Metallica disagrees.

ly.

I don't think I've known a single kid that collected electric trains, aside from a friend of mine whose dad did. He was just getting hand-me-downs. Kids can't afford that stuff. It's more expensive than Warhammer.

Now the truth comes out!

Can I return this junk?

Although unrelated to the artical, i must share my current excitement with my fellow farkers: im posting this using my wii and the free test browser they released today!

still no cure for cancer - but a toy train layout 'design' that starts at $25K, now that's OK.

so..... what your saying is your gay and you's trying to gayify me with your trains?


/man i love the squidbillies!

FTA: "A legion of aficionados across the country - usually men near or in retirement - devote their free time to buying, maintaining and playing with expensive and elaborate toy trains in their basements, garages or backyards"
...Romero strikes again!!1!one

My dad is obsessed with slot car racing - the electric race car track thing made by tyco - to the point that he has joined a "league" and comes up to Seattle from E-WA every few weeks just to 'race' other people. I don't think he realizes they are toy cars. It's kinda scary.

Kind of odd, given that railfans tend to be the cheapest motherfarkers on the planet.

BArtusio:

Although unrelated to the artical, i must share my current excitement with my fellow farkers: im posting this using my wii and the free test browser they released today!


Jesus, man - your arms must be exhausted!

/Wii!

Agrees.

O Rly?

Argh....Yet another article that doesn't do enough to distinguish between collecting "toy trains" and MODEL RAILROADING...

/Yes, Model Railroading is expensive
//especially N Scale
///But like any hobby, it's usually only as expensive as you want to to be.

What are these trains you speak of?

Argh....Yet another article that doesn't do enough to distinguish between collecting "toy trains" and MODEL RAILROADING...

Seconded.

BArtusio

Although unrelated to the artical, i must share my current excitement with my fellow farkers: im posting this using my wii and the free test browser they released today!

does it come with a spell checker?

-I want to see model airporting with rc planes and airport layouts the size of olympic swimming pools and little model airport shuttles and parking lots full of matchbox cars and airport hotels with little model whores and a model sun that uses real hydrogen and...

Amigajoe

little model whores

One of the HO scale figure makes (Prieser, I think) makes a pack with "Unsavory Characters" which includes people in drag and what you could take to be whores.

Rev. Lovejoy approves

I used to be into model railroading. Once at the hobby shop, I met a fellow enthusiast. He told me that he had trains all over the house, and eventually his wife gave him an ultimatum, "Either the trains go, or I go."

"Now I've got a lot more room for my trains," he elaborated.

I was working recently at a very upscale toy store in Manhattan. I won't mention the name of the store, but I'm sure you know it from the movie "Big" starring Tom Hanks.

A woman came into the train section with a personal shopper, and she asked me, "what's your most expensive train set?" - I pointed her to the $10,000 layout.
"Okay, I'll take that one . . ."

There are some people out there with money to blow!! Ain't it great?

FTFA: "Ken Hammer slipped a gift under the family tree he felt sure would delight his two young children: a German-made electric train set. The kids weren't thrilled. But Dad was."

I like the way this guy picks out his gifts - if I like it, they have to like it too.

Last year I got the wife a new set of men's golf clubs and she got me a dildo.

My friend told me the latest Lionel is crap. The better trains are by MTH.

Donnie Darko
/man i love the squidbillies!

...

WHY?

Amigajoe

little model whores

Also available in N scale, possibly even Z.

"Put your train hat on, Bobby..."

My dad bought an LGB set for me when I was just a baby... 26 years later the thing still looks (and runs) like new. I usually have it up around the Christmas tree every year. (Although I didn't put it up this year - Got laid off in August and have been working 3-4 jobs since to make ends meet. I'll be happy to see 2006 end)

Very large scale live steam (poppie)

These are the 1/3 scale Pacific locomotives from the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. Still running today near Davenport, CA.

I know there are train geeks hiding here from a previous thread about the psychology of model railroading. ;)


--Mike

Are you kidding? Most toys aren't made for kids. At least, not the ones living their first childhood.

Toy trains are like boobies. They're supposed to be for the kid but it's always the dad that ends up playing with them.

Thank God for the model trains, you know? If they didn't have the model trains they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big trains.

ehanley

Thanks for the correction... That line almost made me spit beer through my nose the first time I watched that movie.

The "Neverwas Haul" on the playa this year:



Steam-powered two-story victorian house.

Could someone link me to the "psychology of model trains" thread?

Anyway, I've been a model railroader since I was 3 years old. I started with G gauge (~ 1:22.5 scale). People joke that the older you get, the bigger the trains get. It must be true since I am currently planning my first 1/8th scale model.

Old_Chief_Scott is right - it's easy to gawk at the top end prices, which is probably one of the few things a journalist feels is truly newsworthy. I've never found someone who isn't entertained by the top end of any category. Look, a $22,000 hand-hammered copper bathtub! Amazing!

Yet, there is much more to the hobby than the top end. Not everyone is running brass; I don't and I don't plan to either. As for my 1/8th scale model, I plan on manufacturing it myself from scratch. I've never done anything like it, but I will learn as I go. I plan on spending about $2000 on it (minus tools), however it should be able to take me for a ride once I'm done. :-)

Even though I'm only 24 years old, I make time and money for my hobby.

my train on youtube

rofl... I just browsed here with my Wii and boy are my arms tired.

My Wife has no issue with me spending money on my trains, and having my kids into trains, keeps me.. and them.. out of the bars..

OK, that's just freaky. I clicked the link and the lady(Elaine Silets) is on the t.v. at that exact second. There's a glitch in the matrix or somthin.

I Like Trains
Fred Eaglesmith


sixteen miles from arkadelphia
right near the texas border
traffic was stopped at a railway crossing
I took it to the border
I stoked the kettle I put it to the metal
I shook the gravel loose
I missed the train but I was happy with
a glimpse of the caboose

(chorus)
cause I like trains
I like fast trains
I like trains that call out through the rain
I like trains
I like sad trains
I like trains that whisper your name

I was born on a greyhound bus
my momma was a diesel engine
they tried to put me behind the wheel
but I wouldn't let them
you should have seen the look in their eyes
and how it turned to tears
when I finally told them I wanna be an engineer


now you think I've got someone new
but darlin'- that ain't true
I could never love another woman besides you
it's not some dewy-eyed
darlin', darlin'- that's gonna drive you insane
but anymore I'd be listenin' for
the sound of a big ol' train

I had so many G scale trains I had to build a depot in the backyard to keep them in. I am currently working on putting track down in the yard so I can run them in the snow,...if I get any. The trains are totally weatherproof and I have 4 snow plows. It's a lot of fun but it can get expensive. There's currently a G scale engine on Ebay going for $6000+.

Once I get a job going to invest in HO trains from Tower 55 Especially the heritage U.P. engines.

The funniest part... In every country of the world train set seems to be an activity for old people at first...

Was living in France miding a little over expensive train stuff: everybody was over 60 in the shop...


Came to japan... the young ones are 60...

Sold my sets before coming for peanuts... could have made a killing down there...

3 year old son...

Just set up the Thomas "Lift and Load" setup.

He's gonna freak.

/$600+ with the table (at first I thought it was a complete ripoff....but that stuff is decent. Take care of it and it will last.)

//you gots to get the table

I often dream of trains.

This is why invading hordes of angry, brown, hungry people will come kill us in our sleep.