# Is this the right place to ask questions?



## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

I'm looking to get into the hobby without my wife knowing. I'm thinking that z scale is the smallest, and therefore the easiest to hide.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

TNRon said:


> I'm looking to get into the hobby without my wife knowing. I'm thinking that z scale is the smallest, and therefore the easiest to hide.


Do you really think you will hide these (or any) trains from the wife? :laugh:

Z scale is real small, how are your eyes?
N scale a little larger, still need good eyes,
HO is the choice for a lot,
O scale needs room.

If you sneeze hard you can lose your Z scale trains. 

Just buy the wife a new car then you can get whatever you want, flowers and a nice restaurant works along with the car. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

build it in a mates shed :sly:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

broox said:


> build it in a mates shed :sly:


I don't think he will know what your saying broox.
You have to translate that into American.


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## jesteck (Apr 15, 2014)

Might just as well "fess up" before you start. That way you can get trains big enough to see and work with and won't have to explain why you spend so much more time in your mate's shed than you do with her. American enough, Ed?


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

My wife is my right arm and chief ornament, I couldn't imagine having to hide anything from her.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

jesteck said:


> Might just as well "fess up" before you start. That way you can get trains big enough to see and work with and won't have to explain why you spend so much more time in your mate's shed than you do with her. American enough, Ed?


Well................not really. 

A mate here is your wife, unless your a....well you know. A mate there is a friend.
And what I meant to show was a "shed" was too.

My ideal of a shed was something like a 10 x 10 building where you house your lawnmower and garden equipment.
Then I was shown what was meant by the term "shed" down under style.

Now.........this is a shed! It was built just for the trains. :smilie_daumenpos:









Sadly the builder had just started a online modeling forum and was almost ready to fill this with trains and passed away. 


But, I learned what "shed" meant Australian style. :thumbsup:


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## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

Okay. I went down in the basement to "work on something" how much space will I be needing?


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

TNRon said:


> Okay. I went down in the basement to "work on something" how much space will I be needing?


Depends on scale and pocket-book, wallet, bank account, disposable income, investments, stocks, bonds, mutual funds....

It really all depends on your wife!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

TNRon said:


> Okay. I went down in the basement to "work on something" how much space will I be needing?


What size are you going with? You know Z is very small? And quite costly.

I would say use the whole basement..............and put a lock on the door.
Either that or stand up and tell her this is what your going to do! Period.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

What happens when she finds out?


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## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

My plan is to never tell her. I get an allowance of 100 dollars every 2 weeks. How much should I save up before I go to hobby town?


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

"Oh what tangled webs we weave..."


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Wives have a funny way of finding out stuff you don't tell them.  Having a train layout in the house without my wife knowing would be a neat trick, and pretty much an impossibility! 

I guess I have to wonder why you wouldn't tell her...


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## rkenney (Aug 10, 2013)

By the time I got out of high school I was pretty sure there was no such thing as a permanent record; After I'd been married a few years I was pretty sure my wife was the keeper of it!hwell:


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

TNRon said:


> My plan is to never tell her. I get an allowance of 100 dollars every 2 weeks. How much should I save up before I go to hobby town?


I'm thinking you'd better save for the divorce first off. Wives don't like secrets, and finding them out usually sets off a very nasty string of events!! 

Seriously, why would you want to hide it from her? Spend some energy explaining to her what you want to do, and maybe, just maybe, she'll get on board and become your hobby side-kick! :smilie_daumenpos:


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

jesteck said:


> Might just as well "fess up" before you start. That way you can get trains big enough to see and work with and won't have to explain why you spend so much more time in your mate's shed than you do with her. American enough, Ed?





big ed said:


> Well................not really.
> 
> A mate here is your wife, unless your a....well you know. A mate there is a friend.
> And what I meant to show was a "shed" was too.
> ...


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## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

Well the reason I'm not telling her is she is less than supportive when it comes to new hobbies. Would you say that z scale is something I can purchase, and throw away the packaging before I get home, and then smuggle in in my pockets?


