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Funny things non MRRs say

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Posted by rrinker on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 3:57 PM

tomikawaTT

andrechapelon

SQ9: (After explaining that the scenery will be modeled to look like the New Mexico desert) So, you will probably have some camels then, right?

Dazzle 'em with the depth of your historical knowledge. The US Army actually experimented with camels as pack animals in the 1850's in the desert Southwest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Camel_Corps

Andre

Just tell the genius that Haj Ali died before the time you model, and the camels all ended up in zoos.  If they want to know who Haj Ali was, then you can tell them about the Camel Corps (He was the camel handler the Army imported with the camels.)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

 You know, I actually learned about that when I was a kid from, of all things, a song done by the New Christie Minstrels.

                              --Randy


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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Posted by jwhitten on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 1:46 PM

BATMAN
Ya I  had a relative come in and see the layout. There was a piece of Shinohara flextrack sitting on the benchwork. He picked it up and said "so this is the track eh" I said that it was called flextrack. With that he proceeded to bend and twist it into a unusable piece of garbage before I could even open my mouth.

 

So this is your new Porche eh?

(Ball Peen Hammer)

Funny, I always thought they were built better than that...

Mischief 

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by BATMAN on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:15 AM

reklein

Not so much what they say,but what they do. My adult cousins can't keep their hands off stuff. Ooooh whats this made of? tap,tap, tap with the fingernails on the scenery. Does this turn? while trying out the lift wheels on the barge landing, Rolling the cars,feeling the ballast etc. Makaes me awful nervous sometimes.BILL

 

 

Ya I  had a relative come in and see the layout. There was a piece of Shinohara flextrack sitting on the benchwork. He picked it up and said "so this is the track eh" I said that it was called flextrack. With that he proceeded to bend and twist it into a unusable piece of garbage before I could even open my mouth.

 He is an inlawBanged Head. My side of the family has RRs in the blood and would have never done such a thing.Whistling

 

                                                                       Brent

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

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Posted by chatanuga on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 11:06 AM

reklein

Not so much what they say,but what they do. My adult cousins can't keep their hands off stuff. Ooooh whats this made of? tap,tap, tap with the fingernails on the scenery. Does this turn? while trying out the lift wheels on the barge landing, Rolling the cars,feeling the ballast etc. Makaes me awful nervous sometimes.BILL

That's one thing I have never understood.  When I used to belong to a model railroad club back in my hometown, at countless times during our open houses, we'd be telling people not to touch the trains or layout as they kept reaching over the plexiglass on the perimeter of the layout just to feel things.  A few years ago when I'd just finished the mainline on my current layout, a friend of mine was down in the basement with me to see the progress, and I noticed him carefully reach over to touch the track, even though it wasn't ballasted or anything, just track on cork.

Kevin

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Posted by andrechapelon on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 10:41 AM

Just tell the genius that Haj Ali died before the time you model, and the camels all ended up in zoos.  If they want to know who Haj Ali was, then you can tell them about the Camel Corps (He was the camel handler the Army imported with the camels.)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

Back when cigarettes could be advertised, RJ Reynolds (the maker of Camels) had a slogan, "I'd walk a mile for a Camel". I think they had Haj Ali in mind on that one. Either that, or Ross Winans ( http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abboc.Html )

Andre

 

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
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Posted by tomikawaTT on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 9:57 AM

andrechapelon

SQ9: (After explaining that the scenery will be modeled to look like the New Mexico desert) So, you will probably have some camels then, right?

Dazzle 'em with the depth of your historical knowledge. The US Army actually experimented with camels as pack animals in the 1850's in the desert Southwest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Camel_Corps

Andre

Just tell the genius that Haj Ali died before the time you model, and the camels all ended up in zoos.  If they want to know who Haj Ali was, then you can tell them about the Camel Corps (He was the camel handler the Army imported with the camels.)

