Have you ever had a person who has put you down for loving Trainz/Trains?

There are both train people and non train people. When I try to explain something to a non train person, they typically say "what ever" and walk away. At least I tried to educate them. Sort of reminds me of liberals and conservatives.
 
I know, I get the same kind of stuff at school. I don't really care that much though, after a while, it all boils down to what you have an interest in, not what anybody else has an interest in. My friend asked me what I was going to do with the money i got for christmas, and suggested that I buy a gaming computer. I told him that I was probably going to buy some PRR equipment, and explained to him what that was. He asked me which would I get more enjoyment out of: a gaming computer, or a model train, and i said a train. He looked puzzled, and asked me if i was sure, and I said yes. He hasn't talked to me since, and you know what? I don't really care. Like my dad says: there are people in this world who are just going to be jerks, and when you face someone like that, the two most powerful things that you can do are stand your ground and keep a level head.
 
"Railroads will not exist in the near future because of new technology"

Hello BDP,

Next time anyone says anything like that to you, suggest they ought to mount an immediate crash expedition to find the Fountain of Youth so they can live long enough to see it. Truth is that even in the US people have lost the kind of close connection that everyone had with railroads as little as 20 or 30 years ago - when you get old enough that doesn't seem like a long time - and practically everyone knew something about, and admired, trains. That's not true any more. Point is, trains, while they might not be an integral part of life any longer, they are still an irreplaceable link in the transportation of most of the things we use every day. Railroading is one of the few profitable heavy industries we have because it is needed. And the technology is still fascinating.

Instead of concealing your interest, cultivate it, though not at the expense of your studies - I'm assuming you are still in school only because your "friends'" comments sound like teen talk, and if not, I apologize. Remember that in conversations with others the object is to try to find common ground that both can enjoy discussing, not to ridicule the interests of others or to steer the conversation to horsepower vs tractive effort. If you run into some clod who makes disparaging remarks, instead of being offended, politely and genuinely ask what his interests are. If you get an answer like cars, or twitch shooting arcade games, or bra sizes, ask them what they do in these hobbies. Maybe not the bra sizes, though.:hehe: You will either win the argument or make a new friend and find a new interest. Either way you can't lose.

So, do pay heed to the suggestions and encouragement you have read here, and remember. If we all loved the same things there would be only one composer, one color, one flower, one type of pizza, one style of architecture, one novel ... you get the idea.

Bernie
 
Well Lets all enjoy are Trains and Trainz..I must say there some who like some who Don't..That is what makes the world go around..My Pappy and I enjoyed..
 
Do what you want to do and enjoy it. That is all that matters. I get my fair share of crap on my hobby but my knowledge of things in my hobby helps me at work every day since I know how the logistics industry "works" since rail is a large part of that. I've aligned myself with people in the industry from NS, Pacer, Triple Crown so I'm hoping one of these days I can get my foot in the door within the intermodal industry and if i dont im not going to sweat it but its a great relationship to have. I dont live, eat and breathe trains as i have other hobbies too ( like my Subaru WRX in the garage, my other money pit).

All in all you can't take what people say to heart. Let them think what they want..... Next time someone wants to say something stupid ask them how the stuff they order on the internet gets to them, how their food gets to the supermarket from the fields, etc. etc., you can guarentee a railroad somewhere had a part in it....

My ultimate influence in railroads was my grandfather since we spent at least 3 days a week on a CR line here in Eastern PA when i was a kid, then my uncle who got me into G scale model railroading. Since then I've built up quite a stock of stuff in that and people know me in the large scale community too. Now im also on the board for the CR Historical Society preserving items and other bits relating to CR and Im having fun. Thats the ultimate thing...HAVE FUN...
 
My answer to the original question would be "no". I grew up in a different environment than most so I didn't have a "normal" school experience when I was a kid. But what I'm curious about is why would you even talk to, let alone hang out with, guys who are so strange that they don't like trains? What's not to like? I'd avoid guys who don't like trains, gotta be something wrong with them. Girls are exempt of course since they're a different species.

318699_293319127452219_381212842_n.png
 
Actually, a funny fact is that I actually got my dad seriously into trains and trainz. He had a trainset before, but I was the one who got him to join us both in a model railroad club, and he really enjoys it now. Before that, my grandfather was heavily involved in the railroad industry, and worked for the NYC, PC and Conrail. My PRR interest comes from My grandfather on my dad's side who was a coal miner in PA, and a spur line owned by the PRR (I think) ran across the river from his house.
 
