All walks of life into O gauge railroading

Tractor Trailer driver, Local and Long haul. now retired. Meet a lot of really nice folks and a few I hope to never see again. 

This July will mark 40 years since I started working in telecommunications and power industries.  I have done everything from climbing microwave towers and substation structures to sitting here copying telecom circuits from one system to another, i.e. Engineering.  I did drafting with paper and pencil at one time as well.

As to what I want to do when I grow up.  I want to retire and run trains!  ;-)

I work in retail. At 43 I still haven't decided what I want to be when (if ever) I grow up.

I m 65 and every day I keep saying "what do I want to be when I grow up" and the same answer keeps coming up "Just WANT TO BE HAPPY".
I managed bicycle shops in my early years, Drafted in the Army between those bicycle years. After college I went into electronics/R&D had lots of fun and had access to a great machine shop (learned lots of machine shop skills). Worked with acoustic emission (non-destructive testing), microwave work phased array/proof of concept, PCB board design (hand tape no PC), prototype work, wire wrapped prototypes, drafting mechanical and electronics (hand drawn) no PC.  Worked with telecom equipment and now as a Lab Manager for a video surveillance software company. Plus there was a bunch of other things in between.
All I can say is if you see a opportunity, take it and learn as much as you can.

Started out when I was 10 -12 mowing yards and delivering news papers. Dad taught me auto mechanics at home and took wood ,metal, and autobody shop in different middle school and high school, worked in a couple of wood crafter shops and a auto restoration shop, before doing 10 yeas for an aluminum extrusion plant. I was learned many things there including truck driving. I received my CDL there witch has served me though out my life. Then I sold auto parts for a couple of nationally  known parts stores, another 10 years. then it was trucks again dump and over the road. Health got bad, from problem brought on as a child, no long term knowledge known then.  Now I disabled have time to play with trains all day but not enough room for a layout now, wouldn't you know. lol

Retired now but the last 20 years of work was on the credit and collections end of long term health care.  Mom didn't pay her nursing home bill?  That's a lawsuit!  Learned more about the law than in the previous 50 or so years of life.

Both grandfathers farmers, one, my dad's dad, built cabooses for the L&N after being a streetcar motorman and saving up for the farm.  My dad fired Southern freight locos during WWII.  After blundering through school ( I was accepted into the geological engineering program at the Colorado School of Mines, but they raised tuition that fall and my bankrolling relative nixed it, so I went elsewhere) , I became a government statistician and crunched numbers and learned rudimentary medicine to see if Medicare would be financially practical, as one of several surveys my agency conducted pertaining to the national economy.  I then went to DOD and worked R&D fighter aircraft program finances  (lots of zeros!).  From that I retired.

Pa. state trooper, now retired. Plays with trains, planes and cars.

I drive tour buses for Rock and Roll bands. I also own a screen printing company and  vinyl printing company. I'm trying to retire from driving in the next 2 years. I spend my days off hitting up local hobby shops and scratch building models in my hotel room. 

I have been teaching (computer applications) and coaching (cross-country, basketball, track or tennis) for the last 20 years.  In addition to that about 4 years ago I got into buying foreclosed properties (currently at 8) and fixing them up and renting them out. 

Worked construction as a sheetrock taper for 16 yrs, built limousines for the next 16 and the last 11 have been working for the new York city transit. Have been playing with trains all along.

Well let's see, after high school I completed a two year welding program and got hired on at Westinghouse NCD here in Pensacola.  After 8 years I got layed off.  For the next 12 years I worked in ship yards.  I finally went back to school and earned a BS in history.  I taught world history honors to high school students for 15 years until this year.  I began teaching welding at our local votech school to high school students this year.  I also work part time at Lowes.  My Lowes job pays for my trains.

I own my own classic Mustang (64 1/2 - 73) parts and restoration shop. Restore one car at a time and have enjoyed it for over 30 years. I also have a part time job (for train money!) in plastic fabrication,  fume and bio hood certification, as well as clean room particle count for tech and medical businesses. I stay pretty busy. Love what I do!

I'm in my 31st year of working in a college financial aid office. Luckily, 99% of the students/the parents appreciate the help. My trains are good therapy for the 1% who are rude, nasty or worse! 

Hope to retire in 4-6 years to build another layout.

Tom

I want to be a brakeman but don't want to grow up.

What, me worry?

I now work as a mechanic at the post office. I gave up private industry as I felt I we as spinning wheels and getting no where fast. Ad my age crept up, I need job security and financial stability. Now I am trying to wrap up my dad's estate and move on to focus on my kids college, health, and God willing my retirement at 67.

