Dumb questions at Train Shows

No, by golly, I don't think so.  I've had an obnoxious customer or two, but Here's your sign type  questions - no.

I believe that the only dumb question is the one that is not asked.  Cheers Jim

There is such a thing as a dumb answer. If the question is "Is that a "Lionel", the pat answer is yes, yes it is. "Lionel" to John Q. Public like "Kleenex" is synonymous with three rail O Gauge. Any other answer and eyes start rolling into the back of heads. Don't even try to explain about MTH, ATLAS, 3 Rail, K-Line......

 

We do get rude questions. Specifically, "how much did you pay for that?". Seldom is "a lot" accepted as an answer. The worst I ever got was; "if I stole that from you right now, how much would you lose?". My answer was "not nearly as much as you!".

two most common questions.

 

adults want to know how much they cost.

 

kids want to know how fast they can go.

At club open houses we get a lot of questions. Some are from knowledgeable modelers, some are from people who don't have a clue. None are dumb questions. The only dumb questions are from the person who is obviously trying to show off his own knowledge and usually does the opposite.

I wish there was a train show I could visit ... nothing out here in Hawaii...

I dream of going to York one day...

"My Dad had trains.  Do you know how much they're worth?"

 

Ugh, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that....

 

Steven J. Serenska

Yeah, we get that one a lot too. I just count that as a neutral question. "Depends" is usually my answer. It has led to several good conversations.

I usually say: "I think you should set them up and enjoy them."

If they look slightly miffed at this answer -- and many do -- I immediately move on.

If they look overwhelmed by the thought of it, I engage them in conversation and try to win a convert.

Regardless, I've avoided their question about the trains' value which, 99 times out of 100, is considerably less than the pot o' gold they had in mind.

 

SJS

While I don't consider any honest question to be "dumb," the most common with regard to the PIHR modular setups are:

 

"How much did all this cost / how much is all this worth?"

 

"How long does it take to set up / take down?"

 

"Where are you located?" (the assumption being that we have a club facility)

 

"What kind of track is this?"

 

"What scale is this?" (from people only used to traditional-sized O)

 

"Where can I buy trains?" (at non-train show displays)

 

"Are my trains worth anything?"

 

and

 

"Do they still make Lionels?" (we get this a lot at non-train show displays)

 

I try to be as diplomatic as possible with all the questions, especially those concerning cost and worth.  Usually I say that we don't keep track, or we don't want to know how much we spend, or if they seem like they are interested in getting a train, that starter sets start around $150 and go up from there and that we all started small at one point... before the train infection set in.

 

Andy

Best one I've ever heard (and I still bring it up with the guys) is: "Are these them guys that run those trains?"  

 

So many demonstratives used in one sentence; must be some kind of record...

So true.

Why is their different gauges and scales?

For some reason the "how much question..." in regards to model railroading just does not bother me.

 

I think most people really want to know or have no idea that is why they are asking.

 

I do find it interesting that so many people here have a hard time with those questions, but threads about pricing/cost/value go on and on.

 

 

Charlie

Yes. Oh my, yes. 

 

Many of them seem to come from the "junior scale" guys who are oblivious to what has happened in O-scale, especially 3-rail O-scale, in the last 30 years. I don't expect them to know many details about our end of things - I know next to nothing about Athearn, Broadway Limited, DCC, and the like - but I do know that they exist and their general natures.

 

On a few occasions at train shows - more than one, yes - I have pointed at my scale articulated and replied "Lionel" (for example) when asked who made/offers it, and have been as good as called a liar. Truthfully. They cannot learn, many of them.

 

(Yet, others from that same part of the hobby have looked at our Hi-Rail stuff, middle rail and all, and have said "If I only had the room...". 

Answer:  One or two rounds, depending on how fast you're running.

I was showing photos of a caboose I built from a wood kit to some guys in the hobby and some jackelope asked how much I paid for it (suggesting it came out of the box, as he walked up after I had described all the work I put into it). I said, "well, I built the thing and modified a lot of it, so I don't have nearly as much money into it as it's now worth!"

I run a lot of tinplate at our modular club shows. I enjoy getting asked "I had (or have) a set just like that! How much is it worth?" because a few questions later I realize their set wasn't just like what I was running and like watching them get excited as they describe their set.

