artfull dodger 329 #1 Posted January 26, 2017 Besides Wheel Horses or garden tractors in general, what other hobbies to you all enjoy? Mine is model trains, and it is my primary hobby/obsession. The trains and tractors are my two primary autistic obsessions and being able to enjoy each is critical to my mental stablity, or so says my therapist. I started with Lionel as a young lad, eventualy ending up with my father's set from teh late 1940's(still have it and it comes out of the cupboard at Christmas time). I moved into HO scale in my teens and joined the local club, then in my mid teens my aunt and late uncle got me an LGB starter set while on a trip to see his family in Germany. This started my years in G scale, in my early 20's I got my first live steam locomotive in G scale. As my eyes got worse in my late 30's making bi focals needed to see ho scale on a layout, I gave up the smaller scale and concentrating on G scale and live steam. I have both a railway in my garden, and one overhead in our living room for winter time use. The live steam runs primarly outside, but I have run it once or twice on the overhead loop. Here is a pic of my railways pride and joy, made by Merlin Locomotive Works in Welshpool, Wales UK in the in the mid 1980's. Butane gas fired, made of brass with a copper boiler. The engine house is one of my newest finds and will go on the garden railway when spring warmth returns. Cheers Mike the Aspie. 16 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 24,130 #2 Posted January 26, 2017 Very cool! How about a pic of your garden train? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 15,919 #3 Posted January 26, 2017 Too many hobbies. Here's and older hobby I posted a while back over on the My Old Machine site. http://myoldmachine.com/topic/20-toothpick-art/ Fishing, O&R engines/ gas tools, Homelite engine powered tools, custom tractor builds, engine repair, ect. ect. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KC9KAS 4,741 #4 Posted January 26, 2017 (edited) @artfull dodger If your doctor says tractor collecting is "therapy", then you should get your medical insurance to help fund it! I like your trains as well as your tractors! Edited January 26, 2017 by KC9KAS 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smoreau 658 #5 Posted January 26, 2017 23 minutes ago, KC9KAS said: @artfull dodger If your doctor says tractor collecting is "therapy", then you should get your medical insurance to help fund it! I like your trains as well as your tractors! And wright it off on your taxes! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
artfull dodger 329 #6 Posted January 26, 2017 I wish I could, those live steam engines are expenisve! Here is a couple shots of the garden railway from last summer. Mike 14 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Digger 66 3,476 #7 Posted January 26, 2017 47 minutes ago, wallfish said: Too many hobbies. Same here . Quadcopters R/C cars / trucks Sled 4 Wheelers Fixing stuff for people who never offer me money in return ... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wishin4a416 2,186 #8 Posted January 26, 2017 Fishing and things that go bang. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
artfull dodger 329 #9 Posted January 27, 2017 Never got into guns, and probably a good thing being on the spectrum to have. Have a ball bat for home protection, and my 4 dogs! Hope to get back into fishing this summer once we have our boat legal to go out. To many bugs along the shoreline here, rather anchor out and fish in deeper water. Need to put the down riggers on the boat yet. Mike 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johndeereelfman 309 #10 Posted January 27, 2017 I collect a "few" Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars! These pictures were from about six years ago, but currently the collection has tripled. At last count, there were just about 3,000 cars total. I also collect 1/16th scale farm tractor toys, and currently have a little over 2,000 pieces of those. 14 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 46,774 #11 Posted January 27, 2017 As a parent with an "Aspie" son as you so eloquently put it Dodger I found myself drawn to a very few of his obsessions but fortunately he has been drawn to a few of mine tractors not withstanding. Like myself and Jack @Wishin4a416 he loves fishing and hunting and things that go bang. Your obsession with trains is his obsession with trucks! At one time he did have an affliction with @Johndeereelfman 's hobby for hotwheels but has since evolved into the real thing, mainly anything diesel! Bringing up a son with your syndrome has been a joy, a curse and an enlightenment all rolled into one! Good luck to you and and all your hobbies and never let anyone tell you you can't! 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
artfull dodger 329 #12 Posted January 27, 2017 Thanks Jim, I am also a fan of anything diesel and according to my therapist, it has to do with the rythymic sound they have. I can fall asleep listening to my 6.5L diesel powered pickup idle, or any diesel idling for that matter, its very soothing and calming. I have a audio recording of an EMD 567B railroad diesel engine idling. I can get under my weighted blanket and put that tape in and get myself calmed down very quickly. Maybe a custom diesel WH tractor is a future father/son project. You will find his obsession will change, or flip back and forth. I have a passion for racing my old RC10 buggy on dirt tracks, but it comes and goes. I could care less about it right now, other than its safe up on the shelf in my room. According to my therapist, austitics/aspies have a need for order, routine and trains have that, diesels have a "order" to how they sound. I can usualy name the brand of the engine from the sound, each is unique due to the design differances. Only a 6.2L/6.5L, designed by Detroit Diesel for GM sounds like it does, and it uses the same injector pump as the ford 6.9/7.3L IDI diesels. But different sound, different stink to the exhaust as well. I drove 18 wheelers for a couple of years for a farmer, love to drive his old GMC General with the 8v71 Detroit 2 stroke screamer in it. I wear a full headset for hearing protection when I drive that old girl! Its loud, obnoxoius and odd, just like me! Mike the Aspie 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daddy Don 889 #13 Posted January 27, 2017 I collect antique fishing tackle and tie jig heads. I have over 2000 lure and 600 reel dating back to 1895. Also collect things that also go bang. Collect coins and tokens. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermitman 116 #14 Posted January 27, 2017 Hmmmm.. Let me see, when not in garage working on g.t.'s I collect dust. Quite satisfying! Love the train layout. Awesome Work. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rp.wh 1,074 #15 Posted January 27, 2017 (edited) Well my previous hobby was racing cars but I have had a couple kids and I was racing last year and hit the back stright wall and thought I broke my back. Kinda put a stop to it and have not raced sense. I always get the itch to go do it again. I miss the adrenaline rush and all the feels you get. Here's a couple pictures of my cars in the past 3 years. Edited January 27, 2017 by Rp.wh 10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jellyghost 378 #16 Posted January 27, 2017 My other hobbies are paintball and fishing for catfish. This is one of two favorite spots on the web. My other forum is for collecting rare and vintage paintball guns. mcarterbrown.com 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JeanUKWildcat 15 #17 Posted January 27, 2017 (edited) I have several hobbies. Collecting License Plates and covering my walls in them ( no matter what they are), Racing stuff (but not as much now), anything with tractor(signs, etc) and just different antique tools. I like trying to fix things as well. Thats just the short list of thing. The most important is collecting stuff of my favorite team the Kentucky Wildcats. Edited January 27, 2017 by JeanUKWildcat 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
305 380 #18 Posted January 27, 2017 flying , scuba diving , motorcycles and hot rods 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slim67 2,730 #19 Posted January 27, 2017 (edited) On 1/26/2017 at 5:23 PM, artfull dodger said: Besides Wheel Horses or garden tractors in general, what other hobbies to you all enjoy? Mine is model trains, and it is my primary hobby/obsession. The trains and tractors are my two primary autistic obsessions and being able to enjoy each is critical to my mental stablity, or so says my therapist. I started with Lionel as a young lad, eventualy ending up with my father's set from teh late 1940's(still have it and it comes out of the cupboard at Christmas time). I moved into HO scale in my teens and joined the local club, then in my mid teens my aunt and late uncle got me an LGB starter set while on a trip to see his family in Germany. This started my years in G scale, in my early 20's I got my first live steam locomotive in G scale. As my eyes got worse in my late 30's making bi focals needed to see ho scale on a layout, I gave up the smaller scale and concentrating on G scale and live steam. I have both a railway in my garden, and one overhead in our living room for winter time use. The live steam runs primarly outside, but I have run it once or twice on the overhead loop. Here is a pic of my railways pride and joy, made by Merlin Locomotive Works in Welshpool, Wales UK in the in the mid 1980's. Butane gas fired, made of brass with a copper boiler. The engine house is one of my newest finds and will go on the garden railway when spring warmth returns. Cheers Mike the Aspie. Thats cool to see another railfan! My wife and I are planning on a G scale layout around one of our ponds this spring. I would like to do Fn3 but equipment is rare and expensive so I will invest in good track and run my dads Lionel large scale until I find an LGB set I like. I could never get an indoor layout started so Im hoping to get this done. As for other interests I would put guns, camping,working out,hiking and volunteering at a local park. I used to be into golf carts but that has passed. Edited January 27, 2017 by slim67 spelling 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RandyLittrell 3,827 #20 Posted January 28, 2017 I used to race R/C cars but really don't do it much anymore. I enjoy fixing things, a little wood working and my grandson is my newest obsession! I just want to say, I really like the fact that you guys can embrace your quirks, manage them and excel in life. My kids are both ADHD and sometimes I just stay out of conversations because some people think kids with ADHD just need more disapline. My son is 18 and hasn't taken any meds for a year or two and does just fine. My daughter is 15 and wanted to get off the meds but couldn't get by in school. When my son was in kindergarten is when we first had him tested and the first day he took medicine he came home and in a very excited voice said "Mom, I listened to my brain today!" Randy 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bach-Ed 164 #21 Posted January 28, 2017 1 hour ago, RandyLittrell said: I used to race R/C cars but really don't do it much anymore. I enjoy fixing things, a little wood working and my grandson is my newest obsession! I just want to say, I really like the fact that you guys can embrace your quirks, manage them and excel in life. My kids are both ADHD and sometimes I just stay out of conversations because some people think kids with ADHD just need more disapline. My son is 18 and hasn't taken any meds for a year or two and does just fine. My daughter is 15 and wanted to get off the meds but couldn't get by in school. When my son was in kindergarten is when we first had him tested and the first day he took medicine he came home and in a very excited voice said "Mom, I listened to my brain today!" Randy Randy, I'm 69 and have ADD. Fortunately I don't have hyperactivity which in the 1950's, I would have had bright red butt all of the time. But the condition wasn't recognized then. With suspicions I went to the Amen clinic. I find even many doctors are skeptical. Even my personal physician was until he saw the SPEC