I hesitated before posting this new topic, but then plunged ahead because it occurred to me that it may turn out to be stunningly positive for OGR Magazine, model train manufacturers, our worldwide On-Line Forum community, and the hobby of model railroading in general.
The idea for this topic was inspired by the moving reply today by Frank (Moonson) about the enthusiasm he and his wife had for model railroading under the thread entitled: "Train Layout: No Dead Time," and the many positive posts over the years by most, if not all, of us about how family-oriented our hobby is.
Although I doubt if there is empirical or statistical data to support the hypothesis that model railroaders have fewer divorces, I respectfully submit (lawyer's words LOL) that there is substantial anectodal data to support this hypothesis.
We can begin to build this considerable anectodal data with our contributions to this thread.
I will start us off by stating that, after practicing Domestic Relations Law in NY for 42 years, my model railroading activities have helped me stay married to the same woman now for 41 years.
One may ask: why is that?
First, our hobby is definitely family oriented. In my case, my parents loved Lionel trains, as did several of my other close relatives who, unlike me, had large layouts (my child hood layouts never extended beyond the classic 4 feet by 8 feet plywood board). Then, when my wife and I had young children in our 30s, the Lionel trains were resurrected, and then, as an adult male making money in a profession, the layout grew way beyond the limits of that original plywood board, and the train collection multiplied. Most importantly, the trains and layout gave me, and my son and daughter, a powerful common interest and, Thank God, my wife appreciated that.
As I reflect on this (and I confess I'm really getting excited about this idea being a divorce lawyer), model trains and a layout can be like very strong glue that keeps the family together.
Speaking about my wife, Shawn, who is tolerant but not involved, with my layout (except when my 7 year old grandaughter plays with the farm animals and figures on my layout or gives her Shopkins rides in a gondola), I once overheard her say the following: "When Arnold is downstairs with his trains, at least I know he is at home and not involved with some other woman."
I think my wife is very wise.
And, I bet that many of you have spouses who have said something similar.
And, I bet many of you have things to say that support the hypothesis that model railroading means fewer divorces. I would love to hear your comments about this topic.
Some of you may feel differently, and I would love to hear your opinions too. A couple of possible negatives with model raiilroading for a marriage come to mind. One is that spending money recklessly on trains could be disastrous for a marriage. After all, we must use our common sense and remember WE CAN'T EAT TRAINS! LOL. Another negative could be to build our layout like the Richard Dreyfus character built the mountain in his house in the movie Close Encounters of a Third Kind! LOL! No, we must not be that obsessed when we build our layouts if we want to have happy marriages.
I respectfully submit that we stay within a reasonable budget with our train collections, make our layouts beautiful and charming adornments to our homes, and give our lovely wives all the attention they crave.
I guess I'm a lucky model railroader because my wife likes some time alone when she can have her own space so she can read a book, do a crossword puzzle, go to her acting class (do her hobby), etc. Arnold
Roo.
