True story and scenario, I came in a while back and my wife asked where I had been and I told her I stopped with the guys, no big deal had a beer and sat at a strip joint to do so... I got the look and a sniff and she said you smell like toy train smoke... you were at the train store again weren't you!!, don't BS me.. She was ****ed even though she says not. My buddies still have a running joke about it.. Anyone else similar???
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We use to have a few customers who wives weren't to fond of them buying trains. So, what they would do would be to buy something small like a pack of pins or a lock-on. They would pay me for them, take them out and put them in their car. Then they would come back into the store and purchased what they came for. When they got home they had two receipts. Guess which one they showed their wives.
I have never understoon this. Why in the world do some women have such a problem with this hobby. There are so many things their men could be doing that are far worse than model railroading.... 
Ham radio ops and model rails tend not to abuse drink because one would have less money for radios or trains. (Then agian, TMCC/L, DCS and DCC have some sore of radio in them somewhere!)
Ham radio ops and model rails tend not to abuse drink because one would have less money for radios or trains. (Then agian, TMCC/L, DCS and DCC have some sore of radio in them somewhere!)
).I remember one time I called a fellow to tell him his new diesel had come in. He said Jimmy, I'll be there this afternoon to get it. About ten minutes later, the gentleman called me back. This time he said, Jimmy, I won't be in today because there is to much He-- on the home front. (So many stories and good memories)
hello guys and gals.........
I am woman and i have no problem with that LOL . I MUCH rather guys spend money on trains than getting drunk in a bar and have to bail them out of jail after a fist fight over a hottie. !!!!!!!!!!!
the woman who loves the S.F.#5021
Tiffany
If I may venture to say so, the "problem" -- if problem it is -- has nothing to do with women being unreasonable or men spending more time with their hobbies than their wives. It's a situation of irreconcilable expectations. A lot of people out there seem to have married mates who are simply baffled by each others' preferences. And when your mate is puzzled by your activities, s/he tends to feel threatened by them.
I'm certainly no marriage counselor, nor do I claim to have any magical pipeline to The Route to Happiness, but after 44 years of marriage, I think I have at least a few creds on the subject. And what's being described here is a symptom, not a cause.
I've been working in a hobby shop for some years. Some guys were rather creative in keeping their passion secret. I always felt a bit sorry for them.
Another thing however were these grown-up men who couldn't handle their greed, stealing things, changing price tags, or just lied up to your face. Keeping an eye on those fellows and playing shop detective made me really sick. I wonder what these people told their wives, and how they felt, building a stolen model kit. A homeless guy stealing food or an alcoholic drifter nicking a can of beer, they have my pity but a well educated bloke with a job and a credit card fondling with a can of Revell paint in his pocket, how far can you go.
Kieffer
Well, I never have been married so I never had the problem but having a good wife is a great thing although train enthusiasts have certain hurdles to get around. It's all part of the fun I guess.
Bob C.
Kieffer, that is some twisted stuff.... I find my train shop guy to be a loyal friend and to treat each other right through a long term patronage. Sorry to hear your woes there. The main thing w/my wife is she will say "she just does not get it" ....sitting all day under a table hooking up wires to a mini car w/lights or watching the trains go round. I feel bad for HER. the small world we all create is far more peaceful and rewarding often than the one we battle in everyday to pay for it all. Have a good weekend to you all.
).Zumba class! 
Pete
Funny thing.
We had gotten to the fairgrounds a little late so we parked quite a distance from the Orange Hall doors.
Right after visiting Lionel, I purchased the new Lionel remote Thomas set from a vendor. $109 by the way.
My wife knew I had a lot more to see and do. She offered to carry the set back to the truck.
She told me that while she was on her way she overheard two guys talking. After spotting her one commented to the other that he would never have been able to get his wife to do anything like that. The other agreed.
39 years later and I still have a keeper.
Texas Pete: Thanks, I needed a laugh this morning.
Jim Teeple: Congrats !
Tiffany and others before her: You got it!
My wife does not mind that I've spent the money as I can easily point out things she spent more on. She just hates the fact the train area is such a mess & that it crowded all the other basement stuff into less area. All went well until I could run the trains without issues, then progress really slowed down.
But it still impressed those who have seen it, I'm not sure if some of them were wowed or thought I'm nuts, but that's OK too.
Now my Knees have dictated I eliminate the crawl-unders and I'm very slowly changing the layout. A layout in rebuild is a mess, no doubt.
And so far I can still run the Trains, So I'm good with this.
And I'm eagerly awaiting my due next month MTH Imperial Railking Northern.
I still need a good source of Rio Grande decals but I'm not going to stop running the trains before I get them. And the Rio Grande never had a Big Boy anyway, so It's immune.
And rep56: I'm not sure why women say that, Mine does it too.
I read a cartoon that said they have a number of different words for various "flavors" of discontent. Men are simpler, We are angry, aggravated (mild mad), or not. The exact word is not that important to us.
This rings true to me as I've seen them picking colors, they have a lot more names for them than I'm worried about.
True story and scenario, I came in a while back and my wife asked where I had been and I told her I stopped with the guys, no big deal had a beer and sat at a strip joint to do so... I got the look and a sniff and she said you smell like toy train smoke... you were at the train store again weren't you!!, don't BS me.. She was ****ed even though she says not. My buddies still have a running joke about it.. Anyone else similar???
Sorry pal, but I would never subject my wife to ridicule even if she were to behave like this, which she never would.
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