How well does your partner know your modelling habits and preferences?

[33C]

Great (paint) stripper though.......

[The Johnster]

The Squeeze, not a wife because marriage suits neither of us and we both like things just as they are, thank you very much, is very supportive of my railway, and admires my creativity.  She had her own Piko set as a child in communist Poland, where trains were less considered to be exclusively for boys.  Details and what goes with what are beyond her, but she drives now and then (has a good feel for scale speed and smoothness, which I did not teach her) and has developed an understanding of running around, obeying signals, and that goods and coal trains have brake vans on the back.  She knows why the miner’s workmans is made up of old coaches with bare bench seating because the pithead baths have not been built yet (her dad’s an ex-miner, now retired, from Katowice, Silesia), and knows what pitheads, screens, and washeries are and how they work, so she understands the colliery shunting quite well; the empties go under the loader, are loaded with washed coal, then they go over the weighbridge before being assembled on another siding to make up the next outgoing loaded train, then you shunt more empties under the loader…. You must always have a supply of empties on hand or the men below ground can’t clear the coal they’ve dug and work will stop

 

Most importantly, she understands fully that the railway is not a model, it is a real railway that never existed serving a Mid-Glamorgan mining village, only small and in the 1950s.  
 

She will only buy me railway stuff very rarely, and not at all unless I’m in the shop with her.  How this works is not that we go to the shop for her to buy me a present, but that we’ll be in town and I’ll drop into Antics for some paint or something, and of course window shop while I’m there.  She’ll see me looking at something and ask if I want her to buy it for me, and because I know she’s not exactly rolling in cash I say no if it’s a loco (she rolls her eyes at the price of some of these anyway, as do I these days), but if it’s a bag of sheep or scenic flock I’ll agree to it and we both go home happy!  Then she gets to see ‘her’ sheep on the layout, which makes her happy and is a lovely thing.  
 

She follows my various projects as well, and will check on progress.  I sometimes think she’s humouring me when I explain what I’ve been doing, surely I must be boring the bejaysus out of her, but she’ll take it all in, asks questions, and refers back to it later; very little escapes her notice and she’s got a very good memory!

 

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by The Johnster

[tomparryharry]

We keep our major hobby genres fairly separate. She'll never ever buy something for the model railway side, because she knows it's a niche subject. Books are a no-no, for the same reason. If there's a book, I'll buy it. I managed to 'train up' my MiL in our first year of marriage. Christmas? Socks, black, size 11. They think it's boring, but they don't always realise just how important a good set of socks is. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago, and I really miss Christmas, largely because of her: Wonderful woman. 

 

Kim has her music tastes, but I keep well out of it. There is literally 1,001 things going on here, and music is an aural pleasure. If I picked up music, then I'd have to drop something else.

[Martino]

My Lady Wife constantly surprises me.  She has in the past surprised me with a table saw and various other tools -none of which I had hinted at, and indeed hadn’t even thought of buying myself.

 

For my birthday this year she found a VCG copy of The Official Guide to the Great Western Railway dated 1888.

 

Today (Christmas Day) she presented a Railway Calendar (that’s a regular gift), a Lego I.K. Brunel figure (see photo), a 1991 edition of George Behrend’s Gone With Regret (which on opening revealed that it’s a signed copy, which neither she nor the seller knew) and a 1940 stamped T.E. Bladon & Sons Ltd., GWR guards handlamp.  No input from me.  I am a lucky man.

[The Johnster]

She’s definitely a keeper, Martino!

[Martino]

Couldn’t agree more Johnster.

[njee20]

Mrs njee20 has a pretty good knowledge of what I model, but would never buy model stuff unsolicited simply because she doesn’t know what I have. It’s not a secret, but like many of us I’ve amassed a fairly large collection, so the odds of me needing that particular 66 are slim!

 

I also don’t really like presents to be things like a wagon or coach, because they become absorbed into a rake/sold and somehow that seems a shame. I’d much rather have something more meaningful, as someone said previously, a gig ticket or something. 
 

in my formative years I did a lot of cycling and this was the same. Bike stuff got used, worn out or sold. Never liked the idea of binning or selling on a present  after a few months! 

