I always thought this looked like a guy who could go places.........................
Well I will finally get to work on my layout. The Trains are running but the scenery has to be done. Maybe Rich Melvin has the time to help. Ha ha
I am past retirement age, and have no plans to retire. I like having a steady stream of income, Healthcare that works, and money to go to York. If I retired I would have less money, and lots of time to think of things to spend it on. I don't golf, hunt, or fish. My desire to travel to other countries has diminished to zero since 2001. For vacation and relaxation, I make the drive to that tiny withering York train show twice a year.
Best wishes for those who have retired. I've never had a house with a basement. I've always wanted one. They are not that common in Texas. Don't know if I could ever give that up if I had one. My brother in law has a huge basement in Tennessee which I have always envied.
I plan to retire in a couple of years. Busy building a new layout and want to get the bulk of it done and paid for while I am still working. Once I am retired, I plan to enjoy the layout by running trains and adding details here and there.
On February 1, 2016 I retired at age 65 and now I am playing trains every day all day long and it keeps me busy! I added an S Gauge track to my garden layout (S Gauge PRR Streamlined pacific), I compiled 4 books on my collection and writing a book on scale and gauge. I recently made a very interesting website http://sncf231e.nl/ were you can find and download my books for free. Furthermore I built some kits, did some train repair, read some books on real- and modeltrains that I acquired earlier and look around on some forums like this one.
Regards
Fred
Breece, Yes, put my steel toes away, then, now have them out for when I am working around property cutting trees, clearing downed trees, etc. I worked for Fluor Daniel for 19+ years in plants around Houston/Deer Park area. Retired from Benham/SAIC after 14+ working all over our great nation. Good to be home !!!
Jesse
Its never to early to start thinking about it. I started looking at how much stuff I had when I was 50. I knew I wanted to sell all but a few pieces. Some would be slow sellers. So I made a web page and started to slowly sell starting with the Plasticville and triplicates, duplicates of trains. Wife and I decided we wanted to move to the country where we could enjoy peace and quiet. In 2014 we found a small ranch which perfectly fit our bill. We did a mad rush to sell the big items and trains. It took a year to get to the point where we were ready to buy that land which was still available. We continued to sell until everything not on the small keepers pile was sold. We continue to sell as we clean out closets, garages, basements and find items no longer used. I have 2 years to go until I get full benefits paid in retirement at the job, and 1 year to go for SS eligibility. Then we sell the current house and use the funds to build a home on the ranch. The plans we have picked out are for a ranch style home, but it has an optional second floor man cave. That will be the shop and hobby room. I doubt I will do another big layout. I get the most fun out of a toy train display like layout, and doing repairs of items I pick up at flea markets and such. Any monies made after we bought the land will be used to buy a tractor, horse, and a cow.
Tin
OGR Webmaster posted:I guess it depends on your definition of "retired."
I "retired" from running the 765 last September 25. Here's the video of my final station stop on the CVSR in Akron, Ohio, with my two grandsons aboard.
I will "retire" from OGR when we sell the company later this year.
However, I'm still flying for several clients, including a new client who owns a King Air 350 and owns a home in Key West. I plan to fly for a couple more years, as long as I'm healthy. In between flights, it's into the motor home to travel the country in style
Whenever that is, Rich, we will miss you......you have had enormous impact on the O gauge hobby!
Peter
I'm 73 and have been retired for a year after working for 51 years. Upon retirement I began a 4x8 layout that increased to 8x10 very quickly. I had an office attached to the house which now is my "train station.' The 8x10 layout ( DCS with O gauge tubular,, fastrac and a combination of 022 and Ross switches) will increase significantly, once I punch a hole through the wall into the adjoining 12.5x15 room. Having more or less finished the 8x10 layout (photos already posted on the forum), I am busy with an overhead/shelf layout in the 12x15 room. Needless to say, trains right now are all consuming. But I also love skiing, visiting my 5 grandchildren, and playing my banjos (old-time fiddle tunes). In other words, I find retirement fulfilling, busy and productive. There were two major surprises about retirement. First, I was apprehensive that I would not find enough to do. I'm busier now than I ever have been. Second, I didn't realize how much I was distracted by work. I didn't even know what people meant when they said that I needed to live more "in the present." I was always trying to get chores done so that I could get back to work. Now I enjoy almost everything, even chores, but especially, my wife. We are having the best time. She has also become as involved in the trains as I have. Life has never been better.
