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Can't imagine why folks think model railroaders are odd?

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Posted by SteamFreak on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 5:29 PM

This is part of the World's Greatest Hobby campaign and these guys are on a national tour in an attempt to improve our image in the public eye, which explains why clubs are being flooded with new member applications in their wake. Banged Head [banghead]

RC cars are looking mighty tempting...

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Posted by el-capitan on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 8:37 PM

I've been a star wars fan for some time now. My mom bought me a star wars shirt for my 23rd birthday. I never wore it. My dad bought me an ATSF shirt for my 28th birthday. I never wore it.

It's not that I didn't appreciate them, I did. It's just not my style. I don't want people prejudging me because of my apparel and relating me to all the other fans that are a can short of a 6-pack.

I define my hobbies, my hobbies do not define me.

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Posted by el-capitan on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 8:43 PM

 slotracer wrote:
My brother likes Science fiction, star wars, star trek etc,

I am also a SW fan but will never go to a convention. Don't want to be associated with them. I was wondering, does your brother actually like both SW and ST? From my experience these two groups of fans were always mutually exclusive. You can like one or the other but never both. Just curious.

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PFS
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Posted by PFS on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 9:36 PM

Yes it took more guts than most here I imagine.

 

I bet if you asked every 5 and under boy (and some girls too) at the parade what they like the most at the parade, more than a few would of told you about the train.

 

Good for them.

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 5, 2007 7:19 AM
 PFS wrote:

Yes it took more guts than most here I imagine.

 

I bet if you asked every 5 and under boy (and some girls too) at the parade what they like the most at the parade, more than a few would of told you about the train.

 

Good for them.

Yeah to a 5 year old watching grown men make fools of themselves is hilarious. But when you're 25 years old being the grown man who makes a fool of himself isn't exactly going to razzle dazzle the ladies. To most girls I've met dressing up in costumes and prancing around like an idiot is at best enough to just get her to think of you as a goofy friend but certainly not a potential boyfriend. Most likely though she'll think you're a creepy weirdo. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to be identified with when you're trying to score.  

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Posted by el-capitan on Thursday, April 5, 2007 7:46 AM

 dirtyd79 wrote:
To most girls I've met dressing up in costumes and prancing around like an idiot is at best enough to just get her to think of you as a goofy friend but certainly not a potential boyfriend. Most likely though she'll think you're a creepy weirdo. Not exactly the kind of thing you want to be identified with when you're trying to score.  

I'm married and my wife thinks I may be a goofy weirdo. Better to let her wonder than to get dressed up as a gondola, prance down mainstreet, and remove all doubt in her mind.

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Posted by jasperofzeal on Thursday, April 5, 2007 8:00 AM
 el-capitan wrote:

 slotracer wrote:
My brother likes Science fiction, star wars, star trek etc,

I am also a SW fan but will never go to a convention. Don't want to be associated with them. I was wondering, does your brother actually like both SW and ST? From my experience these two groups of fans were always mutually exclusive. You can like one or the other but never both. Just curious.

I like both SW and ST myself.  I don't or haven't been or plan on going to any of either's conventions.  I have all the SW movies, all the ST movies and am building my DVD collection to include the ST tv series.  I'm not into the original ST series though, just from TNG (the nex generation), voyager, and deep space nine.  I don't consider myself a nerd or perv or freak, I don't live at home with mom, and I'm very well adjusted.  I guess I break the mold of your typical SW and ST fan, like many others out there.

I also like trains (real and model), heavy metal music, classical music, video games, movies of all kinds (old and new), and am very knowledgeable with computers.  I feel like I'm not your typical model railroader as far as looks go.  You'll often find me at my LHS wearing a metallica t-shirt shopping for projects.  BTW, I'm not tattooed either!  Cool [8D]

I'm not sure what my point was. Confused [%-)]

TONY

"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)

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Posted by el-capitan on Thursday, April 5, 2007 8:11 AM
 jasperofzeal wrote:
I also like trains (real and model), heavy metal music, classical music, video games, movies of all kinds (old and new), and am very knowledgeable with computers.  I feel like I'm not your typical model railroader as far as looks go.  You'll often find me at my LHS wearing a metallica t-shirt shopping for projects.  BTW, I'm not tattooed either!  Cool [8D]

Take out the ST, classical and computers and you have described me precisely.

