You play with CHOO CHOO TRAINS!!!

I usually avoid talking about it to people until they've seen my layout or other circumstances arise. Usually I get a wow and then, the questions begin. I've found that the skills I've learned through the hobby have helped me in other aspects (like my master's thesis work (yeah really)). It is that kind of work where people ask how I've learned something and that opens the door.
I've found that when people make fun of the hobby it is usually from a lack of understanding and a poor appreciation of art and human accomplishment. Plus those who give me flak usually don't even have a hobby or interest and they are really the ones who are losing out.

 

Yes, I play with Choo Choo's and I'm proud of it...want to make something of it! LOL Oh how I wish I could cut loose with that answer but I can't back it up anymore.

Typically, I do respond with, yep... if you can call those three lead locomotives, Choo Choo Trains at a cost of over $300.00. That usually grabs their attention and the eyes grow big. Leading to a little more respect, all kinds of questions and a informative conversation.

Like some of you I don't discuss my hobby outside of the train shed. Exceptions being here on line with fellow model rails or when visiting a fellow or train ladies Choo Choo set-up. Not to forget a visit to the LHS Choo Choo shop! Grin!

No need to let the anger loose. I'm having to much fun to worry, about it.

So, go have some fun!

 

You can't imagine the look of horror that comes over them when I offer them a digital throttle! He-he-he! When they refuse, I can say "Hey, give it a try! Even a child can play with my choo-choo trains . . ."

I especially like it when I've set them up!

I'm known as a diplomatic sort (well, sometimes--well, actually not a lot of times), but I can also be about as gracious as a dump truck. I just don't worry about it any longer.

 

I don't get the worked up about people calling my trains "toys." I think of it as "toys" in the same way a motorboat is a toy, or a really cool stereo. I am not using my trains to pull stumps in my yard, or pay my mortgage, or work on my transmission, or feed the poor, so they are, in that respect, "toys."

Most people who choose to not "get" what I do and who insist on keeping the door of their minds firmly closed are not worth my worry, so I choose to not get to worked up about them. I had enough of that in high school, and you know, a lot of those people who used to roll their eyes at me or make jokes about me then probably grew up to be really uninteresting, close-minded people.

Adam

 

Exactly, describing adult Hobbies as "toys" isn't new.

I've never been asked if I "played with choo choo trains" Though I have encountered some that don't think much of these kinds of hobbies in general. Generally, that's just a personality issue and I don't take any more offense then I would with anybody else that I clash personalities with. Getting upset about that kinda thing shortens the lifespan.

Incidentally, most of those that I clash with fall into two categories
1: people whose hobbies pretty much revolve around athletecism to the exclusion of anything else.
These people simply don't see the value in anything remotely sedentary, even the ones that aren't just doing it for the Excersize.
2: People that pretty much don't do anything
This is mainly young people that either haven't quite grown up enough to realize they need more, or they don't realize that their Halo 3 sessions and obscure indie music collection constitutes hobbies.

Of course, Halo 3 and indie music do have better "street cred."

 

you play with choo-choo ?

of course i heard this lots of times. usually these people also smile as if you were a freak.


all i do is smile back at them. and in my mind there's just one sentence popping up :


beati pauperi spiritus sunt.

(happy are the simple minded)

 

Kinda like when someone says they don't like a television show because they don't "get" intellectual based humor.:tb-nerd:





Yeah, I'm just a hobby dork with some stupid obsession that my wife hates:tb-wink:

 

Nobody has ever said that to me, but if someone were to, I'd just say, "Choo, choo trains? No, those sound equipped models with digital decoders in them cost hundreds of dollars, and I prefer straight DC."

 

i say "sure do, I have over $15,000 invested into my layout.." that usually starts them stammering. When I show my students (high school teacher) pics of the layout they think it is cool. I love the shirt that says "I still play with toy trains."

 

Training em earlly:
There was a cranky 2yo on the commuter rail yesterday. The mom redirected its attention to the "Choooo chooo" complete with lilting voice.
_______________________________________________________
I've been thinking since my first post.
How one presents a concept will affect how others react to it.
Folks don't get much of a chance to make a diminutive or negative remark about my trains. While I do refer to my trains as a "kinetic sculpture" I also tend to mention them in the same sentence as I do my other interests. So by the time they know about the trains they also know about the poetry i write, photographs I take, and the trails I hike.

Beyond all of that adults in general are not predisposed to make negative comments or what might be percieved as such. Tone inflection and body language make a major differance.

 

I "play with trains". Most of you model them. I use a felt-covered table top to put together Unitrack layouts, tear them apart, and change them. From my observations, there don't seem to be many people like me. Most of you sculpt beautiful terrain; mountains, cities, bridges over rivers, etc. and don't move your tracks around. Many of build new modules when you want to do something different.

Ever since I was a kid I loved putting the track together and trying different things with it. I don't have a layout right now, took my table down for the holidays. When I put it back up I plan on replacing the 4'x8' top with a 5'x9' one. I want more room for when I play with HO and O Scale. Of course, my N Scale layouts will expand too.

 

Especially not with the LL 0-8-0...

 

Funny thing about this, I've been frustrated by the simplification of Choo Choo Trains also, but I've never felt the need to turn the tables on the person insulting me, or even worse, to act like a snob because they don't understand our hobby.

I don't think the same could be said of other hobby or art mediums - the one example that comes to mind is going to an art museum and not being able to tell the difference between fine art and "other", you're likely to raise the eyebrows (if not worse) of the artist or curator.

The point being, we Model Railroaders are a humble lot, in a lot of cases with great artistic skills, but I think we handle ignorance with great humility.

 

First I make fun of myself: 'yes, I am playing with trains'. And when I notice some kind of interest (the question 'do you have a layout at home?' is enough for me), I explain that I build American layouts, that I have modules that I take to club meetings, and that I try to represent Connecticut in the 50's. Well, that is usually enough information to stop or prevent them making fun of our hobby. And I send my collegues some pictures of the modules and layouts I am working in, and I get a lot of positive comments.

Eventually, most people (and especially men!) have hobbies. Some renovate old Harleys or cars, others collect stamps or watch planes. I always say: 'hey, I could also use the money to visit the pub, but instead I buy trains with the money!'

 

I break out the thomas the tank train lionel set around christmas time and play with the grandkids for about a month. I like the fastrak which is like big kato unitrack.
The rest of the year I play at building my plastic train models.
and speaking of play, How is Shaq gonna play with those speedy Suns? Is the Diesel gonna die of a heart attack right there on the floor?? ...dave

 

Wait a minute, I could use this money to visit the pub? I'm outta here!!...dave

 

I've been playing with RC Cars and trucks since I was 20 (39 now), so I don't give any thought anymore to what anyone thinks of me playing with toys but me. Atleast the trains are indoors so not as many people come up to you asking questions or stare like when I'm running RC stuff outside.

People are funny you know, but I just can't imagine what my miserable life would be like if I was afraid to play with "toys".

I've found that the age of the average train nut, is much older than that of the average RC fanatic. That's not to say that I don't know plenty of 60+ year old people that do RC because I do. I see way more kids interested in RC than Trains though, by a landslide. I don't think a lot of them can relate to trains as much as cars and trucks, unlike people my age and older.

 

I play with real trains at work and N scale trains at home!
Guys at work say, 'You must sure like trains!'

 

Some of us have too many hobbies! I have model trains, ATV's, camping, Games on computer, PS3, XBox 360 and Wii. Out of all of them, I'd say model trains are the most relaxing,
there was that 1 time when a train hit the floor though...:tb-ooh: