Model Railroading > State of our hobby

Hello to All,

I just finished working on a laser kit down in the train room. I was sitting there looking at it and how everything fit together so well. It got me to pondering the state of the hobby I've been passionate about for fifty years. I think we're doing really well. I know there are nit-pickers, nay-sayers, there always will be. People are more prone to publicly complain than compliment. But..........

We have manufacturers who generally listen when errors are pointed out and try to correct them. They are turning out models that are specific to a particular railroad. (I had a Pennsy U50 when I was a kid, glad we're past that now)

We have UPS and Fedex that bring us items two days after we order them on the internet and we get to see a picture of what we're ordering before hand.

If we have a question about an item, we can go to a multitude of forums and usually get an answer within minutes, certainly the same day.

I love the trend of historical societies assisting manufacturers with archival blueprints and paint samples, like to see more of that. Those groups are out there waiting for someone to ask them a question about 'their" railroad. Thanks gang!

We have the mega-train shows where you can interact with vendors, store owners, clubs and so on. Live demonstrations of new products are a favorite of mine.

Some of us will complain about today's prices. I think about what I made in my first job vs what I made before I retired. I'd say we're doing pretty good on the inflation rate and we're getting a lot more for our money.

We weathered the slot car craze. I think we'll weather the video-game craze as well. DCC has a lot of appeal for the younger generation.

I don't think anyone is saving sawdust anymore to make ground cover, using cat-food cans to make N-scale oil tanks or gluing together cardboard tubes to make grain silos. I know I used to cut Texaco logos off of my dad's road maps to use for my layout (he wasn't thrilled).

All in all, I'd say we're doing pretty well, what do you think?

Please keep it polite.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/12 13:55 by pilotblue.

Great to read about such a positive perspective! Sorry to hear about your dad's maps, but I imagine he got over it!

Chris Rye

I agree, it's a great time to be in the hobby. My wife and I primarily model logging prototypes, mainly the Sugar Pine Lumber Company / Minarets & Western Railway circa 1927, so we do a lot of kitbashing and craftsman kit assembly along with scratchbuilding. The availability of many detail parts unheard of a few decades back, plus access to reams of historical information thanks to online connections and the friends we've made in the hobby, make our modeling tasks easier and of better quality. DCC loco operation adds another level of fun to our steam loco-powered trains. New scenery materials give our layout that extra visual appeal. As a video producer, today's technology makes my train videos that much better, too.

And maybe I'm spoiled, but having my talented wife Pam at the workbench next to me is just icing on the cake.

Jeff Johnston
www.trainvideosandparts.com

I agree. I believe the older modelers appreciate your words more so than the "youngsters". I started in the early '70s with DC, brass track, Tyco and early Athearn products - products were more toy-like than true models. The two greatest advances that I appreciate are: nickel-silver track and the world of micro-electronics (DCC, sound, RF-throttles, etc). Model detail is significantly better despite the higher prices. The availability of information is outstanding. Its a good time to be in the hobby despite some bumps.
Joe

The only thing I miss is the Athearn blue box, or Roundhouse (N & HO) kits. My son had a blast when younger putting these together, and I think that really got him more interested in the hobby. When I grew up in the 70's that was always a highlight of going to the big city hobby shop in Wichita, because I could afford to purchase some HO kits to add to my layout.

I just wonder at times if the higher prices of finished and detailed models will keep the younger generation away from the hobby?

Mike

I have to agree with all above posts. I for one am worried about the young kids getting into this hobby.If a child shares a layout with a parent
and wants something the parent will most likely get it.As the parent can use it also.Then on the other hand if a lone child needs/wants something
the parent might say the saying on the show Tv show (The price is right) THATS TO MUCH !. A while back there was a teen age girl that used to post
her work on T.O as she had very nice work.She got chased away by saying the word ( like ) every few words.Lets not hurt but help all people in this hobby, especially the younger ones and those with less experence.I'm one older man with less.Steve

The state of this hobby is that it's as good as you want to make it. I can buy a resin 1/4" scale Harriman baggage
with every rivet represented for way less than brass and half the weight and I'm gonna like say (intended) that the
hobby is going the wrong way?

