Some times I feel so alone...Am I the only woman here?

[Anonymous]

Hey there Lisa

I agree it is hard to find women in model railroading.

I model the CNJ (Central Railroad Of New Jersey) circa 1950's steam-diesel Ho scale

I got my husband into it enough that we put up a 4X8 over the kitchen table.

However I don't think he'll be as into it when he sees my idea to put shelves on the walls throughout the house for my point to point...lol

I find some LHS won't give me the time of day. I ask a question and they answer my hubby (keep in mind he don't know a F7 from a camelback) but there are a lot of great shops that are very nice to me. Find one and stick with them. And the guys on the forums are very nice and helpful.

I tell my husband lets get rid of what we don't need chairs, tables etc... and fill the house with trains...lol

Danielle

[Anonymous]

Sue, on the most part I've always been the same way.I've been a tomboy aslong as I can remember, When my sister wanted Barbies, I wanted GI Joes ect. I worked for 3 1/2 years as a cabinet maker (my boss was a real jerk about it ). The thing that bugs me is when I ask a question and they answer my husband as if he was the one who asked and practically being ignored if I go in alone. I have found one place where the owner is great but he doesn't carry alot(it's a camera and hobby shop) but he'll order anything I want.

Danielle, I wish my husband wasn't so uptight about the space that the trains take up, I have  to set up in the shed and it's pretty hot in the summer and cool in winter even with my heater But he's hoping to change postions as work if that happens we'll be able to relocate, I told him if we do I want a room just for me.

[gear-jammer]

Lisa P, I'll bet with your cabinet building skills that your layout ends up with a gorgeous facia.

Danielle, I know the feeling.  We have Christmas trees that I planted long before my husband and I met.  I tease him that he is my window dressing at the meetings.  When they ask him a question it is "Blah, Blah, Blah".  We both get a charge about that.

I guess that I should go to work.  We must pay for our hobbies.

Sue

[Anonymous]

Lisa,

I wish I had my own room for my trains. You don't realize over the years how much it accumulates. I have way more rolling stock then I could ever use. (mainly old time 36' cars) And engines, forget it. It's a wonder my husband puts up with it. I got to say he is very good about it. As for the shed, wow I guess on one hand it's nice to have your own place, but the extreme hot-cold must be a maintenance nightmare. And I imagine it can't be too good for your engines.

Sue,

I find when I go into a LHS for the first time they test me to see what I know. The funny thing is like I said before they always talk to my husband. (also "Blah,blah,blah) There is one place I found where the people will talk to me for hours. (I have stayed and will stay loyal to them) I have been in the hobby for many years. My step-father worked for the CNJ and was also big into HO scale. I grew up with the track right outside my back door so I guess that's where I get it from.

[cwclark]

I too wish there were more ladies in the hobby...namely my wife...it would be great if she would help me...my layout is getting too big for me to work on alone and it would be nice if she would get involved..she'll hold things in place for me if i need an extra pair of hands but then she's off doing her own thing...i think she has ADD..because she jumps from one thing to another without missing a beat but never on the trains...she puts up with it... that's about all i can get out of her ...chuck

[cefinkjr]

That article cleared up a few things in my mind I think I'll use that site as a reference site for sure. The engine came in a set I wonder if the engine is the F-7A and the second car could be the F-7B, I'm not sure , just a thought.

Be careful using Wikipedia as a reference site for American railroading.  The page Hitsua pointed you to was OK but don't forget that Wikipedia is based in the UK.  Our British cousins do things a bit differently and that site is understandably slanted to their way of doing things.  Be especially skeptical when they claim to have in the UK the biggest, heaviest, longest whatever . . . except the name of that station in Wales.  I'm not brave enough to try to spell it nor do I have that much time but I think the name board with 12" high letters was something like 25 or 30 feet long.

Chuck

[Santa Fe buff]

Welcome to our group. I think more women should get into the hobby. My wife likes trains as much as I do.

Santa Fe Buff

[Master of Big Sky Blue]

If she was NOT 100% behind what I am doing I could not spend over $30K in 8 mo and still have a wife.

 

$30,000 in 8 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thats more than twice what I make in a year!!!!!!!!

 

James

[claycts]

If she was NOT 100% behind what I am doing I could not spend over $30K in 8 mo and still have a wife.

 

$30,000 in 8 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thats more than twice what I make in a year!!!!!!!!

 

James

James, you probably enjoy the hobby as much as me probably MORE!

I am lucky, retired at 50 and just enjoy life.

[Master of Big Sky Blue]

James, you probably enjoy the hobby as much as me probably MORE!

I am lucky, retired at 50 and just enjoy life.

 

I don't doubt that I do. I also admit that I am young, just 23, and that I will probably make more money as I get older. It just astounded me that that much cash could be spent on trains in so little time. Since I have been active in the hobby since I was 4. I do not doubt that if we compared notes I to will have speant a similar amount of money as you. But mine has been spread out over 20 years or so.

Anyway, while I admit I envy your admirable posistion in life with the ability to afford all the latest and greatest stuff. I also congradulate you and hope your layout turns out to be truely awesome.

James

[gear-jammer]

Chuck,

I do lots of other things.  My husband seldom works on the layout when I am not there. Also, I seldom work on the layout when he is not there.  When we do work, we are usually working on different areas.  His current project is a 100' turntable, while I am working on a rickety log bridge.

Does you wife have good ideas on the planning part?  Do you have any sound locos?  That really made things fun.

Sue 

[gear-jammer]

Lisa,

Are you insulating your shed to manage the extreme temperature?  Your track probably expands and contracts a lot.  Does that cause derailments?

Danielle,

You have a different prespective to trains due to your step fathers background.  When I was a teenager, a friend and I would take the train to a neighboring town; have lunch; and catch the northbound train back.  It was great.  Now there are not that many trains going through.  We would hang around the depot for hours. 

 Originally, we were trying to do early 1900's logging. That has changed a little with the addition of a Broadway Limited EMD F7, A-B unit.  Most of our locos are steam era.

Sue

 

[Anonymous]

Good evening to all( or should I say Morning, Having cronic insomnia messes with the mind but you wouldn't believe the things I can get done when everyone is sleeping), I just finished reading all the posts and I an so glad that this is going so well and I hope I have brought together some people that may not of met otherwise.

Sue, Yea I find my background with cabinet making makes my bench work go much more smoothly, I also have been into oil painting and sculpting for many years. Model railroading satisfies my artistic needs in many ways(now if I just had some back ground experiance with wiring I'd be all set). My shed is insulated but my engines come in the house when they are not being used, I have to make almost daily adjustments to my tracks, thats the main reason I devised a way to make my tunnel portable so I could get to the track when needed.

Chuck, I'm sorry to hear that you wife isn't into the trains, my husband will go to shows and hobby shops with me and he's very supportive of my work( he's always telling me how good everything looks) but he has no desire to work on them with me, he does have a problem with the building messes and he hates the room it takes up( one reason for my banishment to the shed) I sometimes wonder if he has OCD. A far as that web site I will take everything with a grain of salt as I know most people think their way is the only right way, that's what I like about this group everyone is aloud their artistic differences.

Santa Fe Buff, It is always good to her of a couple who enjoy doing the same kind of things. Sharing a hobby must work wonders at keeping a strong marriage( it's a good thing there are also other ways to keep a marriage strong or a lot of us would be in trouble.

Well I have go for now I'll check back tomorrow.

[fiatfan]

The most important question of all - when do we get to see pictures of your layout?  We all like pictures. 

Tom

[cwclark]

Chuck,

I do lots of other things.  My husband seldom works on the layout when I am not there. Also, I seldom work on the layout when he is not there.  When we do work, we are usually working on different areas.  His current project is a 100' turntable, while I am working on a rickety log bridge.