 

We get the how long does it take to set up or tear down the layout questions a lot and the related looks of disbelief when we answer them.

 

I don't really think either are stupid questions but more of something to say when the spectator has little idea what they are looking at.

 

As for the thievery that happens at public shows, I usually have a gondola filled with empty Halloween candy boxes that I have glued back together after my daughter has eaten the contents. I typically "lose" one box per show. I would love to see the kid's face when they open the box.

 

J White

 

Fair question, I'd think, as many people in the hobby have no clue how long a module group takes to set up.

 

 

You should put a note in there stating that theft is a bad thing, better still, put a note in there stating the box has a tiny GPS transmitter and now you know where the thief lives!

The most common modular club questions:

 

"what makes the smoke?"

 

"how long did this take to setup"

 

 

I lost count of how many times I was some variation of, "Are these for sale?" (in reference to the trains running on the layout).

Questions at my train club's shows include:

 

1.  How long did it take to construct this?

 

2.  How many feet of track are there?  (My club doesn't know.  We have a lot of track.)

 

3.  How many trains do you have?  (The answer is always - Too many according to my wife.)

 

4.  Where can I buy trains?  (This is a difficult one to answer.  The nearest hobby shop is 30 miles away.  I have found that newbies are reluctant to buy something online sight unseen.  Most of the stuff sold at train shows is used or doesn't come with instructions or service.  I wish that good quality train sets were available at reasonable prices.  I give people the hobby shop brochure.)

 

5.  Where can I get information about the hobby?  (I give visitors information about local clubs.  I haven't found anyone who has actually joined a club based on these leads.  I think you need to take people to a meeting before they become interested in joining.)

 

6.  When will the layout be finished?  (This one is easy - Never.)

 

NH Joe

 

 

 

 

I know a guy who has a tinplate loco his Grandfather had as a kid. People ask him all the time how much he'd take for it, and hardly anyone accepts the, "No amount" answer even after he's explained he's the third generation to run it.

 

Try owning an antique vehicle. You can't imagine the jerks I've dealt with when taking my 1944 Willys Jeep on the road. I couldn't count the number of people who've demanded I sell it to them (always for comically less than it's worth, of course).

 

Yep, there's always gonna be the, "everything is for sale" type, but that rarely goes along with the people who have the money to pay what you'd be willing to take for it...

A long time a gentleman came into our store for the first time. He ask me if I could do better on a freight car and I said yes I can. I can go up.

Great answer!  Bet that shut him up! LMAO! Way to go Jim!

How often have I heard: "we used to have Lionels... the engine was cast iron and weighed Fifteen pounds!"  No amount of "pretty sure Lionel never made a cast iron engine.... and if they did, it would be over 100 years old" will dissuade them.  Also, you'll be running a scale 4 8 4 when they stop and say: I got that engine at home in the attic.  And when they finally dig it out, it's a Scout in pieces.

Jon

One time at a train show a guy walks by our table carrying a four or five foot metal wrench and says "you guys want to buy a wrench"? To which I replied " is it metric" he says "no" I said " sorry I run Marklin"

 

JohnB

When I get this question I answer "A little over 30 years". After the funny look response, I explain that the club is over 30 years old and we change or update something every year so what they are looking at is the result of over 30 years of updates. 

 

A related question is: "Do you take this down and set it up every year?". I explain that there is no way anyone could set this up every year and that this is a club and is set up all the time. We play all year and open up to the public two weekends a year.

Here is my dumb question:   does one have to pay in order to display a layout at a train show?

For years the answer to that question was yes in Denver. After 12 years we got smart and we just don't do that show anymore.

I think this depends on the modular group.  I lived in Cincinnati until about 12 years ago.  Like any modular group, we had expenses which included the trailer, upkeep, license and insurance.  We set up four to eight times each year, got a fee for every set up.  Largest fees were for two shopping malls, one on the north side of town and one on the east side.  I think they were at least $600 each paid to the club.  Lowest fee was at a toy store where each member was given an in store coupon for $25.