In 1974 when I started reading the model railroad press, I was terrified to find that most model railroaders felt that the hobby was dying. Yes, they said that the average hobbyist was over 50 and no kids were interested in the hobby. On top of it all, the railroad itself was a dying industry and was due to be wiped off the face of the earth by the trucking industry at any moment. It's almost 40 tears later, the world hasn't ended yet.

i started n-scaling in 1989 and i think it has been getting better and better......

66

The hobby is doing good. We have a lot of strong manufacturers putting out high quality products. The variety today is better than in the past.
The only downside is the loss of the LHS. Today's technology and internet ways have brought this and it will continue.

The hobby shop owners will have to be internet-savvy...to be able to compete...a combination brick and mortar/internet store would be a great combo...

There are so many things that I can "check off" of my wanted list in HO the past 4 years...that I abandoned my lists!! Genesis GP15's...Genesis GP38-2's...Tangent's coal hoppers...ExactRail 65' Mill Gondolas...are just a few that I have checked off.

Great time to be in the hobby, IMO.

Thomas Austin
Centralia, IL
Joppa Sub Layout Site

I've been an active scale modeler since 1951, and agree that what we have available now (models, materials and information) is vastly superior to anything we've ever had. I also think the hobby is in better shape than we think. During my narrow gauge days I had the opportunity to serve as contest chairman at the 1982, '84 and '86 Denver National narrow gauge conventions. At the last of those, after I had finished presenting all the awards, I looked out over the 300+ attendees in the banquet room and lamented the lack of young people. Since I had the podium, I launched into a several minute plea, suggesting that when we meet the public at shows we spend less time trying to impress visitors with how much our models cost, or how many hundreds of hours they took to build, and more time explaining why we enjoy our hobby. I was mentally extrapolating the downward trend the hobby seemed to be in. But guess what? Garden railroading came along and brought a whole new group of participants to the hobby. The same thing has happened with command control and sound. So I think the hobby is more resilient than we give it credit for.

Tom Madden

To Tom's comment, the Narrow Gauge Convention of today has more young people than anything other than
an RPM Meet and tend to really make one feel good about the hobby. I really am blown away by the RPM
Meet growth in that it's great to see that some people have the patience to build really quality models.
Sure they've got parts to glue on (versus scratching them) but hey, their heart is definitely in the right place.

I think the problem with getting the younger generation into the hobby is not that they are not interested, it's just that they aren't exposed to it as much as a lot of us when we were younger. Part of that is the demise of the local hobby shop, and the fact that some of the stores that used to carry model train products, are more into radio control and games than models, be it trains, planes or automobiles. I just had one of my teenage grandsons with us for several days, and he really enjoys my layout, and helping with working on it, as well as operating it.

As for the state of the hobby, I believe it is doing good, although I have always loved building, painting, and decaling my own locos and cars. With the demise of the Athearn Blue Box and others, most of that has gone away. Also, the RTR has taken away from that also. I'm glad that I stocked up on kits a while back, and I'm still putting some together. I am glad though, that the hobby progressed enough to have DCC, instead of the old DC stuff, making it a lot easier to wire and control the layout.

Ron Evans
Golden Valley, AZ

If you want to see how much the hobby has changed in the past 20-30 years, pick up an old copy of Model Railroader or Railroad Model Craftsman from the 1980's or early 1990's. There are now so many more manufacturers, the quality of the products has increased significantly, and we never dreamed of a technological advance like DCC. Locos motors and drive trains are much better and the detail on plastic models is fantastic. We now have manufacturers that give us specific models for our favorite railroads.

True, the prices have increased, but it was time for the generic $1.99 Athearn blue pox to come to an end. Yes, I have several hundred of them, too.

