This was mostly from the “N” to “O” guys, and I got to wondering, since GRRing is SO much different than doing the scale thing in the garage basement spare room. Unless I’m completely off track, it seems to me that GRRing is more of a family venture than the “indoor sizes”
Anyway this was my response, would just like to get a feel of how you guys AND gals feel. (I’ve met more women GRR’ers than smaller scales.)
Well I guess I’m one of the more lucky ones. My wife buys her own trains, her own buildings, buys me track and says “I want you to make the track go this way (diagram provided)”. That was true in HO and N scales, now that we have moved out to the garden it is hard to determine just who “owns” the GRR. All structures have been B-day/Xmas/Fathers day/any excuse presents from her. I will admit that since she is a gardener (by occupation) I have willingly conceded the live plants for the GRR to her. My next project is to comply with her wishes, a 145 foot run (one way) out and back thorough her apple/plum/orange trees.
She actively searches out train stores for me to go to.
She Prepays for tickets to train shows. While at the shows, she pays for food and trains.
So I guess that I’m a little more lucky than most.
PS She’s been doing this for over 30 years, so I guess “she’s a keeper.”
She’s tolerant, so to say, even will let me stop at the LHS (she wont go it though)
She drags me to all her shops and I dont have a fit when she buys cloths, shoes, etc that i KNOW she doesnt need, it keeps her happy, as she knows my trains keep me happy. Balance I guess they call it.
That plus my hobby before was hard-core mountain biking, I think I would worry her alot, because invariably I came back from a ride all beat up, scrapped, bleeding, and dam near in need of a hospital on two occasions, Hehehe guess this hobby is far easier on her nerves!
Yup, I got one of those keepers too! 2nd time around with 27 years in between, but found a gem! Her only complaint is that I can’t get things done to her satisfaction quickly enough; but then she don’t want me to have another heart fart either!!
My wife hates the hobby at any scale and thinks trains are “gay”. I am always in awe when I hear other guys talk how much their wifes enjoy anything trains. I envy guys like you and yes, you have a keeper! My wife’s reasoning is probably based on: 1) It’s an expensive hobby or, 2) I love spending free time reading, watching video, railfanning, or running trains. Bottom line is we’re still married after 30 years!
Gay? thats a new one. Funny, there are NO hobby shops in West Hollywood
In 20+ years of activity in model railroading, I’ve only ever met one guy who was openly gay, the rest have all been straight average joe family type guys. Thats a funny one, she needs to get out more. [:D]
I think my wife accepts my hobby -in pretty much the same way that I accept hers. My wife is Quilter. For a wedding present I made her a quilting frame from mahogany. At this time in our relationship -she knew I came from a locomotive background -but thought that was just a family thing…
She takes an interest in my production of rolling stock and locomotives and is my shoulder to cry on when I find out I have spent HOURS carefully producing the part to precisely the WRONG size…
I named my first locomotive after her -a source of much blushing on her part!!!
I have raided her collection of bits for pieces to cobble together suspension parts for my locos -I have cut exact quilting templates from 1.5mm brass sheet for her.
Seven years have passed since we got married. We are hopefully looking for a new home. Everything we have is in boxes. I have 7 boxes marked 'Railway’. My wife has 23 boxes (the same size) marked FABRIC.
A wife who loves her husband produced ‘tuck and roll’ seating @ 16mm scale for her husbands railway carriages!!!
Capt_Turk, you’re at least a bit better than the cannibal in one of my favorite jokes.
Cannibal 1: Your wife sure makes a good stew.
Cannibal 2: Yeah, but you know, I’m beginning to miss her already!
The first administration barely put up with railroading (HO and railfanning). But we WERE short on moolah.
This second administration actually insisted on buying our first LGB train set. She thought the Stainz set was cute. I offered no comment.
THEN she fell in love with an LGB Mogul with Pennsy colors (sometime in the late 1980’s). Now the Pennsy ran very little narrow gauge but this thing had SOUND - bell and whistle. I did NOT bore her with any history.