George
33 months to go, this will be the last house, I have seen grass, I know where they keep it, I can visit it anytime I want. New Jersey is going to be placed in the rear view mirror and I expect to be a renter until we find a suitable location someplace warm. Trains may not be in my future since we are going to downsize to a condo or apartment.
When I finally call it quits hopefully in a few years the trains will be sold. I'm gonna try and spend what time I have left with my wife seeing and doing what we can. I'm not trying to offend anyone but I can't spend my final days inside. I like my trains but I love life more.
I'm not trying to say others are wrong or anything. Everybody should do what makes them happy. I'm just answering the question for me.
Bob
Well, I will read and comment on others' responses later. Shooting from the hip, My story is, I was hit with an early retirement offer a year and a half ago. Knowing I would have to work a little longer somewhere, it still seemed in my best interest to take the offer and look for something else. As it turned out, I get two small pension checks a month that is paying into my IRA and for some bigger dollar train items I probably won't be able to afford when I retire for good. It also happened, that I have been able to work as a contractor for the same company, converting engineering records from companies they buy into our company's system. We have a backlog of 3 companies to get integrated, so there will still be work left when I retire for good. This coincides with out last daughter getting married, leave me a room, and I have been able to start planning this layout that will carry me into retirement.
I am 59 and I unofficially retired in May of 2015 shortly after my dad died. I was going to keep working a few more years but I saw that I didn't need to keep an income coming in and I was hating my job so bad I didn't go back to work and they let me go. I am living near West Palm Beach FL for about 12 years. Drove school bus for Martin County FL for about 4 years and worked for Palm Beach county school district for 15 months, didn't work long enough for a pension from the state of Florida. Was in the US Army for 6.5 years active duty and spent a few years in the US Army reserves.
My wife gets about $1500.00 a month from her retirement. I have to wait for about 6 years for my social security as I didn't have a pension plan set up like she did. Have enough money in the bank for now to pay bills or so I hope.
A little about Florida; most places don't have a basement because the water would come in very quickly because the water table is only a few feet from ground level or rain water would flow inside because the ground is very hard down here too. Maybe some where near Gainsville FL they can have a basement but not southeast FL.
I have the extra bedroom set-up as my main train layout area and have shelves set up for display too. Also starting a drop down layout on a 4 by 6 sheet of plywood in the den area.
Lee Fritz
I started this thread and was catching up. A lot of great stories. I work for the state of Illinois so if you're aware of that environment 3 more years working isn't going to be pleasant. Seems like everyone I know has retired. I don't care for the younger crowd. We are in gulf shores Alabama this week on vacation. Love the beach And ocean and was thinking about a condo down here. I'm not so sure I'm ready to give up a house to live in a small space
i am sitting ALOT more, trying to BE in the moment... I will look to work somewhere PT, where THEY think old can still make a positive difference. Volunteer when I am called..... Grandkids make me smile, PT work helps to eat three times a day/// (Quote from others...) and, I QUIT watching the depressing news, Or, and having a little train stuff arrive on the porch makes me smile and get up to check <salute gents!> I appreciate ya
Retiring in less than two years as a professor of computer science: I have a plan for my retirement layout posted here on another thread in the layout design area - 12X18 and 12X20 track plans. I will be 62 and 1/2 at retirement. If all goes well, I may decide to stay on another year or two, but I will start a new addition to the house for the train room this year either way. While working I have excellent health care covered plus money for trains, travel, and to help out the kids, who are just getting their lives started and organized.
