IS there a bright future for model railroading?

[TonyD]

Gosh when I was a teenager, it was "Penn Central' not even Conrail... you are so right, the quality of even mid range stuff is better than top of the line 30 years ago....and the bad ol' days of the 70's and 80's, gosh, Spectrum's BL-2 was the ONLY decent thing out there, everythign else was on a slide, lucky things got to the point we enjoy now. But, you young guys got to do what some of the old timers ride ya about- you don't have to scratch build with steam gene's baby tree, but do some kitbashing of buildings and structures, then diesel and car shells, steam boilers if you're into that stuff. Some one was on the B man about a GP-38? compare to GP38dash2. Like one or two barely visable changes to a door. Years ago people took a geep anything and HAD to make it into what you wanted....I wanted early U23b's, D&H, several differences from late version models out there. Had to cut up and splice together 3 different shells to get what I wanted...not that long ago either...The collection of tools, knowledge of materials and SKILLS you will gather while killing time, will stay with you forever. My modeling skills got me jobs, fixed stuff on or in the house, and even airbrushed little 'accidents' to the car paint. Rather than wait till places freeze over for a certain model - you just pick up the closest thing, and MAKE it into what you want. What do Marines say? IMPROVISE?? Yeah you will trash stuff, but it doesn't get thrown out, it eventually becomes part of another project... someday, if you are carefull, you kids will have as much junk as us old guys.....but it will be leftovers from some awesome projects you didn't just scratch up the money to 'buy'... but -you- made....... 

[r.cprmier]

Tim;
You make some good points.  While I don't plan on being around in thirty years, I do hope that the hobby is still flourishing-and you are quite correct:  You and your peers will be economically driving this hobby.

Rich

PS:  Tony D;
When I was a kid, it was New Haven...Steam and electric.  It sounds crazy, but I would have liked to grow up around Blatchley Ave in New Haven; not far from Cedar Hill, Motor storage, and the Gilbert Hall of Science!!!

Man; trains and pitching little league...What a gas!!

[Atlantic Central]

Truth is, this has always been a hobby of "old men". I started when I was only 12 but quickly realized I had a lot to learn and the old guys where the place to learn it.

Many years ago MR did one of their first "surveys" of the hobby. The average age was 34. I would imagine it is still about the same, maybe a little older with the shift in population age.

And, truth is, its a hard hobby to afford until you are established in the world.

But in spite of all that, I think the hobby is doing just fine and there is lots of "new blood" regardless of the age of that new blood. Some are young people and that is great to see, some are older people who never had the time or money when they where younger, it matters not.

The hobby is ever changing but doing just fine. Quality RTR has allowed skilled modelers to build larger more complete layouts than could have ever been dreamed of years ago. Technology has given us wonder products both in the RTR and craftsman sides of the hobby. Its a great time in the hobby and that will fuel its continued growth.

Sheldon

[rains train]

loll, 14 is better 
Its ever so much more fun when your girlfriend is qualified to run trolleys in Maine 
There still is a fair trend for trains, and Thomas the Tank Engine seems to have brought it out of the dark ages in the 70's-80's... I have to admit, as much as I find them annoying, its better to have Thomas Fans than to not...

Oh really? Good then, I'll be 14 on May 27th!! 

Alex

[Kevin Strong]

I'm not too worried about the future of the hobby. I think it will always be there in some form or another. I've always been into trains since, well, since I could crawl, really. I grew up going to local train meetings, and listening to the "old guys" lament that the hobby was fading; that kids in that day only wanted to play video games (Atari!!! Woo hoo!!!) and play in rock bands. By and large, that's what kids my age were doing, so it's easy to understand their concern.

However, 25 years later, those same kids who were straining their thumbs on joysticks now have kids of their own, and are settled down to where they have some extra time and money to spend on a hobby. I'm no longer the "lone" member of my age group. A fair number of folks on this (and other) boards are in our 30s, and will hopefully be around for another 50 or so years, introducing our kids and grandkids to model trains.

