. My mind is always working...there's no off switch for me. (Snip.) Staring at a train going around and around and around is incredibly boring to me. I watch it go around once, and I'm done. It's completely unthinking...like watching paint dry.

So, running a single train in a circle is "unthinking"? Mindless? Well, that's exactly what I do, and no, it is NOT boring, nor is it unthinking. Nor am I unthinking. What works for one may not work for someone else, but it doesn't merit a put-down. I am reminded of a thread from a few years ago that asked what model railroading meant to everyone. One poster said something to the effect of, "I'm not sure exactly what model railroading IS, but I'll tell you what it is NOT. It is NOT one person saying their way is the right way, and everyone else is wrong." Enough said.

Getting back to the original question, I run long-distance Amtrak trains, primarily the Southwest Chief. Single, main-line track. No switches. No yards. My operation doesn't need them, nor do I want them. I'm not a switcher. I'm a runner... a main-line runner. And, yes, it is a nice escape. Yeah, the train just runs around in a continuous circle (or oval, in my case), but it doesn't feel that way to me. I envision myself aboard the train I'm running, and I simulate the actual passenger run, end point to end point. That's how I escape. I know the routes I run, and I envision exactly where I am on the route. When I hit Raton Pass, I'm running 25mph, negotiating the curves in my mind. (Imagination!) If I'm out west of Albuquerque, I'm runnin' 90. I book myself in a roomette, and enjoy the trip. When it's time to hit the Diner, I hit the Diner. If I get up too late and miss breakfast, then I go to the Lounge and get a sweet roll. If I have an engine fail, which I just did tonight, then I have to get relief power from somewhere, which delays the train. Just like the real thing.

Part of my fun involves being able to run different phases of the Southwest Chief. One trip will be present day. Another trip may be 2001, with all the M/E on the back. Another trip may be 1992, with Pepsi Cans leading and ATSF Hi-Levels mixed in with the Superliners.

Once I get into the train mindset, which sometimes takes awhile, I'm really in the mindset, and it gets me miles and miles away from my problems. Works better if I leave the TV off, though. It's hard to concentrate on the train and all its nuances with the TV chattering away in the background. Sometimes, I'll have music on in the background. Something calming, like Hearts of Space, does wonders. Anything too rambunctious ends up being a distraction. I have to have space to conjure up the sounds of the train... the engines, squealing brakes, suction toilets going off, the lead unit's K5LA horn blasting, etc. It's amazing the places one's imagination can take you. If you let it.

This is awesome.
II have an unfinished and very messy table (5' x 9') but all my track is clear. So I run random trains around circles. I love the little sounds as the wheels hit small gaps in the rail. I love the sounds of a locomotive rumble as I power them through my imaginative desert. You should know that using your imagination works your brain harder than laying out card saying where your train needs to be... yes structure is nice, but structure with imagination is key to wonderful things.

Imagine you with your waybills and holy crap your locomotive just shot a piston out of the side... you have to shut down that engine and go into emergency. There is a massive fire taking over that engine so you'll be indefinitely delayed until FD comes and until another locomotive comes to replace that derelict engine....
Just think you can run your trains to a tight schedule and what do you accomplish? Nothing.... you did what paper told you to do.
Where is the fun in that? I have been to meets like that and its so boring...

One group, I went to throw a switch but it was the wrong switch and derailed MY locomotive... it flipped on its side and they told me to re-rail it.. I said no we will cause a delay and break this routine of following paper schedules, it was fun, they actually brought out a big hook. So we sided the rest of the train until my locomotive was re-railed. They liked the idea of something unexpected. Something unexpected but imaginative.
After all our models aren't just models, they are really, really, really, nice toys.

So yes I totally agree with this guy.

[Brakie]

I don't think anybody is putting down loop running..It just guys like me and Paul don't care for yes mindless loop running where you turn up the power and watch the train run endless loops usually in unrealistic slot car speeds-you see that a lot in model railroad videos on you tube.If that floats your boat I'm happy for you but,in these types of discussions expect different points of view to be brought up.

Now just because one prefers to switch cars and run trains in a prototypical manner didn't mean using fast clocks with time schedules and paper work.I don't even like that type of operation since to me its more like playing "beat the clock".

