Folks as train season approaches many of us plan on having open houses. This is a wonderful and important thing for the growth and perpetuation of our hobby. The key operative word here is "open". You may be inviting unknown folks into your home, and although over the last three decades, 99.9% of the visitors were top notch, it is that one tenth of 1% that can spoil your whole day and then some with a theft or damage. This has happened to me on a few occasions, so I'd like to share some of the things I now do to help prevent this.
First, I don't advertise to public, but have the pike open for requests from clubs or groups.
All small kids must be self propelled. A little gizork in someones arms has a strong tendency to grab things. I lost a locomotive and a fragile bridge this way.
Teens must be accompanied by an adult.
All boxes, coats, bags and handbags, loose clothing, and camera bags are not allowed in train area.
Guests must sign a register.
Have as many friends as possible help out.
I'm sure many will think of more forms of security, but these basics have worked well for me during the last 5 or so years.
When you experience a theft, it is devasting as you invited someone into your home, and then they violated you. This is not good!
Still with all of the possible pitfalls, sharing your art is quite rewarding and as I have previously stated....art has little meaning unless it is shared.
HZ
Howard,If I was going to have visitors look a my ISL they would be follow modelers all would be welcome above the age of 12 exception being the father/son club members.
On the other hand I been in several clubs that hosted several open houses over a year's time and never had a issue.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I have never had a problem.
I have never had an open house.
I never will.
Rich
Alton Junction
An added caution that comes to mind:
Limit the number of visitors in the layout area at a time. Obviously would vary by layout size and arrangement, as well as number of guides (fellow modelers) on hand to show folks around.
Just a thought.
Good luck,
Richard
A friend sets his laptop up so it is videoing the layout the whole day. He also post a sign saying smile the room is under video surveillance. I'll tell ya, it sure has put a damper on my plans to increase my locomotive fleet.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I would usually invite my train friends and have never had a problem.
When I had only family over for a holiday get together to see the trains and decorations. I lost two steam engines that were on my layout. It was stolen by one of my relatives teenage sons, we know which one but they never admitted to it. They have never been invited since and since then I have had no problems.
DAVID FORTNEY ... I lost two steam engines that were on my layout. It was stolen by one of my relatives teenage sons, we know which one but they never admitted to it...
... I lost two steam engines that were on my layout. It was stolen by one of my relatives teenage sons, we know which one but they never admitted to it...
Thats terrible! Having something stolen is bad enough, but having it stolen by a relative is appauling to say the least!
Happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
I am always surprised when a guest takes advantage of a host (steals). Even worse when it's a relative. At least, with a bank robber, there's a certain level of integrity.
Howard, thanks for sharing your layout. I wish I could see it. Your advice is, sadly, very useful. Again, thanks for sharing, even though.......
Ed
A very good idea is always have at least one assistant who is charged with keeping an eye on things. You as host are often busy and distracted by, well, being the host. Just having another set of eyes on hand helps a lot.
Brent mentioned being obvious that things are being videoed. That's easy here. Since the layout is in two spaces, separated by a wall, I use video to help operate, with several cameras up by the ceiling. In our state, and many others, you have to post a notice, as Brent's friend does (probably because Canada has similar laws about such notice), that there is video surveillance in use.
Since the cameras are already rolling here, so to speak, all I need to do is post a notice. For those still thinking about buying a DVR security system, might as well go ahead and put up the sign. When you get around to actually buying the cameras and recorder is your business...
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mlehmanA very good idea is always have at least one assistant who is charged with keeping an eye on things. You as host are often busy and distracted by, well, being the host. Just having another set of eyes on hand helps a lot.
Mike,You could have 2-3 off duty policemen watching your layout and something can still walk out the door. Even a security camera can miss the theft if the thief is good enough.
Larry,
If you're real worried about things like that, then Rich's option might be best.
Life is sometimes about risk. I think Howard summed it up well. There's the very tiny chance someone might not mean well. Do we let that spoil our fun? That's a very personal decision. I agree with Howard's general idea that you invite people in the hobby and not have the general public in your doors. Even then, like many things in life, there's no gurantee. And some people just have a mental disease, where they feel they must have some souvenir, even though it's theft.