Here is the link.
I have about half of the track, and most of the buildings that I will need. Not buying many trains right now, but I do have a LionChief SD60 on preorder. Looks like I will add an addition under the remodeled deck at the back of the house just for the layout. Menard's keeps coming out with great stuff, so that complicates things 
I just ordered the new Morton Salt structure.
Ken. I graduated from wiu in macumba il with my bs in cs in 1988. I started in cobal, went to a lil vb, went into system dba, and ending in z/os admin. Spent 5 of last 7 years doing 3 z/os upgrades along with every other product on system at least once. The 2 old guys didn't do squat. One guy did automation and storage. They've retired and I've done it all for almost 3 years. Unfortunately He left automation so messed upthat it will knock system down when it is coming up after ipl. Mainframe is going away so nobody cares that I'm 24x7 I just watch it spin and try to keep from getting called. 3 more years....
I see I need to catch up on this topic. Lots of good ideas here! I took an early retirement in August 2015. It was one of those offers where they picked a bunch of people in positions they thought they could do without, and previous offers produced about Half the employees taking it. Under those circumstances I was afraid not to take the offer. Then they right away hired me on as a contractor doing integration of engineering records from companies they buy into our system. We are two purchases behind, so who knows how long it will last. Funny thing is, I am often asked to give the younger guys support on my old work. I don't have the stress I used to have, but banked some money, get two small pensions, and get paid almost what I had gotten before, but with no benefits. My wife is 4 years younger than me, and it is looking like she may be cut in June, but the work and stress is getting so bad, we may decide for her to resign if not cut.
That said, I have been buying more train related items than I ever did, and soon will have to stop. I have a plan in my topic in my signature for a room our last daughter at home vacated last fall. I have been selling and trading some of my engines and cars I won't use on the layout.
I had hoped to have lighting and re painting done by now, but we have had to help elderly relatives more this winter than in the past.
Please take a look at the topic in my signature to see the line of thinking that went into the plan to date.
I don't feel like I'm part of the new world order. Go to meetings, promote your supporters, and hire contractors to do the work. I'm not sure who out there is a planet of the apes fan, but I feel like the primates have taken over. If I could have determined who ceaser was a decade or so ago, maybe the humans would still be in charge.
I retired about two years ago after a career in the Air Force as a pilot/staff officer and a second career as a Navy program manager. Due to less income, I decided that I had more than enough trains to run so my train buying pretty much came to a halt. My train related goal was to complete my layout, which I have been working on for 10 years. Unfortunately, several other projects have taken priority. We've completely redone two bedrooms, the kitchen/family room, and now I'm working on our guest bathroom (just bought the flooring today). My wife, who retired at the same time, has us traveling more. Plus I have gotten more involved in Civil Air Patrol's emergency services programs.
I do enjoy running my trains and do it mostly at club events. Once I complete the house to-dos, I will finish that layout (unless something else comes up).
We are in gulf shores all this week. Thinking about getting a condo. My wife thinks kissame area cuz of Disney. I told her I want somewhere where I can get back and forth by train. She's retired and I'm not. Not a lot of train activity by the gulf. Went to foley train museum today and layout was closed. Cool caboose in front of the depot I'm doing a lot of thinking about retirement 3 more!
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I retired 5 years ago but moved and bought a house 5 before that. As in most of Florida houses do not have basements so I bought a 70s ranch with a combination living room/dining room. I spent the next 6 months painting and putting in flooring through out the house.
I started my next to last layout about a year after moving. I retired 4 years later. With everything that's been going on in retirement, I don't see how I had found the time to work 50 hours per week! The layout has been idle these last two years with family issues and a redesign in the works. There is still the "final" layout waiting out there.
I will suggest, if you can, have the space for the layout in hand (or a workable plan to get it) before you retire. It doesn't have to be finished. Once you retire your available cash will likely decrease.
