Enthusiast gets steamed up after family board his carriage
Recently a rail enthusiast, who was sat near the steam locomotive at the Vale of Rheidol Railway, was outraged when a family boarded the same carriage, saying : “They had the whole train, but they decided to inflict themselves and their three noisy kids, right next to us just as I'm about to video the journey, Grrrrrr!”
It wasn't long before the original poster was on the receiving end of opinions he probably hadn't expected. A fellow enthusiast posted: “Funny this reminds me of Awdry (Thomas the Tank Engine) weekend last week, where an old couple got off the picnic train at Dolgoch (Talyllyn Railway) and I overheard the wife remark 'this train is full of bloody weirdos' ”, with another enthusiast wading into the argument, saying: “How dare other people who have also paid to be there want to enjoy their visit? How inconsiderate of them!”
Some were, however, on the side of the original poster, saying: “So many parents think that everyone should endure their kids, as they don’t have the common sense to control them.” Another joked: “Nothing worse than annoying, screaming, bombing about the place ruining everybody’s zen crotch goblins invading on a nice day out.” before telling the OP that he was a kid once and that he should “deal with it”.
It's not the first time that heritage railways have attracted enthusiasts who dislike children, At the Severn Valley Railway one such person was heard to say “If people must breed to satisfy their ego, they should at least keep the little darlings quiet”, with another wishing for “adult only” days.
Privately, marketing managers have little time for such attitudes, knowing that families not only make up the mass majority of visitors, but also spend considerably more in the shops and buffet. The final word went to an enthusiast who said : “I love when enthusiasts complain about families, despite families being the biggest demographic.”
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