BTW, in my experience there is no such thing as a "typical model railroader."

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Posted by loathar on Thursday, April 5, 2007 9:54 AM
 jasperofzeal wrote:
 el-capitan wrote:

 slotracer wrote:
My brother likes Science fiction, star wars, star trek etc,

I am also a SW fan but will never go to a convention. Don't want to be associated with them. I was wondering, does your brother actually like both SW and ST? From my experience these two groups of fans were always mutually exclusive. You can like one or the other but never both. Just curious.

I like both SW and ST myself.  I don't or haven't been or plan on going to any of either's conventions.  I have all the SW movies, all the ST movies and am building my DVD collection to include the ST tv series.  I'm not into the original ST series though, just from TNG (the nex generation), voyager, and deep space nine.  I don't consider myself a nerd or perv or freak, I don't live at home with mom, and I'm very well adjusted.  I guess I break the mold of your typical SW and ST fan, like many others out there.

I also like trains (real and model), heavy metal music, classical music, video games, movies of all kinds (old and new), and am very knowledgeable with computers.  I feel like I'm not your typical model railroader as far as looks go.  You'll often find me at my LHS wearing a metallica t-shirt shopping for projects.  BTW, I'm not tattooed either!  Cool [8D]

I'm not sure what my point was. Confused [%-)]

I'll go you one geekier. I'm a big SG1 fan. Amanda Tapping is one HOT nerd babe!!

I pretty much don't let on to "the normals" that I'm into trains where I'm living now. In Ohio and Florida, people didn't really give you funny looks when you told them. Here in Tennessee, you get some REALLY weird looks from the locals. Actually, if it's not hunting or fishing, you get weird looks here.Disapprove [V]

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Posted by SpaceMouse on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:04 AM

 loathar wrote:
I'm a big SG1 fan. Amanda Tapping is one HOT nerd babe!!

O'Neil [Staring]

Carter: Sir?

O'Neil: I'm just trying to put together the way you look with what just came out of your mouth.

(I'm going to miss it after this season.)

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by el-capitan on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:16 AM

 loathar wrote:
I'll go you one geekier. I'm a big SG1 fan. Amanda Tapping is one HOT nerd babe!!

el-capitan:  I'll take nerd babes for a thousand Alex.

Alex:          Answer, hottest nerd babe of all time.

el-capitan:  Who is Princess Leia?

Alex:          I'm sorry, our judges need something more specific.

el-capitan:  Who is princess Leia in her gold bikini?

Alex:           Correct for a thousand. el-capitan has control of the board.

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Posted by MAbruce on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:21 AM
 loathar wrote:

I'll go you one geekier. I'm a big SG1 fan. Amanda Tapping is one HOT nerd babe!!

I guess I'm not geeky then, because Amanda doesn't do much for me.  However, 'Six' (Tricia Helfer) on Battlestar Galactica can take me prisioner anytime!  Wow!! [wow]Wink [;)]

...Oh, what were we talking about anyway?  Odd model railroaders, yeah, that's it...  Laugh [(-D]

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Posted by loathar on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:21 AM
Chip-Yep, that's going to stink! 10 more to go. I love playing "spot Peter Deluise"Big Smile [:D]
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:34 AM

 MAbruce wrote:
I guess I'm not geeky then, because Amanda doesn't do much for me.  However, 'Six' (Tricia Helfer) on Battlestar Galactica can take me prisioner anytime!  Wow!! [wow]Wink [;)]

They may look good but they have a way of getting inside your head.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by jasperofzeal on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:52 AM
 MAbruce wrote:
 loathar wrote:

I'll go you one geekier. I'm a big SG1 fan. Amanda Tapping is one HOT nerd babe!!

I guess I'm not geeky then, because Amanda doesn't do much for me.  However, 'Six' (Tricia Helfer) on Battlestar Galactica can take me prisioner anytime!  Wow!! [wow]Wink [;)]

...Oh, what were we talking about anyway?  Odd model railroaders, yeah, that's it...  Laugh [(-D]

Jeri Ryan from Voyager, seven of nine to us nerds Big Smile [:D].  Now she was a great addition to that show as it went on!

