BRAKIEWhen you were in high school did you talk about your hobby or was you like the majority of us and kept your love for train secret? How about now? How many people besides family knows about your hobby or are you in the silent majority like me?
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I never kept my trains a secret. High School was a lost-cause for me anyhow. I spent my freshman year in Baton Rouge, and that stunted my social growth. As an adult I let it all hang out, don't care.
But, I am 6'7", 300 pounds, drive a pick-up truck, drink beer, and wrestle with heavy equipment for a living. I'll talk about whatever I want. My man-card is secure in my peer group.
I also play with toy soldiers and dress up as Japanese cartoon characters.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 BRAKIE When you were in high school did you talk about your hobby or was you like the majority of us and kept your love for train secret? How about now? How many people besides family knows about your hobby or are you in the silent majority like me? . I never kept my trains a secret. High School was a lost-cause for me anyhow. I spent my freshman year in Baton Rouge, and that stunted my social growth. As an adult I let it all hang out, don't care. . But, I am 6'7", 300 pounds, drive a pick-up truck, drink beer, and wrestle with heavy equipment for a living. I'll talk about whatever I want. My man-card is secure in my peer group. . I also play with toy soldiers and dress up as Japanese cartoon characters. . -Kevin .
BRAKIE When you were in high school did you talk about your hobby or was you like the majority of us and kept your love for train secret? How about now? How many people besides family knows about your hobby or are you in the silent majority like me?
I was not shy about my hobby.
Starting at 13, I worked at the local hobby shop.
I did my 7th grade science fair project on the Westinghouse Air Brake.
At 15 I was a member of the Severna Park Model Railroad Club.
All my friends knew I would be there on Thursday nights.
No one ever gave me a hard time about my hobby, at least not to my face.
And I was only 6', 125 lbs, and on the school newspaper, not the football team.....
Looking back, I have realized I may have been much more "popular" than I thought at the time. But I was never real concerned with all that.
I had friends, we had a great time in High School, I took lots of girls on dates, even if many were just one or two dates each (I had a job, so I had money and a car at 16), I had several steady girls at different times, and everybody knew I was the guy with great record collection and the model trains.....
I was also the guy the tuned up hot rods for lots of guys......and a little later helped them install cams, headers, clutches and 4 speeds.
The hobby was never a problem for me socially.
Sheldon
ATLANTIC CENTRALbut skill is not, and never was the problem.
Sheldon,I fully agree because I don't have that much skill beyound the basic modeling skills and those skills has served me well for over 60 years...
My expertise is in designing ISLs, switching operations,industrial detailing and scenery. I learned enough about DCC to fill my liimited DCC needs.
To be honest I can't build a craftsman kit nor wire a toggle switch but,that hasn't hindered my enjoyment of the hobby one itoa
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I started with a 3 rail O scale layout when I was about 3. It's one of my earliest memories. My father and grandfather mounted the tracks on a 4x8 sheet of plywood, painted it bright green with a grid of grey roads (also painted). I remember when had to pack the train up when my younger brother was born to make room.
I got into HO abouit the age of 12 and was attempting to build a layout in the attic. I graduated high school in 1974 and joined the Army. I never thought about model railroading any more then occasionally looking at a book or magazine until I retired from my second career in law enforcement in 2007. So I was away from the hobby for 33 years.
My point is, I don't understand why so many of you think that you aren't a model railroader if you didn't do it continually since you were a child. Here and on other forums you read intorductory posts all the time by modelers who had an interest as a child and are only getting back into the hobby as time and funds are freed up.
The hobby isn't dying. It's growing exponentially. There are things available to us now that we only dreamed about 40 years ago.
My wife's grandfather was an S gauge model railroader. My wife and I often wonder about comment on what he would think of the hobby today.
As for hiding your hobby when you were young or even now so no one makes fun of you......That's silly. No one made fun of me for that whjen I was a teenager. And Im not shy about telling people it's my hobby now.
No we don't see big model train displays in the department store windows at Christmas time now like there were when I was a kid growing up in the 60s. But we don't have department stores anymore either.
The hobby is alive, well and thriving. The internet has given us a way to have a large cohesive community and its given us the opportunity to learn from each other and from other types of modelers. Weathering from military modelers, painting and construction techniques from the guys who make fantasy miniatures.
Many of the kids who are interested at a young age will come back. It's just that there are a lot of other things in life between time for hobbies sometimes.
Jeff White
Alma, IL
JWhiteMy point is, I don't understand why so many of you think that you aren't a model railroader if you didn't do it continually since you were a child.
All good points Jeff, but I don't think anyone in here thinks that. I was away, not interested, working, busy, whatever you want to call it, for over 40 years.
Then I bought a train set for my 4 year old son, 1988. Together we built a 4'x8', he moved on to other things, I stayed with it for about 6 years, built 2 different plywood centrals, then it all got torn down and packed away.
2000 my daughter got me a Hawthorn Village theme train set, and it started all over again, and continues.
So a good chunk of my life was without trains, and no one in my family, all three sides (mom remarried) ever was into trains. Just me.
Mike.
My You Tube
JWhite The hobby isn't dying. It's growing exponentially.
The hobby isn't dying. It's growing exponentially.
You were doing OK, Jeff, until you reached this point. It is frowned upon on the forum to say that the hobby is dying, so I won't. But growing...exponentially? I don't think so.
Rich
Alton Junction
Rich,
i think it is growing exponentially. When I got back into the hobby in 2007 I was amazed by the advances. And look at where we’ve come in those short 12 years. Off the shelf locomotives and even some cars prototypically correct. All of the changes in electronics and the way we can run our trains now, Static grass, foilage mats, 3D printing, laser cutting....it goes on and on.
i try to attend the St Louis Protyoe Modelers Meet every year. Attendance keeps growing.
I’m going to stand by my comment.
jeff
richhotrain JWhite The hobby isn't dying. It's growing exponentially. LOL You were doing OK, Jeff, until you reached this point. It is frowned upon on the forum to say that the hobby is dying, so I won't. But growing...exponentially? I don't think so. Rich
LOL
Harrison
Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.
Modeling the D&H in 1978.
Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"
My YouTube
LOL You don't get around much or watch you tube?
Ever notice the new companies that has excellent models? That's a good sign the hobby is still healthy.
Ever notice there's monthly annoucements of new models?
BRAKIE richhotrain JWhite The hobby isn't dying. It's growing exponentially. LOL You were doing OK, Jeff, until you reached this point. It is frowned upon on the forum to say that the hobby is dying, so I won't. But growing...exponentially? I don't think so. Rich LOL You don't get around much or watch you tube? Ever notice the new companies that has excellent models? That's a good sign the hobby is still healthy. Ever notice there's monthly annoucements of new models?
Larry, there is a distinct difference between companies producing new models and statements like "the hobby is growing exponentially".
Existing manufacturers like Atlas, Athearn, BLI and others are simply serving an existing market of old men like you and me with lots of dollars to spend. I see no evidence that the hobby is growing, let alone exponentially.
richhotrainExisting manufacturers like Atlas, Athearn, BLI and others are simply serving an existing market of old men like you and me with lots of dollars to spend.
Rich,If the hobby was in dire straights would the owners of these new companies risk their livelyhood on a bunch of old men? I know I wouldn't risk it.
You underesitmate today's young modelers and there are thousands out there. The ones I have talked to fully believes less is best until they settle in their profession after they complete their education.These young lads perfer DCC/Sound over old fashion DC.
Get out there among them at trackside and at clubs that allows junior members. Go to Facebook and look up some of the model railroad groups.
Take HO cab rides on display layouts on you tube and notice the young faces.