The second it to work hard on getting your wants and resources in agreement.
Third, take your time. A layout is never finished.
Jan
#CHINATRAIN99 thanks for the photos, and taking the time to share with us "Snow bound" folks. By the way, getting old is not for the faint of heart, nor is retirement...
Miggy posted:#CHINATRAIN99 thanks for the photos, and taking the time to share with us "Snow bound" folks. By the way, getting old is not for the faint of heart, nor is retirement...
I second Miggy's thanks for the photos for us up North. My wife and I joke about moving back to Keyser West Virginia where we lived for a short 3 years. We liked it there better than any other place we lived. Well it won't happen as long as any of our parents (die hard change of season lovers) are living. LOL
Jeff (and all lucky retirees and those soon to be retired),
Great topic. I work for New York State and hope to retire within 5 years. For those with me that are currently in a 9 to 5 daily grind, there is a great book that I've found which should help you to adjust to leisure life and controlling your own time, called How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free. Barnes & Noble carries it in their Money section and Amazon carries it too. I highly recommend it. I like it so much I end up reading it over and over.
I hope to retire to upstate New York (my pension gets treated well if I stay in NY), but the thought of moving again scares me. We have things from our last move that we haven't unpacked yet. I think my wife and I can cope with the possibility of more snow in Winter, in exchange for lower property taxes and hopefully a nice side benefit of friendly neighbors... which has only been 50/50 in southern NY (no offense intended, just what we have observed).
My current "layout" is an oval on my workbench which is fine for now...already have the plywood for the next layout.
Tom
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Plans are to retire at end of 2017,worked construction most of my life,unless a retirement package is offered sooner.15yrs ago started building a 30 x 60 garage,in my spare time.Downstairs are my cars,Pontiacs. Upstairs needs to be finished,which will be my trainroom.Now deciding on design. House needs new roof,want new energy efficient windows,interior painting.So I'll be busy.
I retired from Federal Service in March 2016. I'm moving ahead full speed with construction of a 20'x20' hi-rail layout in a new, dedicated basement space. I received my benchwork in December, hung my backdrop in January, and started construction in earnest in February. I had gone 3 years without a layout, so I wasted no time getting track laid and trains running on this one.
In the 1:1 world, my wife and I have enjoyed excursions behind NKP # 765 the past two summers. We hope to ride Amtrak's Empire Builder to, and stay at, Cascades National Park in the next year or so.
I can retire in 3 years but I'm going to try to stick it out 2-3 more than that. Wife has been retired 2 years. My oldest is a freshman at the u of I and youngest a freshman in high school. Both adopted from China. We've lived within our means and I could go in 3. I've saved 10 weeks vacation and I'd like to take 3 extra weeks a year to be a little better financially. I don't think we will move from our current place but I don't expect to stay for the illinois winters.
I have been retired now for 3 months and in that time I have got more done on the layout than in the 15 years before that. The phrase life after you retire is true, have fun enjoy whatever hobby you have. It's a great time of your life.
I'll have a better idea 3/27/17, but as of right now 3/1/18 is looking pretty good. Rich is bigger than life. Can't begin to compete with his resume.
I have lots of irons in the fire. Church, two granddaughters, golf, boating, cars, hunting, trains, renovating the house. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find something to do.
Train plans; River City 3 Railers and my attic layout. We make sawdust like a bunch of Beavers on crack!
May of 2018 will likely be my last year of employment. I will be 66 years old. Though I worked part time in various capacities since I was about 12 (paid in cash), it wasn't until 1967 that SSI was first withheld from a sure 'nuf (part time) paycheck at the age of 14-15.
So, I've been at it consistently for 50 years as I type.
The hobby of trains? Well... I don't really have solid plans, though I have options. Railroading full time for more than a decade (was a part time contract railroader since 1986, but such time doesn't count toward Railroad Retirement) has altered my perception of the hobby of trains somewhat, so I'll have to wait to see if my desire to dink with model trains returns once I'm away from the prototype railroad scene.
