Got a bit of a dilemma here, and I’m hoping for some advice. For Christmas, my parents gave me a box of model freight cars they’d had a model railroading friend of the family pick up at a Buy and Sell. Now I had previously asked them not to get me anything model-railroad related, as they didn’t know what I needed or would fit my era. Having said that, four of the five cars in this box did fit my era, including two Micro-Trains 50’ gondolas in almost-new condition. However, the car that did not is a mid-1970s 89-foot tri-level auto carrier, with late-90s/early 2000s autos glued to it. I don’t know what to do with this one. I don’t want to hurt their feelings, but I don’t think it would fit on my layout (physically and realistically). Any suggestions?
Save it for the time being. You never know when you might change your mind about something!
Consider it a gift from someone who cares about you. If you ever get the chance, make sure the gifter sees their gift in action on your railroad. They won’t know that their gift doesn’t fit your modeled era.
Also, to help prevent this sort of thing in the future, engage your visitors in a conversation regarding the things you are planning on acquiring in the future. Be somewhat specific. If they take the hint, on your next birthday or next Christmas, you may be doubly surprised by a model railroad gift that actually BELONGS on your layout!
Last Christmas, my brother surprised me with a pre-built model of a gas station ( by Bachmann). The surprise was doubly rewarding; that he would get me something for my layout AND that it was in the right scale (N scale)! The building is generic enough to fit into my transition-era layout, although the vehicles included will have to be changed. I promptly found a temporary spot for it on the layout, where it has sat untouched all year. Eventually, when I move it to a more permanent location, it will have era-specific vehicles and details and probably a fresh coat of paint.
Although I think highly of my brother, I must admit that my admiration for his intuitive sense has increased. But I’m not surprised by that, seeing as how he is MY brother after all!!! LOL
In any case, keep it, even if you will never run it on your layout. Some 20 years ago, my wife gave me a Marklin “Crocodile” as a present for our first wedding anniversary, after she found out that I always wanted to have one in my youth days. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the German E 94 class, sometimes dubbed “German Crocodile”, instead of the Swiss Ce 6/8 I was looking for. I never told my wife. Incidentally, this loco is one of the very few pieces that survived our financial crisis - I will never part from it!
LHS or E-store Gift certificates, you can’t go wrong with that. A very smart strategy is to create a wish list or gift list in your favorite LHS or E-store, tell your friends and family to browse those sites. They’ll find something you really need and want, and they have the choise to select what fits their budget.
Hang on to it, when they are over, have it on the bench.
Two Christmases, my then 32 year old daughter bought me a deer and two deer crossing signs in O Scale. Problem is I model HO scale. Deerzila is up on one of my hills. Only problem is all my HO people ran away! [:D]
Our sisters must shop together, mine gave me a Gerber baby food reefer that I think is an old Tyco … Maybe you should post that photo on the “pickle car” thread that someone started in December.
Seems to me if someone gives you a grab bag of trains what they are saying in effect is “pick out the stuff you want or like” – it isn’t like they carefully picked it out for you. My sister’s feelings are hurt so easily that I just take whatever nonsense trains (Gerber Baby Food reefer is just one example) she gives me and quietly dispose of them or save them for special display if she comes visisting. We do the same with non train related stuff we get from her by the way. Now my wife understands so in the rare case where she finds something she thinks I might like at a rummage sale for example, she won’t mind if i say “that isn’t something I can use” and I add it to the box of trains I either sell at swap meets or offer to visitors.
By the way if your local NMRA sponsors a youth group, that is a great destination for unwanted trains.
4 out of 5 ain’t bad really!! I know I’m tough to buy for, one thing I pointed out to my wife this year is that she (or other family members) can log onto www.Walthers.com and see my Wish List there. The nice thing about that is I usually have a number of things there with a pretty big price range, so anyone deciding they need to buy me a present can see what’s in stock and find something to fit the amt they wish to spend. My birthday is in November so they can do both at once.
However, ya I’d just as soon people not get me RR presents…or presents in general, but that’s a different issue. [:)]
Hate to go against the grain here, but just because someone gave you something doesn’t mean you HAVE to let them see you use it. What if they had given you a pink snuggie with hand emroiderd train doylies on it?
You are lucky that 2 out of three are useable. I’d consdier that a victory for both parties.
You can show those off the next time they visit, if you feel you must placate their egos or if they ask.
If they ask about the other one, simply explain that it doesn’t fit the goal you are trying to achieve while thanking them and pointing out the other two…
Honesty DOES work sometimes, and it’s an opportunity to eaplain what DOES fit your theme.
Hopefully there are still some folks who would rather be told the truth, rather than receive an ego stroke.
This car may be a little anachronistic but bite the bullet and place it in a train ON SELECT OCCASIONS!
Run it in the middle of a string of empty flats where it will stand out like a sore thumb. “Oh, Look! There’s one of those cars we got for little Johnny last Christmas! Isn’t it cute!”