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

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Posted by reklein on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 9:12 AM

Not so much what they say,but what they do. My adult cousins can't keep their hands off stuff. Ooooh whats this made of? tap,tap, tap with the fingernails on the scenery. Does this turn? while trying out the lift wheels on the barge landing, Rolling the cars,feeling the ballast etc. Makaes me awful nervous sometimes.BILL

In Lewiston Idaho,where they filmed Breakheart pass.
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Posted by Graffen on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 5:46 AM

SteamFreak

 

And a few nuggets I've heard over the years:

 "Why do you make them so dirty?"

And, while not a question, photos in eBay auctions of the seller's vain attempts to couple the tender to the engine backwards make me nuts!!! 

 

Yeah the "dirty" questions they all asks Big Smile

Don´t forget the wonderful pic´s on Ebay where they put a Cab-Forward with the tender connected to the Cab-end, and write that it´s broken in some way......Dead

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Posted by wholeman on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 1:14 AM

I had someone ask me if the wheels threw out sparks.

Will

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Posted by SteamFreak on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 12:51 AM

 

el-capitan
SQ9: (After explaining that the scenery will be modeled to look like the New Mexico desert) So, you will probably have some camels then, right?

A: Yes, all around the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid.

 

And a few nuggets I've heard over the years:

 "Do they run on batteries?" (HO scale)

 "Why do you make them so dirty?"

And, while not a question, photos in eBay auctions of the seller's vain attempts to couple the tender to the engine backwards make me nuts!!! 

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Posted by AztecEagle on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9:29 PM

How about"One Hump or Two??".Laugh

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Posted by jwhitten on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9:19 PM

el-capitan

SQ9: (After explaining that the scenery will be modeled to look like the New Mexico desert) So, you will probably have some camels then, right?

Ans: (I have yet to figure out a suitable answer without offending the questioner)

 

 

Ans: Dromedary or Bactrian?

 

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Posted by andrechapelon on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 2:04 PM

SQ9: (After explaining that the scenery will be modeled to look like the New Mexico desert) So, you will probably have some camels then, right?

Dazzle 'em with the depth of your historical knowledge. The US Army actually experimented with camels as pack animals in the 1850's in the desert Southwest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Camel_Corps

Andre

 

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
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Posted by el-capitan on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 1:38 PM

Stupid questions (SQ's) that I get often.

 SQ1: What is the most expensive part of your layout?

Ans: The house that I bought to build it in.

SQ2: Why do they go so slow?

Ans: Because they can.

SQ3: Do you ever race them?

Ans: It's a single track. Not much point.

SQ4: How much did that one cost?

Ans: I stole it, I built it, it was a gift (pick one)

SQ5: I have my dad's Lionel trains from when he was a kid. One is a santa fe. How much is it worth?

Ans: I don't collect, I model.

SQ6: How come when you run one train, they all don't just turn on?

Ans: How come when you turn on one light switch in your house, they don't all turn on?

SQ7: What are they made out of (as he taps on the boiler of a steam engine)?

Ans: Brass, now get your greasy hands off it.

SQ8: What does your wife think of all this?

Ans: I offered full disclosure before we got married so apparently she accepts it.

SQ9: (After explaining that the scenery will be modeled to look like the New Mexico desert) So, you will probably have some camels then, right?

Ans: (I have yet to figure out a suitable answer without offending the questioner)

 

On a similar note, my wife went to the LHS to buy me my father's day gift. I had asked for 2 particular stock cars with different numbers. She told the clerk what she was looking for. he went in the back room and brought out two boxes. She looked at them and then said to the clerk "He wants stock cars, not box cars." He got really embarrassed that a woman had corrected him. I was proud of her. Not many wives know the difference.

 

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Deming Sub Deming Sub

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Posted by AztecEagle on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 10:31 AM

Yep!!!Jesus never spoke English!!He spoke Aramic;Hebrew;some Greek;Latin and Arabic!!!

You know,when some of these"English Only!!"types start complaining about"No One Speaks EnglishAnymore!!",I'm tempting to say"Well,If we Spoke English like they do in London;Dublin;Bangor and Aberdeen;first of all,we'd spell tires'tyres';spell color'colour'and call women's lingerie'knickers'.LaughLaughSmile,Wink, & Grin!!