What is slowly being re-established as a priority in my life is my love of music via playing the bass guitar. (I've played the bass since I was 14 or so.) I'm currently anchoring the bass guitar position at the church we attend, also play bass for a group that does worship music outside my home church, and in talks with another group to cover their bass position on an "as can" basis. Eventually, by the time I retire, I'm hoping to have a small ensemble put together that does various genres of music. (R&B, jazz, jazz/fusion, funk, blues... pretty much anything with a groove to it.)
So, nothing firm... things are loose and flexible... but I'm looking forward to being retired more and more each week.
#Larry3railtrains. Nice layouts, you had me at "Tressel"
Knowing a bloke who goes by the nomenclature "ROO", I had to snap a shot of downsizing retirement layout caravan.
"fold down full-size-bed-in front near dining area: can be used for train layout, full time queen sized "bedroom in the back" sutible for train layout, Pop-out- Living-room with extra power outlets" suitable for trains �� layout......."
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Semi-retirement was for me in my mid 50's and it was the best move ever made. There are many things that one can do on life's journey and we have traveled from coast to coast every year since. As for trains and my layout it was only started 14 years ago. Its 95% finished and now just buying the occasional odd piece that fits. Trains are the ideal winter hobby when the colder weather forces more indoor recreation.
I retired two years ago at 61. I was a teacher, then dean of students (30 years) at a local HS. Definitely the best move to make. Only two of the eight poker-playing, train-loving guys are still working. Had a cousin, who was only a year younger and didn't smoke, over for our annual New Years Eve blowout. All the guys were screaming at him to retire, as he coughed his way through the night. He had developed a heart condition and died in bed, three weeks ago.
It's hard to believe how much there is to do, even though you have all day to do it. All the stuff you were interested in, but never had the time for, is now available to you. During the winter, trains are the major interest. I have two large layouts in the basement. One is a table layout with newly constructed overhead lines and one is a two year old overhead that goes around the main part of the cellar. With O gauge, there is always more to do, including all the maintenance that is required. I can run 8 trains at a time on the table layout, and four on the overhead layout. There is no sensible way to connect them.
Summers still include trains, but mostly running and maintaining them, with almost no new construction. The guys play golf twice a week, and there is lots of outdoor stuff to occupy my time.
Also, when I was a college senior, I saw a first generation copy of the Zapruder film on TV. That started me on a decade-long research project. I haven't read much about it for 30 years, figuring I knew about the murders and it was a dead end. On this forum, I clicked on a train video and a JFK video came up that led me to start reading again. It's hard to believe what has been discovered about the intelligence community and it's virtual takeover of American foreign policy for all that time. This is another project that revises all the history I thought I knew about the PW era. Turns out that Truman and Eisenhower (and the Kennedy's) were right.
It's more than just the absurdity of the official stories and the indifference (or fear) of an otherwise voracious media to report what is widely known. I've no doubt they consider(ed) themselves patriots for doing it, then shielding us from it all. As a retired American educator who now has time, I'd rather know as much of the truth as possible. Hopefully, those times are past, but....
Sorry for the abrupt change in my story. It should end with this: Retirement is the best. If you can, do it, and start doing all those things you never had the time and/or money to do. Believe me, MTH, Lionel, and now Menards may end up as dependents on my tax returns.
Good luck to all of us who are there, and who are nearly there.
Jerry
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CAPPilot posted:I retired about two years ago after a career in the Air Force as a pilot/staff officer and a second career as a Navy program manager. Due to less income, I decided that I had more than enough trains to run so my train buying pretty much came to a halt. My train related goal was to complete my layout, which I have been working on for 10 years. Unfortunately, several other projects have taken priority. We've completely redone two bedrooms, the kitchen/family room, and now I'm working on our guest bathroom (just bought the flooring today). My wife, who retired at the same time, has us traveling more. Plus I have gotten more involved in Civil Air Patrol's emergency services programs.
