I would say that an increase in public awareness is a significant advance. Back when I first started in the mid-90s, most people needed me to explain what 'model railroading' was, or thought it was nerdy. These days, the response I get is more along the lines of 'That's pretty cool'. And this positive change in the image of this hobby may mean that Model Railroading will continue for decades to come.
The Location: Forests of the Pacific Northwest, OregonThe Year: 1948The Scale: On30The Blog: http://bvlcorr.tumblr.com
tbdannyI would say that an increase in public awareness is a significant advance. Back when I first started in the mid-90s, most people needed me to explain what 'model railroading' was, or thought it was nerdy. These days, the response I get is more along the lines of 'That's pretty cool'. And this positive change in the image of this hobby may mean that Model Railroading will continue for decades to come.
Very true. I rarely recieve snide remarks anymore. Of course, maybe the people I hang out with are older and much less concerned about looking Macho.
Todd
Central Illinoyz
In order to keep my position as Master and Supreme Ruler of the House, I don't argue with my wife.
I'm a small town boy. A product of two people from even smaller towns. I don’t talk on topic….. I just talk.
I agree with you that public awareness is or would be a significant advance. And I suppose the ability for people with an affirmed interest (i.e., "us") have been able to connect and exchange views and info on the various aspects of the hobby is certainly a good thing. But I am a little skeptical (my own view) on whether the "general public" is really all that more informed about the hobby or whether our hobby is really looked upon all that often with cheery good will. Personally I think even stamp or butterfly collectors have a better, more congenial image with the average joe. In fact there was a thread here about a year ago it seems that dealt with this very topic and a large contingent of the opinion, as I recall, seemed to believe that the general public views model railroading as a somewhat "wacky" or oddball eccentric hobby. Even the recent thread about the funny things non-MR's say points up to this viewpoint. Model Railroading just doesn't carry the same cache' with regular folks as say.... hubcap collecting. *shrug* what can ya do??
John
I think the ones that turn up their noses at Model railroading view it as just a bunch of geeks pretending we are engineers. Kind of like role playing but not killing anything with a spell or an elf.
Oh well, like I said almost everyone I am around either think model railroads are kinda neat or they just don't care. You do your thing I do mine attitude. I just let the others laugh and go pretend they are a professional sports umpire, managers or player traders. That's what they talk about. They do their thing.....I do mine.
jwhitten tbdanny I would say that an increase in public awareness is a significant advance. Back when I first started in the mid-90s, most people needed me to explain what 'model railroading' was, or thought it was nerdy. These days, the response I get is more along the lines of 'That's pretty cool'. And this positive change in the image of this hobby may mean that Model Railroading will continue for decades to come. ...I am a little skeptical (my own view) on whether the "general public" is really all that more informed about the hobby or whether our hobby is really looked upon all that often with cheery good will. Personally I think even stamp or butterfly collectors have a better, more congenial image with the average joe. In fact there was a thread here about a year ago it seems that dealt with this very topic and a large contingent of the opinion, as I recall, seemed to believe that the general public views model railroading as a somewhat "wacky" or oddball eccentric hobby. John
tbdanny I would say that an increase in public awareness is a significant advance. Back when I first started in the mid-90s, most people needed me to explain what 'model railroading' was, or thought it was nerdy. These days, the response I get is more along the lines of 'That's pretty cool'. And this positive change in the image of this hobby may mean that Model Railroading will continue for decades to come.
...I am a little skeptical (my own view) on whether the "general public" is really all that more informed about the hobby or whether our hobby is really looked upon all that often with cheery good will. Personally I think even stamp or butterfly collectors have a better, more congenial image with the average joe. In fact there was a thread here about a year ago it seems that dealt with this very topic and a large contingent of the opinion, as I recall, seemed to believe that the general public views model railroading as a somewhat "wacky" or oddball eccentric hobby.
I have to concur with John concerning the matter of our hobby's perception by the "general public". Back in the 1950's model railroading was indeed accepted by the general public as a mainstream hobby of adult males and many well known celebrities of the day were openly acknowledged model railroaders. During that period, model railroading was reportedly the second most popular hobby pursued by Americans! Even up through the 1970's, at worst we were stereotyped mainly as benign, grandfatherly-types, on TV.
Fast forward to the present and I've personally seen very little in the way of understanding among the public for our hobby. Little wonder, since look at how model railroader-types are portrayed currently in the cinema and elsewhere in entertainment. Throughout the 2000's our TV, or movie, personas have included simpletons, senile old men, perverts, and megalomaniacs! If this can be regarded as an improvement, just what were we considered to be before?!
CNJ831
I don't know about "advances". The word "advance" implies a definitely positive outcome, and it implies somewhat of a jump. Almost all the important developments have taken decades to have any widespread acceptance. And with each important development there were drawbacks compared to the old ways - perhaps this is why the decades to accept. Regardless, my list (in no particular order):
just my thoughts
Fred W
What's your problem? They portray everybody as simpletons, senile old men, perverts, and megalomaniacs.