[Enterprisingwestern]

On 25/12/2022 at 01:18, The Johnster said:

The Squeeze, not a wife because marriage suits neither of us and we both like things just as they are, thank you very much, is very supportive of my railway, and admires my creativity.  She had her own Piko set as a child in communist Poland, where trains were less considered to be exclusively for boys.  Details and what goes with what are beyond her, but she drives now and then (has a good feel for scale speed and smoothness, which I did not teach her) and has developed an understanding of running around, obeying signals, and that goods and coal trains have brake vans on the back.  She knows why the miner’s workmans is made up of old coaches with bare bench seating because the pithead baths have not been built yet (her dad’s an ex-miner, now retired, from Katowice, Silesia), and knows what pitheads, screens, and washeries are and how they work, so she understands the colliery shunting quite well; the empties go under the loader, are loaded with washed coal, then they go over the weighbridge before being assembled on another siding to make up the next outgoing loaded train, then you shunt more empties under the loader…. You must always have a supply of empties on hand or the men below ground can’t clear the coal they’ve dug and work will stop

 

Most importantly, she understands fully that the railway is not a model, it is a real railway that never existed serving a Mid-Glamorgan mining village, only small and in the 1950s.  
 

She will only buy me railway stuff very rarely, and not at all unless I’m in the shop with her.  How this works is not that we go to the shop for her to buy me a present, but that we’ll be in town and I’ll drop into Antics for some paint or something, and of course window shop while I’m there.  She’ll see me looking at something and ask if I want her to buy it for me, and because I know she’s not exactly rolling in cash I say no if it’s a loco (she rolls her eyes at the price of some of these anyway, as do I these days), but if it’s a bag of sheep or scenic flock I’ll agree to it and we both go home happy!  Then she gets to see ‘her’ sheep on the layout, which makes her happy and is a lovely thing.  
 

She follows my various projects as well, and will check on progress.  I sometimes think she’s humouring me when I explain what I’ve been doing, surely I must be boring the bejaysus out of her, but she’ll take it all in, asks questions, and refers back to it later; very little escapes her notice and she’s got a very good memory!

 

 

 

You're in Pole position then?

 

Mike.

[SM42]

Mrs SM42 knows little about my hobby beyond it exists.  

 

As for buying things related to it, I have to point to it or buy it for her to wrap. 

 

If I do have anything specific I have to order it as she has no idea where to find such stuff (the local model shop is not usually a stockist) and doesn't want to get the wrong thing. 

 

This works well enough and Christmas usually is about those useful items, not trains (I get a lot of toiletries, prepping me for Warley obviously) or we go for experiences like concerts (my present will be delivered in October)

 

It works well.

 

 

On 25/12/2022 at 01:18, The Johnster said:

 

She follows my various projects as well, and will check on progress.  I sometimes think she’s humouring me when I explain what I’ve been doing, surely I must be boring the bejaysus out of her, but she’ll take it all in, asks questions, and refers back to it later; very little escapes her notice and she’s got a very good memory!

 

 

 

That will be the training. 

 

Mrs SM42 seems to know a lot about a lot of random people. 

I've never asked the woman at the supermarket checkout how their kids (using their names) are doing  or about their husband's new job.

She has. 

 

Thinking about it, maybe she knows more than she lets on.

 

Andy

[Silly Moo]

My husband know that I model mainly in N gauge with some 00 too but he wouldn’t know what to buy loco wise (I do have rather a lot anyway) so he very sensibly buys gift vouchers from our local model railway shop. 
 

His hobby is mountain biking and I wouldn’t know what to buy him relating to that either. 

[Paul H Vigor]

On 23/12/2022 at 14:44, Graham108 said:

Oh come on, surely a little something frilly for a special occasion

 

https://www.cafepress.co.uk/+train+underwear

They would initiate a wee chuckle in A&E - assuming you could find an ambulance to deliver you!  'Frilly' may be something offered by the 'scrapyard weathering' boyos?

[Paul H Vigor]

On 23/12/2022 at 23:40, 33C said:

On my list last year :- Trade packs of..

Mr.Muscle oven cleaner

Primer        grey

     "             red oxide

     "             matt white

Matt and satin black

   "       "       "    white

Scalpel blades

Superglue

Plasticard

Several, Airfix, vintage classics

Greenstuff tubing

 

Got the lot! Including the funny looks.......🤪

Imagine: you add 'Mr Muscle' to your Christmas list, and receive a VIP ticket to the Chippendales Christmas Spectacular! 😎

[Paul H Vigor]

On 23/12/2022 at 13:19, TomJ said:

My wife seems to know enough to tell when I’ve brought a new engine!

Do you go furtive??