Women model railroaders

[AntonioFP45]

I have seen some female modelers in the hobby at train shows I've attended. The women are not always accompanying husbands or boyfriends, they're actually interested. I've noticed that quite a few are really into detailing scenery.

Hope the trend continues!

[davekelly]

Antonio,

I agree, I hope more and more women enter this hobby. My fiance (we're getting married in two days!) thinks it's great that I have a hobby that enjoy so much. Although the whole thing is foreign to her, she's trying.

Of course, like several people have pointed out - women seem to me to be much more enthusiastic about something once they get into it. So guys remember - the woman you may be courting to get into the hobby might someday be your biggest critic and nitpicker. Of course that would be fine with me! (I can't wait to hear her say "you know Dave - you really should go the DCC route" - man, that would be great!).

[ClinchValleySD40]

My wife is very much involved in my model railroad. She loves putting together building kits (AMB is her favorite) and does great work. My son's wife also helps with building freight cars.
I know of some female model railroaders in my area. One (Sue) is great at operations and handles whatever job she gets as good as anyone.
It's great to see women involved. Scenery and such seems to be a favorite.

[Anonymous]

Though my wife took her layout down[:(], she is still into model railroading. In fact, she has more locos and rolling stock than I do! (most of it better quality and more expensive too!)

She has rebuilt one of her Rivarossi Big Boy locos' motors and re-motored the other two Big Boys. She started to do some DCC, but since taking down the layout has put that on 'hold'.

She likes building the old Aurora plastic buildings and super detailing and lighting them. She is still deciding on a new track plan for a new layout.

[Anonymous]

UP_santafe tell me how she does that ! It,s already a pain just to take off my 4-8-8-4's
wheelbases. I think more girls should be in model railroading.

[jwr_1986]

I swear i posted here before but now I have vergood news. My mother just put in an application for our local club. She loves the scenery end of things but is willing to learn the rest. That brings club membership to 5 males and 2 females.

[Anonymous]

CBQ_Guy,,,,
At least you were able to Treat her to a New House. What is WRONG with these gals today? IF it is Your Money, and YOU Paid for the House, Food Etc., WHY the Nagging?
Don't they understand, they are better off having you at home instead of chasing after
some "other woman" or in some bar, strip joint, wasiting your paycheck on that or
worse, ? AT Least you have all your hobby equipment and material, RR Mags Etc.
I made the mistake of marrying Wrong the first time. During the divorce my EX took all
my Mags and burned them in the Furnace and a lot of my collectable HO Trains, Models and even new unbuilt car and engine kits were sold off at Flea Markets and
even at a RR Train Show. When I attempted to get the Local Authorities involved, they
turned their backs., My Advice to these self centered whining women is to Ask if they
would want any Cheese with that Whine ? They should be Happy with what they have,
More importantly, Be Happy with the most inportant thing in the Marriage, YOU and
the relationship and LOVE they have along with a Stable Home Life. Tell them to do a
Reality Check....... Mike Balog in N. H. [ Formally from the People's Republic of VT.]

[Anonymous]

I think I must be one of the lucky few.

I'm just getting going with my new layout. My fiance and I moved into our current house last May...unfinished basement, and wouldn't you know, she said I could have the whole thing. She's now helping me build the benchwork and is extremely supportive of my purchases, when I decided I wanted to switch to ME code 83 flextrack after already buying 150 feet of Atlas code 100 flex, she matter of factly stated that she thought it was a good idea (!!!!!) rather than change the rail down the road when it'll be a more daunting task.

When I first came out of the rail closet to my family (for the benefit of our minority here...I swing both ways and appreciate the two of you being open here) my mom was the most excited. This surprised me because my dad and I built a layout when I was six, I figured he'd be excited but he seemed indifferent at first. Mom got pumped and has since started investing in buildings for the layout as well as buying some toy trains for her own enjoyment. She's even trying to convince dad to help her put in a garden railway in their yard. They have lots of room and gorgeous grounds, would be pretty neat; in the meantime she's been studing different bushes they have to see which have branches that would make the best miniature trees.

Dad has since picked up interest and made many trips to Menards with his trailer for me to pick up large loads of building supplies. He's most interested in shaping mountains out of foam, he seems to think that using a blowtorch and burning the foam will be fun. I'm donating some foam for him to play with out in an empty parking lot, he's NOT burning my house down with his crazy firelust.

My sister (16) is also really into this. She's a comic fan like me and really enjoyed seeing the HO scale Batman, Superman, etc figures I found. Any time I call out to my folks' to let them know of a new engine I acquired, my sister drags my mom to the car to make the half-hour trip to my house to see the new stuff.

There are also a couple of wives who occassionally come out to the club layout to watch for a while, my fiance has spent a few hours out there and enjoys it; my mom is wanting to join the club herself and run trains with me, though her biggest interest is scenery.

Ironically, my two younger brothers (20 and 25) have the least interest.

Good times, I'm almost afraid...with nobody to hold me to some sort of account I'm afraid I'm going to have to be the one to put brakes on the spending around here, seems every spare dollar goes into the railroad and nobody thinks there is anything wrong with this.

[SSW9389]

This past October about 15 of us from the Radcliff Model Railroad Association went to visit Ray and Renee Grosser's Nostaglia Trip HO layout in Eubank, KY. Soo Line and Great Northern modelers will know where I am going with this. Renee has scratchbuilt many of the structures on the layout. I didn't realize how much she was into structure building until she told the story of how she built in HO scale the house she grew up in several times before she got it right! If you've seen this layout at a show you know it is incredibly detailed. It is now in a permanent building and has been enlarged with a center penisula. There is a link to it through the Soo Line Historical Society's website.

[Anonymous]

mac 4884

Forgot to mention that my wife does N scale! She got replacement motors from Micro Locomotion and used a Dremel with diamond bits to redesign the Big Boy frames' motor housing to fit the new motors. Man, do they run sweet! Hardest part was pressing the worm gears off the old motor shafts and onto the new ones. Need a really steady hand on the vise to press the gear onto the new shaft (slightly larger diameter) without bending it.

[kathymillatt]

I am the third woman model railroader raising their head above the parapet here. I am single so it is definitely nothing to do with a man in my life although I had a layout when I was young which was my dad's old 3-rail Hornby Dublo.

I have a 12' sq loft layout of the New Haven that is at the track laying stage. I also have a second UK layout underneath (not very finished either). I am the only girl in my regional club but there is one other in the UK who models regularly in her own right at the moment and her layout can knock the socks off most others.

Someone suggested that women don't like the construction and techie bits, however, I love those bits. I like learning how to do electronic bits and solder and build things. My last project were scratch built terraced houses with even the windows scratchbuilt.

Women are rare in the hobby. However, I get very patronising comments all to regularly such as "You really know what you are talking about" (I mentioned the words: Capacitor Discharge Unit!)

Kathy