Do You Get Made Fun Of?

[queenlnr8]

Since I am in college, I get to choose the people I spend my time with. Most of the people like the fact that I can inform them of what's happening around them on the rails. I get loads of questions from interested parties.

I didn't have too much interest in rail stuff in HS so, I wasn't made fun of.

[PRRGuy]

The railroaders eh? I wish i were so lucky, when I was in high school Our mascot was an oil derrick, I.E. Whiting Oilers...I've been trying to get them to make a an Oil can like what the engineers used. lol

[56-57]

Yeah, back in high school, I got a lot of s**t from folks who didn't know what they were talking about. But at the same time, I made some great friends, both young railfans, and the local railroaders. Also, my junior and senior years, I pulled off arranging a metal shop field trip to the Reading and Northern's diesel shop in Port Clinton. That opened quite a few eyes, even the teachers'. On weekends, I spent some time on the ARHS F3's in JT, doing whatever I could help with.

I had more fun than anything!

Good Luck!

Mike

[trainiac]

I was sometimes made fun of in early high school...then the people who made fun of me turned out to be the ones who dropped out of school. It's not a problem anymore--a presentation I did in college recently on model railroading generated a lot of interest and questions.

[creeker]

Ive bin made fun of for that up until 8th grade. Then i started volunteering at NJMT. Now people just think im nuts! But i dont care. I love what i do and i love the hobby.

-Eric

[bnsfnm]

I've never really been made fun of for liking trains. Part of it is that I have other hobbies that are considered more "normal". I'm part of a hot air balloon team (I'm in Albuquerque, which is the hot air balloon capital of the world), I have a Z28 and spend time at the local drag strip, and I also go paintballing with my friends. Also, it's not that I'm ashamed of liking trains, but for the most part, I try to keep it low key. I've figured out that most people really don't care, so I try not to bore them with my train talk.

[jdelgrosso]

"uh playing video games"

I know that phrase too well. Actually, most of the kids I know don't know I care for trains. They also don't know I like old 1980's sedans.

[Joe]

At school, some poeple think I'm weird, but they don't hate me for it. I tell them, "If you ever need to know anything about trains, just ask me!" While railfanning, messed-up teens in cars with honk their horns and make rude gestures and remarks as they pass. I've also had a group of strange, fat men do this to me at a station. (Not in a car.)

[Christian S.]

I'm homeschooled, but I still have these problems. My grandfather believes that if you do anything more than once (except HIS hobbies) it's considered fanatical. So I hide my railroad biz from him. My cousins often call Strasburg boring & stupid, but I say "am I bothering you? What's your prob? Tsk

[jspsh]

I believe I might be the only railfan at my school.

[Jihn z]

I don't get made fun of for being a railfan. If anything, someone will say "What are you doing tomorrow?" and i'll say "Oh I'm going to watch some trains" and I'll get a weird look like WHY? but I never get made fun of.... NOTE: I'm also 6'3 and nobody messes with me anyway haha...

[prt1607j]

i get mocked for being a racefan and my job... i am a trucker and i work on race cars... but when they lock thier keys in thier cars who gets them in??,,, me... so ha....

[LBWaveDude]

uh playing video games" What kind of a hobby is that?

Haha I hate that! Waste of time! Like others have said, for the most part not many people know of my interest in trains...but my good friends do beacuase of times when I give them lectures ex. "why the train used to go to Seaside Heights but stops at Bayhead now."

[trainfreak]

Im starting to notice more people are actually getting mature in my school and i dont really get make fun of anymore. And some of the girls i talk to are fasinated with my knowledge of trains.

[njt5140]

I used to be made fun of all the time in middle school, but everyone changed their tones when there was an electronics teacher in high school that thrilled over trains also! I was somewhat accepted. Now that I'm out of school I get it at work somtimes, but now I'm more widely known for my hobby of photographing convenience stores and busses in NY.