You are SO RIGHT thor with your last couple paragraphs. Adults today look at youth and consider them spoiled in this "me, me, me" generation, like the Burger King logo "Have It Your Way." Yet so many of the adults in this hobby are actually more spoiled and actually worse than children. I can understand kids selfishness... they're just kids and need to be taught.
I'd also suggest it's time for Neil Young to bow out of his involvement with Lionel. While the high end technology has it's merits, it has done absolutely nothing to make this more of a "family hobby" that he somehow thinks it is. Nor has the high end technology made the hobby more affordable. Matter of fact, with all the lawsuits involving high-end trains and technology, the high tech stuff has actually made the whole hobby more expensive, even though production costs are at their lowest level in decades. Overall command control has not even made big inroads with the adult operators, nevermind the kids, who don't even know what Lionel trains are. I suspect though Lionel needs Neil's financial involvement right now.
I get a kick out that last one too thor. You'll be at a train show, see a layout with the latest trains and the newest technology with signs saying "do not touch." I recall one kid asking if he could run the trains, and was told the technology was too complicated for a kid. Man, what an endorsement for the hobby. Bet that kid never asks for a train set. On the other hand, no kid ever left my display without the chance to run my primitive trains off my old fashioned 1033. And I know for a fact I helped sell train sets and there are kids in this hobby because of my efforts even minus the wonderful technology that supposedly makes this hobby "better."
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
Hopper,
Here is how I see our fellow hobbiests, this is pure speculation:
-75% or more of the folks on these forums, and in the hobby, do not have a layout. If they do have a layout its a carpet central, or just tons of track on bare plywood.
-20% are probably like us: a small to medium sized finished layout. Mine is 8x16.
-5% or less have the monster layouts.
Someday I might expand my layout to be in the 5% group, but I am very happy with where I am now.
There are two distinct camps in this hobby, as well as all sorts of sub species of either! There's the toy train guys who, however much they may add scenery or accessories or even command control, basically run trains as toys to enjoy for that more than anything else. I'm in this camp.
Then there's the 'realism' oriented fellows who tend to run large layouts, do their best to make it all look as much like the real thing as any 3 rail system can and are probably those most responsible for all the high end stuff being made and the resulting rivalry between manufacturers or their fans ( a bit of both I suspect).
On one of the forums, not this one, there are the occasional sniffy remarks made about 'craftsmanship' or the lack thereof, much bewailing about those of us with low standards and other such pond scum whose ignorance is entirely responsible for the downfall of the hobby!
Rubbish. The ones who are keeping it going are the ones who plug along running trains on 8 x 4's or the floor or making their own ingenious adaptations like David Verguns RC system. Who's passing on the torch? The "please dont touch the scale models" or the "lets see how many cupcakes we can balance on the pullman coaches and run them from the kitchen to the living room without any falling off? If they DO fall off, you have to eat them!"
Jon
So many roads, so little time.
Orginal layout 4x 16. Four switches. Started in 1999. 70 feet of track. Essentially complete except for some changes that I want to make in the future.
New addition 3x16 and 4x6 Four switches. Started 2006. I can run trains. When the addition is completed the total layout should have about 180 - 200 feet of track.
At the rate I am going, my layout should be essential complete in 2020. (Note: CTT, I would like to be in the November 2020 issue of CTT Magazine.)
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
Most of us don't have the large layouts that you see in CTT magazine. My current layout is 8ft by 11ft, with a second level, the layout before that was 8ft 4in by 14ft with an elevated passenger train on 027 track.
If space is of any concern to you I would recommend using tubalar track like 031 or 027 as the curves are smaller than Lionel Fastrac system. Only one or two problems using 027 and that is with the switches and the train cars hitting the switch housing with longer cars.
Lee F.
Hi! This "older" guy's current O-27 layout is a 6' x 6' square. (Really wish that I could go to 8' but then I could not get into the room.) Someday, maybe I'll be able to have a layout space like "Reggie-Thatboy 37" but in the meantime, I just enjoy what I have. All the best!
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Hopper, you havent't been reading here much I take it? From my conversations with various people directly involved in the manufacturing of these trains, they too know the vast majority of folks participating are: tubular track operators with table top layouts, do not use digital control and buy traditionally sized trains. Even Lionel has said they are very disappointed with the low numbers of users who have switched to command control. So this is the silent majority of the hobby.
Lionel has consisitantly stated over the past few years that the clear majority of their sales are on starter sets, track and starter related cars and items, and not the more expensive scale items that seem to get so much undue attention.
That said, I have always been on of the operators you described, with a small layout. My current layout is made on styrofoam insulation board, designed to be easily moved if need be. I run lesser expensive items, junk and beaters which I lovingly restore, or I should say completely redo into my favorite fallen flags or into relatively operating lines like Conrail, NS, CSX and BNSF.
Most folks in the hobby are just ordinary guys with smaller layouts. As was discussed in a recent thread, I don't think the train companies would want to lose the sales from all these ordinary operators with smaller layouts... it would put many of the train companies right out of business.
Yep, you look at the magazines and the train catalogs and get the impression it is all very big with large layouts, very scale and very expensive. But sometimes things are opposite of what they appear to be. This hobby is one of those things at least on this topic.
Trying to update my avatar since 2020
MartyE and Kodi the Husky Dog! ( 3/31/90-9/28/04 ) www.MartyE.com My O Gauge Web Page and Home of Kodiak Junction!
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month