Live-in Railroad club

[05hwy28]

I'd be very interested in a track connected community when I retire, but I would want the fees / dues to be high enough to cover paid employees. I don't want to mow grass, pull weeds, plant flowers, or clean gutters when I retire. Now then, with that being said; stoking a fire ring, a burn pile, or a firebox... well, I'm hip, I'm down with it.

I got myself all worked up... gonna have to get some whiskey and cigars and have a fire this weekend.

[cp4449]

As to TM as a model:
Where is the nearest hospital? If retired, that is one item you think of. Doctors? Shopping? Something for the grand kids to do other than trains (I know, is there anything else?) My wife likes my hobby, but she doesn't Live the hobby. I find that there are a LOT of "live steam divorcée " out there. Or the wife is very happy to see him go to the club just to get him out of the house. Has anyone ever done a survey on the divorce rate of Live Steamers?

As to living together, there are some guys at LALS I could do that with, then there are the others you can't....about 80% of them.

[Harold_V]

The harsh reality is that it doesn't always work as one might hope. An acquaintance "owned" property at TM (many years ago), and fell on hard times with others. I'll never know what really transpired, but politics at TM resulted in his being forced out. I am not taking sides, so I won't assign blame. He may or may not have been a victim.

Buying land and a home is the largest investment most people ever make. It's prudent to give careful thought to doing so before taking the plunge. Imagine investing hundreds of thousands of dollars, only to discover you can't get along with the neighbors.

H

[Cary Stewart]

Back in the late 1970s or early 1980s one of our well known LALS members considered this exact idea. He thought that a good place would have been some of the unbuilt areas along the San Gabriel Mtn.s here is So. Cal. He was too late as the land was way past buying at a cost that would have made the idea possible. The design would have been to have a public track that all home owners had access to and would have a private access track to the public one. This would have solved a couple of the problems that have been raised. Had the idea been thought of right after WWII the land may have been cheep enough to consider. Of coarse the one problem is how many live steamers could afford to buy into such a plan? Where would you buy cheep land in the 100s of acres now? Would it be a desirable place to live year round? It's a grand idea but its time may have passed except for the those in the .1% income bracket.
Cary

[Miserlou57]

So does Train Mountain actually sell parcels? I would love to know where to investigate but can't find anything on their website about it.

[marshall5]

I'm pretty sure there was something about selling parcels of land in an old T.M. Gazette - maybe (and only maybe as I'm really searching the grey matter here) it hinged on a change in the zoning? IIRC a year or so back one of the existing adjacent/connected properties was advertised in the Gazette.. All the past issues are online - just a matter of going through them. Always a good read anyway.
Ray.

[LVRR2095]

I'm guessing there would be no facilities for 3-1/2" and 4-3/4" gauges?
The smaller gauges are very practical for older people.

Keith Taylor

[johnpenn74]

I would not knock 4.75. I have a 2-6-2 and would like to see some three rail track. 7.x to 4.x diamonds at when the Narrow gauge crosses the standard gauge. I can't say that I would really buy into mixed steaming facilities and yards, as three rail switches get complicated, but I can deffinately it as being an asset not a detriment to have both.

JP