After we got home she said we should buy it. Call and see if it’s still there. I called and it was still there. Buy it she says and go get it. IT"S A HUNDRED MILE TRIP TO THE HOBBY SHOP (Mahwah, New Jersey)!
Last week after all these years, she just okayed another 4 boxes of track and 3 switches from St Aubin (Christmas, you know). I won’t even ask if she’s a keeper.
My wife likes trains also. She knows I like them, and at first tolerated it, but then it grew on her.
When I integrated the track and nice plants, she warmed up more.
First locos were F units, she thought Sante Fe looked cool. Then she saw the mikado, and loved all the valve gear. So, to keep her happy, bought a mallet… now she has me show the trains to any visitor to the house.
All I need now is to teach her operations and switching.
Yeah, a lucky guy… more than I deserve, but I’ll take it!
My mate of 38 years “likes” trains but is not what I’d call an honest-to-goodness railfan. She often says that the best part of being married to a train nut is the opportunity to travel around the country visiting all those interesting steam museums. She doesn’t participate much in the model railroad at home, but again, she enjoys visiting the various layouts with me and meeting all the nice folks we’ve come to know. I must say that she’s been very supportive of my hobby and very understanding when I do what all train guys do occasionally, like slamming on the brakes and pulling off the road when he’s spotted some railroad related object… So yeah, she’s definately a keeper.
I guess Im double lucky,my lass came ready trained (father in law is a train nut too) and she gets suspicious of any outing that doesnt involve a rail-related diversion .Also she is the singer in my rocknroll band ( and pretty d*mn fine at that as well )-15 years in and looking good for the duration-I must have done something pretty noble in a previous life,still,I`m not knocking it [^],all the best,nick
Since I am a teen a am not married and I don’t even have a girfriend- and my dad is a model railroder / railfan, and my mom is gad I have a safe hobby and not out drinking and smoking like some teens…
I got a keeper for sure, she got me started with the LGB 300th anniversary set for a birthday gift.
Went outdooors and she loves the gardening aspect.
Both of us can not wait to return to York for the annual ECLSTS, and a third of our club from eastern Massachusetts goes to this show and bring our wives.
Understanding, sympathetic, tolerant, at least thats what I try to be when she is too inquisitive at the arrival of another package of GR paraphernalia!
Have to admit she is very supportive of my hobby, perhaps because she knows where I am and I cannot be doing much harm, except spending to much of our pension.
Gave her a train to drive the otherday but it went like a bat out of hell and came off at the first curve. I said she should stick to driving the car which I think is the lesser of two evils!
The wife is very good really and gives me help in keeping the weeds down.
Keeper! She beats me if I don’t buy something at the hobby store. Last week I spent 2 days in ICU because I hesitated to buy a B’mann lighted passanger car that she really liked on evilbay- I was the one that thought we didn’t need it. I found out that I was wrong[B)]
She may be a keeper, but she is one giant slave driver. [:D] Would not allow me to run a single train yesterday [:(!]. Right after breakfast she handed me a big cardboard box full of stuff. She started by saying that the contents of the box had been acquired for the garden last Christmas and she wanted them in before this Christmas. [8] She began handing me little bags or smaller boxes of things like EPL Control Boxes (LGB 51750), On/Off Control Boxes (LGB 51800), Split Jaw Isolator Rail Clamps, Split Jay Power Supply Clamps, assorted end of the line Bumpers, Large spool of electrical cabling (seven bundled strand). She concluded her little tirade by stating that she was tired of the temporary wiring system out in the garden, that I would install the “permanent” wiring before doing anything else. [] She said she was tired of seeing those bright orange track isolators, the “ugly” (her word not mine) “thumbscrew track power things” (LGB 50160 Track Power Cable), she made a comment that she did not like running all over the garden to manually throw an electrical turnout, or something like that.
Long story short, After surviving her whips and chains all day yesterday, the GRR now has in place it’s permanent wiring system, and everything works without getting out of the chair.
] She said she was tired of seeing those bright orange track isolators, the “ugly” (her word not mine) “thumbscrew track power things” (LGB 50160 Track Power Cable), she made a comment that she did not like running all over the garden to manually throw an electrical turnout, or something like that.