Always play with your wife more than you play with yourself.
My other half likes my miniature world except she doesn’t like how the gate in front of the church doesn’t open when she tries to sick her finger through it. She could care less about the trains but she likes the scenes I’ve created. She goes to train shows to sell because she likes money. She never complains that the walls of the bedroom are covered with shelves full of layout. But I like to think my layout looks like 3D art instead of toys.
Technically I would say we don’t play with toys, we play with scale models which are different than toys. And most of the time we don’t actually play, we build, construct, assemble etc.
j.........
p.s. maybe you over weather. I’ve seen some layouts where everything looks brown but when I look at the real world I see things that are shinny and clean.
Joe,
My lovely spouse of 30 years is the same way, she cleans daily. She also supports the hobby and enjoys going to train shows and layout visits. She truly enjoys my hobby and gets a excited as I do when a train show is in our schedule, or I drive 6 hours out of the way to visit Harlowtown MT as she knows I love the Milwaukee Road. It's all an adventure to her.
Besides that, her habits of keeping the house clean is a plus as my layout and track are dust free, but she loves the realism weathering adds. Once I showed her that white glue and water will permanetly anchor "that dirt I bought online" she stopped worrying about it.
She often points out weathering powders and stains, wanting me to do this to a sawmill, I had to explain to her that my sawmill was new construction and is suppose to represent that.
If you dress up your layout (assuming it isnt complete) with painted fascia, curtains and light, it takes on a "display of a world" instead of an eyesore.
Once you stop "playing", what else is there?
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
WOW Brakie I am amazed that YOH allows that. You do have a good one.
My wife supported my hobby and understood weathering but,she couldn't tolerate a messy and trashy looking work desk-in my case a student desk located in the dining room-so,I learn to do one project at a time and leave everything neat and tidy.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
joe323 Is it just me or do any of the guys out here feel so heat from the other half when they weather the layout? Seems like they regard even scale model railroads as big boys playing with toys and the room should be neat and clean.
Is it just me or do any of the guys out here feel so heat from the other half when they weather the layout? Seems like they regard even scale model railroads as big boys playing with toys and the room should be neat and clean.
Rich
Alton Junction
My wife also supports my involvement in the hobby, but doesn't participate exactly. She thinks anything that makes any model look more real is cool. She helped me almost sanitize the layout room after a recent reorganization of everything below the layout, where the work benches and all other storage and equipment are located.
She, in fact once told me that a model that I was building (the 1/24 crane in my avitar) was looking more toylike the more complete it got. She was right too. Weathering cured that!
I actually have very nice benchwork. After major back surgery last year the old layout was taken down by my family saving as much as possible. Since the house was remodeled for accessibility I had the contractor build the benchwork which is set over a series of metal file cabinets that we both use for storage.
After I finish an evenings work, I put all the tools paint etc. into my train drawer There is several more months of work to go but once done I am going to dispose of any non essential supplies and the rest will be stored either in the drawer or in the void between the cabinets made by the corner of. room. Hidden but accessible when needed. I had several display shelves built into the walls for rolling stock display and my Lionel which only operates round the tree
Joe Staten Island West
Lets make a clear distinction here: Trains and layout are one thing, the room is something else.
My wife thinks that trains and other things on the layout looks best when properly weathered. When we go to train shows, she dislikes the look of clean trains since they don't look very realistic.
Now a messy train room, sure, she doesn't like that. I agree, there is nothing good about that. We're talking about getting some cheap fabric to hang from the layout frame to hide clutter underneath.
So heat where heat is deserved? Sure, that is logical.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Who is this 'other half' you mention? I only have a 2/3rds. HAHA!! Weathering is a part of a layout. Keeping things organized in one area is a challenge. You don't even want to see my layout floor, workbench, etc. Bravo to those who are neat and tidy.
We are big boys playing with toys. So what?! A train is supposed to get dirty. The trick is not having it interfere with other parts of the house that she often sees.
my layout is in a room which my wife and I share. We both spend the better part of the day in it and she ( and me, too) like it to be neat and clean. Aside from the mess that inevitably gets created during the construction of a layout and has to be cleaned up right away, I make sure that the layout is neatly presented, although the structures on it as well as the rolling stock are weathered. By weathered I mean a used, but not abused look - just like nature does it in reality. Now, if you go for that junk yard look, well then I can develop a certain understand for your wife´s opinion
Neatly presented means having a nicely finished facia...
