Don't buy me a train

[Trainman203]

Have you received a well intentioned train gift from someone that was totally useless?  Like a large scale car when you do HO?  Or a completely inappropriate item that you " have" to put on the layout when they come over?  Someone once gave me some  HUGE Union Pacific diesel, when all I run is small steam.

[WoundedBear]

Yeah, I hear you. I actually lamented that exact point a few years ago on another forum when I posted this...............

http://kitforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=8580&p=155784#p155783

Sid

[dutchbuilder]

People in general have no clue what the model rail road hobby entails.
Usually you get the remark; "O, you play with little trains."
The other day someone gave me a stand alone model of a French train in totally the wrong scale......
When you tell them you run American narrow gauge , the light switches off, as we say in Holland.

Ton

[rogertra]

All my family have been informed, since was around 15 or 16 years of age, back in the 1960s, never to buy anything for my various model railroads/ways as I am really era and or prototype specific.  That includes freight cars to road vehicles.  Currently, if it wasn't common in Canada in 1958, I'm not interested.   

Cheers

Roger T.

[Flare]

My family had the right idea, they got me a gift certificate to my local train store.

[Jhanecker2]

I am one of the worst people to buy  Xmas & Birthday gifts for . I have a vast assortment  of hobbies and /or vices .   I  into all sorts  of tools  both wood working
and metal working , and also gardening .   I am interested  in archery ,  fencing  , assorted shooting sports  and  used to go camping & fishing . I loved to bowl though I haven't done any lately , my bag is still packed .   I was an amateur  photographer & had my own darkroom in Chicago .   I am fond of music and collected  records , tapes &  CDs  .  Had an awesome sound system  & started  collecting   Video tape , DVDs & now Blue-ray Discs . I do admit to being a compulsive reader  and also a model builder.
    I made the mistake of telling someone that I had a  "  deprived childhood  " ; in that I never had an Electric Train  as a youth .  One of my sisters found out , and  bought me a " Harry  Potter " train set and that  started   HO  railroading  for me . I now have  a substantial   number  of trains  &  accessories  to work on.
    I insist  that people should not purchase  anything  for my  hobbies  & let me buy my own TOYS .  I am running literally out of room to play with my toys

  John 2 .

[Joe323]

I seem to recall talking about this on the MR forums that some well meaning people would give me there boxes of trainset junk they had lying about.  Usually I just accept it in the spirit that was a intended wait till they sre gone pull out anything useful and one or two things for display and recyle the rest at the temple rummage sale.  Most people don't remember giving it to me.

[richiy]

Have you received a well intentioned train gift from someone that was totally useless?  Like a large scale car when you do HO?  Or a completely inappropriate item that you " have" to put on the layout when they come over?  Someone once gave me some  HUGE Union Pacific diesel, when all I run is small steam.

Not a big deal at all.
Some years someone gave me a large scale loco and two passenger cars. I model ho.

Gave to set to someone who could use it. In life, pass the blessing on.

richiy

[glennhazel]

I know the pain all too well, but then a bright future.

I had a nice Lionel/Marx two oval set up on a ping-pong table.

The next birthday after a visit from my grandmother, I received an HO A-B-B-A diesel set from her.

On the bright side I discovered a local hardware store carried HO year round where the department store only had Lionel during the Christmas shopping season.

Glenn