I owned a retail camera shop for almost 20 years, then switched to automotive sales in 2007, working as salesperson, Internet Sales Manager and New Car Sales Manager, now working in Fleet and Government Sales.

Alfred E Neuman posted:

I want to be a brakeman but don't want to grow up.

 

What, me worry?

Let me guess. Your a toys for us kid.

After almost 25yrs in the Army, I retired in 2013 it was time to find a real job. Even with all the long hours and deployments, it was still way to much fun.   My wife got sick so. I became a Soccer Dad. Still have decided what I want to do when I grow up.

Electronics technology grad in 1988.  Work for a television transmitter company right out of college.  Moved to Florida not soon after and stumbled into Aviation.  Specifically Avionics as a repair specialist repairing COM/NAV for Bendix/King.  Eight years there and found a job with Bombardier Aerospace in CT repairing all sorts of business Jet Avionics.  CL600, CL601, CL604, and Learjets.  That job went south after 11 years and I now work for a small Aviation company, I'm in charge of the Avionics Lab, repairing all sorts of electrical components for regional jets.  Bombarder Dash8 and CRJ aircraft plus some other makes.

Taught for 34 years,coached soccer, directed middle school and high school plays and after school I was a professional horse trainer and horse show judge. We have a large quarter horse farm which is on the market so we can buy a smaller place, have a few horses and our German Shorthairs, spend more time with the grandkids (9), show my Mustang convertible and finally get a layout! Entirely too busy to die! LOL

Started this hobby when I was 5 or 6. Railroads and railroading for that matter wasn't big in my family. Only lionel set had been missing for 2 decades or more. Decided three years ago that I wanted to work for a railroad. In recent months I've made contacts with guys from local shortline railroads around my area. To gain experience through college I'm volunteering for the Black River & Western railroad. I'm involved in two O scale modular groups in NJ. Heck, compared to most people here my life in the hobby is only beginning.

I have spent the seven years of my "professional" career sailing as an engineer. I started on harbor tugs in Galveston/Houston, TX and after a year, moved to an Articulated Tug and Barge (ATB) unit carrying finished petroleum products. 

After high school, college and service in Vietnam with the US Navy Seabees, I worked as a structural detailer for the Ceco Corporation.  Then in 1971 I joined the Carpenter Union in Philadelphia.  Worked until I retired in 2004. 

I am a mechanical engineer,  and I work at a fossil fuel power plant.  I have been into trains of all shapes and sizes since I received a lionel starter set for my first communion.  I have been involved with 15" gauge trains, o gauge, and the real thing.  At one point I earned my locomotive engineer's license and held it for a few years on a tourist line.  Nowadays its all a o gauge as time allows between kids and career.

Airline ground agent.   By the time a railroad offered me a job (NS) I had too many years in at the airline to give it up.  I volunteer on the CVSR (Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad) to ease my life long desire to work on passenger trains.  

 I work for a very large fleet leasing and management company that Fortune magazine ranks as one of the top 25 places to work. While we lease all types of vehicles, our claim to fame is really vocational/utility type fleets, and we actually manage all of the class 1 railroads in North America, along with many smaller railroad fleets. Currently I handle Quality Assurance for our Fleet Services call centers in the U.S. and Canada, meaning I write performance evaluations for our 400 over the phone service technicians. I've had several other positions over the years, including warranty coordinator, vendor billing (accounting) coordinator and client service rep.

 Yesterday I attended a breakfast honoring me for 30 years of service with the company.

I am a graphic designer, worked for advertising agencies, corporate art departments and the last 25 years worked for a major newspaper here in New Jersey. Now I am a 'Creative Consultant' with the company that resulted from the merger of the newspaper and the online business. I am also an active volunteer firefighter - done that for nearly 30 years. 

I am an Electronics Engineer for a Defense company. July marks my 42 year at the same place but due to company purchases and mergers, this is the 10th company I worked for. I have done everything from design engineering, support engineering, Test and Evaluation and Program Management. Like Mark I am looking forward to retirement and having more time for trains and modeling. 

Student, of the normal variaty. Developing some tooling currently to make trains. I hope I never grow up, to answer the "what do you want to be when you grow up" question. After all, growing older is mandatory. Growing up isn't. 

Started as a brakeman/switchman (never home)...now, a cattle rancher (always home).