Start a display shelf or shelves. Lay some track on the shelf and put the auto carrier there along with any other gifts you get that don’t fit your era. You can also display your excess rolling stock and locomotives there, the ones you don’t have room for on your layout or that you seldom use. If you’ve built some structures that you haven’t found a place for on your layout, they can go on the display shelves. Rather than store structures in their boxes waiting for just the right place on the layout before you assemble them, assemble them now and put them on your display shelves.
I have asked my wife and both my children not to get me anything for my model railroad. My needs are too specific and, not being into model railroading, they can’t choose what I want. What I do is ask them for is general purpose (i.e. Visa) gift cards which I can spend at the hobby store. A gift certificate from my favourite hobby store would work, but it’s on the second floor and my wife can’t climb the stairs and my daughter lives out of town.
My son once got me a Bachman pre-assembled water tower for a gift. I model the diesel era, but I plan to paint over its garish colours and distress it to look like a leftover from the steam era that hasn’t been torn down yet. My son did get me some cars which I wanted a few years ago–a couple of Canadian grain cars. I’ve got a grain elevator on the layout so they fit in nicely.
Two years running, my sister got me packs of Woodland Scenics trees.
You can NEVER have too many trees. This year, I got figures - HO scale railroad workers and general industry types. There’s an LHS she shops at in Rhode Island.
Asked the wife for a gift certificate to LHS, got winter fir trees. Am planning on modeling early fall (one hill with an early freak snowstorm?) The acrylic paints and brushes fit OK.
She was further off with the clothes, three things several sizes to small!!
You could set up a display shelf with several of your items that you don’t run too often - an old balky loco, duplicate cars, cars from distant roads that are sort of out of place, whatever. Put it on there.
I won some things in a model rr club raffle that don’t fit at all. However, if I take a small layout somewhere to display, they will be things that the kids can connect with and hopefully draw their attention.
For the past 2 years I’ve had my parents put in an order for christmas for stuff I want. Haven’t gone wrong with that*.
*The 5 random athearn cars from trainworld netted me an ACF, an FMC, a 50’, and a 40’ box and an express reffer. The 3 former I can use, the later I re-gifted to some friends (the parent’s didn’t mind). The F45 I got for 2008 didn’t actually arrive until febuary of 2009…
I’m in total agreement with 1948’s statement above. Just be honest with your folks about the remaining piece of rolling stock. I honestly can’t see them being hurt by the news; knowing that 4 of the 5 cars actually do fit into your era.
tbdanny, I think this incident could allow you a wonderful opportunity to “educate” your folks on 1) RRing rolling stock, 2) the PRR, and 3) the particular era you are modeling. You never know how much that might help them in the future - i.e. should they still decide to “surprise” you with more items. Doing this might also reinforce to them - especially if RR-related details go right over their head - that it might be wiser for them to just give you the $$$ (or gift certificate) so that you can make their model railroad-related present choices for you for them.
Hypothetically, had none of the rolling stock worked out for your era? I would still tell them but would proudly display the cars up on a shelf somewhere as a visual and token reminder of the love your folks have for you. I wouldn’t feel obligated to run them on my layout either.
Case in point: I received an Athearn BB Santa Fe F7 from my father-in-law a few years back. I strictly model the NYC in the early 40s so it obviously wouldn’t fit either my 1) era, 2) RR line, or 3) region - i.e. trackage rights east of Chicago. However, I do have the F7 proudly displayed on a piece of track on top of my computer case, right next to my keyboard. I always think of Dad (my father-in-law) whenever I use my computer. Dad also gave me an Athearn BB kit of an ATSF covered hopper (ca. 1950s) that I put together and have that up on a shelf in my train r
You owe the people who gave you the gifts nothing more than your gratitude. Okay, you also owe them an explanation, not an hour’s worth, but just a quick explanation that the one car doesn’t model well for you, and why. They ought to be relieved that they got most of it right, which, after all, was their intent and hope for you…and them. And you will have served them by providing them with guidance for future gifts. As grown-ups, they should be grateful for their partial success and for your education of them. It may not work that way for all of them, but you owe them the truth. Veritas vos liberabit!!!
What you do with the item should sit squarely with your conscience. Store it…will you appreciate it in time? Perhaps. Maybe not. Exchange or sell it? Will you get something that brings you more utility? Undoubtedly. Is that what they had hoped? Yes.
This seems a somewhat odd question for a hobby forum, but perhaps you are young. Speak to them directly and kindly, thank them for the generosity, explain that every model railroad item doesn’t fit your layout just as every shirt in the world doesn’t fit your Dad. Offer them alternatives such as purchasing you a gift certificate next time. Your parents will be grateful at the next gift-giving opportunity.
Otherwise, you’re setting the stage for this to happen again every time they try to think of something to give you.