scan. But in my fifties I was about to diddle around for years with "maybe" diagnoses. I needed to learn about of coping techniques and I live by my computer calendar. But your children need to realize they are not wrong but different. I was in engineering for many years and my biggest asset is thinking "outside the box". When my cohorts couldn't find a solution Ed would find another way. So they need to find ways of using their differences. Now back to the thread. My other perversion probably can top any of the others for cost and size if I went whole hog. I'm an organ enthusiast. I have two electronic organs in the house (yes and I can't store them, in the garage or barn). They are church size so they occupy a lot of real estate. And these are not real cheap but race cars and steam trains might cost more. That is until you get to my real passion, real pipe organs. Fortunately my church has a nice instrument. It is currently under insured at a $1,000,000. And I didn't have to buy it. so I guess it doesn't compare to your personal properties. And unless I were to have a large mansion I can't possibly put one in my house. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
classicdmax 190 #22 Posted January 28, 2017 My wife says I have expensive hobbies. Another that's not in a pic is guns, but have turned more into a collector as opposed to using them for I just haven't made time to get to the range that's 1 mile from my house For some reason I cannot upload any more pics 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClassicTractorProfessor 5,261 #23 Posted January 28, 2017 Besides the Wheel Horses and other classic garden tractors, I also collect other Antique lawn and garden equipment. Here is one of my Antique mowers, which I have yet to identify or find another like it. I also enjoy construction, whether it be new construction or remodeling. Here's a 24x24 garage we built last summer. Though I had some pics of the last big remodel job we did, but they must be on the other phone. Then there is my welding projects, I build all kinds of things with our welding equipment, but as far as hobby wise these coin banks made from recycled Freon tanks are my favorite. Kids really love them and I love seeing the smile on their faces when they get them. I'm actually working on one of the pigs for my autistic nephew right now. Been too cold to paint, so I don't have any finished pictures. Classic Ford trucks are another lifelong passion. The red one is an all original 66 F350 with the 352 and 4 speed, just over 100k original miles and is my pride and joy, plan to someday restore her, she'd make an awesome Horse hauler. The cream colored truck was my grandfather's 65 F100. 240 6 cylinder and three on the tree, used to drive it daily, but some vandals got ahold of it while I was laid up in the hospital following a bad car accident in July 2013. Maybe someday I'll get around to fixing it. The green truck is a 1959 F100 4x4. First year for the factory four wheel drive in a Ford pickup, sure wish I'd have kept that one. And lastly is the 62 C600 I used to use when we were remodeling houses full time, sold this one after the accident. And finally there's hot rods. Don't have one anymore as I got married and somehow lost my funding for them lol but here is some pics of my last build. 1978 AMC Gremlin with a 350 SBC. Sure miss that old car, but sold it to a friend who has almost finished it and I still see it and ride in it regularly. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slim67 2,730 #24 Posted January 28, 2017 8 minutes ago, Professor1990 said: Besides the Wheel Horses and other classic garden tractors, I also collect other Antique lawn and garden equipment. Here is one of my Antique mowers, which I have yet to identify or find another like it. I also enjoy construction, whether it be new construction or remodeling. Here's a 24x24 garage we built last summer. Though I had some pics of the last big remodel job we did, but they must be on the other phone. Then there is my welding projects, I build all kinds of things with our welding equipment, but as far as hobby wise these coin banks made from recycled Freon tanks are my favorite. Kids really love them and I love seeing the smile on their faces when they get them. I'm actually working on one of the pigs for my autistic nephew right now. Been too cold to paint, so I don't have any finished pictures. Classic Ford trucks are another lifelong passion. The red one is an all original 66 F350 with the 352 and 4 speed, just over 100k original miles and is my pride and joy, plan to someday restore her, she'd make an awesome Horse hauler. The cream colored truck was my grandfather's 65 F100. 240 6 cylinder and three on the tree, used to drive it daily, but some vandals got ahold of it while I was laid up in the hospital following a bad car accident in July 2013. Maybe someday I'll get around to fixing it. The green truck is a 1959 F100 4x4. First year for the factory four wheel drive in a Ford pickup, sure wish I'd have kept that one. And lastly is the 62 C600 I used to use when we were remodeling houses full time, sold this one after the accident. And finally there's hot rods. Don't have one anymore as I got married and somehow lost my funding for them lol but here is some pics of my last build. 1978 AMC Gremlin with a 350 SBC. Sure miss that old car, but sold it to a friend who has almost finished it and I still see it and ride in it regularly. AMCs rule! The forgotten American car. Id love to have a Rebel. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ClassicTractorProfessor 5,261 #25 Posted January 28, 2017 Yes they do. Friend of my grandparents had a 68 Javelin...rode in that thing when I was about 8 and been hooked ever since. Have had a few myself, including a 65 Rambler wagon, a 76 Pacer, and a 76 AMC Jeep CJ7, but the Gremlin was by far my favorite, even though it wasn't AMC powered, it was a blast to drive. My dream car would have to be tied between a 69 SC/Rambler or a 69 AMX. My folks are Corvette people, and I'm always like hey don't forget the other American two seater 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites