Coming Out/being outed

[Mike Bellamy]

I have Model Railways and Railways on my CV. Gives the prospective employer something to talk about after the main professional bit of an interview.

 

My CV has the fact that I am Treasurer of the local Group, was previously Secretary of a national group (7mmNGA), assistant to the organiser of the Derby Show and as our club meet at the Community Centre, I am Chairman of the management committee. Trouble is that no one asked me anything about any of those activities

 

Mike

[Hammer]

A question, but related to the topic: Do others find that many of those who suddenly confess to liking trains once they know you do favour steam over diesel?

 

I am surprised by how many people who I've talked to about my hobby and who seemed interested modelling, are in their twenties and early thirties and passionately favour steam over more modern stuff.

 

I suppose it's largely down to a reminder of a elegant engineering from a more civilised age.

[Gavvy2]

I find that people enjoy historical reminiscences but it is talking about the modern scene that generates the yawns and the inevitable return to footie talk.

 

Gavin

[Mucky Duck]

If people ask I'll tell them but there's nothing quite so boring as listening to someone enthusing about something you have no interest in...

 

That just about sums it up for me.

 

I have a lifelong, but rather thick-skinned mate who, after a pause of incredulity, did the 'choo-choo' -'whoo-whoo' bit when

I told him that I'm into steam locomotives and model railways. He's never asked a thing about it since, yet will bore me senseless

with his unhealthy obsession with cycling – and he clearly knows that I have only a superficial interest in the big events.

I mention model railways to the friends who would probably discover it anyway – as my layout is in my office at home – but as I

have many interests, I certainly don't feel the need to tell anyone else about it.

[Mucky Duck]

I suppose it's largely down to a reminder of a elegant engineering from a more civilised age.

 

Shhh! Don't tell grahame that!

[pointstaken]

Being retired and crotchety has advantages.

"What's your interest"

"Minding my own business. What's yours ?"

 

Dennis

[johnteal]

Most of my friends know I build model railways, and I find playing hard to get is the best defence,

 

Friend " So hows things in the railway shed empire then ?"

 

Me "Fine thanks"

 

If this conversation takes place at home, I string them along for a while then offer " would you like to see" by this time they practically bite your hand off, those who don't pursue the conversation far enough mustn't be interested enough

 

As for work, I'm self employed and most of the time work in empty churches around the NW so don't get any ribbing, or conversation for that matter, Mrs RJR says that is why I can no longer make "small talk "

[Matloughe]

I'm 22 and been 'out' for about five years. A few people at work mocked my 'pass time' not many, just the few who like to make themselves feel big by putting others down. My interest in Model Railways quickly earned me a promotion to Head of Collectables in the shop I work in. Typically in a day I'd be summoned via tannoy to attend to a customer with a more 'in-depth' query; no problem it did always amuse me to see the look on the faces of those who mocked me when the customers face lit up at my presence (They are my "Regulars" now) with an exchange of pleasantries.

 

I have no problem reading magazines in the staff room, or waiting for staff at the end of the day. After-all its my time I'll do with it as I please - often I find a companion looking over my shoulders at the pictures if nothing else. Personally if a new member of staff doesn't know I'm in to trains within a week or so of meeting me then I would seriously have to question their medical details on joining the company they must be blind.

Especially as I am building a Radley Models Resin LU Acton Shuttle Unit on my Lunch Break at the moment.

 

Does anyone else find they are asked travel questions so much they should really be working for National Rail Enquiries?

 

Cheers,

~ Matloughe

[298]

I've found the kind of people who take the mickey are the first to quietly approach you and ask "How do I get a cheap train ticket to London", etc....

 

Last saturday it was my turn to do the handower to the oncoming shift, but I asked my mate to swap and I told him exactly why (I was off to see Tornado). The next day, the same shift had asked if i's had a good evening out...? Slightly bemused I told the truth, and said my legs were sore after running through some stinging nettles. "Some night out" they said. Turns out my mate had somehow decided to tell a bit of a fib to cover for me, and said I was taking the Missus out for dinner....

[Guest stuartp]

Does anyone else find they are asked travel questions so much they should really be working for National Rail Enquiries?

 

Yes, but I work for the railway too so I get it twice. "You work for the railway, why is it ... (moan, whinge etc)....".

[PrestburyJack]

I have Model Railways and Railways on my CV. Gives the prospective employer something to talk about after the main professional bit of an interview.

 

At the age of 16 I walked into the local Halfords to ask if they had any saturday jobs. The manager gave me an interview there and then, and 10 minutes into the interview asked me what my interests were. I mentioned railways, at which point the job interview changed into a chat about railways, and the job was mine!

[coachmann]

Why should railway modellers feel guilty when there are millions of people who aren't ashamed to confess they love twirling their rickers while watching billionaires kick a bag of wind around a field for 90 minutes.

[PrestburyJack]

The funniest "outing" I had was soon after I met my girlfriend who is now my wife (1st wedding anniversary coming up next weekend). At that time she didn't understand what it was about railways large and small that I enjoyed, and was even a little embarrassed about it, she certainly didn't tell her friends about my interest. (She understands now, has travelled on several preserved lines, and bought me a T9 last Christmas).

 

We were visiting a friend of hers, the friend was talking about the neighbours in general, and mentioned the "wierd bloke next door who invites men round to look at his trains". At which point "wierd bloke" came out of his house, saw me, and shouted "Hi Gary, what are you doing over here?" Priceless!!

[Horsetan]

hi all,

 

Unfortunatly as it's not seen as being cool people won't mention it unless some one else has first. ....