[mecu18b]

Ive said it before and ill say it again. Model Railroading has saved my life more than once. It truly is the best hobby in the world.
A few (10) years ago my daughter was diagnosed with cancer. she was in her early 20s and it devastated me. Even though it was very treatable it was hell while she went through the process. The many many evenings working on my layout helped me fill my mind with other thoughts. She would come downstairs and sit and talk while making fun of some HO figure or her ridicule of the name of some structure. We would look at structures named for loved ones and it brought back memories. And yes...she would run the occasional train round and round even though its a 120 foot main.
A couple years ago I was injured at work and needed shoulder surgery. Been out since. Before anyone thinks its great, let me tell you it sucks. You want to talk about watching grass grow??? I bet you can't find a blade out of place in my yard. You find yourself talking to the squirrels just for company until the wife and kids got home from work !!. How anyone can sit and do nothing is enough to make you want to jump off a bridge!! But I had model railroading. I had a town to build, structures and rolling stock. Fellow modelers I could email back and forth during the day. It gives me a purpose and helps keep your mind working!! !
My father in law once told me if he retires it will be the death of him because he has nothing to do and nothing to keep his mind active. He was envious that I have such a great hobby. He just retired at 80 and I can see what he means. He doesnt know what to do with himself. Model railroading has so many various aspects that can keep you active. Room prep, benchwork, wiring, trackwork, scenery, structure building, and lots more. What other hobby can provide you with this much. So no matter if you run your trains in circles or run them on timetables and switchlists.....even for a few minutes, your model world is just a bit of a nicer place to be.
Ted
COO Norfolk Terminal
Modern Narrow Gauge

[Donnell Wells]

Aug 22, 2013 3:02:06 GMT -8 Brakie said:

I don't think anybody is putting down loop running..It just guys like me and Paul don't care for yes mindless loop running where you turn up the power and watch the train run endless loops usually in unrealistic slot car speeds-you see that a lot in model railroad videos on you tube...

That's a bit of an oxymoron, eh peddler?

Donnell

[riogrande]

When I saw that comment about mineless running in circles, I had mixed emotions including some not so nice. On the one hand, most of us as kids have been there and done that. You get a train set out of a box, make your loop, put the trains on the track and it isn't long until after the fun is over. Yet as an adult, I have found doing just that on my bigger layout to be fun at times. So the comments above could be taken in a negative way by people who actually enjoy doing that, "at times", which I imagine most of us have. Just saying. It would be nice if folks would keep that in mind as the hobby has lots of ways to be enjoyed.

As I said, I enjoy mindless running sometimes but obviously the reason why we do many other things like operations, switching, and all the building and craftsman aspects is because "mindless loops" have never been enough. But there is a place for them in many of our hobby lifes at time. Again, just sayin...

[Brakie]

Last month during the week of the county fair I let my train run mindless loops for around 42 hours(weekly total).

Why mindless? I turned on the power and set a scale speed and that was that.The rest of the time I spent talking and glacing in the mirrors to ensure all was well.In 42 hours of running I had zero derailments.

Needless to say after the first day I was bored to tears but,we didn't have that many members for the day running.Some days there was four of us.I had to be there.

[peoriaman]

Aug 21, 2013 23:31:15 GMT -8 nscaler711 said:

Imagine you with your waybills and holy crap your locomotive just shot a piston out of the side... you have to shut down that engine and go into emergency. There is a massive fire taking over that engine so you'll be indefinitely delayed until FD comes and until another locomotive comes to replace that derelict engine....

Reminds me of a guy we used to have in our club. He'd set up his train and make a couple laps around the layout, then he'd pose it in various locations as a huge derailment. Cars toppled like dominoes, locomotives in the street, tank cars in the river... I guess this was his "thing". It seemed a weird way to enjoy the hobby, but it was harmless.

[bnsffan]

There is nothing I currently like better than to put a temporary loop on the family room floor and do some serious rail-fanning. Since I am building a BNSF layout in the basement, a lot of what I see while rail-fanning in the family room are unit coal drags. DCC allows me to operate 36 car coal trains with three SD70Ace diesels using distributed power. Of course other trains operate over this section of BNSF mainline so the rail-fanning can be a real treat. Occasionally, a mixed freight with NS, KCS, or CSX power can be seen. Also, an Amtrak train will pass by.

Respectfully,
BNSF Fan

[riogrande]

Aug 22, 2013 7:48:31 GMT -8 bnsffan said:

There is nothing I currently like better than to put a temporary loop on the family room floor and do some serious rail-fanning.
Respectfully,
BNSF Fan

Occasionally I do the same thing, but mainly because it's the only place I've been able to actually run any trains at all in many years. I've tried several times to get involved in a modular group in my area so I can actually run my trains somewhere but so far I haven't gotten any response to my inquiries about joining them. What can ya do?

