You spend many hours,day in and day out building your layout,highly detailed,set up the way you want it, and then ,people visit (especially relatives) and they have to TOUCH EVERYTHING…WHY? Can’t tell how many times i had to reglue stuff.
I guess it’s because they think because there family,they can.
I suppose if someone opens a store, all their family and friends will go to their store and just because they know you, they expect free stuff. Same as a layout I suppose[?][:(!]
This has never happened to me and i hope it never does that would really fustrate me.
Benjamin R.[:(!][:(!]
If I had to do that because of relatives I would tell them to get stuffed and not let them come to my house, not even my strp of road.
Its human nature.
Either put up a sheild (plexi?) , do not touch signs, or politely tell them not to touch.
I have a funny story about this, involving my first layout (N scale), plaster scenery, and a visitor saying “what’s this made of then”…basically we’d just finished spreading the plaster over some polystyrene hills (to smooth the edges of the tiles we used), and then “prod”…Took them ages to wa***he plaster off!
Know what you mean!
Just be cool headed and sincere and tell them: “Glad you want to look, but please don’t touch. These break easily and takes me hours to repair!” You’ll find that most people are cooperative.
Now, as for visiting young kids (rugrats)? Especially the ones in which the parents don’t discipline them: (any of you parents reading this?): Be nice but FIRM about “NO TOUCHING!” Keep them within 2 feet of your grasp! Have a couple of “Junker” cars (old Tycos or Bachmanns) nearby they can hold and can do whatever they want to them.[:D][;)]
Electric fencing will do the trick.
Where’s the DOG when you want it?
Flip
willy6,I call that the touchy feelys…They must touch they can not help it it been preprogrammed as soon as they walk into a layout room,club or public display .Sadly Adults is as bad as some kids.For wee kids I let them hold a old car that isn’t worth anything.I found this seems to satisfy their curiosity far better then telling them no touching which of course most kids will do anyway as soon as you are not looking.
That’s a great idea. Anyone else do this?
I had that problem a few years back on another layout. I posted a sign above the layout warning about getting a hand slapped if I caught anyone touching items . Needless to say, after a few of those, or not being invited back to see the layout, they finally got the message! I still use that sign ,but at least I have not had to slap any hands!
It’s the same as the “WET PAINT” sign. Is it really wet? Duh!
Is that tree really as delicate as it looks? …touch…[:(!][}:)]
(I like the electric fence idea [:D] )
Well, you could always post a sign saying “DANGER!! DO NOT TOUCH!! 12,000 MILLIVOLTS!!!”
'Course if your relatives are electicral engineers, they’ll know it ain’t dangerous. OTOH, they’ll appreciate the humor and not touch.
Andre
I know what you mean, Willy. It is VERY frustraing, but it is human nature. Its because you know and understand the hard work that goes into MRing, but imagine if you didn’t, the first thing we’d all probably do is fall back to our 3 year old thinking and…touch.
I was in an old ma and pop hobby shop that I frequent awhile back. Its basically run by a retired (70+) teacher who sells model railroad supplies as well as RC cars and planes. In his RR section he has a 4’ x 8’ layout. Its an oval with sidings and a few small scenics. This guy comes in with his 4 year old kid. This kid was a major terror in that he was repeatedly touching EVERYTHING. His dad told him maybe twice to stop inside of 10 minutes. This kid goes over to the layout and cranks the throttle wide open and then powers it up. I turned when I heard the train start speeding up and saw the train fly around the curve and rear-end some parked cars loaded with coal. Pieces, trains, and cars flew everywhere[:(!]. Those with kids know its hard to be on top of everything your kid is doing but I was angry at the dad and his kid and felt bad for the old man at the same time. It does happen, is frustrating, but is also the natural curious tendancy for those who don’t understand the work that goes into layout building to reach out and touch…something.
I have a sign posted on the edge of my layout visible to all who enter that says
Just like at the real railroad, keep your hands off or something may get hurt".
It always causes a chuckle but gets the point across right away. When someone entering my room ususally read it and chuckles, Ill then add in that “It takes so much work so I don’t want things broken” and that does the trick.
Ever thought about reverse psychology. Put up a sign that says feel free to touch. then maybe they won’t feel the need to touch. ummm well It’s a dumb idea sorry time to invest in an electric fence. Or what about thoses invsible fences for your dog. make your guests were a collar and ever time they get to close. very shocking topic I would have to say.[(-D]
Andrew
I’ve gone so far as to buy a couple of extra cheapie engines that my three-year-old can run, as well as a couple of cheap auctions on eBay for old Tyco cars. These will be “his” engines, and hopefully a buffer between El Destructo and the Proto 2000 engines.
Still working on actually getting a layout built (but heck, we’ve only been in the new house 6 months today…), but he’s already enjoying running them around the loop & siding I set up out of 25-year-old sectional track. Yes, I’m trying to hook him early. [:D]
Brian Pickering
Too many people have no respect or common sense and I blame the parents.
My 5 year old son assembles his own trains and runs them unsupervised. (he also uses a power drill if I am there). I trust him and I know he has the common sense to be trusted, because I raised him that way. Sure the occasional car still hits the floor but that is 5-year-old lack of coordination and I accept that as the cost of raising a crewmember …er… I mean son.
At a recent train show here in NZ one kid about 10 came in and was running around grabbing everything he saw. After he grabbed a handmade 1950s 1:24 scale car and got it tangled in the beautifully made trolley wires, I lost it and told him off, big time. Then I had a go at his dad who was ambling about as if he didn’t give a toss. He looked at me with an expression that can only be described as bovine, said nothing and strolled off, still ignoring the kid. the kid now had his hands behind his back and had the decency to blush, but he hadn’t calmed down any and i shudder to think what other havoc he wreaked…
I gave my son Jack a Marklin layout for his fifth birthday, like my Dad did for me. Most of it was second hand but I got a new loco. His cousins burnt it out in the first hour. i turned mny back for a few minutes to sort something else out at the party and one of them held it down while the other tried to drive it away…
two slightly older kids were playing with him the other day. I checked in on them and they were lining marklin cars up side on a cross the track and crashing into them. Jack looked real sheepish because he knew it was an idiot thing to do but didn’t have the seniority to stop it, so he wasn’t the one who copped it. Actually i kept my cool pretty well and explained that trains aren’t for crashing…
what’s so hard about raising kids with a little sense and respect? they don’t seem to get any better with age and then they have their own kids… Ah! suddenly I see the
Robengland,
A hearty salute to you in that you’re working hard to raise your son to be a caring decent human being. [swg][tup]
I may get flamed for this by others but I strongly feel that a lot but not all of the “Disrespectful, inconsiderate” kids that you’re referring to results from LIBERAL PARENTING!
It sickens me when I run into parents in these situations. They’ll just say “Don’t do that” while little “Johnny or Jane” continues. They make zero efforts in disciplining their kids.
There are times when I see kids acting up in public and I just have to say something…the parents at least deserve to be acknowledged for the “lousy”----er wonderful job that they’re doing in raising future productive citizens with poor manners and ethics.
These are the same parents that blame School Systems for failing their kids and the same ones who years later, after their kids are grown and have no ethics, wonder
“Oh where did I go wrong?”. Anyone remember “Columbine”?
I’d love to drop these types of parents, with their kids, off in Sudan, NIgeria, or Nicaragua and have them live there for 12 months!
O.K, I’m finished with my tirade! Those of you that want to hurl spears I understand.
Now, back to trains! [:D][;)]
I’m not going to flame you, AntonioFP45. I agree with you.