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

You sound like a champion! :thumbsup:
Yeah I'd reckon. they're pretty small. Could smuggle in N scale too fairly easily with a baggy pocket.


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## Hutch (Dec 19, 2012)

Are you serious?


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## Gansett (Apr 8, 2011)

Just do it. It's a lot easier begging forgiveness than asking permission.


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## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

JackC said:


> Just do it. It's a lot easier begging forgiveness than asking permission.


This philosophy has served me well over the years.


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

I've got a similar system myself. Parcel stealthily goes into the top of the wardorbe, a few weeks later it gets pulled out as "an old project that I never got around to finishing" ... :sly:

When it comes to "old projects" the storage capacity of that wardrobe is like freakin Narnia :thumbsup:


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

The scale size of T is 1:450, which makes it around half the size of Z and one third the size of N.

http://www.tgauge.com/

You can fill up your pockets with T scale.
They are so small she will never see them.


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## mustangcobra94 (Apr 28, 2014)

t gauge really? that's insane I can't believe they make trains that small and run


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## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

Those look amazing. Although I'm not sure how much they cost in US dollars


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## 400E Blue Comet (Jul 11, 2014)

If you really need to hide it, then maybe you should get T Gauge. Unfortunately, I don't have it yet but I've been wanting it for my Birthday or Christmas about a year. New T tends to be less expensive than new Z but you should be able to find Z for even cheaper on the internet. Z can fit on an end table too, so that won't be a problem. I have 2 different Marklin Z Moguls, a miniclub blue transformer, and micro trains track if you're wondering. Micro trains seems to be cheaper on Z than Marklin, but their prices aren't as high anymore. I also got 5 freight cars and 5 passenger cars, though they can be hard to put on the track some times because they're super light. Their motors also can get warm, but I'm not sure if they burn out due to that, my first one I got for my birthday from ebay, but the motor wasn't working, finally upgraded it to a 5-Pole when I saw a tiny stream of smoke. Since T and Z are so tiny if you just ask it might not be a problem, there are a few convenient places you can put them. I've read though you need pretty small fingers and pretty good eyesight to deal with T :goofball:.


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

Could join a club?
Just buy a engine/rolling stock and go and run it on a completed layout... If the missus will let you out of the house that is :sly:




Spoiler



mine won't


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## wnewbury (Dec 2, 2013)

Start around Christmas time with a small loop of HO or O around the Christmas tree? And let her put cute stuff into gondolas or on flat cars?


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## 400E Blue Comet (Jul 11, 2014)

I know there's a scale called TY Gauge, it runs on conveyer belts but it's smaller than T Gauge. Nano Gauge is the same scale as TY Gauge, but it runs on magnets. I know there's a TY Gauge set that comes in a book, so maybe...
*Reads book but is actually watching some trains*


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## TNRon (Jun 28, 2014)

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. I'm a total noob. What is rolling stock?


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## 400E Blue Comet (Jul 11, 2014)

Rolling stock are train cars but sometimes they refer to locomotives too (Usually on sites where you buy model trains). For the most part it's train cars though.


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

first off, convince the other half that model trains are something u would never be interested in. she'll buy you your first set:smokin:

or, get the inlaws interested in trains. we all know the inlaws are never wrong.

or, tell her u need a new hobby. maybe try pool down at the local tavern. don't wait up, be home around 3:00AM:smilie_daumenpos:


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## cid (Jul 3, 2014)

TNRon said:


> I'm looking to get into the hobby without my wife knowing.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh it's makin' my day, sorry...


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

You will need to buy only the invisible kind.....otherwise she'll see the layout and put 2 and 2 together.....

And if you go invisible, you can go to a bigger scale...easier to work on that way.......:laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Bwells (Mar 30, 2014)

Let her know what you want to do and then do it, but include her. My wife does all the painting of buildings and rocks and is getting quite good at weathering. She enjoys it. Don't hide stuff or it will cost you a lot of money down the road!!


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