Clutter is not too much of an issue as long as the understanding is that I don't leave it lying around for days on end AND that nothing is left where the dog might get it. To that end I installed a kiddie gate on door to the train room. Orachino is allowed in only when supervised.
Years ago Jim Findley wrote in MR about his cleaning lady who was so troubled by the appearance of his fully weathered steam locomotive that she picked it up and started dusting it - and then dropped it.
My wife does not care for the clutter in the layout room but she certainly understands that an old building should look like an old building, and so on.
Dave Nelson
hon30critter Hi Joe: My wife fully supports my model railroading hobby. I can't imagine her commenting negatively on any of my modeling techniques. Of course I do get the occasional question about "You spent HOW much?!?" Fortunately she gets over that quickly because I only buy bargains and I can explain the 'value' in what I buy. Have you tried showing her some pictures of layouts/weathering that suit your tastes? You might be able to convince her that your layout is more than a toy. In fact, your layout is a work of art in progress. Maybe if she could see things from that point of view she might come round to your way of thinking. Does she like antique furniture? Antiques are weathered almost by definition. Think of an old harvest table - would she sand the top smooth and paint it. I hope not! There is another aspect, and that is her letting you enjoy doing your thing. Do you interfere with her cleaning habits or her wardrobe or decorating choices? I suspect not. Marriage is a two way street. 'Nuff said. All the best! Dave
Hi Joe:
My wife fully supports my model railroading hobby. I can't imagine her commenting negatively on any of my modeling techniques. Of course I do get the occasional question about "You spent HOW much?!?" Fortunately she gets over that quickly because I only buy bargains and I can explain the 'value' in what I buy.
Have you tried showing her some pictures of layouts/weathering that suit your tastes? You might be able to convince her that your layout is more than a toy. In fact, your layout is a work of art in progress. Maybe if she could see things from that point of view she might come round to your way of thinking.
Does she like antique furniture? Antiques are weathered almost by definition. Think of an old harvest table - would she sand the top smooth and paint it. I hope not!
There is another aspect, and that is her letting you enjoy doing your thing. Do you interfere with her cleaning habits or her wardrobe or decorating choices? I suspect not. Marriage is a two way street. 'Nuff said.
All the best!
Dave
Actually I discussed this thread with my wife and she said the that yes she does prefer the layout to be clean looking.
She said that because my layout is in a multiuse room and on the main level that she is concerned with it blending in with the rest of the decor and not looking dirty.
Relocating to the basement is not an option since that is a fully furnI shed rental unit.
Okay I can live with that as long as she understands (and she does) that there will be controlled mess at times while construction goes on.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
joe323But I want a weathered look and I think that disturbs my wife view of how my miniature world should be.
That´s exactly the point, Joe - it is your miniature world - not hers! I have been through that with my wife as well. It took a while for her to accept that my layout is my last realm and I do things as I deem fit.
Sir Madog joe323 Seems like they regard even scale model railroads as big boys playing with toys Isn´t that exactly what we are doing? I am not ashamed to admit that I am playing with my trains. Afterall, play is one of the most important "features" in life. In psychology and ethology, play is a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but play occurs at any life stage, and among other higher-functioning animals as well, most notably mammals.
joe323 Seems like they regard even scale model railroads as big boys playing with toys
Isn´t that exactly what we are doing?
I am not ashamed to admit that I am playing with my trains. Afterall, play is one of the most important "features" in life.
In psychology and ethology, play is a range of voluntary, intrinsically motivated activities normally associated with recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but play occurs at any life stage, and among other higher-functioning animals as well, most notably mammals.
Ulrich:
I agree with what you are saying but my point is that if I wanted a neat and clean layout with no weathering I suppos I could just build everything right out of the box all neat and clean and my wife would be ecstatic. But I want a weathered look and I think that disturbs my wife view of how my miniature world should be. She vacuums the house almost every day and Sometimes I think she wants the layout to be the same way. I don't mind doing that if it keeps her happy (happy wife happy life)
Just wonderI got if this is my wife or a women thing?
joe323Seems like they regard even scale model railroads as big boys playing with toys