 

Yes, it really is "if you show me yours, then I'll show you mine"

[Stubby47]

Maybe because being one of the millions watching football means they are in the majority - being a model railway enthusiast, whether amateur or professional is something of a niche interest, thus a bit of an oddity.

 

Me, I make models on the desk at work, have posters for our club's exhibitions on the walls and profess to all and sundry that it's only my modelling that keeps me sane!

 

Stu

[The Stationmaster]

Yes, but I work for the railway too so I get it twice. "You work for the railway, why is it ... (moan, whinge etc)....".

 

 

Daft tho' it might sound I always took the view that if I worked on the railway I might as well try to be an ambassador for it (or at least offer an explanation) as they were all potential contributors to my continued employment/pension fund/redundancy pot. However privatisation has I suppose made that a bit less easy as folk are possibly no longer committed to 'the railway' but only to a particular part of it.

 

The other one was 'can you get me a footplate ride?' and the other - which became increasingly the case when I was at Eurostar - was 'can you get me any cheap tickets?' (and amazingly as far as Eurostar was concerned I could indeed get them cheap tickets - but they could probably get them cheaper for themselves if they booked far enough in advance).

[cactustrain]

Peer pressure can be good, but it can be bad as well. If I'm doing nothing wrong and others don't like it then I'll be me all the more. If someone's doing something daft and they expect me to follow, then I don't. Simple, but it's amazing how many people give in to the constant pressure to conform to others' model of what a man or a woman should be.

 

For example, I was told I was sad last week because I used a Toucan crossing to cross the road on my bicycle. It's not seen as manly to use a crossing presumably! What a perverse way of thinking.

 

So I read my railway and modelling titles when I'm commuting to work and I'm quite happy to discuss it with anyone. If I followed the crowd I'd be playing my music on the train at full blast, dressed like Burtie Basset/Little Red Riding Hood and with my feet on the chairs. Conform with the crowd - no chance!

[Chris Chewter]

I used to volunteer on the South Devon Railway as a travelling ticket inspector. Started work in a surveyors practice and wore my SDR tie. We were out on a site visit when the site forman said "So you a steam boy then?"

 

I looked confused wondering how he managed to work out that the SDR initials on my tie was a train thing, when he plucked a SDR keyring out of his pocket. It was like some kind of masonic greeting!

[fozzy280472]

I found that my mates , none who are model railway interested,were gobsmacked when shown my Heljan o 47 and atlas o sd40 , but were absolutely staggered at seeing at my z marklin db loco , i used to be bothered about what people thought of my hobby but now i just dont really care.

regards Paul

[Mallard60022]

[quote name='garyeagger' date='28 May 2010 - 16:02 ' timestamp='1275058963' post='149273']

The funniest "outing" I had was soon after I met my girlfriend who is now my wife (1st wedding anniversary coming up next weekend). At that time she didn't understand what it was about railways large and small that I enjoyed, and was even a little embarrassed about it, she certainly didn't tell her friends about my interest. (She understands now, has travelled on several preserved lines, and bought me a T9 last Christmas).

I took my 'new' wife to Barry Scrapyard in 1969 (not on honeymoon I hasten to add) and she was really quite upset to see the poor old locos left to 'die'. She has been mostly understanding of my obsession ever since!

What she doesn't know is that my 'almost' wife (sometime before 1969, honest) was the daughter of a driver at Llandore Steam Shed!

36E

[Ozexpatriate]

I have the Bachmann Collectors' calendar up in my office and occasionally get asked about it. In a professional setting I can't really anyone giving me a hard time over it.

 

My favourite commentary on this topic belongs to Christoper Guest and his defacto repertory company in "A Mighty Wind" where Leonard talks about his passion at a party.

 

There is another model train sequence in "A Mighty Wind" where Leonard shows Mitch his layout, but my searching did not yield a link. Apparently the locomotive in the sequence is being pulled by dental floss.

[jamie92208]

I've never been in so my hobby and interest has always been public knowledge. Usually a bit of banter at work but no problems. It did help once when one member of our shift was obsessed with Petual Clark. Another colleage who had an interest in trains found that the only way we could stop him talking about Petula was to start an in depth conversation about the merits or demerits of a particualr class of locomotive. This greatly amused the rest of the shift but did stop the flow of Petula stories.

 

Jamie

[David Rickard]

I have one colleague who is a big rail fan. He has a garden railway, and has modelled in N before, plus he's a member of various societies. A couple of other colleagues are genuinely interested in what I'm doing with my railway, so I can prattle on endlessly about things with them. Others are nonplussed about it, and I'll only mention it if it's somehow relevant. I don't regard it as something I need to tell people unless something relevant should come up. I don't bother looking for segues just so I can tell people!

[ste234]

Most of my mates at college know im into Model Railways, especially after i bought a 5 inch gauge Railbus! (I couldn't think of another way a 16 year old could spend £800 so suddenly!)

 

I used to get tormented at school, but i just learn't to ignore them. My good friends used to keep asking me how my layout was coming on, which kind of made me feel a bit better as they understood the hobby, a few even admitted the would love a layout if they had the money and the space!

 

We are probably in the top 5 hobbies in the country (possibly fishing and football in there somewhere?), so why be shy about it

[Guest stuartp]

I took my 'new' wife to Barry Scrapyard in 1969 (not on honeymoon I hasten to add)

 

My wife spent part of our honeymoon helping me measure up what's left of Newton Stewart station. She makes a good ranging pole - "Just stand next to that please while I take a photo..." (5'6" at 4mm:1 foot = 22mm).