We'd watch the Evening News on The Telly;tell the Mechanic"To Take a Look Under The Bonnet"and load our luggage in the Boot of Our Motorcar!!!LaughSmile,Wink, & GrinCool

In one of those ironic things,there's a popular email going around showing The Duke saying"Now Why The Hell Should I Press One For English???!!".

Turns out that all three of John Wayne's Wives were Hispanic-His First Two Were Mexican and his third was Peruvian!!-and the Duke was very fluent in Spanish!!

He always wanted his Tombstone to read"Feo,Fuerte Y Formal-He was Ugly,Strong and Dignified'.Thumbs UpCowboy

However,his grave didn't get a headstone for nearly twenty years!!Shock

Seems his family felt that some overzealous fan might want to steal it!!ShockSigh

Finally they put one on his grave about ten years ago.

 

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Posted by AztecEagle on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 10:14 AM

Last Month,I went to a Train Show in Arlington.I bought a new Transformer;an Athearn MP Cattle Car;an Athearn NdeM Gondola;some signs and an Intermountain NC&StL Box Car.

My Wife asked me"Why Do You Buy So Many Box Cars??".

Her Sister said"Because Most Freight Trains Have Box Cars!!".

After my Athearn Power Pack shorted out after four years of service,I tried to sell it by putting a post on HO Yard Sale.

I got one reply.He wanted to know"What Road Name Is Your Athearn Transformer??".Banged HeadQuestionSign - Off Topic!!

I shoulda replied"How About'Optimus Prime'??".Laugh

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Posted by jwhitten on Monday, February 8, 2010 9:05 AM

CTValleyRR

jwhitten

I might have been tempted to ask them if they actually had teacher's certificates or even a high-school diploma. Morons like that don't belong on school boards.

You're kidding, right?  After 10+ years dealing with public school boards and administrations, I thought being a moron was a prerequisite for service!

 

 

You're probably right.

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by tomikawaTT on Monday, February 8, 2010 12:26 AM

CTValleyRR

jwhitten

I might have been tempted to ask them if they actually had teacher's certificates or even a high-school diploma. Morons like that don't belong on school boards.

You're kidding, right?  After 10+ years dealing with public school boards and administrations, I thought being a moron was a prerequisite for service!

Personally, I would have asked Mr Genius if he had hand-me-down Lionel or American Flyer as a kid.  Then I would have told him that the track voltages for Lionel AC were higher than the voltages used for modern HO scale locos.

My favorite Sign - Off Topic!! school board story concerns a town in Arkansas where the residents petitioned to add foreign language studies to the curriculum.  Quoting the School Board spokesbeing, "If English was good enough for Jesus Christ it's good enough for our students..."

Say WHAT?  Jesus preached in Aramaic, and may have known enough Latin to converse with the Romans who were occupying Palestine at the time.  Modern English didn't evolve until over a millennium later.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in a language not taught in the USA)

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Posted by CTValleyRR on Sunday, February 7, 2010 3:17 PM

jwhitten

I might have been tempted to ask them if they actually had teacher's certificates or even a high-school diploma. Morons like that don't belong on school boards.

You're kidding, right?  After 10+ years dealing with public school boards and administrations, I thought being a moron was a prerequisite for service!

Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford

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Posted by IVRW on Sunday, February 7, 2010 8:39 AM
wholeman

I was thinking what could she say that would insult the hobby.  She started saying things like how she doesn't like steam engines because the are "monochrome."  She showed some of the pictures to some of her friend and they started looking at diesels and judging how pretty they were based on colors.  I couldn't stop laughing.

Rumor has it that steam engines were more powerful than diesels, but the diesels were replaced for this very reason.

~G4

19 Years old, modeling the Cowlitz, Chehalis, and Cascade Railroad of Western Washington in 1927 in 6X6 feet.

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Posted by jwhitten on Saturday, February 6, 2010 12:59 PM

RailfanS

When I our High School MRR club was formed we had to get approval from the school board, so we went to a meeting and gave a presentation. 2 questions were asked that fit this subject:

After showing one of the club members N&W class J steamer we where asked:

"That looks neat, does it do anything?"