[MONSTERRAILROAD]

I never really look to "escape" from my life. My life is a bit of a real world TV Show, NO BS! I live a real life TV show in more ways than I can explain on a train forum. All i can say is I am (Unfortunately) the most famous firefighter in the whole state of CT and it keeps me in the lime light far too often in most occasions. Over the past two years I have become a household name and the TV show began. LOL Anyway I find that in the summer time it does not matter what model railroading projects I "want to do" because I spend so much time hanging out with my children and Loretta all summer long. I may think about the projects I want to do but I am so preoccupied by the family and the "TV show life" LOL In the fall I run to the basements mainly for doing projects but SELDOM do I ever sit down and just run trains. I am a builder by heart. i like to build the layout and take the pictures. I like to see the real trains in the summer so when fall/winter comes I am fully charged to take on a bunch of fun projects including weathering. Till then I have to try and wrap up this real life TV Show of mine somehow...

[rockisland652]

On my layout, I can either have a formal ops session or watch trains run by while working on something. It's relaxing either way.

It's 1974 there. The Rock still rolls.

Heck, I feel the bliss just typing that.

[Paul Cutler III]

Ed,
Ha! That's a good one.

riogrande,
"Straw man"? I was replying to the OP, who talked about mostly watching a friend run trains for 2 hours. And I said nothing about whether one was alone at the time or with a group of people, just that escaping via circle running is boring to me.

Brakie,
I completely concur. I need something to think about...something tangible like a switchlist...to keep my mind off my troubles.

swchief3,
Um, sorry, but yes, running trains in circles is boring to me. Not to you? Great. But for me? Boring. And if you read my post above, that's what I'm talking about: me. Not you. Not anyone else. So don't be so defensive. I put down no one. I never said that everyone else is wrong. I never said that my way is the only way. I only talked about me. I did say I don't know how anyone else can escape by running in circles, but I also don't know how anyone can jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Does that mean I'm against skydiving? Nope. Have at it. But its not for me, thanks.

Obviously, my imagination isn't as good as yours. I can't imagine running a real train over real terrain by watching my model run around a loop. I quickly lose focus, and think about other things rattling around in my head. If I could, I would imagine it without any models at all. Just sit in a quiet room with my eyes shut and imagine the whole trip. But I can't. That's no escape for me there.

nscaler711,
You can dismiss anything we do in this hobby with a "What do you accomplish? Nothing." remark. So if you think running on a timetable is nothing, then what about an imaginary journey through imaginary scenery? What does that accomplish? Running a timetable operation with other people at least takes a certain amount of skill and knowledge of prototype operations just to set it up, let alone run it. Running a local freight is like playing a board game where one is constrained by the rules. And there's been a lot of people who think boardgames are fun. Switching cars can be the same thing.

About your derailment... At our club, about 20 members run from 8 to 10pm for a session. We run about 30 trains in that time, and if we stopped everything to run a big hook to every derailment, we'd have a bunch of guys standing around all night long. They'd get ticked and leave. They come to run trains, not stand around and watch.

[atsfan]

Aug 21, 2013 17:01:39 GMT -8 Paul Cutler III said:

I don't know how anyone can "escape" just by running trains in circles. My mind is always working...there's no off switch for me. The only way I can "shut off the outside world" with our hobby is by concentrating on something else. For me, that usually means operations; car cards, schedules, fast clocks, etc. Building kits is another method, as well as working on my layout (I'm in the middle of adding a turntable and roundhouse), and researching the prototype to make models more accurate. IOW, I need to be distracted with something that makes me think.

Staring at a train going around and around and around is incredibly boring to me. I watch it go around once, and I'm done. It's completely unthinking...like watching paint dry. My mind naturally just drifts back to the other non-hobby things in my life.

But if there's an operation session at my club or on my home layout, it's 2 or 3 hours where nothing from outside matters at all. The most important thing seems to be getting the trains in on time...not what it's in the newspaper or what's happened at work. I don't have time to think about the evening news when I've got 20 fellow members depending on me, the dispatcher, to get them through the single track mainline w/ sidings. Can it be stressful? Yes. Do I like it? Heck, yes. Why? Because, at the end of it, it's just a hobby. In the words of a fellow member and active RR engineer, "Here, the worst that can happen is an engine drops to the floor. At my real job, people can die. This is nothing."

The layout was far more than just a circle.
The first hour was spent watching and listening to the owner tell (with obvious pride) how he built things etc.
It was not as if we just stared at a Tyco special on Atlas snap track go round and round a table, then go home.