Before I joined the modular group they traveled to R-O-W and were 'paid' with

a R-O-W transformer and a R-O-W brick which provided plenty of power for the

two main lines and accessories.  The transformer handled double heading Premier articulated engines on both loops without getting warm.

John

Several years ago we approached "The Local Mall" regarding displaying during Christmas. Yes, they wanted money. BIG MONEY (Thou$ands). Needless to say we didn't do that.

 

We get nice comments too. My favorite was a Grandfather holding his grandson. He pointed to my scale brass 3rd Rail PRR 6200 Turbine pulling six 21" passenger cars.

 

"See that? That's a Lionel. When I was a little boy, Santa brought me that identical train set for Christmas." I just smiled.....

quote:

A long time a gentleman came into our store for the first time. He ask me if I could do better on a freight car and I said yes I can. I can go up.

 

 

Did he buy anything or ever come back?

 If you are going to display your layout, you are going to have dumb questions. That is a fact of life. The key is, being able to separate out the questions asked by people who truly do not know versus those who are asking questions to be annoying. 

 

 I try to be as cordial as I can. Even when you're faced with someone who is asking questions just for the sake of asking stupid questions, I try just to smile and nod my head. 

 

 Truly, most of the questions I get  at train shows are  by people who truly do not know. Some are amazed at the answers. I have gotten together a series of responses to the questions of cost. 

 

How much does the layout cost? My standard answer is that a straight module costs about $150. The curved modules cost approximately $250. The specialty modules, like our bridge module or our crossover switch module, cost somewhere between $400 and $500.

I always say that the total costs vary due to the amount of decoration that is on each module.  Each one of the members has his own style and budget. 

 

 

As far as the trains, I say they can cost anywhere from $25 to well over thousand dollars. It all depends on what you prefer. 

 

I usually have my iPad with me. On the iPad I have HSL's program with the postwar catalogs loaded. This helps a lot of questions about where, when and why, especially when people talk about trains they had as children. 

 

 To help with track questions, I made up this device: 

 

 

 

 

 I really love train shows. I actually enjoy the questions(mostly).

 

 

Peter

I don't mind the dumb questions while selling at train shows. It is the obnoxious ones at bother me.

 

"Why should I buy this from you when I can get it half price on e-bay?" (Go ahead, buy it on e-bay)

 

"What is the least amount you will take for this?, Will you take 1/2 of that amount?" (No)

 

"This train is not correct because is missing ______" (That is why I am selling for less than the full value)

 

"The one I have at home is much nicer." (OK)

 

If you don't sell it to me, you will have to drag it to another show." (I have 10 boxes to drag to the next show. Having to take that box car with me is not going to kill me)

 

"How much is the Scout set in my attic worth?" (When I give them a range, they tell me I am wrong as the looked online at it was selling for $1,000.)

Another few good ones:

 

" How many trains do you have "?

" Do the wheels turn on these " ?

" I will take the Hay stack car" (Huh)?

" Do you play with these"?

" Don't you get tired of running trains"?

" Do you have change for a hundred " ? (on a 2 dollar item)

" Awe look the little doors open up, isn't that cute. Did you make them do that"?

" Isn't that smoke bad for you"?

" Do you have the little black box car the goes behind the engine"?

" Will you take a check?" ( again on a 2 dollar item)

" Do you mind if I set this coffee cup here"?

" How long have you been playing with trains"?

"Well I can see you have issues"....

 

 

Answer: $62.86

Not knowing the person's background, or why he's asking a question. A question to many of us are routine, or just because we know the answers, does not make a question dumb, or those asking dumb. The question may not have been correctly worded, or the person was mis-informed previously. My goal is to answer correctly the question, or direct the question to someone that does know, not to make or be the judge of the question, nor the person that asked.

We all don't have equal IQs nor the knowledge of the Hobby, its one reason that there are Forums like this, and bring us, and newbies together. Hopefully by answering question(s) we bring more into the Hobby.

Personally, those that have all the answers share them, and move on. Personally, this post is dumb when it encompasses the Hobby.

HA! Good answer Jim.

friend of mine had a guy wanted to buy his trains off his running display. my friend said they are not for sale. the guy said everythings for sale for a price. my friend said OK, I want $10,000. the guy balked and said that's rediculus. my friend said that's my price. the guy walked away.