So after describing how it's powered by electricity which runs through the rails to the motor ect. we were asked:

"Isn't that a major fire hazard, with the electricity going through the uninsulated rails?"

Banged Head We got our approval but needless to say it was a LONG night... 

 

 

I might have been tempted to ask them if they actually had teacher's certificates or even a high-school diploma. Morons like that don't belong on school boards.

Modeling the South Pennsylvania Railroad ("The Hilltop Route") in the late 50's
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Posted by jwhitten on Saturday, February 6, 2010 12:55 PM

aloco

When the club has one of its layouts on display it annoys me no end to hear people say words like 'choo choo' 'woo woo' or 'whistle'  when there are diesels running on the layout. 



Even though I know what you mean I'm not personally bothered by that one because people are (a) conditioned to say "choo choo" and "woo woo" when they see or talk about trains, and (b) they are attempting to connect and participate which, IMO, is worth the extra affordance of patience and understanding. Plus (c) I've been known to go "choo choo" and "woo woo" at steam engines myself... Big Smile And its even cuter when my kid does it.
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Posted by PASMITH on Friday, February 5, 2010 6:07 PM
So you like trains? You should see my neighbor who has lots of trains in his basement. Peter Smith, Memphis
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Posted by jcopilot on Friday, February 5, 2010 6:01 PM
I've had people ask if I put the RR up for Christmas and take it down every year. My layout fills a 17.5' x 22' room on 2 levels with a helix. I've been asked how many trainsets I have. Seems non-MRRs think only in terms of trainsets. And how many trains can I run at one time? I try to be patient, but it's hard sometimes. Jcopilot
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Posted by trainguy4466 on Friday, February 5, 2010 4:07 PM
being a model railroader in high school, I get asked really stupid questions all the time. requests for crashes, questions about steering wheels, people not knowing the difference between steam and diesel, and the one we all hate to hear come out of little kids mouths at train shows "where's Thomas?" or other related questions, but recently I was asked a question by a classmate that blew me away, she asked "whats a freight train carry, I thought they all carried people" despite what i wanted to say, I calmly replied, "anything but people, thats what freight is" honestly, the stupidity of some high schoolers never ceases to amaze me
modelling railroads in eastern NC
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Posted by Rapido on Thursday, February 4, 2010 6:55 PM
I get this one about once a month, and it started about a month after I moved into the house:

"So have you set up your trains yet? Can I come down and see them?"

I patiently explain that it's not a matter of just "setting them up," but it is a 25-year project to build a layout and the track plan took 18 months to design.

They understand pretty quickly.

I'm delighted that they are genuinely interested in seeing the trains, but I do feel the need to dispel their perception of scale model trains as tinplate tracks set up on the carpet and then put away in a Rubbermaid bin when I'm done for the day...

-Jason

Jason Shron - President - Rapido Trains Inc. - RapidoTrains.com
My HO scale Kingston Sub layout: Facebook.com/KingstonSub

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Posted by blownout cylinder on Thursday, February 4, 2010 1:44 PM

Javelina

blownout cylinder

Then there is a bunch of people who don't know real trains carry things----they think they're just big toysConfusedBanged Head

Seriously..............?! These people breathe on their own?

 

You'd wonder sometimes!! lol!!

There was a couple that got stuck at a RR crossing awhile back that could not understand that those trains could hurt them!! A buddy of mine and I ended up talking to them about what they carried---turned out they had no ideaConfusedWhistling

Sometimes------Sigh

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...

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Posted by Medina1128 on Thursday, February 4, 2010 1:15 PM

Face it, people will say goofy things no matter what your hobby is. When I used to drag race, and I'd be working on the car, neighborhood kids would invariably ask me, "Can you do a "poppa wheelie"? Then they'd want me to pull out on the street in front of my house and show them. Um, no, never did.

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Posted by Javelina on Thursday, February 4, 2010 12:02 PM

blownout cylinder

Then there is a bunch of people who don't know real trains carry things----they think they're just big toysConfusedBanged Head

Seriously..............?! These people breathe on their own?

 

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