[atsfan]

Aug 22, 2013 9:41:43 GMT -8 MONSTERRAILROAD said:

I never really look to "escape" from my life. My life is a bit of a real world TV Show, NO BS! I live a real life TV show in more ways than I can explain on a train forum. All i can say is I am (Unfortunately) the most famous firefighter in the whole state of CT and it keeps me in the lime light far too often in most occasions. Over the past two years I have become a household name and the TV show began. LOL Anyway I find that in the summer time it does not matter what model railroading projects I "want to do" because I spend so much time hanging out with my children and Loretta all summer long. I may think about the projects I want to do but I am so preoccupied by the family and the "TV show life" LOL In the fall I run to the basements mainly for doing projects but SELDOM do I ever sit down and just run trains. I am a builder by heart. i like to build the layout and take the pictures. I like to see the real trains in the summer so when fall/winter comes I am fully charged to take on a bunch of fun projects including weathering. Till then I have to try and wrap up this real life TV Show of mine somehow...

My meaning for escape is escape from some of the real life pressure and issues that are less than fun.
The trains become PART OF your life then.

Your son probably helps do the same when you get home from work and traffic and he is ready to go play.........

[bigblow69]

I am a mindless loop runner and run those GE's faster than track speed should allow. Don't give a darn about detail that gets broken off a car derailment or sideswipe, car gets sent off to the shop to be repaired. My trains drive me to drink, which usually means Vodka chilled, which leads me to havin a good buzz going.

As a matter of fact tonight I pick up another Athearn ES44AC put the beast on loaded 72 car grain. Install a Tsunami into a Kato, put that on a train & programmed put the other Athearn ES44AC I already own on it and run that lashup aimlessly for hours. I think I have some Polar Bear Vodka left so off to the races I go.

[riogrande]

Moved to Crew Lounge.

Ok, we understand running trains around the track is boring to some - we get it. Did it ever occur, that telling someone that something they enjoyed doing was boring, well, how can I put it nicely ... it's kinda like throwing a wet blanket on them?

Remember, model railroading is supposed to be fun!

[Deleted]

I do find running in circles to be boring especially if the layout is small like a 4'x8'. If its my former club and its modular layout with 30' straights, its okay, but even after while that wears on me.

But as far as I know its not against the law if want to run your toy trains at 150 scale mph on a 4x8. How we get enjoyment out of the hobby is an individual thing and there is absolutely no right or wrong.

To each there own.

[bigblow69]

I have reclaimed an area roughly 15 x 17 in the basement from the evil land of disposed stuff and the LAST thing I will do is design a layout that runs in an oval. I have instead designed a layout with little to no straights and i will cleverly hide the length of trains with scenery. It will have 2 grades of 1.25% and a minimum radius of 33. It will be visually interesting if you like mountain railroading but with little to no switching its meant entirely to run.

[NS4122]

I guess when you don't have a layout or trains of your own, going to see a friend's is the next best thing.

Aug 21, 2013 16:24:04 GMT -8 atsfan said:

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit a friend's freind's train layout. Think big layout in a large basement, about 80 percent finished.

Much like a good round of golf, I was able to take my mind off of a various issues which can serve to get me/you stressed. I won't go into details but, other than some personal stuff, just read the papers or internet site of your choice and get gloomy.

Anyway, for about 2 hours, time went away. He had no TV on or in the basement. He had some sort of 40's music piped in. And we just ran some trains of all types (I mostly watched) and hung around and goofed off, and otherwise escaped to the basement. No rants about foobies, or botched details, or other items. No fast clocks, or time cards, or dispatcher orders, or foamers yelling I was using their DCC jack.

It did not dawn on me until later that, heck, that was a good time. Probably something I need more of.

So I was wondering how or do other folks escape to the basement and shut off the outside world?
Or don't you?

[atsfan]

Aug 23, 2013 15:35:53 GMT -8 NS4122 said:

I guess when you don't have a layout or trains of your own, going to see a friend's is the next best thing.

Aug 21, 2013 16:24:04 GMT -8 atsfan said:

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit a friend's freind's train layout. Think big layout in a large basement, about 80 percent finished.

Much like a good round of golf, I was able to take my mind off of a various issues which can serve to get me/you stressed. I won't go into details but, other than some personal stuff, just read the papers or internet site of your choice and get gloomy.

Anyway, for about 2 hours, time went away. He had no TV on or in the basement. He had some sort of 40's music piped in. And we just ran some trains of all types (I mostly watched) and hung around and goofed off, and otherwise escaped to the basement. No rants about foobies, or botched details, or other items. No fast clocks, or time cards, or dispatcher orders, or foamers yelling I was using their DCC jack.

It did not dawn on me until later that, heck, that was a good time. Probably something I need more of.

So I was wondering how or do other folks escape to the basement and shut off the outside world?
Or don't you?

I see you are back Bruce.
What have you been up to lately ?