Women model railroaders

[Anonymous]

Sometimes I like to check out old model railroad "how to" books to see how things were done in the early days of model railroading. It's interesting to learn that flex track didn't exist and sectional track ( with fiber ties!!??) was something new and rare in any scale other than toy trains. Rail and turnouts were commonly hand laid (appearently no factory made turnouts). Most shocking was a book on scenery suggesting mixing asbestos with plaster for greater strength!!! Yea right, lets go get ourselfs a big ol' bag of asbestos at Home Depot.
Anyway, while reading the 1948 edition of " Model Railroad Track and Layout " ,by non-other than A.C. Kalmbach, there are a few references to men tend to do this or men often do that. Although the book was dedicated to " Kathryn (his daughter?) who at three knows plenty about trains and track", it made me wonder if there were any women into model railroading back then.

[?] My question is how many women today have taken up model railroading as a hobby? If your a lady modelrailroader, how or what got you started and how long have you been in the hobby? What are the things you like and don't like to do in the hobby?
[?]Men, does your wife, daughter or girlfriend, participate in building a layout? If so, what do they like to do? If not, do they think you're crazy because you "play with trains"?[:o)]


Thanks!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: [i] do they think you're crazy because you "play with trains"?[:o)]

yup

[AntonioFP45]

[:)][8D]In the case of women thinking if I'm crazy or childish, all I have to say is: "Unlike dumping money on lap dances, gettng high, or getting drunk, I get to see and enjoy what I spent my relaxation money on for a very long time!" I actually get respected.[^]

I think that it would be great to see more female modelers! [swg][tup] There are definetly more female railroaders and railfans! If I'm not mistaking, Allen Keller, who makes the great model railroad videos, is married to a lovely, female railroader! [;)]

A thought though: How many of you male modelers that have daughters or sisters have tried to get them or her interested in this hobby?

As a teen, I tried with my sister who is 3 years younger than me. I was unsuccessful, or so I thought, until one day we happend to see a picture of a NYC Mohawk. She identified the feedwater heater as well as the wheel arrangement. She also understands the difference between hood units and covered wagons, so she did pick up something! [:D][8D]

[snowey]

I've tried to get my 2 teenage nephews interested, no luck with them, though, or other family members. I just learned though, that my 8 year old nephew is starting to get into plastic modelers. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

[Anonymous]

I've been teaching my mom a lot. She can now identify locos by their wheel arangement, and can tell a Pacific from a Mikado (but then again, that's easy, RIGHT????)

[Anonymous]

My mom and sister don't really care about model railroading or trains in general. My mom always told me she grew up in an area where Santa Fe ran, but only a week ago did I find out she was confusing Rio Grande with Santa Fe. (How do you do that?)

[bsteel4065]

My daughter soldered all my track with me. We had a great time. At that time she worked on the line at IBM assembling mother boards and the like. She complained about the soldering iron not being good enough! And last week I had a call from my granddaughter, who is 4, asking if she could come round and play with the trains. Love them both.

[krump]

I think this is a great idea...
- one of my daughters (6) shows a keen interest
- my wife no longer laughs at my hobby (I'm sensing some progress towards winning her over, in that she has offered to paint or build some kits)
- I have no influence whatsoever over my mom (though she gathers any train related stuff for me) or on my sister, nieces, or aunts (their bogus interest at least lets me talk trains)
- my grandmothers, greatgrandmothers didn't know I had a model train
- no current girlfriends (my wife wouldn't approve), after all I MARRIED my EX-Girlfriend... (she hates being introduced as my ex-girlfriend though)

so, bottom line is, the most significant influence that I have regarding the hobby is on a first grader.

[Anonymous]

My nephews daughter who is just as old as I am, has always been willling to learn a lot from her father about building and maintaining a modelrailroad. She's also an active member of the same club as her father. Let's say the blood runs in the family.

[SP9811]

My wife likes building, building kits for the layout. Also she has a good eye at the shows for SP freight cars and locomotives I don't have.
Thom
SP#1

[Anonymous]

My girlfriend thinks i'm Outsane which is a word she made up to describe me and my hobby

[Anonymous]

Well, my mother is very interested in trains because of me. She's learned a great deal from me and I can have an intelligent conversation about trains with her without having to use any simplified or dummy terms. She's painted the figures on my layout.

