General Discussion (Model Railroader)

We might have to go back to basics and build a lot more ourselves due to the collapse of the Global Economy when oil and coal run out and/or their use becomes unacceptable due to environmental damage.

 Mark in Melbourne

Laidlaym wrote:

We might have to go back to basics and build a lot more ourselves due to the collapse of the Global Economy when oil and coal run out and/or their use becomes unacceptable due to environmental damage.  Mark in Melbourne

Yeah.

Like we'll all be alive when that happens.  There are more known oil reserves on this planet nowadays than at any other time in the past.

The only oil shortage is the one created by the oil industry.  Ditto for coal.  There's still millions of tons of the stuff under the UK that's not being mined since Maggy Thatcher busted the unions.  The UK now imports coal, if you can believe that.  :-(.

 

Future model railroading must be easy to do, it must fit in smaler spaces (N will grow), and Digitalsystems may devolpe.

Manufacturers may pay atention to new costumers and how to conect to younger people.

 

 

I see two technology advances that will significantly advance model railroading:

1.  Ready-to-run (RTR) type track (to include curved turnouts, double-slip switches)--all the goodies needed to make a "custom" but bullet-proof layout but without the need to tweak every rail joint.  Look at what the RTR engines, cars, and scenery have done for that market. 

2.  An easy way to operate your trains wire-lessly.  I see DCC as an interim (currently user-surly) way to do that today.  Already you're seeing some higher end engines that have a wireless controller packaged with them that operates on DC.  If the DCC guys can't agree to agree than they're going to be left in the dust when this upstart blows past them.  Most model railroaders that I know (and I belong to a Club with 50+ members) only use DCC because the Club went that direction and wireless is very desired feature.  90% of them can only program a new engine number in a decoder (what percentage of new decoders sold are the basic, few featured ones?)

Thoughts that come to my mind include: no more hobby stores (all online) and a lack of people caring about modeling and trains unless they can do a layout on a computer.  My generation of kids (i'm 22) are, which many probably have observed, obessed with computers.  My dad's generation was all Lionel and hobby stores everywhere; my generation is GameStop and GameCrazy.  I'd rather have something I can use in my own hands that I can work on if the power goes out. 

 

 

 

From what I've read on several forums and other sources, it seems Europeans, and in particular the British and Germans are more open to trying different scales and gauges as well as the major scales. There have been many articles in various magazines featuring layouts by overseas modelers who model Gn24 (two footers on O gauge track) and Gn15 (15 inch mining/industrial railways in G scale on HO track) and ever 7/8 scale who have a very limited amount of space. It seems that the lack of space does not stop them from finding ways of modeling in the scales they really like. They seem more inventive in that they tailor their layouts in the scale or gauge they prefer instead of letting the amount of space they have available dictate the scale. It seems that others, including me, are following this same train of thought, granted, we are in the minority. I feel what's the fun of modeling in a particular scale or gauge you don't care for if seems more like a chore that an enjoyable pasttime.   

Thinking about the future of model railroading here in the UK the present generation of modellers are aged 50s(like me) to 80s think that the hobby may die out as the younger generation are noy interested in modelling prefering their computers and games consoles.In their jargon"playing with trains is not cool" Yes I like computers but I look at model rail sites especially those with webcams so that I can see what is going on around the world.

1  Better on-board speakers and sound decoders, including a diesel Tsunami

2 An option for pre-weathered locos and freight cars on all new releases

3 A steam engine in HO from Atlas

 

Jon

I'd like to see model Steam engines (not those "live steam" ones) that not only has sound, but chuffing smoke and steam release valves and such.  It would be neat to see a model steam engine that made as much mess as a real one. To be operating and press a button that says "steam release" and a 15 foot blast of "steam" to come out of the side of the locomotive would be neat I think. 

The future...the future... Thats a wrestled discussion in the club I was in, They went DCC.  I was working on computer generated switchlists, but since we modeled the 50's as a basic, there werent computers then. So to keep with a theme, car cards. I think the biggest problem with car cards and operating is they always get messed up, so as the operations manager, I was scanning the cards and cars before a run session and making sure everything was set.

Then we had cards for cars that were not on the layout, and cars with no cards...argh

No matter if you go high tech in this area or not, you will still have these problems.

I think as modelers we have demanded quality locos and the manufacturers have responded, those like have made the cheapie toy sets now have high quality engines. You know who you are Life Like and Bachmann.... I always avoided those makers, but today, mean street coolness.

In the future, how about a little fewer "Big Boys"...

really I think the Big Boy is the most romantically connected lokie, why so many were made.

Technology can do nothing but help improve the hobby, so 3 cheers for the hobby!!

 

 

In Soviet Russia...  trains model you!

...for those who remember Yakov Smirnov.

"Billy, remind to tell of a train that doesn't run on tracks"..."No  fooling, Mr. Carpenter??"

Exchange between Billy and Klaatu....