Garden Railway Forum

Dear team, Mrs B refers to my loco project as my "Toy". While it grates my gears I grit my teeth and bear it What indignities do you suffer in the pursuit of this marvellous hobby?

Dave, the term 'Toy' has been used to describe anything diminutive in size for decades here in UK. It has been used for railways and small household domestic wares alike. I don't think it is as derogatory as calling your railway a 'train set' for instance.
Carry on grinning!

Dave,
To me it would all depend on the tone of voice and intent behind the use of the word 'toy'. If she says it in an affectionate lighthearted way then I'd probably either just grin or make some equally disparaging remark about her interests. It's in the same league as "playing trains", I think, and I've found that using that expression myself takes some of the sting out of others saying it.
I do agree with Peter though, "train set" always grates especially when it's used by local newspaper reporters, commenting on a model exhibition.

I finally got my wife to stop using the term 'toy'.

It took buying a 5" gauge loco but it worked!

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:49 am I finally got my wife to stop using the term 'toy'.

It took buying a 5" gauge loco but it worked!

So a "Big Toy" then.

I consider it it toys. Anything that I don't depend on to make a living is essentially a toy. What does annoy me is when people call a locomotive a "train" - I have to restrain myself not to educate them on the difference.

I was once told off for calling myself "a cheap bar stool" on an American moderated hobby forum. Apparently "bar stool" is offensive to Americans (however discussion the "stopping power" of handguns is not....). Vive la cultural difference!

Agreed, Ian.
As for "train set" although inaccurate in most cases it is not a problem for me either. My grandson always asks "can we play with your train set?" when referring to my 5" gauge railway!
And anyway I am having fun so if someone wants to make what they think are derisory comments I care not one jot!

Hang on, I was once told that "he with the most toys when they peg it, wins!" If that's not the case then I've made numerous mistakes

A toy is something used for play a leisure activity. Our models are generally a leisure activity. Even at ride on size our passengers are only riding for the fun of it. Unless one of you has a large estate and the train is to get about the estate. Even Sir William's big garden railway at Fawly was just for fun. Unless you are moving stuff or people from place to place with a real purpose it is a toy.

Don

What indignities do you suffer in the pursuit of this marvellous hobby?

Not so much a "derogatory term" but I sometimes am a little chagrined by other peoples' perception of my hobby. There's nowt wrong with being obsessed with trains, but I'm not. What I love about the narrow-gauge trains of the British Isles is more the pastoral landscapes and scenes of small overgrown rails disappearing into dark leafy places, as well as the colourful paint and polished brass of the steam era. I also love steam ships and traction engines. I do love modelling, and I try to learn enough about railways to make sure my generic models are plausible and look OK with the one or two scale models I have, but the scope of my interest is exceedingly narrow. No pun intended!

But, because I built a steam locomotive in my basement, I seem to have become the go-to-guy whenever someone wants to sell off their childhood train set, or sees a diesel locomotive. I've overheard people at parties saying "Keith's obsessed with trains" or things of that nature, which usually sparks off a conversation about somebody-or-other's uncle so-and-so who has an enormous OO or HO scale layout in their basement, along with a recommendation that I reach out to said uncle because he loves to talk about trains. Or that their four-year-old autistic boy is obsessed with trains and would I perhaps let him come over and play with my train set? (I actually wouldn't mind that but I don't find that a plodding little steam train that they can't touch really holds a child's interest for long)

I would actually prefer if peoples' perception of my hobby would lead instead to conversations about gardening, but no such luck.

Anyway not a big worry in my life but I could do without it.

That is one of the reservations I have about a ride on line, in that people will expect you to give rides to all their kids. I wouldn't mind so much but people these days seem to have lost the concept that they should control their kids. We quite enjoy visiting gardens but you see kids being allowed to run wild in the gardens of people who have been kind enough to open them for charity.

Don

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:49 am I finally got my wife to stop using the term 'toy'.

It took buying a 5" gauge loco but it worked!

That doesn't stop me when my eldest brother calls my 32mm Roundhouse Billy "A Toy" I just call his 7 1/4 gauge steamers "Well they are even bigger Dinky's Toys"
He shuts up then...

Keith S wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 3:54 pm Not so much a "derogatory term" but I sometimes am a little chagrined by other peoples' perception of my hobby. There's nowt wrong with being obsessed with trains, but I'm not. What I love about the narrow-gauge trains of the British Isles is more the pastoral landscapes and scenes of small overgrown rails disappearing into dark leafy places, as well as the colourful paint and polished brass of the steam era. I also love steam ships and traction engines. I do love modelling, and I try to learn enough about railways to make sure my generic models are plausible and look OK with the one or two scale models I have, but the scope of my interest is exceedingly narrow. No pun intended!

Anyway not a big worry in my life but I could do without it.

Same for me Dave, I have only been into steam railways for the last 5 years, N Gauge at the beginning, now 16mm. I try to learn as much has I can about anything steam related, but there is also the other things about railways and steam in general that comes about, like the history behind other things that are a part of the steam revolution that started the modern world now.