Hello fellow Model Railroaders!
My name is Robert Putnick, and I'm a teenage modeler in both HO-Scale and N-Scale: my small (4' x 4') HO-Scale autumn-themed layout, which I started in my Freshman year of High School, has been entitled the "Ephrata Valley Railroad," and can be viewed on its website here. My N-Scale layout is actually a 5' x 8' replica of the Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA, and has therefore been appropriately named "The Horseshoe Curve Branch Line," and it too has its own website (where I post the Horseshoe Curve Weekly every weekend, which are posts containing at least 1 photo, and a caption highlighting action seen on the layout.) I'm also a member of the Philadelphia Division of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), and am honored to state that both of my layouts have been featured on the division's website, under the "Layouts" page. Furthermore, I am a self-published author with 3 novels, 1 children's book, and 1 railroad book entitled Pennsylvania RR Sharks: A Pictorial currently available on Amazon. I hope that this has served to fully introduce....me!
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There has been a yearning on my mind for quite some time now, to take my hobby to higher heights. Higher Heights, meaning taking my passion of model railroading and sharing it further with the world, while encouraging fellow young people who are interested in trains, but are not being recognized.
So, I have proceeded to found an organization called "TEENS for TRAINS - A New generation for an Old tradition." Its purpose - to be a virtual organization dedicated to inciting a new generation to the old tradition of model railroading. By employing technology, TEENS for TRAINS intends to revitalize the time-tested tradition of toy trains, by highlighting the layouts, locomotives, and creativity of the hobby's youngest participants.
I have created a website for the organization, which can be found at the following URL: https://rputnick777.wixsite.com/teensfortrains
In addition, I have created a Vimeo account for the organization, to host the videos submitted by young model railroaders, and an email account to receive all submissions. Also, I already have designed a Logo, Photo Gallery, Videos page, and Blog to be included in the organization, T.F.T. is also on Google+ currently, and I have plans to branch out to Facebook, if TEENS for TRAINS is successful at the general level, meaning on the website alone. Furthermore, I do look forward to possibly instituting a "Digital Model Railroad Photography Contest" in the future. I truly believe that there are plenty of fellow young individuals who either enjoy model railroading, have their own layouts, like railfanning, etc, and my organization will strive to assemble these "trainiacs" from around the world, into one virtual organization.
Now, T.F.T. is diversified from other organizations that are currently/may be available as it is 100% virtual, harnessing technology to make model railroading fun once again, to those of my generation. At the moment, T.F.T. is partnering with the Teen Association of Model Railroaders (TAMR) to present various scans of teen model railroaders in the news/TAMR's Hotboxes, on the T.F.T. website, in order to inspire the model railroading interests of fellow teens/pre-teens.
I just wanted to inform you all, not only because I am excited!! - But, because I was hoping that if any of you have children, grandchildren, other relatives, or friends of yours in their youth who like trains, that you would pass the information along about TEENS for TRAINS. :) I do believe whole-heartedly that such a virtual organization can and will be successful.
Plus, if any of you have created age-group applicable videos of how to do the "basics", as in building/maintaining both a layout and locomotives, (i.e. oiling a locomotive, or cleaning track) that you would like to submit to the TEENS for TRAINS Organization's "Tips and Tricks" page, please send them to: teensfortrains@gmail.com. Having a fantastic adult model railroader support group would be perfect to get T.F.T. on the rails!
Please do inform me of your thoughts/suggestions.