Hmm...are model railroaders "pervs"? NAH!!! Angel [angel]

TONY

"If we never take the time, how can we ever have the time." - Merovingian (Matrix Reloaded)

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Posted by shawnee on Thursday, April 5, 2007 6:11 PM
Went to LHS today to check out N models...there was a guy there, maybe 40, who looked like he still lived in his parent's basement.  He had an engineer hat on.  In public.  Thought of this thread.
Shawnee
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Posted by jeffshultz on Thursday, April 5, 2007 6:31 PM

I work for a phone company and one of our "outside plant" guys was in today getting some info. We got to talking and our garages came up - I mentioned that mine was full of trains....

 "Oh yeah? What scale - HO?" 

 "Yeah."

 "Huh, I used to do that when I was a kid...." which didn't sound great, but then he came back with, "I'd like to try Z scale - I'd love to have a layout in a table." 

 I think the only real thing keeping him away is the cost... he thinks that $225 for a locomotive is ridiculous. 

Jeff Shultz From 2x8 to single car garage, the W&P is expanding! Willamette & Pacific - Oregon Electric Branch
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Posted by loathar on Thursday, April 5, 2007 6:39 PM

I can see wearing something like a CSX or CP Rail t-shirt of hat. I don't think an engineers hat would ever leave my train room though.

quote-Jeri Ryan from Voyager, seven of nine to us nerds Big Smile <img src=" border="0" width="15" height="15" />.  Now she was a great addition to that show as it went on!

Do a Google for Jolene Blalock.(from Enterprise) She has some great pics and vids of her modeling shoots on the net.Wow!! [wow] Spock would not approve.

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Posted by 56chevytimes2 on Thursday, April 5, 2007 9:23 PM

Speaking as the engineer of the train, my wife was carrying part of the banner (blonde in dark jacket) and my son was the "hobo".  The kids, young and old, laughed and enjoyed the train - course throwing candy at them might have had something to do with that.  The marines in the tank did offer "encouragement" occassionally as they crept up on the caboose, especially as the last block was up a steep hill.  If it wasn't for the tank's "helper" service, we might not have made it up the hill.

In all seriousness, that was one of the largest visitation days at the layout as the kids wanted to see the trains.  The club layout is a mere 2 blocks from the main street in the train station and we hosted over 400 people in a matter of a few hours after the parade.  It may have been "silly", but it is keeping the hobby alive.

The train began as a stack of cardboard boxes, some scrap lumber, leftover paint, and a pile of tools the day before the parade.  Club members built and painted everything in less than 10 hours.  Ingenuity and teamwork contributed to laughter and squeels of delight from the kids.

Oh, and the repeat performance at the club Christmas party brought another round of laughter as those who could not attend got to see the train in action. 

Kurt

56ChevyTimes2

http://www.kingsransom.com/breon_wagon.html

http://www.kingsransom.com/cars/betsy/index.html 

Kurt 56chevytimes2 www.kingsransom.com/breon_wagon.html www.kingsransom.com/cars/betsy
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Posted by loathar on Thursday, April 5, 2007 9:48 PM

56chevytimes2-Cool! We have one of the culprits here.Big Smile [:D] I sincerely hope you didn't take offence at my post. I thought it was kind of cute what you folks did. We had a post going here a couple weeks ago about some of the "interesting" folks you meet at train shows and the odd looks some of us get from people when we mention our hobby. And then...well....I ran across your pics and just had to post them. Glad to hear about the turn out you got from it. Hopefully you got a lot of new recruits. I really like the web site. You've got some great pics from your open houses. You all do top notch work. Wish I lived closer so I could come see it. Keep up the great work!

Loathar

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Posted by orsonroy on Thursday, April 5, 2007 9:59 PM

Just have a couple of things to add to this thread:

1) That's a Marine LAV, not an Army tank.

2) Claudia Black (Farscape, SG1) blows away Carrie Fisher in ANY bikini ANY day!!!

Ray Breyer

Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943

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Posted by loathar on Thursday, April 5, 2007 10:24 PM
 orsonroy wrote:

2) Claudia Black (Farscape, SG1) blows away Carrie Fisher in ANY bikini ANY day!!!

Yea! How could Danial Jackson say no to HER in that one episode?Confused [%-)]

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