"Railroads will not exist in the near future because of new technology"

Hello BDP,

Next time anyone says anything like that to you, suggest they ought to mount an immediate crash expedition to find the Fountain of Youth so they can live long enough to see it. Truth is that even in the US people have lost the kind of close connection that everyone had with railroads as little as 20 or 30 years ago - when you get old enough that doesn't seem like a long time - and practically everyone knew something about, and admired, trains. That's not true any more. Point is, trains, while they might not be an integral part of life any longer, they are still an irreplaceable link in the transportation of most of the things we use every day. Railroading is one of the few profitable heavy industries we have because it is needed. And the technology is still fascinating.

Instead of concealing your interest, cultivate it, though not at the expense of your studies - I'm assuming you are still in school only because your "friends'" comments sound like teen talk, and if not, I apologize. Remember that in conversations with others the object is to try to find common ground that both can enjoy discussing, not to ridicule the interests of others or to steer the conversation to horsepower vs tractive effort. If you run into some clod who makes disparaging remarks, instead of being offended, politely and genuinely ask what his interests are. If you get an answer like cars, or twitch shooting arcade games, or bra sizes, ask them what they do in these hobbies. Maybe not the bra sizes, though.:hehe: You will either win the argument or make a new friend and find a new interest. Either way you can't lose.

So, do pay heed to the suggestions and encouragement you have read here, and remember. If we all loved the same things there would be only one composer, one color, one flower, one type of pizza, one style of architecture, one novel ... you get the idea.

Bernie


http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=7270
 
I can relate to this topic. My now Ex and I broke up because I'd rather mess around with Trainz than hang out with her. Trainz saved my life cuz I almost married that whining psycho. Lol. My girlfriend now doesn't mind if I'm on the computer just as long as its not for 12-14 hours at a time Haha!!
 
To be a real RR employee one must be physicly fit, and have 20/20 vision, non-color blind, with a college education.

To be an engineer you would need to work odd hours, always on call, 24/7/365, be able to permanently relocate to far away locations, inside of 5 days. Very bad for family life and hard on relationships.

Physically fit: Nope
Non-colorblind: yup, that is a requirement.
College educated: Nope

As for the odd hours and stuff, not always. Not on most non-class 1 railroads.
 
This is nothing compared to having your interests used against you for another's life-threatening ill purpose. Personally, I've had two home invasions in the past year for reasons I wish not to elaborate, it's hard enough trying to put it behind.

Be on your guard of such people who try to set a trap for you, these peoples are more cunning and devious in a professional manner than most online scammers. Eventually they will land themselves in their own snare if you don't pay any attention to their hideous tactics!

What ever you do should only concern and be beneficial to you and how you go about it. Avoid involving others of your main interest and tell them a whole load of BS that doesn't interest you. Lesson learned!
 
Nope, never have been turned down, quite the opposite.

Until some years ago, I wasnt a big proclaimer of my hobby, but now I´m quite open about it.
Also, every visitor I have usually stands in awe at my book collection when they enter my flat, so they´ll get what I am up to anyway.
So far, reactions have been great. People dig the knowledge I acquired and my eye for detail.
Some even wanted to see more, like what I´m up to in TRS. I let a session run in the background then.
:)

You can have worse hobbies than liking trains, trust me on that.
Its just funny until it happens to you, so next time someone turns you down, get down on THEIR hobbies, because when they really think of you as a low person, then they are not your friends and have never been!
Also, there is a hilarious part in EVERY hobby, so well, give as good as you get.
:)

Girlfriend wise, also a big NO.
One former girlfriend said that man without hobbies arent fun.
Another made me an adventcalender with hollow nuts, inside where N scale minis.
Cute, eh?
That one spend a lot of time for WOW, so she could relate to my "special needs, trainswise" aka spending several hours on a row in Surveyor.

Long post, short story: dont give a flying f*** about such people.
 
Hello folks... New not only to Trainz, but trains in general, and all things related to rails (my geographic area is not, and never has been, widely served by trains). I just downloaded and installed Trainz Mac very recently and know little other than what the tutorial has taught me. However, I wanted to chime in with a few thoughts:

1) Trainz seems to be a good, solid logistical choice for those who may wish to model but have more flexibility, realism (in some avenues), and cost effectiveness.

2) There can be a substantial amount of intellectual reinforcement that can be accomplished via math, computer skills, planning, cartography and historical knowledge, all while "playing" Trainz.

3) My wife, a doctor of audiology in our local area, does all the hearing screenings and examinations of our local railroad professionals. She says that the hearing of a railroad worker is tested regularly and a hearing failure often equates to the loss of employment (just adding to the qualifications necessary).

Enjoying Trainz so far, but my head is surely spinning. Need to try to "sand" the tracks a bit and really figure out what is happening in this software. Hope to see you all around and have many years of increasing knowledge of trains, cars, routes, history, etc.