Does you wife have good ideas on the planning part?  Do you have any sound locos?  That really made things fun.

Sue 

 

 

I don't think my wife is as creative as me....she does go to hobby shops and train shows with me and she doesn't mind railfanning either just as long as i stop at a garage sale or two along the way...i really think she just puts up with it and it's really not her thing unless shopping is involved (LOL)....she has bought me locomotives and sound equipment in the past but working on the layout is out...i think she is just hyperactive and can't stay in one spot too long..she's constantly cleaning, or working in her garden or sewing and arranging things around the house....it keeps me out of the bars so the trains are a plus as far as she's concerned...I think another reason she won't work on the layout is because i'm so picky about it..I want things in a certain place or done a certain way and that might be why she won't work on it....that's my fault i know,  but all in all even though she doesn't work on the trains..we have a great marriage, share lots of other things in common, and we love each other very much...there is more to life than just trains all the time....chuck 

[Anonymous]

Tom, I'm trying but my camera is garbage, It's a digital but I's a few years old now and I can't get a decent indoor picture out of it any more. I'll try to add more light to the shed (maybe the drop light??) that may work.

[fiatfan]

Tom, I'm trying but my camera is garbage, It's a digital but I's a few years old now and I can't get a decent indoor picture out of it any more. I'll try to add more light to the shed (maybe the drop light??) that may work.

I know what you mean.  My old camera, which died about 2 weeks ago (darn!), was 4 years old and didn't do very well in the basement.  I use a couple of those 500 watt halogen clip on lights when taking pictures.  My wife picked them up for me one Christmas for about $10 apiece at the local big box lumber store.  I have a new Canon but haven't had much time to try it out yet.

Tom

[jacon12]

In the club I'm a member of, there is a husband and wife team that is working on an N scale layout.  She is actually a better modeler than he is, seems to have more patience.  Of my 3 grandchildren, a boy 18, a 14 year old girl and a 10 year old girl, the youngest one loves to run Papa's trains.  Too bad they live a hundred miles away or I'd have her building stuff too!

JaRRell

[gear-jammer]

Lisa,  Lift out sections are always handy.  On the old layout, I made all the tunnels removable.  On the current layout, we put a rerailer in the straight section for the long tunnel ( not completed yet ).  We have a 5' section in back of a peninsula that I will need places to stand on the layout for maintainence.  I have not figured that out yet.  It is like a puzzle. Now that the end section of track is functional, I can start working on the landing where log loading will take place.

Chuck,  I would think that sound would spark your wife's interest.  Inacting scenarios might be fun.  I can hardly wait to haul logs to the sawmill; haul cattle to market; etc.  Our mainline is continuous with several sidings. Our future plans will have a wye in the sawmill area and a turntable in the yard area.

Dave,  Cool that you wife has her own layout.  It would be great to hear from her.

All, I guess that I should leave the stone age, and buy a digital camera.  Which ones are the easiest to work with?

Sue

[bogp40]

Safety Valve That was so sweet, of course not everyone would apprecite a prososal like that.My husband knows I have dreams of empire but I would be happy with a room in the house as opposed to a shed in the yard( I'll take what I can get though)

Lisa,

I'm surprised you haven't taken over part of the basement. I live in Ma and our winters can make it impossible to be running trains out in a shed.

[HEdward]

I got the whole basement.  That means the entire upstairs is hers to decorate.

[Anonymous]

I would love to take over the basement only problem is I would have to walk on my knees to make use of it ( it's only 4' or so) so I make do, I  haven't used it in the winter yet, last winter I was in the dining room (I've only been in tothe hobby 1 year).

[ukguy]

Lisa, sacrifices (as you know) always have to be made, it seems to me like you have the strength of character to over come the obstacles(sacrifices) in your path to reach your destination and I look forward to seeing you progress and evolve in the hobby....... and as for the thread title, who cares if male or female, we all have a shared interest on some level... so you're  never alone...

