Ok...THE wife and THE daughter have a few errands to run. She comes out of the house and opens the trailer door and sticks her head in and says "OK you 'railroadaholic'..we will be back after abit." They pull out of the driveway and then it hits me...am I really an addict? Do I need professional help? Is there a '12 step program'. Or should I just admit I am hopelessly hooked and tell her to live with it !! LMAO :tb-biggrin::tb-biggrin::tb-biggrin::tb-cool:
Maybe you crossed that very thin line that Dave Barry wrote about. Could be a viable defense in any spousal abuse charge filed against you if you had hit her. Not recommending it mind you, just pointing it out.
Your wife should consider herself lucky. Imagine her woes if you were an alcoholic, workaholic, golfaholic or other holics that are out there. I always told my wife that being a railroadaholic means I spend my spare change on trains and not women or booze, I am way handier around the house, if I am late that means I waited at a crossing for a train, I generally stick around the house being more available, and have a peace of mind that comes with running trains or building models with my hands. Plus, I am a lower health risk, as my hypertension is in check naturally, I am not out driving drunk, chasing little silly golf balls, and have a generally happier disposition because I have a hobby that puts work in perspective. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willamani
Hello my name is...... Oh well, you get the point. Welcome to the club. Railroadaholic,trainfreak,geek, or what ever you want to call us. We love trains! Keep on training!
OMG!!!...It's worse then I thought !! They just got home from the 'Beauty College". They pop their head in the door to show me their new "DOs". My 17 year old daughter now has red and blue streaks in her hair. "That's nice honey" I tell her. (I'm a father of 5...I am used to 'whims' ). Daughter runs off to tell all her online friends about her hair. THE wife steps in to show me her cut. Don't see much change but..."Thats really nice hun." I say (been married 24 years...I learned a lot.) She wants to shot the breeze a bit so I tell her to hang on...I need to go get some more coffee and a smoke...as I duck out the door. I get half way to the house and "snap"...I forgot my coffee cup in the traintrailer. I rush back..throw the door open and... There she is...sitting on MY Engineers seat. At MY control panel...hands on the throttles! Trains going faster...trains going slower...and she is GRINNING !!! She has caught my addiction !! Is all hope lost ?! Can this marriage be saved ?!! :tb-wacky::tb-biggrin::tb-cool::tb-cute: .
Few decades ago, (1967 i think), I read a very serious survey about hobbies in general. It indicated that model railroaders had the highest rated mental health of all hobbies. The main reason was: They escape in a controlled manner and return to realty easily. The very nature of the hobby allowed for a wide range of creative outlets, satisfying problem solving, and educational opportunities. Basically it appealed to almost every aspect of human pleasure - yes, including "that" one. Over all it said model railroaders were very sane. Sadly I have not been able to find any additional references to that study since.
Model railroading is three dimensional art . Tell her to blow it out her breezer or you will cut HER ear off as you are not into self mutilation lately .
SP-Wolf, I'll take your comment a step further......Hello my name is......and I'm a Alcohaulic with a taste for Budd-lites! In my case, I didn't stand a chance.....I grew up in a railroad family. My grandfather was a conductor (as was my other grandfather) with a double car garage filled with an American Flyer layout and a "closet" railfan. My dad was a road engineer (he was the last steam-qualified engineer on his division when he retired). Plus,I had uncles in various railroad occupations. I didn't stand a chance.....
Definitely fit the category of drawn to trains I, too, am drawn to trains. They fascinate me something awful. There is just something about them. Of course, the fact that both my parents love trains plays something of a role in my fascination. Anyway, there are worse things to be addicted to.
What's wrong with being an Alcohaulic? I've been one for more years than I can remember... ever since I first saw a Southern ALCO at Hickory, N.C. At least she didn't refer to you as a "Roady".
I thought of this thread when I got the mail tonight and saw the new Great Model Railroads. For years, whenever the mags came, I would (combining Homer Simpson and Steve Martin as the Jerk) shout out "Whoo Whoo, the Model Railroader is here!" It got that when the kids got the mail for me, they would see them and shout it out, too. (only mocking me, of course) I recall the 6 MR you can build, where the guy turns away a sexy blonde saying "I've got a model railroad to run!" Now, if you have ever experienced that in real life, or anything close, I would say you are a RRholic.
