Are Your Wives Involved in Our Hobby?

Roger, please tell your wife Elizabeth and I extend our best wishes for a speedy recovery. She is a real gem.

In 1963, being a freshman in high school, I boxed up for storage the Lionel train set my father bought for me in 1955, the former train small bedroom became my study room. Going forward to 1993 my wife said that I should build a layout, most definitely, she is involved and supportive of this hobby. 

The only time my wife is involved is at what she calls the train geek convention of trainstock  She dishes out the food to us train geeks

I am very fortunate that my wife, my best friend, is as much into trains as I am.  We share all aspects of construction, detailing, and, as needed, troubleshooting, on the layout. She loves going to York and other train shows, and usually wants to buy more things that I do. The same goes for many other interests and hobbies that we both enjoy.  On our short list is a cross country rail adventure - we just have to decide if we want to do it in the US or Canada.

Good evening everyone,Passenger Train Collector great post!!!

I too am fortunate that my wife likes trains and the hobby.

My wife enjoys watching trains and getting that perfect shot with her camera.

She enjoys doing the same with my layout.

Thank god for Digital Photpgraphy.

We attend train shows together and she always has the comment, I think this would look nice on our layout.

She has attended both York shows we have been to and mentioned the other day about going to the show in April.

My wife will make the comment if the opportunity comes up, I would rather hear Mark say I am going down to work on the train layout instead of I am going out, see you later !!!!!!!!

Ho ho! I can dig it. My wife handles the inventory control and asset management divisions, and she is equipped with X-ray vision.

No. However, she supports my trains and me in a passive way. She will watch when I'm running them and will make some comments about what engines, cars, subways, etc. that I run that she likes. And my wife never complains about my spending on trains or my attending train shows. Works for me! 

I'm still trying to find a woman who wants to be involved with me! The trains are an afterthought lol.

Oh, the right one will come along, Michael R., and then you will really be on-the-right-track and moving full-steam-ahead. You will look back and realize you had just been getting-up-steam in preparation for the excellent journey ahead.

FrankM

This to is a Very Good Question. I Give My Wife All The Credit for my Having a Basement to Build The Layout that I Have. I Give All The Credit to The Lord, for Having Given Me, A Great Wife, A Happy Life, A wonderful Home, and A Super Christian Woman.  She Inspires Me In the Hobby, but has no real interest in the trains. She, is glad that I am Always near, actually, Under her Foot, WOW. Great Question. Happy Railroading.

My wife doesn't care about the trains, per se, she likes the social aspect surrounding the open houses, train meets, etc. 

Ok, you win, nobody has it that bad!

"I'm still trying to find a woman who wants to be involved with me! The trains are an afterthought lol"

All kidding aside, you will be well served to find a gal that can share and ENJOY your train hobby. You will be much happier if you do. 

For whatever reason, my wife is WAY better at packing up Legacy and TMCC locomotives and tenders in the Original Lionel Box with all of their wrapping and Styrofoam in tact.

When she does it, it looks like it did when it came from the factory.  When I do it, it looks a third grader did it while watching Nickelodeon.

Wife #1 likes trains, as does wife #4. Numbers 2,3 and 5 prefer quilting and canning.

Sorry, folks, couldn't resist. Maybe I should change my Avitar!!!

Hey Elliot--  How HOT is it in your Train Room with all those bare bulbs glaring ?

KRK

Ok guys--(and ladies)..  This might take a few moments but I think it is worth mentioning..  Suzie and I met 42 years ago on a transit bus commuting to work in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Later on, we switched from BUS to BART.  In talking, we had so many things in common (likes, dates, and so forth).  Within three months of meeting we got engaged--within another three months we got married!  And now, here we are !!

I come from an extended Southern Pacific railroad family as well as the Great Western Railroad (GWR) in England.   Suzie's grandfather was a Station Agent for both the Milwaukee Road as well as the SOO.  Her father was born in one of those Depots !

(that sealed it, huh ?)

We got married in June-1973.  In December-1973 she attended the Annual Dinner of the Los Angeles Live Steamers. (sitting at the head table)..  We were the house guests of Dick Bagley, a buddy of Walt Disney.. Former publisher of the Miniature Locomotive magazine.. One of the Founders of the LALS..  Within a couple of days of our visit, Dick had Suzie running the Hunter locomotive at the Riverside Live Steamers.. A big, beautiful 1 1/2-inch scale 4-8-4..  She loved it.  I captured the action on movie film.

That same Christmas she bought me a beautiful gold railroad pocket watch, fully engraved, as a gift for our first of many Christmas seasons to come.

Over the years she has attended and helped me with vendor ops at Train Shows, Live Steam meets, Hobby Shows and the like.  She has operated O-scale trolleys and Interurbans at the old Eastbay Model Engineers Society in Oakland, CA.

After working in various office environments for over 40+ years, she is now a Security Officer for INTEL.  She loves it...

She has also worked part time (and still does) for the Seattle Mariners Baseball Club in their "Merchandising" department.  She has been with them for over twelve seasons.

This comes in handy at Train Shows.  She handles all sales and transactions!

It was Suzie who back in December walked in the door from work and said to get the 5 x 9 layout OUT of the dining room and let's build something bigger in the Living Room AND "let's do it RIGHT" !!!

So, here we are in February 2015..  Who knows what the future brings ??

Anyway--there you are..  My Suzie !!   NOT trying to brag or slight any of the great train wives out there.  I'm sure they are just as GREAT !  Take care of them, guys!

They're precious !!

Cheers.

KRK

(p.s.-- Suzie is a fantastic, incredible COOK too.)

Elliot,  are those bulbs the banned ones?  Hopefully, there are no light-bulb police perusing this forum.  

I think my wife likes trains.

She is always saying "Why don't you go to the train store."

Jon

GVDobler,

    You maybe joking but when my wives Quartet comes to rehearse for the symphony here in our home, I get ask if I plan to go to the train stores that day.

Absolutely!  Please practice more often at our home, the trains stores around the Western Pa area are still pretty good.  The Monroeville, Pa Train show is next week end by the way.

PCRR/Dave

Ah, Favorite Person.....I want to chase her to the ends of the universe, and she wants to kill me !   As for trains in the equation, She'd tell ya I was plum LOCO !