In conclusion, the hobby seems to be hanging in there and I enjoy it as much now as I did when I was a kid.

Mark
Salem, Oregon

unclebob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The only thing I miss is the Athearn blue box, or
> Roundhouse (N & HO) kits. My son had a blast when
> younger putting these together, and I think that
> really got him more interested in the hobby.


> I just wonder at times if the higher prices of
> finished and detailed models will keep the younger
> generation away from the hobby?
>
> Mike

While I do lament the loss of the blue box Athearn kits, Accurail has filled the niche nicely. I just wish I could get my son to build one. He is eleven and loves to run train on "dad's layout", but won't touch a model kit. He has only ever asked for locomotives as gifts, usually after watching a video and one catches his eye. Of course, it's one that's not available except in brass if at all (like a Roberval & Saugenay M420TR after seeing the Pentrex ALCO tape) or a paint scheme that hasn't been produced. (Spent the day before Christmas three years ago painting, stripping and repainting an Athearn SD40-2 as a stand in for a Utah Railway SD40). The exception was an Apache Railway C420 from Atlas. If he stays with the hobby, I will be very pleased. He has watched the Pentrex V&O Story DVD many times and worn out the Pentrex ALCO tapes. As far as the expense for new modelers, I have sold many of my older bliuebox Athearn's to kids for very little, just to get them going. In one case some years ago at a swap meet, I had several Bachmann under Dash 8-40C's for ale, cheap. There were two young boys who kept coming by my table and looking at them, then leaving, only to circle back a few minutes later. Toward the end of the show, I was packing up and had not sold them. They came by and saw I was packing up. They had ten bucks between them, so I sold them two. I knew I would probably never get around to painting them, and Atlas had come out with their far superior model. I try to always encourage and support the younger generation when they express interest in the hobby.

I'm not a model railroader; but, I've been trying to find out if anyone in this discussion forum knows of Charles Griffin in Blairsville, GA. He has an exceptional layout called Misty Mountain Railroad. He has a huge building just built for his exhibit and he has numerous (I think 18) trains running at once. There are always google-eyed kids and parents in there when I visit with my grandchildren at Christmas. When people tour the layout, he accepts a $5 donation for the local historical society. If you are ever in North Georgia, you should take a closer look. His website is
http://www.mistymountainmodelrailroad.com

Martha,

Our local Electric Membership Corp. magazine had a front cover story about the Misty Mountain a few years ago. That was the first I had heard of the layout but still have not made a trip to visit it. I did not know that it was open year round (thought it was only around the Christmas/Thanksgiving season). If year round, I will have to stop by next time I am in the North Georgia Mountains.

Jay

Folks;

With respect to PilotBlue's original post on the state of the hobby. I think the thing that is most significant is the introduction of the "computer chip". DCC has provided an entirely new level of modeling and operation. I can remember back to blue box kits, trying to get constant lighting to work, and "block" control on the lay out. We have really advanced. DCC has clearly driven prototype modeling and operations at a rate that is astounding.
I recently saw something called 3D modeling (think about the "replicator" on Star Trek) at an NMRA meet. The auto-cad computer design is replicated in solid form by a machine that lays up the item at 0.1 mm resolution. As this becomes more common we will see even more prototype fidelity and perhaps and end to injection molding.
I am not worried about the younger generation getting into the hobby. I see them all time and in increasing numbers. Thanks "Thomas".(I can't really believe that I said that....)
With respect to the changes in marketing of products via the Internet that we see....well....it is just marketing..and that is mostly BS any way. Successful brick and mortar hobby shops are going to have to offer more to folks to come in and drop there $$$. Just what that is is not clear yet.
I will get off my soap box now. To sum this is up...consider a license plate holder I saw recently."GET IN..SIT DOWN..SHUT UP"
It's going to be an interesting ride.

Regards

Jere Ingram

The 3D machine will not replace injection molding, it's too slow,
too expensive and limited as to size. But for small "hand carved"
parts it could be a boon,