Annoying questions

[pauly]

In the steam hobbies theres lots of annoying questions like Where do the batterys go? Can you plug it in and shows us it working? and the always annoying Isnt that dangerous, do you parents know!? :-|

thats some that Iv been asked relating my mamod collection, the questions asked about my garden railways are much more annoying.
They include such classics as Doesnt the track go rusty? What if it rains? You bring it all in at night? You did thsi all by yourself? Isnt that dangerous!? and the American faviourate How do you cut the grass in the middle? :-| I dont understand that question at all, are curvy lawns unheard of in America?

theres some of my annoying questions lets hear some of yours, I bet theres some real corkers been asked of our members.

[SLRmidge]

How fast do they go?
Can I ride on it?

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Gosh, how did you make that steam effect?

[Narrow Minded]

"Leaves on the line again?"............................

[SillyBilly]

Perhaps it's just nice that people take an interest and feel able to ask questions?

[Narrow Minded]

Perhaps it's just nice that people take an interest and feel able to ask questions?

When they're out of curiosity towards our hobby, I suppose you're right - for me though, the most annoying one comes regularly from the Financial Dictator
"What do you want another one of those for?!"............

[taliesin001]

[quote="Narrow Minded"What do you want another one of those for?!"............ [/quote]
Exactly, my mum always wants to know why I want more than one of the same thing, bug boxes usually.

[bessytractor]

standing next to Yeo yesterday at Fairbourne waiting for departure, knocked the injector off and a smarmy little brat comes up:

"what kind of steam is that?

"hot steam!"

"but how hot?"

"put it this way son, I can't feel the tips of my fingers!"

"can I put my hand in it and see?"

"LORD NO!!!"

the depressing thing was this kid was not young either!

Another recent one was the kid who couldn't grasp the notion that its perfectly possible to put a 7 1/4" loco in a Vauxhall Corsa, I've never felt more distrust from someone than that kid!

ANOTHER one was "is that a REAAAAAAAAAAAL fire?"

to answer that one I shovelled some out and doused it with water

"yup!"

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

I was once talking to a family friend who we don't see often about my hobbies and his children didn't actually know what a steam engine was...

[bessytractor]

I was once talking to a family friend who we don't see often about my hobbies and his children didn't actually know what a steam engine was...

I'm sorry to say we live in an age of magic, stuff works and a good majority of people don't have or want to understand how they work.  As far as their concerned, their car runs on magic, hence "the age of magic".  As a result, people don't get exposed to this sort of thing and never see or hear of it.

example

The CME at our railway once got told off by a 10 year old because everyone knew that you can't burn stones.  CME points out its coal, not stones.   Nahhhh says our all knowing pre-teen, you can't burn stones......

They don't teach this stuff in school proper, it was ME teaching the class how a steam engine worked when we did the industrial revolution!  :lol:

[made-in-england]

Not a question but a couple of statements that have cracked me up..

On swanage railway in the first coach swanage bound.. stop on a corner so the gaurd can politely tell some idiots picknicking on a near sheer drop next to a railway line isnt advisable a young boy walked to the front head out the window and declared to the coach ..

" Dont worry we have run out of diesel, they are walking to get some more"

He was met by a round of applause by his large group of friends and family

Another, this is the signature of a chap I know from the world of traction engines whome is dark skinned..

[Father with young child]'Look at that man...
See, he must be the fireman...
Look at how black he is...'

[My response]
'You do realise that not all of this comes off?!?'

[MDLR]

I was once talking to a family friend who we don't see often about my hobbies and his children didn't actually know what a steam engine was...

I visited the National Brewery Centre in Burton last week - http://www.nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk/ and was astonished that the workings of the Robey horizontal compound steam engine had to be explained in such detail (and very well done it was too - lighting up each part of the engine as it was described) but then realised that I'm probably in a fairly small minority in knowing how one works!

[mhlr]

My most dreaded question is usually from my parents... when they have friends over who have a young child, they ask me "he'd love to see the trains, go and get them out to show him"... I wouldn't usually mind, however, it's usually the sort that tends to enjoy watching it for a couple of minutes, then looses all interest and start to knock things over and breaking stuff!

[bessytractor]

My most dreaded question is usually from my parents... when they have friends over who have a young child, they ask me "he'd love to see the trains, go and get them out to show him"... I wouldn't usually mind, however, it's usually the sort that tends to enjoy watching it for a couple of minutes, then looses all interest and start to knock things over and breaking stuff!  :roll:

oh yeah ive suffered that too!