Currently, I run the ISO 9001 quality management system for a tungsten carbide preform company (we are the very beginning of the manufacturing chain).  Been with the company for 21 years with the first 13 in our sales department.  I also manage our web site, manage our raw materials inventory, and I developed the man-machine interface for our vacuum-sintering furnaces.  Before that, I was a computing lab supervisor for the University of Pittsburgh where I worked while finishing up my engineering degree.

Andy

Let's see, how far back should I go... adulthood!

When I "took a break" from college in the mid-1970's I drove an Ambulette in NYC while studying for my EMT certification. Rode an ambulance for two NYC hospitals over the next 5 years responding to 911 calls when the 1st financial crisis hit NYC hospitals at the end of the 70's. At the time that hospital had a hospital-based Nursing school so I figured "hey they'll always need Nurses" so I enrolled in Nursing school full-time and worked part-time as a Group Home Counselor. Graduated from school, passed my licensing exam and as a Registered Professional Nurse worked at a large Medical Center in the North Bronx in their Cardio-thoracic ICU for the next few years. Moved on to Healthcare Risk Management at that same hospital in 1985 and then for the next 31 years I have been the Associate Director, Director or Senior Director of Risk Management at various hospitals in NYC and/or Westchester County.

Retirement is in the cards in the next few years and then who knows...

Mike

I have my degree's in mechanical engineering, specifically Statistics, Thermodynamics and Materials Science.  I have worked at all of the former "Big 3" in Detroit.  I've worked in the steel mill as a foreman responsible for all of the production equipment, taught drafting as a senior in undergraduate school, worked as a draftsmen, have tested 4cyl to 20 Cylinder engines for many years, wrote code to manage engine test cells, responsible for delivering performance and fuel economy for FSeries trucks for 10yrs, Navigator/Expedition for 7,  Worked at Caterpillar designing /simulating motorgraders, bull dozers, underground mining trucks, excavators and creating diesel engine models.  At Chrysler worked on the Jeep products performing analysis of Grand Cherokee's and Dodge Durango's.  I just accepted a position to work in the defense industry to help design & simulate powertrains for their needs.   

It has been a fun ride all this time and though there were a few months when things were grim looking, I've learned from all of these experiences and have met many interesting people along the way.   Retirement isn't for everyone I suppose.  I hope to keep working for as long as I can as I get a great deal of satisfaction from it, as it keeps the brain sharp. Working along side the younger generation allows me to mentor them and well as learning something new from them as well.  Time is always moving forward and my personal philosophy is to try and stay abreast of it as much as possible otherwise you become stale.  I'm currently looking for local universities that offer 3D modeling as it relates to 3D printing as I'd like to do this at home.  The trains are a great release from the day to day tensions as I really enjoy repairing and resurrecting defunct/rusty models back to pristine running condition.  There isn't anything like working with one's hands and accomplishing what some would consider as impossible.    

trooperty@comcast.net posted:

Pa. state trooper, now retired. Plays with trains, planes and cars.

we should have a special OGR forum card so when "trooperty" pulls us over going thru Penn, he will let us go

Worked at Disneyland while I was in College for about 5+ years.  Been working in the computer field the last 30 years and currently working as a programmer. 

suzukovich posted:

After almost 25yrs in the Army, I retired in 2013 it was time to find a real job. Even with all the long hours and deployments, it was still way to much fun.   My wife got sick so. I became a Soccer Dad. Still have decided what I want to do when I grow up.

Thanks for serving!!

Dan Padova posted:

After high school, college and service in Vietnam with the US Navy Seabees, I worked as a structural detailer for the Ceco Corporation.  Then in 1971 I joined the Carpenter Union in Philadelphia.  Worked until I retired in 2004. 

Thanks for serving and thank God for you coming back from Vietnam. !!

Retired after a 40 year career as a mechanical engineer, I was fortunate to work as a design and stress analysis engineering for two freight car builders, one built gereral freight excluding tankcars the other strictly tankcars, for approximately 20 years. The other engineering companies were overhead cranes up to to 325 Ton for mill and nuclear power plants, rail carshop servicing equipment and heavy mechanical and hydraulic metal forming presses. Early in my career, did extentive boardwork drawings on linen then mylar film drawing paper using graphite then plastic lead, not a cad engineer, by the time cad evolved I was running projects and doing extensive stress analysis work, rail car damage assessments and failure analysis. 

The reason I returned to model railroading is that I find it mentally challenging,and all inclusive, scratchbuilding structures, building kit cars, wiring, building the framework, painting and decaling cars,etc.