[gproseus]

Women in the hobby-you bet!My wife & best friend encourages most of my interests but she especially enjoys model RRs & old cars - goes to all the shows with me and is more observant than I when I tell her I am looking for a particular item,she also points out items that pertain to the particular RRs that I model [NYC & LVRR] & buildings she thinks will go well with the layout.Listening to her prospective take and ideas has helped me build a better layout.
george
lost in altmar

[gproseus]

Women in the hobby-you bet!My wife & best friend encourages most of my interests but she especially enjoys model RRs & old cars - goes to all the shows with me and is more observant than I when I tell her I am looking for a particular item,she also points out items that pertain to the particular RRs that I model [NYC & LVRR] & buildings she thinks will go well with the layout.Listening to her prospective take and ideas has helped me build a better layout.
george
lost in altmar

[Anonymous]

I think it's great to see women enjoying the hobby, though I've not met any personally. My sister know's I enjoy model trains and though she's not likely to get involved in the hobby for herself, she always asks how my efforts are coming along and has never failed to send me (at Christmas time or my birthday) exactly what I've wanted as a gift. I think this is really cool! She's even ordered, totally on her own, the yearly Walthers catalog's so she'll have an idea of what I'm referring to when I express an interest in this or that.[:D]

[Anonymous]

I visited a very well known local area modeler a couple of years ago. While I was there his adult daughter and her two kids stopped by. She said as a little girl she used to sit on the laps of the CTC operators on dad's layout. I asked her little girl what SHE thought about Grampa's trains and she said Grampa had shown her how to make 'em look dirty. It's great to see that kind of thing.

Ed

[vsmith]

Heard they're out there , never meet one though.

[orsonroy]

My mom USED to be a modeler. She helped my dad with most of the scenery on his first layout after they were married, and even gave clinics at the 1976 NMRA convention in Chicago (she used me as slave labor, saying to the guys, "If my five year old can make a realistic tree in under 2 minutes, why can't you?". Having kids and running a small business took her away from the hobby, but she still appreciates what I'm up to, and give the occasional tip on realistic scenery.

[Anonymous]

As to your question about women in MRR back then, lets not forget Bobbye Hall, now retired, but the proprietor of Hall's Hobbies since 1948. She divorced her husband, but before that they co-ran the shop. I never asked her if she had a layout, but even well into her 80's, she travelled to asia to plan the Hallmark Brass imports, so she must have loved it.

[Anonymous]

Really the only one comes to my mind is Mary Miller. She and her husband model Colorado Southern Narrow Gauge in O scale. Mary is a Master Model Railroader and has contributed to MR recently with a passenger car article for their CS RR.

[CBQ_Guy]

Off the top of my head I can think of only one I know of in the area.

My wife knew I was into trains long before we were married but she really hates to see the $$ being spent when it could be used for something more "appropriate". Heck, all the bills got paid, the kids were fed, etc. She just tolerates it all and when we found a "new" house she just had to have, I was able to "negotiate" the deal that I would go along with the purchase only if I got the ENTIRE basement for a layout. She agreed but I bet she was none too happy about that!

[Anonymous]

I just happen to be one of those "Women Model Railroaders" And you men out there need to realise there are more of us then you think. And just because we're at a train show with our husband's doesn't necessarily mean we're just taging along. It's amazing the comments I get at local train shows. All from stares that I'm into and quite knowledgable about MRRing to comments that I must get really tired at these things, tagging along carrying the purchases. I usually get eyes buldging out when I tell them I'm carrying my purchases, not my husband's.

I just so happen to have built (with hubby's help), sceniced, and maintain my own 4'x12' HO gauge layout, complete with a rolling stock storage drawer, 2 "drawer" control panels, and 2 display shelves. I have also helped my husband design, build, and scenic his 6'x8' O gauge layout.

I am woman, hear me roar!

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE:

I am woman, hear me roar!

Yes, dear...

[BNSFNUT]

I have met a few women that were model railroaders. Had a couple as regular costomers when I had a hobby shop and have met some at shows.
They are rare but they out there.
CBQ_Guy , you have a death wish???[:D]

[vsmith]

QUOTE: [i]

I am woman, hear me roar!

I think she ment a train whistle![:-^]

[Budliner]

I like Women model railroaders




B -

[trainfan1221]

I don`t know too many, except a friend of mine turned his lady friend into one of us. She has a small layout, and they do lots of train related stuff together. She just won`t admit to being a train fanatic, though. Theres room for everybody in this hobby.

[cbq9911a]

I've had people over to see my (large) layout, and the women are much more impressed than the men.

[Anonymous]

I have gotten my seven year olds intrest up by buying her a set for X-mas. She then recieved a gift card from a buddy of mine for the local hobby shop. Nothing like watching a seven year old spend conciderable time pondering what $ 50.00 should be spent on.

Denfinition of Kit bashing- Watching my 7 year old paint a model house the most out landish colors.[:D]

Ever see Barbie ride in a Lionel gondola?

[cwclark]

I can get my wife to "hold stuff" if i need an extra hand but when i'm done she's out of the room in a flash...at least she brags to her friends about my hobby...one time she tried to run the trains to impress one of her friends and ended up putting a north bound and a south bound train on the same track...Gomez Addams...eat your heart out!..it was the crash from hell!...but it impressed me that she tried....i think her thing is the gardening stuff...she's better at it ...