How do you tell your girlfreind your a train enthusiast?

[anthony263]

Sometimes i dont know how my girlfreind puts up with me draging her off somewhere.

 

[Geezertronic]

Sometimes i dont know how my girlfreind puts up with me draging her off somewhere.

What you get up to in your own time is your own business

 

[Metroland]

Back to the subject. Talking to females, I would say they would be more interested in the romantic and travel side, if at all; rather than raw engineering. You couldn't use the same approach with each person: You would have to use tact, judgement, positivity and confidence.

 

[Mintona]

Only joking Mintona, even though you like..him

"Him" is bloody brilliant!

 

[delt1c]

tell her that you have booked her a trip on a steamer. If she says shes looking forward to your laughing.

 

[anthony263]

What you get up to in your own time is your own business

i know that and i didnt mean anything sexual in my previous post, i meant me draging herr off on a day trip etc

 

[Techniquest]

- Rail enthusiasm is essentially about engineering and travel, geography and history. Not all enthusiasts take numbers.

Oh I don't know about that. You can be an enthusiast just from enjoying the sight and sound of a train. It was like that for me, then I moved onto photography, spotting, line bashing, bashing and eventually mileage.

We may not all take numbers, agreed, but history bored the hell out of me at school and I do not have any serious interest in it. I know enough to get by, occasionally learning a bit more about 'my' class, but if someone asked me something like "When did the West Coast Main Line open?", I probably would need to search online for an answer.

'whoshotjimmi' raised some good points in his posts previous on this thread which I agreed with.

Unfortunately, I cannot advise the OP or his friend on the matter at hand, it is not something I've had to deal with. Which suits me just fine!

 

[anthony263]

Thanx for everyone who has responded to this thread, seems my freind has told his girlfreind who didnt seem to bothered from what he was telling me on the telephone earlier.

Nice to see some women dont care although my freinds girlfreind likes sports cars so i think they have a bit mutual understanding of eachothers hobby.

By the way is anyone going to be at Cardiff central this saturday to see the class 37s railtour ?

 

[mrcheek]

I've edited some of my posts down, and I think its worth summarising this into some points:

- Rail enthusiasm is essentially about engineering and travel, geography and history. Not all enthusiasts take numbers.

- The National railway museum is the most visited museum outside London, with over 800,000 visits per year. Over 6 million people visit heritage railways per year and have over 100,000 volunteers.

- Trains are an inspiring subject, and are the subject of many books, songs and movies http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7964314.stm

- There are over 30 magazines dedicated to rail enthusiasm and modelling, most with growing circulation. There are also 100s of clubs and societies.

- The rail industry is a high tech industry making extensive use of the latest technology, with more passengers than at any time since the war, and has a reliability ~ 20% better than other forms of public transport.

- I think if I was to tell anyone about it to someone that doesn't have a direct interest, I'd say I was interested in 'Engineering and travel'. I'd say train travel is 'green, social, and in some cases romantic and civilised', and cite the great named expresses like the orient express, blue train and Flying Scotsman.

- Talking to females, I would say they would be more interested in the romantic and travel side, if at all; rather than raw engineering. You couldn't use the same approach with each person: You would have to use tact, judgement, positivity and confidence.

The length to which you have gone to argue the point is more or less concrete proof of the very stereotype that you are attempting to deny.

i know that and i didnt mean anything sexual in my previous post, i meant me draging herr off on a day trip etc

again, posts like this prove the stereotype.....

 

[Metroland]

The length to which you have gone to argue the point is more or less concrete proof of the very stereotype that you are attempting to deny.

.

Yep must be an awful shock to see anything positive and people up sticking for anyone on this site eh? Carry on, I'm sure the general negativity will be successful in improving the image of the site and the hobby. Of course the two comparison pictures could have equally been these:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Chav_car.jpeg

http://img.timezone.com/img/articles/news631926756661406250/OmegaRailmasterOrientExpress02.jpg

But that would have taken too much imagination and positivity for some people...

 

[16CSVT2700]

This is what I like about being me.. I've so many interests it's hard to stereotype me.

Example, nowhere does this photo say Trainspotter or staff

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y299/50149/DSCN0719.jpg

 

[Metroland]

Main Entry: trainspotting

Part of Speech: n

Definition: the hobby of watching trains and noting their serial numbers, usu. for long periods of time; by extension, any hobby or obsession with a trivial pursuit; also written train-spotting
Usage: trainspotter is person doing this, trainspot is verb.

I don't think many of us either look like spotters or are spotters, and of course have many other interests, but its a negative term we are stuck with in some people eyes, which is unfortunate. Half the the problem if you do tell someone you are an enthusiast, they automatically say 'Oh trainspotter?'. I find this especially annoying because I don't understand trainspotting any more than they do and get stuck with the image of something I don't either do or have a desire to do - I can't even remember my own phone numbers! I like good (transport) design and travel, which i suspect makes use of an entirely different part of the brain than number crunching and logical organisation, which by its nature is considered a dry and nerdy activity in our touchy, feely, image based media society - which actually ought to be putting more emphasis on geek activities like maths, physics and engineering as they are so important to everyone's wellbeing.

 

[Dennis]

This is what I like about being me.. I've so many interests it's hard to stereotype me.

Example, nowhere does this photo say Trainspotter or staff

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y299/50149/DSCN0719.jpg

Yes it does; that was taken on FGW's recent training camp introducing platform staff to the latest plan for dealing with unruly spotters.

 

[Mintona]

Yes it does; that was taken on FGW's recent training camp introducing platform staff to the latest plan for dealing with unruly spotters.

 

[asylumxl]

I never really had that problem. I traveled on an First Great Western HST to meet her for our first date. I think she got the jist from me rambling on about class 43 and how I hate mtus.

Needless to say, she's still with me 9 months later. I don't think women mind it, Aslong as you have other hobbies in your life.

 

[37401]

Half the the problem if you do tell someone you are an enthusiast, they automatically say 'Oh trainspotter?'. I find this especially annoying...

i could`t agree more there, when i told my friends they sort of took the p**s but no matter how many times i say Train Entusiast or Basher they look at me like i just broke in to there home and s**t on there kids (if they had kids) at christmas, then just carry on saying Trainspotter.

I dont really like the word trainspotter because it conjures up the image of someone standing on the end of the platform with a notebook and a anorack and thats not what im like, change Notebook with camera and Anorack with Jack Daniels Jacket ::

as for telling your girlfriend id just go ahead and say "I have a intrest in trains" or something along those lines, it shouldnt really matter to the relationship and you never know she might be a 37 crank herself

 

[Metroland]

I dont really like the word trainspotter because it conjures up the image of someone standing on the end of the platform with a notebook and a anorack

Well thanks to the media it certainly doesn't conjur up images of Rod Stewart and Frank Sinatra, both well known womanisers and Rail Enthusiats.

Nor of Walt Disney, Neil Young, Pete Waterman, Phill Collins, Bruce Dickinson and other countless well known people and perhaps less well known enthusiats.

 

[anthony263]

Well thanks to the media it certainly doesn't conjur up images of Rod Stewart and Frank Sinatra, both well known womanisers and Rail Enthusiats.