But the reality is that many of us do want to share the hobby. It's what helps keep it healthy, because if we do everything behind closed doors we do cut ourselves short. If even the NSA can't keep its secrets, it's obvious that things can still go wrong. My suggestions never argued there's a foolproof method of making sure nothing bad ever happens. They're more about practical peace of mind. If that's not enough for you, then maybe it's best not to take a risk you're still uncomfortable with. But then you miss out on finding how much you share with others -- and these human relationships are at least as important as the physical realities we recreate with our layouts.
mlehmanLarry, If you're real worried about things like that, then Rich's option might be best.
As I mention earlier I been through 50-60 or more club open houses over the years and probably 7 county fairs and never had a problem with things being stolen. The most I ever seen is small kids counting freight cars and accidental poking a car causing a derailment.
At this year's fair a 6 or 7 year old derailed my train while counting cars..The kid apologized 3 or 4 times. His mother(probably in her 20s) looked horrified.
I kinda laugh it off by saying accidents happen since there was no damage to my older BB cars. I felt there was no need to throw a hissy fit about not touching since the child was already scared as it was..
Risk? Wanna talk risk? I can share a lot of stories on the needless risks I have taken..
Howard,
One of the most important parts of the hobby for me is to share and make connections with my fellow modelers. Our local group has been opening up our layouts on a regular basis for the last 15 years (many of them much longer than that). We pretty much follow the guidelines that you have laid out in your first post. Ironically we are usually concerned with getting enough visitors to make it worth being open for the day.
I have been to many other modelers’ layouts on tours and I find that for me that is the highlight of most conventions. I am always grateful for the opportunity to see others work and to visit with them. The inspiration gained from layout visits keeps me going when certain modeling tasks seem to bog down. Tasks like installing 400 NBWs on a bridge or gluing up 700 pieces of wood for an Icing station model are easier to push through when you have seen that others do this sort of thing and end up with nice models.
There is always the risk that someone will inadvertently damage something. This has happened a few times to my fellow modelers (I’m still waiting my turn) and it is something we accept as part of the deal.
In one infamous instance a visitor took out a large scratch built bridge at a well-known modelers’ layout. The bridge represented many hours of work. The visitor was aghast and felt terrible. While that incident was painful for the layout owner, he is still open for visitors on layout tours and is still willing to share his amazing work. I haven’t heard of any thefts during local tours, trainnuts on layout tours seem to be pretty honest people.
My two cents,
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
BRAKIE mlehman Larry, If you're real worried about things like that, then Rich's option might be best.
mlehman Larry, If you're real worried about things like that, then Rich's option might be best.
Rich wrote:
I might add that, while I have never hosted an open house, I often show my layout to visitors, run trains, and let them run trains. I just have no interest in exposing my layout to possible damage or theft by opening up my house and layout to strangers.
Rich,
Totally understandable. We each should do what our comfort level tells us. Each of us has unique personal histories, neighborhoods lived in, and personal housing circumstances. There isn't a one size fits all rule here. No one has a duty to do this, but it's great when we can and do.
I certainly also share the layout with friends. You never know. And I do extend invites to select non-model rail groups with a potential interest, now that I'm thinking about it. I invited the local Maker Space people over, although they haven't taken me up on it yet.
In home visits in the past, we have always had the layout owner free to talk to people, someone to watch the entrance/exit, and a couple of people to keep trains running and to circulate in the crowd.
The club I'm in now doesn't do public open houses -- three other groups in the area have them -- but we do have organized visits from other clubs and interest groups. We haven't had a theft problem that I know of.
Security, such as it is, consists having a low ratio of members to guests. At these op sessions and talk sessions there's a lot of one-to-one contact between the members and guests, and they seem to work out pretty well.
Our operations are probably too complicated to explain to the general public on a "see the trains" walk through, and we have some access issues anyway because of steps and floor space.
There's an interesting column at http://mrhmag.com/magazine/mrh-2014-12-dec/rr_promote-hobby-bah-humbug
I too am with Rich. Very few non-modelers have the basic knowledge to appreciate what we do, so why bother with an open house?
Besides, who needs an open house when we have Weekend Photo Fun?
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Why bother with an open house??? Open houses, good train shows, and what is left of train stores are the only way we'll get new folks into the hobby. Without new folks, the hobby will eventually go south. Some say video and You tube are exciting new people.....I do not buy this as nothing is better than seeing this hobby first hand, and speaking with model rails.
