I would not say this is really an irritating gift it was given in good faith by a non model railroader. My Mother-in-law found a Lionel RR X-ing bank. That is what is said on the box, plain brown no markings and what have you.
You all know what I got… I clear plastic tube with a cheesy RR crossing sign for putting coins in.
What she thought she bought me was a model of a bank at a RR crossing to go on my layout.
Needless to say she was a litte upset when I told her that I let my son have the bank and that it would not fit on my layout. It would make a whistle sound whenever you put a coin in it and the lights would flash, he loves it. She to this day will not send X-mas presants to me because I didnt put the “bank and crossing” on my layout. She has even seen the bank together and in my sons room and does not believe me that is what she sent.
After many years and many “RR” gifts I now have my family trained to give me cash. I can then go to the “Springfield” show in January (this year the 30TH and 31ST) and buy what I want. No usless stuff and no hurt feelings, everyone wins.
I’ve never received an irritating MR gift, as before any gift giving day, I make sure anyone who cares has the link to my Walther’s wish list and I ensure its up to date
Hey - we all have received gifts that need to be ‘re-gifted.’ I remember one year for ex-father-in-law got me a tie - and not just any tie - it had to be one that came from the 40’s (actually probably from his closet) and could only be worn with a ‘zoot-suit.’ Granted this isn’t a MR gift, but it has happened to everyone. Just don’t re-gift it to the original giver. HA!
I got a train set one year for Christmas. It was in HO. My parents got it for me and I still have it. Well, my aunt thought I had to have accessories so she got me a building, a few other cars, and some vehicles.
Oh I almost forgot to say that they were in O scale. She got mad whenever I told her that they wouldn’t work.
Aw, NUTS! Now you had to go and ruin it for me, LOL![:P] I got mine as a gift ten years ago and I’'m still answering it. [:-^]
Okay. Well meant but HUH? [%-)] My son and his wife got together and bought me a little steamer for Christmas. It’s a Bachmann Spectrum 2-10-0. Tommy said that Anna thought it looked really ‘cute’.
Well, it is. But the railroad I model never had a 2-10-0. So I tried to figure out how I could amalgamate it into my loco fleet without too much trouble. I went to my RIO GRANDE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE book and tried to think of exactly where I could fit the “Never Was” Decapod in. Besides, Anna was right, it’s ‘cute’ as a button and runs like a little Swiss watch.
So, I figured, if I could have my Rio Grande running ‘never was’ 3900 series Yellowstones, I could sure find a spot for this little lady. Now, the Rio Grande 2-10-2’s were the 1400 series. AHAH! Rio Grande never had a steam locomotive in the 1300 series (superstitious?).
So, as soon as it’s painted and decalled, 2-10-0 #1300 will start chugging around the Yuba River Sub with some short freights.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And frankly, the more I look at the little gal, the ‘cuter’ she gets.
An odd-shaped gift handed to me on Christmas morning was a box containing 5 N scale cars. Four of them fit my layout (ATSF 1950s), but the 5th was an 89’ auto rack with modern-era autos attached to it. On the plus side, two of the four suitable ones were brand-new Micro-Trains 50’ gondolas.
The only irritating MR gift I ever received was from one of my Exs (I have more than one). It was 5 Lbs of plastique with the detonator/timer set to 6:00 AM Christmas morning. It may not exactly qualify as an MR gift, but the wrapping paper did have choo choos on it. Thank goodness that woman always forgot the batteries for every gift she’s ever given.[(-D]
Goofiness aside, I’ve never received an “irritating” MR gift from anyone. I’ve received train clocks, watches, wooden locomotive sculptures, and once (while in my 40s) a plastic train set meant for a 2 year old child, and I appreciated each and every one. The sentiment was there and that’s what made each gift unique and meaningful.[:)]
And besides, anytime there was an MR gift that I really wanted I went out and bought it for myself.[;)]
I would not really call an irritating MR gift, but my wife gave me a train clock for christmas some years ago. It is supposed to be a recreation of a clock once installed in New York´s Central station. Thank god it does not have any annoying sounds build in, but it has two sides - each with its own clockwork. Now the dang thing shows two different times, unless you adjust it twice daily [:D]
Seeing what some have recieved, I think that “irritating” is a word that could be used for describing gifts…
But if a person cares enough about you to give you a present, I hope that the giver knows you well enough to research what your likes and needs are.
When I give presents I always try my hardest to make it a “good” one.
As an example, my wife has started out with Dolls house miniatures (and I thought that Model RR:ing was expensive!). As I liked to give her something related for Christmas I had to do some research as I don´t really know much about that hobby.
And that is often the case for our near and dear ones when it comes to our Hobby.
However, some Web-browsing later I knew enough to buy something she could like (wich she did).
So if someone gets the “unwanted” or “irritating” gifts it is either a bit of a shame of the giver, as they didn´t care to research a bit better [swg], or the recipient for not being open enough about his needs and likes…
I got Miller-engineering neon signs for my layout as a Christmas present, so I guess they know me well by now.
The most annoying MR gift of mine…I’d have to say it was the Baldwin S12 by Athearn. I can’t blame the person who bought it for me, simply because I’d picked it out. Anyway, it ran fine first out of the box. But, it soon developed a reputation for having electrical issues. Odd, because I had a pair of Athearn F units and a GP7…which ran fine. After stripping down the entire unit, I eventually found the problem–there was some sort of wax on both truck bolsters! No wonder it didn’t run very well! It’s since been rebuilt and fitted with nickel-plated wheels. Runs fine now, but sadly, doesn’t see much service lately–most of the layout has been mothballed.
Most irritating MR gift i got was this year and from a train i already own. First year i put a display around the tree and was a big hit here all the guests loved watching it. By about 9:30pm xmas eve the train (a Bachmanne spectrum) started acting like it stripped a gear and was too late and had too much to do for the next day to get it running right for the next day. Gota take a look at it and fix it myself or take it in to get fixed.
Well at least you guys GOT gifts! I guess I screwed up by telling my live-in-girlfriend that I thought (since we both were a little strapped for cash) we shouldn’t spend money on each other for Christmas. Of course I figured she would get me something anyway, since this was our first Christmas together, so I got her some pretty decent gifts. Well guess what she gave me?..NOT ONE %#$@&% THING!!!