Later,

K

[Yampa Bob]

I sometimes wish I had made the transition to trains earlier, say 15 years ago, more years to enjoy the hobby.

But then I think, well suppose I had started earlier?  I would now have a bunch of worn out locos, poorly detailed rolling stock, horn couplers, obsolete track and turnouts.  At least I'm starting with what I consider state of the art, including DCC equipped and well made locos.   

I'm satisfied with the timing,  I'm probably farther ahead now than I would be if I did start many years ago.  I got my son and grandson into the hobby recently.  They are building a large layout that will have both trains and slot cars.  Someday all my stuff will be shipped to them.

Bob

[HoboHarley]

Our thoughts on this subject are mostly our opinions. My opinion is there will always be model railroading as long as there are trains and kids. The glorious model steam engines so many of us treasure in owning will give way to the power of today: Diesel Locomotives. There is still some fantasy and attraction to railroading in general and not to worry about the hobby disappearing.

[TonyD]

Your hunch is right on Bob, 15 years ago was the 'comma' in HO, large scale was where the action was, until I heard a Broadway Hudson...there was 2 decades of watching a sheet of paper matt grass grow...you didn't miss nothin'.....Like Carly Simon sez "these are the good ol' days"!!!

[Beatle (TrainBrain)]

OK, the first 2 posts have Bob Dylan's "The Times Are A-Changin'" running through my head.

I think modeling can go either way. It could slowly fade away, or kids could start to enjoy using a controller that does something in real life. I think if companies advertise: "It's a real life video game!" the business will boom.

Hopefully, not literally, with kids thinking there's guns & rockets involved...

[Yampa Bob]

My biggest concern is the current technology explosion.  We buy something today, tomorrow it's obsolete.  That's ok for the manufacturers, they just keep pumping out new stuff, and we end up with yesterday's garbage. 

This is the age of expendability.  You don't repair a computer, just trash it and get a new one.  This craziness is spilling over to the young people.   

Think about this: Millions of years from now, when the Earth is a barren lump, archaeologists from other planets will land here.  Imagine what they will think about the "treasures" they dig up.  Someone should put a Bachmann train set in a time capsule.

Bob

[CHUG]

yampa bob has a point about new technology and so forth. Companies keep making new technology and then the old stuff needs to get trashed. Somtimes i dont think there thinking right. Golf clubs and balls are in the same boat because they keep selling new ones every year and you need to trash the old ones or not be able to hit it as far as everybody else and nascar does sort a the same thing when they let people change teams and colors after everybodys already got shirts and hats and so forth in the other colors so everybody needs to get the new ones or look like a goof in the old ones. jr has the same number but holy toledo hes got way new colors. Also sport teams with there new uniforms. its bad customer relationships and business and bachman shouldnt do it you see. Thanks.

[Woody Elmore]

Yampa - your comment about obsolesence is right on the mark. Just yesterday Toshiba announced that it was giving up on HD DVD. Blue Ray has won but what about all the folks with HD DVD players. When it comes to technolgy we can qoute Donald Rumsfled "We don't know what we don't know." The file of electronics changes by the minute.

Hmmm.... I guess  I should see if I can sell my CB radio, 35 mm camera and cassette tape deck on Ebay. I bet I can get a great bargain on an HD DVD player!

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Hmmm.... I guess  I should see if I can sell my CB radio, 35 mm camera and cassette tape deck on Ebay. I bet I can get a great bargain on an HD DVD player!

Anybody interested in an 8-track player?   

[TonyD]

who was it that had an AMC Pacer??? I'd prefer a Gremlin, but if I ws offered a nice Pacer at a good price...ooooo...how 'bout a swap for some extra HO stuff...seems like my eyes were bigger than my layout.....pre dcc HO stuff too....

[SteamGene]

Tony,
Like a LeCar?  I have an old Adam computer, too.  Neither is train equipment (mandatory mention of trains in the message)
Gene