Jason
Bandon, Oregon
 
:'(I was wondering if anybody has the same problem as me like Just today one of my friends describes a railroader as a "Dirty, grungy, person, with no life or soul" He went as far to say" Railroads will not exist in the near future because of new technology and then he said That if I work for the RR that I will be unsuccessful at life":':)mop: I just feel like every time I talk about Trainz/trains I am being put down. Reguards, BDP

Put in this way
In Australia Train Drivers Or Engineers{for our American friends] earn anywhere from 100,000 aussie dollars to 250,000 aussie dollars a year depending where they are based

Cheers,
Patchy
 
Wow!!!!!!!!!!!

Yea not to mention American Engineers can also make up to sometimes $100,000 a year... Its a very rewarding job actually... Though like Cascade said, you have to be on call 27/7/365 even on holidays... And work nights and days, and your going to be away from home a lot....... But thats for getting a job with Union Pacific...... I dont know much about schedules and etc. with others....
 
Actually, a funny fact is that I actually got my dad seriously into trains and trainz. He had a trainset before, but I was the one who got him to join us both in a model railroad club, and he really enjoys it now. Before that, my grandfather was heavily involved in the railroad industry, and worked for the NYC, PC and Conrail. My PRR interest comes from My grandfather on my dad's side who was a coal miner in PA, and a spur line owned by the PRR (I think) ran across the river from his house.

Jackson,

It's interesting you should say this. It was my dad too that got me interested in trains. When I was growing up in Bradford, my house overlooked the old B&M freight yard there. We would walk over the fence and watch the trains. He started doing this with me when I was about 2 or 3. I vaguely remember seeing somethings down there in the yard. Although I couldn't read then, I remember seeing NH and NYC boxcars. This was the early 1960s long before the PC merger and Conrail. Much later, when I was around 7 my grandfather got me the Arnold Rapido Postage Stamp trainset. (Oh I wish I had all the pieces today!) It was my dad again who built me a layout, and he would spend time making the buildings, and running the trains. In a sense it was really his hobby that he spread on to me.From those days on, I have loved railroads, trains, and model trains.

@BDP -

People say the same thing to me about Classical music. Personally I couldn't give a fart about sports, and growing up the world was filled with jocks who worshipped the games, made my life miserable. I was teased and picked on, actually even tormented and beaten up because I didn't fit in. Nice people huh!

The thing is, enjoy your hobby. A hobby is something that no one can take away. It's part of your being, your soul, your passion. To speak of your soul, outside of like minded individuals, puts yourself into a vulnerable position as you've found out. For years I kept my hobbies to myself, and as a result had very few friends. Even today at work, there are only a handful of classical musicians I know of, and we hang together. What's interesting too is many of the same people also are rail enthusiasts, and we share that hobby as well.

When I do tell people about this program, I go into the details on building, creating, and then running. It puts the program into a different detail than just a computer simulator. The other thing too, is don't go into details about trains unless someone asks. You never want to come across as a railfan foamer, especially if you're interested in a job in the industry someday.

John
 
:'(I was wondering if anybody has the same problem as me like Just today one of my friends describes a railroader as a "Dirty, grungy, person, with no life or soul" He went as far to say" Railroads will not exist in the near future because of new technology and then he said That if I work for the RR that I will be unsuccessful at life":':)mop: I just feel like every time I talk about Trainz/trains I am being put down. Reguards, BDP
Rails are probably the most efficient form of transportation out there. Being confined to one path makes for a direct way of transportation, and with the average locomotive providing the power of 4400 horses, entire convoys can be moved on a single train. With all that out of the way, though, there's this charm about trains that no other vehicle has for me. Maybe it's because I've loved trains since I learned how to stand. Maybe it's because I share the birthday of George Stephenson (June 9th). Maybe it's because trains have come such a long way since Tom Thumb plodded around in a circle.

BDP, don't let anyone put you down. When the time comes, laugh in your friend's face as rails remain strong many years into the future. My brother has put me down for being a railfan (likely due to me spending less time with him due to having a hobby), a Facebook friend suggested I stop talking about what I love, and I believe my father made a remark about rails not even needing to exist due to trespassers. Yes, the latter occurred during a railfanning trip at MP 26.0 on the BNSF Staples Sub. That trip, it was just two intermodals, three Dash-9s, and a GEVO. I'm going off-topic, though, and I won't let anybody get in the way of what I love despite being morbidly afraid of being hurt for any of my opinions.
 
Last edited:
...a Facebook friend suggested I stop talking about what I love...
That's part of the problem though, people hide behind internet personalities sometimes, and they think they have more power than they do. Personally, I tried facebook out for a while, but I found that there were too many jerks trash talking me, so I got off the zuck truck and felt much better afterwords.
 
Back
Top