Have fun & be safe
Karl.

[Anonymous]

Karl, I agree That sacrifices must be made and I am content with what I have, some day I may have more space for my trains but for now I'm glad I have my little corner of the world. as far as the suject name I wish I could change it but I have met a lot of nice people( men and woman) because of it so I am content to let things stay as is.

[easyaces]

Hi Lisa p. and welcome to the forum! You might well be the only lady in this mess, as I have not seen any others.

[fsm1000]

My sweetie is supportive and she also has some great ideas that I would not think of myself. All my wives and girlfriends have been supportive and also found out that they could contribute much more then they ever thought they would or could.
One of the nice things about this hobby is that it incompasses so many different qualities and skills.
I love wood and anything to do with it.
But it was my sweetie who came up with the idea for realistic trees. She knew about a store called Michaels that has a ton of dried plants to make trees with.

As for being the only woman on the forums, I know there are others. But just like not all the guys talk here, neither do all the women.
I saw your post about some forums looking down on newbies. I think that sucks but some forums do get 'clicky' and outsiders of any kind are not made to feel welcomed. I just leave and move on to better places.
You will find forums on any topic have thier good and bad.
Anyhow, as for being a newbie, welcome to model RRing. It is a great hobby. On my website I have a few ideas that might be helpful to you.
Many people here have worked hard and gone out of thier way to provide info and help to others, especially newbies, because they just want to help out. They have no ajenda, and have nothing to sell you.
One of the reasons I like this hobby is because of the kind people I have met.
So don't let a few bad apples spoil it for you. Being a woman means nothing in this hobby. A a matter of fact, I think the hobby losses something by not having more women in it.

I know the ladies i my life have always been informitive and helpful to me in this. They have a new outlook and approach to things that I find refreshing and insightful. Being a man I tend to look at things like a man [well duh LOL}.
Women I have found, think differently and so are able to bring something new a different to the hobby.

Anyhow, once again welcome. Enjoy. :)

[Anonymous]

FSM1000, I have found so many helpful people here I only hope I'll be of help to some one too as for the snobs on the other sites it is their loss, I'm having a great time here and all I can say to them is "Fine be that way!!!" I never even thought of Michael's for landscaping materials, I'm in there alot for other hobby(oil painting) So thank your sweety for me!

Easyaces, I actually have met 2 other women through my forum, so I know they're out there, it really doesn't matter how many woman share in this, I love what I am doing and man or woman we wouldn't keep working at any hobby if we didn't love it.

[gear-jammer]

Lisa,  We have butterfly bushes in the yard that we dry; spray with hairspray; and dip in green foam.  They make good fir trees.

Sue

[ukguy]

Iisa.... you go to Michaels all the time and you havent seen their(hidden) potential????? hmmmmm    the dried flower section is a goldmine for  trees and ground cover(wait for their sales and buy a bunch of anything that looks like or could look like a tree). 

In another section they have a 2 step formula for 'instant rust', its in the faux finishing section with the copper finish and other stuff...

Also the craft paint comes on sale regularly... tho it still doesnt beat my Wal-Mart acrylic prices

They sell balsa wood, not scale size enough for scratch building but, for tree trunks, basic stuctures and non detailed items it will suffice( esp if a LHS isnt near by.)

Modge Podge and Clear Gloss  Window Glazing ( for water effects)

Matte Medium..............

 blah blah blah  I could go on... but ... think about what you DONT see... and think what it could be .....Michaels, Dollar stores, are our friends, theres so much to use for what it wasnt designed for.....

Have fun & be safe
Karl.

[Anonymous]

Sue , I don't have butterfly bushes but I bet I could find something similar in my garden.

Speaking of gardens I met the nicest couple the other day they're into G scale and they may be moving into my neiborhood, they use to have a large collection of Lionel and Marken(I think I spelled that right) but traded them in for GS, so I might have some train friends living very near to me , that would be cool.