I do enjoy running my trains and do it mostly at club events. Once I complete the house to-dos, I will finish that layout (unless something else comes up).
I posted this here over a year ago and I'm still without an operating layout. I thought I'd have lots of time for the layout, but other things keep coming up that are more important to me right now. House projects have decreased, but traveling by car to up north has increased to get out of the southern Maryland summer heat and humidity, and to go cross country skiing in the winter. I'm helping a friend with his layout and running trains there, plus still doing some shows with the National Capital Trackers. I'm also now very active in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program as well as emergency services (never thought I'd work with the cadets, but it is turning out to be fun). Medical issues has temporality limited my heavy lifting.
I have a lot of trains that need to get on the track, so I'm thinking of looking for a local handyman to help me finish the benchwork. Getting the @#*! benchwork done has been my biggest obstacle.
I work for New York State and hope to retire within 5 years.
Just noticed this post. If they are still offering it, try to get to one of the NYS employee preretirement seminars. Lots of good information intended for planning a future retirement. When I took it, I had to preregister.
Hi C.W.
I agree. I've done one so far and it was helpful. If they offer one of these each year until I retire, I would sign up as there is nothing to lose from it/them.
Tom
Well, since my above post, I'm now retired since April 20th. My thoughts so far:
* My railroad with which I was employed worked with me so that my income flow was seamless. (i.e. They paid me in one lump sum for my vacation pay/etc, meaning that the one month lag between end of workforce pay and the start of the retirement checks didn't exist.)
* Once actually retired, it took all of a couple days or so to LOVE IT. (The first Monday that I didn't have to get up at 5:30 AM!!)
* My week now consists of 6 Saturday's and one Sunday.
* THANK GOD for RR retirement. It has far exceeded what I'd originally hoped to earn when I decided to go full time with my RR-ing.
I guess there IS a downside: You give up holidays once you retire. (A holiday is just another one of my Saturday's now! 
)
Fortunately, I have a LOT of interests, so now that I'm able to devote whatever time I want to devote to a particular interest, I actually have to allocate time among my interests. My train hobby is a part of the equation (I do both V scale and HO scale), but I expect to use both V scale and HO scale as my primary recreational outlets when the weather is too extreme. (i.e. Too hot or too cold to enjoy my outdoor interests.)
If I'd known retirement would be this fun, I would have retired decades ago.
Andre
CAPPilot posted:CAPPilot posted:I retired about two years ago after a career in the Air Force as a pilot/staff officer and a second career as a Navy program manager. Due to less income, I decided that I had more than enough trains to run so my train buying pretty much came to a halt. My train related goal was to complete my layout, which I have been working on for 10 years. Unfortunately, several other projects have taken priority. We've completely redone two bedrooms, the kitchen/family room, and now I'm working on our guest bathroom (just bought the flooring today). My wife, who retired at the same time, has us traveling more. Plus I have gotten more involved in Civil Air Patrol's emergency services programs.
I do enjoy running my trains and do it mostly at club events. Once I complete the house to-dos, I will finish that layout (unless something else comes up).
I posted this here over a year ago and I'm still without an operating layout. I thought I'd have lots of time for the layout, but other things keep coming up that are more important to me right now. House projects have decreased, but traveling by car to up north has increased to get out of the southern Maryland summer heat and humidity, and to go cross country skiing in the winter. I'm helping a friend with his layout and running trains there, plus still doing some shows with the National Capital Trackers. I'm also now very active in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program as well as emergency services (never thought I'd work with the cadets, but it is turning out to be fun). Medical issues has temporality limited my heavy lifting.
I have a lot of trains that need to get on the track, so I'm thinking of looking for a local handyman to help me finish the benchwork. Getting the @#*! benchwork done has been my biggest obstacle.
Ron,
Get the help you need and finish the layout! Running your trains whenever you desire is priceless!