[Pendo Pilot]

My most dreaded question is usually from my parents... when they have friends over who have a young child, they ask me "he'd love to see the trains, go and get them out to show him"... I wouldn't usually mind, however, it's usually the sort that tends to enjoy watching it for a couple of minutes, then looses all interest and start to knock things over and breaking stuff!  :roll:

oh yeah ive suffered that too!

Ditto.... The fact that watching these kids of our friends run off with wagons dangling out there hands as if they were toys. Still it was a pleasure to point out a while back as a friends kids began to pick up my Carrie that if Roundhouse still made that loco it would cost over a grand. Suprisingly he soon then decided it would be a good idea to supervise his children & stop them touching stuff.  

As for annoying questions, well you should hear some of the ones we get off passengers. The common belief amongst rail staff is that people remove there brains before entering a railway station (Not train station damn it!!). These are all from my ATW driving days, thankfully now I don't have to interact much with the public.

Got asked at Shrewsbury station a few times over the years when the next train for wales is?
-Hmmm ok, which part???

Is this platform Manchester?
-No this platform is Shrewsbury, the signs tell you that.

[On a rural double track line] If I catch the fast train that leaves 15 minutes behind the stopper will I get in first/ does it overtake?
-Doh!

[Quite a common one] My mates just coming he will be here in 5 minutes, can you hold the train...
-Oh yes, no one will mind I'm sure! Not to mention the massive delay costs incured & the extreme knock on effect that it cause by passing over regulating points late.

Do you go to Madley?
-No. sorry I don't.
Please can you just take us there?
-You have not had a railway line since 1960, how would I?

But the worst one I have had!
Train driving, thats just two buttons isn't it? Stop & go isn't it?
-Yes, I needed 11 months of training, then another month learning traction & more time learning routes because all I do is press go & then stop buttons everynow & then.  :roll:

[bessytractor]

Ah yes, people assume that because I work for Network Rail whenever I have my fleece on I am an all singing and dancing oracle of railway knowledge.

"Do you know when the next train goes to Cobham & Stoke D'abernon mate?"

Nah sorry

"why not you work for the railway don't you?"

privitisation mate, different company!

My mate who drives for Freightliner suffers the same problem!

[Pendo Pilot]

Yeah I know that one mate, even if I just get out my cab at the end of my journey people rush up & want train details for all over the place!! How the hell do I know?

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

The amount of question's i've had at school......

When's the next train to manchester?
I don't have a blumin clue, they change the timetable 15 times a year!

Whats the next train to......... (Usually the most obserd place in the Uk which i have never heard of!)

Surely a train that small would melt with a fire in it?

So where's the little driver that drives it? (They were on about the mamods, and thought there was actually a little driver that drove it)

But i think the best one i've had is:

"Can it fly?"


I have also had several questions that have already been said on here!

[TommyDodd]

Ah yes, people assume that because I work for Network Rail whenever I have my fleece on I am an all singing and dancing oracle of railway knowledge.

I know that song. One of the upsides of being stuck in "the old folks' home" (what we call our shiny new computerised signalling centre) is not having to deal with the Great British Public any more, except occasionally via the moan line- AHB phones near stations. At one of my locations (I was GP relief then) I used to park my motorbike on the down platform: One wet day I'd just arrived for late turn, and had just pulled the bike up onto its centre stand and taken my lid off when this charming specimen of the Daily Sport's target market knuckle-walks up to me and says by way of greeting and introduction "Oi you foureyed ****, how long's this ****ing train going to be then?". So I calmly and politely told him, "Two hundred ****ing feet long, sir" and left him speechless to wait for his train- which was dead on time as he would have known if he'd bothered to read the departure board (assuming he could read).

[DolwyddelanLightRail]

Ah yes, people assume that because I work for Network Rail whenever I have my fleece on I am an all singing and dancing oracle of railway knowledge.

I know that song. One of the upsides of being stuck in "the old folks' home" (what we call our shiny new computerised signalling centre) is not having to deal with the Great British Public any more, except occasionally via the moan line- AHB phones near stations. At one of my locations (I was GP relief then) I used to park my motorbike on the down platform: One wet day I'd just arrived for late turn, and had just pulled the bike up onto its centre stand and taken my lid off when this charming specimen of the Daily Sport's target market knuckle-walks up to me and says by way of greeting and introduction "Oi you foureyed ****, how long's this ****ing train going to be then?". So I calmly and politely told him, "Two hundred ****ing feet long, sir" and left him speechless to wait for his train- which was dead on time as he would have known if he'd bothered to read the departure board (assuming he could read).

The only problem with the British Public, is that nowadays is completely ignorant about ANYTHING I've found recently!