Howard ZaneSome say video and You tube are exciting new people.....I do not buy this as nothing is better than seeing this hobby first hand, and speaking with model rails.
I think kid TV train shows and you tube does far more good then a club's open house where the members won't speak their open house attendees.
The cold fact is a lot of modelers lack people skill or suspects every visitor is bent on ripping them off.
Howard Zane...the only way we'll get new folks into the hobby.
This is a theme that comes up from time to time that I never quite understood. Why is it my (or our) responsibility to insure the future of the hobby? Even if I accept this assumed responsibility, it's not like there is anything I could do about it anyway.
My guess is that age of the average model railroader has been going up over the last 30 years to the point where the vast majority of us are over 60. When is the last time a club had to come up with an excuse to reject another teenage applicant? Also, as was pointed out above, we're not exactly the cool kids that everybody wants to hang out with. All the LHS's are gone. Most of the magazines are gone. The number of manufacturers keeps dwindling. There are many more activities that compete for leisure time. Attrition is going to put an end to the hobby before much longer and there's nothing a few open houses can do to stop it.
My plan is to enjoy it while it lasts.
carl425 Howard Zane ...the only way we'll get new folks into the hobby. This is a theme that comes up from time to time that I never quite understood. Why is it my (or our) responsibility to insure the future of the hobby? Even if I accept this assumed responsibility, it's not like there is anything I could do about it anyway. My guess is that age of the average model railroader has been going up over the last 30 years to the point where the vast majority of us are over 60. When is the last time a club had to come up with an excuse to reject another teenage applicant? Also, as was pointed out above, we're not exactly the cool kids that everybody wants to hang out with. All the LHS's are gone. Most of the magazines are gone. The number of manufacturers keeps dwindling. There are many more activities that compete for leisure time. Attrition is going to put an end to the hobby before much longer and there's nothing a few open houses can do to stop it. My plan is to enjoy it while it lasts.
Howard Zane ...the only way we'll get new folks into the hobby.
We have three father/son members at the club I'm a member of now and if you spend any time trackside you'll see a lot of young faces.
There is lots of young modeler out there(check you tube model railroad videos) but,the real issue is the older "old school" modelers has outdated thinking.. You Tube draws far more new modelers then going to a club's or home open house and being constantly watch like your a common thief.
How can anybody enjoy the layout and the trains knowing they are being watched?
carl425 Howard Zane ...the only way we'll get new folks into the hobby. My guess is that age of the average model railroader has been going up over the last 30 years to the point where the vast majority of us are over 60. When is the last time a club had to come up with an excuse to reject another teenage applicant? Also, as was pointed out above, we're not exactly the cool kids that everybody wants to hang out with. All the LHS's are gone. Most of the magazines are gone. The number of manufacturers keeps dwindling. There are many more activities that compete for leisure time. Attrition is going to put an end to the hobby before much longer and there's nothing a few open houses can do to stop it. My plan is to enjoy it while it lasts.
I have the misfortune of participating in three hobbies (pasttimes) that are slowly fading into the sunset - - - model railroading, tropical fish breeding, and golf.
My plan is to enjoy these hobbies as long as I can and then so be it.
I feel no responsibility or obligation to the next generation.
My experience is that the social side of the hoby is overrated. I'm happy that guys have met good friends at clubs, open houses, or LHSs, but that doesn't always happen, and lots of people have bad experiences with clubs in particular. I don't see that anyone has an obligation to provide a venue for this if they think, with some justice, that it won't work and could well be as unpleasant as the last time they tried it!
I also agree with those who don't feel an obligation to the future of the hobby. An exception might be for those who have a stable family life and can share the interest with children in the family. But better just to promote the stable family life and let the future of the hobby take care of itself!
Gee whizz! Let’s try and turn Howards handy hints for open home security into a “the Hobby is dying” thread.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Ummm, JaBear, let's be fair about this. If you read through the thread, I believe that it was Howard who brought the topic up first about "without new folks, the hobby will eventually go south".
JOHN BRUCE III My experience is that the social side of the hobby is overrated. I'm happy that guys have met good friends at clubs, open houses, or LHSs, but that doesn't always happen, and lots of people have bad experiences with clubs in particular. I don't see that anyone has an obligation to provide a venue for this if they think, with some justice, that it won't work and could well be as unpleasant as the last time they tried it!