Nor of Walt Disney, Neil Young, Pete Waterman, Phill Collins, Bruce Dickinson and other countless well known people and perhaps less well known enthusiats.

u forgot to mention, the current vice president of the united states, he is the reason why borack obama seems to be taking an interest in high speed rail

 

[Metroland]

Also

Johnny Cash – Singer
Gary Coleman – Actor
Kevin Costner – Actor
Roger Daltry – Rock Star – the who
John Entwhistle – Rock Star – the who
Hermann Goring – head of the Luffwaffe
Tom Hanks – Actor/producer
David Hasselhoff – Actor
Elton John – Rockstar
John Pertwee – Actor
Lionel Ritchie – Singer
Bruce Springsteen – Singer
Donald Sutherland – Actor
Mel Torme – Singer
Michael Palin – Comedian/Presenter
WH Auden – Poet
Alfred Hitchcock – Film maker
Bill McAlpine – Industrialist
Austen Mitchell – MP
Timothy West – Actor
Alan Whitehead – TV news
Nick Owen – TV news
Terrence Cuneo – Painter
David Shepherd – Artist and Conservationist
Adrian Shooter – MD Chiltern trains
Richard Bowker – CEO National Express

I’m sure there are others, but those are the ones I can think of!

 

[16CSVT2700]

Yes it does; that was taken on FGW's recent training camp introducing platform staff to the latest plan for dealing with unruly spotters.

Rule book module FA01 - Firearms and Anti-Spotter Handling Tactics

 

[Phoenix]

I believe that it's possible for you to get perfectly normal railway enthusiasts who lead normal successful lives and use the trains as a source of relaxation or entertainment but sadly there are those are not normal and let it take over completely and who believe that just because that in the day they seen 55022 that they don't have to act like a normal person like the rest of us which really lets the side down.

But lets be honest the stereotype is going to haunt us all for a long time to come along with the evil song which is the Thomas the Tank engine theme tune.

 

[37401]

i heard "bono" was also a gricer

 

[43021HST]

Tell her you do trains as well as her

 

[37401]

Tell her you do trains as well as her

haha

 

[metrocammel]

I'm surprised, Metroland, that you didn't mention Sir John Betjeman. He seemed to be very enthusiastic about railways, particularly the preservation of railway architecture.

I must admit though, I never realised Hermann Goering was a crank!!

 

[First class]

My problem with 'train enthusiasm' comes from my job- within a TOC!

I know a lot about routes/times/tickets and similar information, and can identify a class of rolling stock, but I don't know anything technical, and don't go out looking for a specific train.

However, when anyone whats information, and I can instantly give it to them they sort of look at each other like haha he's a trainspotter.... nothing sinister, but obviously they find it out of the ordinary.

The real amusing thing, however, is that I'm progressing through the ranks quickly, partly because of this knowledge, and sooner or later, these people will be left behind.

I think you can only do a really good job with a TOC, if you understand all parts of the business- even if it's just a few facts. The information is useful to me for when I travel by train so at the end of the day it's all relevant to me, and any passengers that encouter me whilst I'm in uniform.

 

[berwickspotter]

.

But lets be honest the stereotype is going to haunt us all for a long time to come along with the evil song which is the Thomas the Tank engine theme tune.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Waeu1khnaD4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_heSM_2tMc&feature=related

 

[asylumxl]

Thomas appears to be pulling into Totnes.

He's not very useful though. I mean, why can't he be working on the Caledonian Sleeper service or the WAG Express?

 

[Jx^]

Or you could just give up the hobby and say "I'm more interested in you than trains."

 

[Death]

Thomas appears to be pulling into Totnes.
He's not very useful though. I mean, why can't he be working on the Caledonian Sleeper service or the WAG Express?

Id've thought it was fairly obvious why Thomas isn't used for heavier, longer distance services. I mean, a 9F could easily manage the three part Fort William/Inverness/Aberdeen sleeper without coming anywhere close to being overstrained...But an 0-6-0 tank engine on a journey of over 500 miles? It'd take a true miracle to do that without blowing the boiler! hock:

Or you could just give up the hobby and say "I'm more interested in you than trains."

I don't have to give up the hobby at all, and I probabally won't...My other half already knows that I have a moderate interest in trains, and is perfectly happy with that. Indeed, they used to be a railway enthusiast as well (Although much more into aviation nowadays) and though I still have a passion for XHSR, I know exactly where my heart lies first and foremost!