Rene Schweitzer
Classic Toy Trains/Garden Railways/Model Railroader
Have fun with your trains
QUOTE: Originally posted by grandpopswalt Rene, I voted that standard gauge wiill grab more of the market share. As already stated, there are 4 or 5 new standard gauge offerings for every new NG item. I think that 7/8" scale will become more popular as more RTR equipment becomes available. My preference is and always will be narrow gauge. I model 1:24 but I'm eventually going to stick my toe in the 1:13.7 pool as well. I can always go down to the tracks and watch a 100 car train roll by or an Amtrack metroliner fly by at 80MPH on Laser straight track, that's reality. But I cannot go down there and see a dirty, sooty, smoky steamer pulling a short string of wooden cars around sharp curves through picturesque mountain scences, that's magic! Walt
QUOTE: Originally posted by ronnielouw Here I am at the bottom end of the world in Port Elizabeth. About the best thing I can say about Port Elizabeth is that if the planet Earth ever needed an enema, this is where they would insert the pipe. Due to my location I am isolated from the mainstream but I crawl all over the Internet and I subscribe to GR and previously MR. I therefore consider myself to be fairly clued up on the model railroad scene and my perspective of where it is going is as follows: People build models of what appeals to them. This appeal is nostalgic, emotional, and personal. We want to reproduce our childhood memories and experiences. We want to surround ourselves with models or scenes that reinforce those memories. My childhood memories are of steam engines, and being from a railway family, I had unlimited access to them. I could go down to my father's office on the station and sit there for hours watching the locos come past. I was always hanging over the balcony of the first coach behind the tender, getting covered in soot and ash. The smell of coal smoke was sweeter than any perfume. I loved it. In later years when steam has disappeared from South African Railways, I became interested in the 2 foot narrow gauge railway that runs from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur. This has a steam hauled tourist train known as the "Apple Express". I became fascinated with everything that had the "narrow gauge" imprint on it - tight curves, little locos, short trains, quaint equipment. The merger of my childhood experiences of the main line and my adult experiences of the narrow gauge have ensured that my model railway is strictly narrow gauge steam. I do not want and will not build anything else. I am living my memories. My step-daughter's fiance is a young man who is fascinated by what I am doing and loves watching the trains run. One day he asked me if I knew where he could go to see an actual steam engine. He has never seen a real one in his life. This was a sad revelation to me who grew up with them and knew them so well. How do I even begin to explain to this lad what they sound like, what they smell like? It got me thinking on what the next generation of model railroader would be like, and what would they want. Where did I think the hobby was heading? I used my perception of the youth of today to try and imagine the model railway of the future. These are my thoughts: Steam will die with my generation and the next generation will be diesel oriented. Narrow gauge short lines will also die with my age group because that era is over. High-speed main line intermodals or inter-city express runs with a train that looks to me more like an wingless airplane than a "real" train. Their introduction to technology from birth will ensure that today's kids will want model trains that are computerised, have digital control, sound effects and be virtually Playstations on wheels. If it isn't programmable, forget it. Therefore (finally) I have finished the background reasoning for my vote, which is - Standard gauge will be more popular than narrow gauge. (with long, modern trains being run) Garden railways will become more like indoor model railroads. (with high technology control and operation) And sadly (sniff snlff) [:(] not on your poll, but steam will die.
Is it REAL? or Just 1:29 scale?
Long live Outdoor Model Railroading.
QUOTE: Originally posted by grandpopswalt The common theme in most of these postings is that steam and narrow gauge have a very broad appeal to most of us. I'm 64 and can only vaguely recall childhood memories of steam locos being used in real life. Folks in their 50's and 40's can only relate to steam trains from visits to RR tourist lines and RR museums. That's why it's so important for all of us to support those institutions. They're the only link we have to that past. I tried unsuccessfully to bring my own two sons into the fraternity (maybe I tried too hard). I'm now starting to work on my two grandsons. My plan is to transition them from Thomas-the-tank-engine to occasional visits to places like steamtown and later a fullblown assult with weeklong visits to the Colorado NG RR's. The point is, we need to make sure that places like Durango& Silverton, Cumbres&Toutec, EBT, etc,etc (those of you in other countries fill in the blanks with your own favorite steam RR's) are going to be there for the coming generations. The preservation of these institutions is important not just because we happen to like steam locomotives but because they're a living link to our past, a lesson in history. I've probably learned more about American history and culture while reading about old RR lines than I did in high school. I'd really like that resource to be available to my grandkids in the future. So, whenever we travel, I make it a point to visit the local tourist steam RR's or museums, buy a couple tickets, take the ride and buy a few items from the gift shop. And when we get back home, I share my experiences with friends and encourage them to go there themselves and visit. With the exception of Steamtown, there are very few if any RR institutions that are federally subsidized and only a handful that get any kind of State aid. Therefore it's up to us to keep these enterprises running. Walt
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