My experience is that the social side of the hobby is overrated. I'm happy that guys have met good friends at clubs, open houses, or LHSs, but that doesn't always happen, and lots of people have bad experiences with clubs in particular. I don't see that anyone has an obligation to provide a venue for this if they think, with some justice, that it won't work and could well be as unpleasant as the last time they tried it!
I feel like the comment "the social side of model railroading is overrated" is easy to explain if you tend not to be a social person. Very understandable. I've taken those Meyers-Briggs tests myself for career purposes and am classified in the introvert category. The way I've heard some describe it is if you are an extrovert, you get a charge out of social settings and being social, where as if you are in the introvert category, it tends to be more draining to deal with social settings so you tend to avoid them, or find them less appealing;
Me being more the latter would naturally agree with you that the social side of the hobby is overrated, but I would guess those who are socially inclined (extroverts) would disagree, to be fair. Adding to that, if you are also risk averse, I would tend to to think you would not want to put yourself in a situation, such as hosting an open house, where you might be inviting the possibility of theft or damage to possessions which are, in many cases, expensive and hard to replace.
So my feeling is, if you are inclined, go ahead and share your hobby and layout with as many as you want or can, even promote the hobby; and of course, take wise and common sense precautions to minimize problems, where possible. But of course there is no obligation. I know some would "imply", for example that there is a moral obligation to do some things in the hobby, such as support your LHS or have open houses etc. I would disagree with this, however, I understand it's certainly any ones choice to do either or both and more power to you if you do. Not everyone is cut out, either financially or socially to support the hobby in these ways.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
What Howard actually said was:
"Folks as train season approaches many of us plan on having open houses. This is a wonderful and important thing for the growth and perpetuation of our hobby"
Howard wasn't talking about the death of the hobby, but rather how to grow the hobby. An open house is but one example. YMMV, naturally.
Odd that the very idea is so controversial. Like a lot of such things in our society, the best thing to do might be to simply not have an open house if it doesn't suit you. Problem solved.
That doesn't really explain the great national obsession with "correcting" what other folks think or do, but does seem to be symptomatic of that.
mlehmanWhat Howard actually said was:
I believe the reference was actually to this post rather than the original post that opened the thread.
Posted by Howard Zane on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 5:00 PM
Howard ZaneWhy bother with an open house??? Open houses, good train shows, and what is left of train stores are the only way we'll get new folks into the hobby. Without new folks, the hobby will eventually go south. Some say video and You tube are exciting new people.....I do not buy this as nothing is better than seeing this hobby first hand, and speaking with model rails.
Carl,
Thanks for the correction.
Still, the specific quote is just an observation that is true as far as it goes.
I can see where some would dispute Howard's belief in the sentences before and after that only face to face interaction with those in the hobby is effective in recruiting new modelers. I share his skepticism about "virtual recruitment" via the "new media."
My reason for that is that the new media, in general, tends to turn people into inactive consumers, rather than active participants. True, a few will make the leap to hands on modeling, but this will be a tiny percentage of those actually reading or viewing online. It's not just model railroading. This effect is one that has been noticed and drawn concern across the spectrum of our daily lives.
The biggest problem for our hobby is the "critical mass" one. If people don't see others doing model railroading in ways they can easily interact with, it usually means they are relegated to being mere observers. Little participation, nothing really needed from vendors, and most things purchased come online.
The hobby always had a tendency toward solitude. I certainly enjoy that aspect myself, the getting-away-from-it all. But if it weren't for thousands of others out there like me, I would not enjoy the range of great products available now. That will slowly shrivel (as we've seen in some areas) and disappear (if we're complacent that what we have is a given) unless new active modelers keep coming aboard.
I am amazed at the number of turns that this thread is taking. I, for one, have no argument with open houses, and I think that this thread is perfectly fine talking about and encouraging open houses.
There is, of course, the implication that with such happenings as open houses are necessary to grow the hobby and prevent its demise (i.e., going south). So, it is only natural for others to comment on that implication.
I will say one other thing about Howard's opening post. He rightfully points out all of the precautions that must be taken to avoid damage, vandalism, and theft. But, by doing this, it naturally raises fears and hesitations in others about even considering an open house.
So, there are a lot of ways to react to this thread and, so far, all seem reasonable.