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I'm back (for better or worse)

Started by Mike from CT, June 04, 2019, 03:24:08 PM

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Mike from CT

I'm back, but my layout and most of my rolling stock are not.... :(

On the evening of January 3rd, 2018 one of the hot water heating pipes in my house developed a small leak.  I found it very quickly and called the plumber.  Problem was no plumber could come for 5 days.  (Extremely cold weather meant I wasn't alone.)  So I packed up enough clothes for a week and went to stay at my daughter's.  5 days later the plumber came, fixed the leak, refilled the pipes and tried to get the heat flowing.  But it turned out that, in the interim, other pipes had frozen and needed to be thawed.  THe guy to do that couldn't come for another 3 days so back to my daughter's.  When the plumber came three days later to thaw the pipes, they'd thawed on their own.  We knew that because I had these fantastic indoor waterfalls throughout much of the first floor that I didn't have before and there was perhaps half an inch of water on the floor.

To make a long story short, insurance adjusting, remediation and repair took 9 1/2 months. and meant the layout (on the first floor) was 1) severely damaged from the flood and 2) obliterated during remediation.  What of the rolling stock that wasn't damaged by the flood was caked with plaster dust and mold during the 9 months following.  And the layout would have been lost regardless. The house looked so good after all the repairs that I decided to sell it.  That took 7 more months (winter's not a good time to sell a house, but sprinjg is great - I sold mine twice in 2 moths - the second time just three days after the first sale fell through) and, two weeks ago I moved into a condo with far less space but it has a second bedroom big enough for another, more modest switching layout if/when I'm ready to start all over again.

Anyway, that's my story.  For now, I'll browse all the plans I missed and start sketching something for that badroom.  Whether I build it or not is another thing.  I'm a tad old to be sure I want to start over.

Future-Digital

Old doesn't mean dead. Keep going!
Bill
"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book." - Groucho Marx

David

Welcome back! Horrible story though.

A small layout can be nice too, and has a larger chance to ever getting finished!
David Hoogvorst. Founder and Owner of DRail Software. Creator of AnyRail.

Nick the Cabin Boy

Welcome back to the asylum!

All my stuff has been in storage for nearly three years, while SWMBO and I travel Australia in our 42yo caravan.  We are currently in Golden Valley, Tasmania, where, at 6am (now), it is allegedly -4°C and the water hose has frozen.  The house we were renting before we left had an outbuilding 12'x9' which became the train room, but I have no idea what space I will have when we eventually find a new home!  And I have a concern about the state of my stuff, although all the rolling stock is in its original boxes, in a sealed carton.

In the meantime, I have been doing basic planning, allowing for possible sites such as the garage, another bedroom, etc.

I am a bit like you - I'm not sure I would want to start from scratch at my age (68); apart from anything else, I'm not sure it would be affordable!

Cheers from beautiful Tasmania

Nick the Nomad
Elizabeth Grove, South Australia
Building Pottersbridge, a fictional town a little North of London, served by a fictional Heritage Railway, in N

BritsTukker

Welcome back, Mike, even if it's not the wished for scenario. Wondered why we hadn't heared from you for so long.
Now you're more or less starting again, are you going to stick to N-scale? I seem to remember you were not happy with your eyesight before and I guess you haven't got any younger. My health is such that I'm now finding HO/OO a bit on the small side as I'm losing dexterity in my fingers - getting older just isn't any fun.  I'm finding I can decide what I want and get the parts but then I have to get other people to help with the actual construction - I even have trouble putting fishplates on the rails! Youngsters like Nick don't know what they're letting themselves in for.All the best, old lad. I'm sure you'll find plenty you can still do, and the space and time to do it. Keep us posted!

poppy2201

A resounding Welcome Back Mike!  I too had wondered what happened to you.  I feel the pain and frustration since I lost stuff and was displaced by Hurricane Michael.  It's never too late to start over.  I'm coming up on 72 soon and after Hurricane Michael I have embarked on another journey but this time it is with Z scale.

See you around on the forum.

Regards,
Charles
Charles J.

chaz

Welcome back Mike. I've read your comments for years.

Of course you should start over. The best part of starting over is your chance to make another contribution to our peculiar pastime. I look forward to reading about it.
MP 525.25 on the Prosser Subdivision of the North Kansas Division of the MOPAC Railroad.

BritsTukker

An aside to Poppy2201:  You must have remarkably good eyesight, Charles. That stuff is so TINY! Good luck to you!