Generational Terminology

[rlplionel]

I recently had a friend and his son, who is eight years old, over to my home. We were in my livingroom where I have a few toy trains on display shelves. Suddenly, my friend's son said "I really like your Light Rail." I said, "Light Rail?" The boy then pointed to my Lionel pre-war City of Portland streamliner. I said, "oh, that Light Rail train!". My friends son had never seen a streamliner, but was familiar with my area's Light Rail system that transports commuters to work. Thought it was interesting how the younger generation views the old trains.

[Big_Boy_4005]

My 11 year old son and I were coming out of the Metrodome after a Twins game a couple of weeks ago. They are getting ready to open a new light rail line here in the next couple of months. As we were walking back to the car we saw one of the new cars sitting in the station, and went over for a closer look. I was explaining how they worked and about how the electricity is in the overhead wire. Then he asked me about the "antenna". Needless to say it took me a minute to figure out what he meant. [swg]

[Buckeye Riveter]

Up close and personal [:D]
Portland's Light Rail Articulated Vehicles. There are GPS units on the top of the car to track the trains movements. The top photo is the actual light rail vehicle. The bottom photo is the top view of a trolley inside a maintenance garage. I'm delighted to hear that a future generation has a clue about Light Rail.

[Dave Farquhar]

I remember one day when I was working on my layout, I showed my girlfriend what I'd done. A set of Pennsy passenger cars that had belonged to my dad just happened to be on the tracks, and she said, "That looks like Amtrak." And it occurred to me that for most people my age (I'm 29) , Amtrak is the only passenger line we've ever known. The idea of Union Pacific hauling passengers sounds totally absurd--it'd be like UPS hauling passengers.

[daan]

I remember one day at a train meeting I wanted to buy a steam engine. "You already have something like that" was my girlfriends reply.. For her everything with a chimney is about the same...
The hard part is that I had to convince her that it is realy different (0-4-0 or 2-6-4) and therefor desirable to me..

[Anonymous]

It's all a matter of interest. The girlfriend who can't tell one steam engine from another probably could tell one beany baby from another in total darkness. My son in law has a 1977 Pontiac Firebird. It's his baby. It has been refurbished and looks showroom new. I could't tell you which old car is which. How many people can recite sports statistics chapter and verse but have no idea(and less interest) of the difference between steam and diesel engines. I couldn't begin to tell you Mickey Mantle's ERA in 1955 because I just don't care about such things. My late mother used to say, "every little bird has its own song". My wife's favorite locomotive in my collection is my MTH premier CNJ Blue Comet.....why? because it isn't black----It's different...........Odd-d

[Anonymous]

daan,
That can go to your advantage. Once I buy a new steam engine, it would take my wife 1,000,000 years to figure out that I had a new one (much like I have no idea if she is wearing a new dress, got her hair cut, etc). So as long as you keep her away from the finances...
:)

[Wdlgln005]

There was a post a long time back about a steam damaged was a bit of soda spilled on the layout. Of course the little thingy with the tender behind turned out to be a Con Cor Big Boy.

[Anonymous]

I once mentioned the word "reefer," in the context of a refrigerator car. Another person in the room, about the same age, thought I was talking about illicit drugs. To me, "working reefers" is little more than switching around refrigerator cars in a yard. Needless to say, to others it has a different context.

See you around the forums,
Daniel