And, that's NOT just a line from a Stones song. I did one of the simplest MT conversions, today, on an Atlas/Rivarossi SW1500 (we all know it's not really that) and, what used to take about a half hour, tops, took me at least two hours. All the fumbling and fiddling due to my hands not working right anymore and my eyesight decidedly sub-standard. Yes, I am whining. Doug
Wait until you hit 80 - But I gotta tell ya, I've still got it. Recently made an N scale model of a generational house I designed (see The Oakville Sub thread for photos) and only had to use the optivisor once. Fingers didn't hurt too much. Can still cut a straight line. Life ain't so bad.
It can have its benefits Try "selective hearing" , it works wonders when someone starts talking rubbish to you ! LOL
Hi Doug, My father use to say "Growing old is not for the timid". I now fully understand what he meant. Without my optiVISOR there would be many things I would not be able to do in N scale. I also do not know if it's hereditary or just the types of jobs I've had over the course of my working career, but many days my fingers are stiff making some tasks more difficult. The days when they just plain ache are they days I rail fan my layout. The only positive note, my doctor did test me for rheumatoid arthritis and thank god I do not have that, just plain old pain in the you know what arthritis. Yes it seem the only thing that does get better with age is wine
Is that all the farther yours has gotten? That's where I am, the pain in the right knee arthritis. "Weather's changing". I'm not looking forward to the "pain in everything else but the you know what" stage of arthritis.
To quote Indiana Jones; "It's not the years, it's the mileage". Or my own take on the matter; "I don't mind getting old but the ageing sucks".
But I am relieved that there aren't any actual bone joints in the you know what, so it can't get arthritis.
Some guys will say if you want a pain in the 'you know what'...just get married ! ~NOTE TO MY WIFE ~ Honey...if you are reading this I didnt mean you...I swear !!
But on the positive side, those Atlas 90 ton hoppers I bought forty years ago for $2.25 each are now going for $20.00+
It's the shaky hands that bother me the most. I spend a lot more time creating jigs these day to keep things lined up properly and minimize the excess glue. Stop doing anything requiring real precision by 8pm so I don't need to redo it the next day. Stay safe,
I understand. My hands haven't so much become shaky as just unsteady. I used to be able to hold them absolutely still like when having to place an MT spring into an adapter, for instance, or inserting the "T" shank coupler halves into the adapter and then putting the adapter into the coupler pocket in the locomotive. It used to be just one smooth movement and in fact, I used to put the two halves into the adapter, place my index finger over the adapter to hold it all together and lowering it into the pocket, instead of having the adapter in the pocket at an angle and all that. There's no way I can do that anymore. Everything just all falls apart. Oh well, at least the newer locos that just need a 1015 stuck in with a clip are much easier, as long as you use pre-assembled 1015s. Doug
I have had tremors all through my life. Now made worse by age, illness and injury. Not to mention shortcomings at birth, plus everything else which comes with age, illness and injury. Through it all, (am actually fully disabled) I continue to earn a paycheck, and try to enjoy my favorite hobby.
Gee! The discussion sure has some what changed lately. It wasn't age that got me. I had gotten the education and training to change carriers. But then that's no longer needed. So I moved but, to the wrong place. I don't fit in to the requirements. And age is catching up. Also the trains have changed. It used to be locals and now it's Canadian. CN is also trying to buy a southeastern line. Oh well, they do good work. Hope your weather isn't going to be nasty like here. I need to fix my new electric bike. Much like working on DCC.
Surprisingly I have yet to have shakey hands. However when I had the stroke I lost a lot of the dexterity of my left arm and hand and it looked like I would have to get out of modeling period. Thanks to some excellent therapy I was able to gain back almost 95% of the function after a few months. At nearly 76 years old I have not used the optivisor in years just a set of bifocals that I wear all the time.
