My hubby retired last year and found himself with a lot extra time on his hands. He gets on my nerves a little bit being in the house all day, so I pleaded with him to find himself a leisure activity. While he enjoyed DIY and gardening, it did not seem to energise him any more. They just wouldn't do as a pastime.

The other day we dug out some long forgotten photographs and had a bit of a chuckle looking at them. There he was as a young boy playing with his model railway and train-spotting at his local railway station. This is how the proposal to take up model railway building as a leisure activity began. There has at all times be the interest in trains so it would be a fantastic way for him to relax.

He couldn't wait to start and show the grandchildren what he was up to. He wanted to show them all the ins and outs of how to build a railway. We have a spare room upstairs which was cleared out to make enough space for the kits he was going to order on-line.

There is a fantastic range of specialist websites that sell model railways kits. They sell excellent building kits, and give useful advice to beginners and novices.

They have everything that you need to get up and running. Recognisable names such as Hornby, Pico, Lima and Gaugemaster are just a few of the makes you can purchase. Don't forget about all the accessories you need too. Tracks, electronics, locomotives, buildings and scenery all go together to make up a full scene. My husband was more than in high spirits at just how reasonable everything was to buy. He went through the full range and placed his order.

For people who love building model kits as a leisure pursuit there are others to choose from too, aircraft, cars, motorbikes and a number of other types of transportation. My hubby, of course, had his heart stuck on building model railways.

The kits and other bits arrived quickly. A picture of his face would of been excellent as he was so excited and keen to start. I hardly see him now, he locks himself away in the spare room for hours. I can hear him muttering and putting the parts together that make up a good model railway. When we go out, he's keen to get back home and begin the next phase of building his kits. He's fully occupied now and extremely happy.

He was looking at railway sites the other day on the computer. He was after other parts to add to his growing collection. There are buy and sell sites too, that enthusiasts the world over use to trade and sell model railway parts. Our eldest grandson has also taken an interest which has made me happy as he gets to spend more time with him.

Posted under Model Trains