My wife likes trains, she isn't passionate or knowledgeable about them per se, but she likes them, and has encouraged me to get back into them. She likes going to train shows and seeing what is there as well (some of the people there, though, not so much). The one thing she doesn't understand is the idea of a spouse 'tolerating' the hobby, that implies there is something wrong with it and worse judging it. Why? Her (and my) take is that it isn't about the money, or the time, the same spouse that grumbles about trains is fine with the husband golfing which is pretty expensive and time consuming. We both think it is because they are afraid of what other people would think, that golf is 'socially acceptable' but trains are somehow seen as childish or weird, it is kind of sad really.
I had a girlfriend who loved trains. She grew up with her father & his brothers being model railroaders in South America. She loves Marx with their lithography.
Proud that my wife knows the difference between a Consolidation and a Northern and has actually had a cab ride on the mainline at speed in the 611, Class J! She is also quite knowledgeable about standard gauge and LGB!
"...but trains are somehow seen as childish or weird..."
You may have nailed something here. I recall being teased about trains when I continued to enjoy them as a teenager while my peers moved on to other interests. I've pushed back to that stigma since then and am proud of my hobby and have introduced many others to it through the years. When I was dating my beautiful wife, she dismissed the hobby as "harmless" and a better choice then others.
Its amazing how much interest I get in my trains when our house is open to church groups, family, or friends. Young or old, male or female, they always attract attention.
Agree with everything you just said Don.
People love seeing my layout, regardless of age or gender... It’s something all of us here already know, that watching trains operating just makes you smile.
Funny about the teasing. I was teased mercilessly in school because I knew every name or type of airplane flying overhead, but couldn’t tell you who was the quarterback or second baseman for team XYZ was...
As a captain at a major airline, I feel like I got the last laugh. Not one of the people doing the teasing went on to play professional sports!
Tom
I met my wife through trains. She owned a hobby shop and I became a frequent customer. Many of our dates were trains related, real and model. She was a packaged deal. Came with a house, a car and most importantly plenty of love! Thirty three years and counting. 
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