Except for the women. They're portrayed as golddiggers, simpletons, Alzheimer patients, fooling around with teenage boys, and wisecracking medical examiners.
Andre
Im gonna go a different direction here and go with Kadee couplers. Without them alot of the afore mentioned would be tougher to execute. Although I do agree with most of the responses so far, its hard to nail down that one item.
YamahammerIm gonna go a different direction here and go with Kadee couplers. Without them alot of the afore mentioned would be tougher to execute. Although I do agree with most of the responses so far, its hard to nail down that one item.
Well, they are certainly a huge improvement over those nasty horn-hook thingies. Man do those things suck (In my own opinion of course). I've read the particulars about their origin (horn-hooks I mean) and I say "so what"-- they still suck. (I'm opinionated, so sue me! )
fwright I don't know about "advances". The word "advance" implies a definitely positive outcome, and it implies somewhat of a jump.
Really?
How would you characterize an advance in hand-grenades...???
I confess to not having read the heavy majority of submissions....but has anyone mentioned the lowly can motor? By no means the most important advance in this age of DCC and sound, and the brass hybrids from BLI (hee hee...had to get that in...), but they are ubiquitous and work so darned well!
How about injection molding and CNC machining and such...all the things that must make the Chinese factories highly efficient at changing from model to model and running and assembling them so quickly.
-Crandell
selectorHow about injection molding and CNC machining and such...all the things that must make the Chinese factories highly efficient at changing from model to model and running and assembling them so quickly.
Those are pretty good nominations I'd say. The one for the can motor's not bad either. A nice improvement over the open-frame motor, though both are a fair improvement over the pull-string...
jwhittenfwright I don't know about "advances". The word "advance" implies a definitely positive outcome, and it implies somewhat of a jump. Really? How would you characterize an advance in hand-grenades...???
An "advance" in hand grenades clearly increases their mission performance. There are many disagreements right in these forums that sound, DCC, RTR, prototype operations, etc., clearly increase model railroading's mission performance. It really comes down to one's personal concept of and goals for model railroading. Perhaps the only "advance" I selected that has achieved majority status is RTR. The other "advances", important as they may be to the future of the hobby, do not really affect the majority except through the indirect impact of higher prices.
Despite the promoters and adherents on this forum and in the hobby press, I daresay there are still far more Plywood and Foam Pacifics than scenicked layouts. More roundy-round operations still take place than prototype style. Far more model railroaders (however tightly defined) have multiple road names and eras showing than do not. DC is still more widely used than DCC. And it is still considered a respectable point of view to shun sound in its current incarnations. If you constrain the definition of a "serious" model railroader to those who are active participants in some or most of these "advances", the number of serious model railroaders is rather small, and declining, as the NMRA had found out.
There is another important development that I forgot to mention - model railroading through modular layouts. There have now been 2 generations of modular layouts, the 1st being the Ntrak style which celebrated getting a large set of modules to successfully run trains in a display. The next generation - demonstrated by S&SS and Free-mo standards and groups - promotes prototype style operations and unifying themes for the modular layouts.
but enough of my prattle
Yamahammer Im gonna go a different direction here and go with Kadee couplers. Without them alot of the afore mentioned would be tougher to execute. Although I do agree with most of the responses so far, its hard to nail down that one item.
Don't bet the farm..
Doug Smith introduce the car card/waybill operation back in '61 using X2F couplers on a small layout.A little known fact that is overlooked by today's modelers.
When modelers think of the X2F coupler truck mounted couplers or poorly installed couplers come to mind.However,like the KD the X2F had to be installed properly and at the correct height to function as designed...It was a good answer to the hodgepodge coupler designs that was prevalent in the 50s and standardize the couplers manufacturers used.
All to sadly it seems that history has repeated its self with today's hodgepodge of KD wannabes that works worst then the X2F coupler!
I will agree the KD coupler is by far the best advancement in the hobby.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
jwhitten fwright I don't know about "advances". The word "advance" implies a definitely positive outcome, and it implies somewhat of a jump. Really? How would you characterize an advance in hand-grenades...???
Highly explosive?
fwrightbut enough of my prattle
No, seriously, go right ahead-- prattle on! The whole goal of my "Philosophy Friday" questions is to elicit viewpoint and opinion from anybody who cares to respond. I enjoy reading the answers however simple or otherwise they may be, and regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the viewpoint presented. This place-- the MR site / forum-- is just teaming with individuals from across the spectrum and all walks of life, except perhaps the female perspective and there are at least a few of those even. I enjoy very much the diversity of opinion that everyone who responds contributes. And as I've pointed out before, I purposely set up the questions so there is no real "right" or "wrong" answer, just opinions and discussion. IMO, that's what makes it fun.
I think you have a good point about the modular layout design. And I don't recall anyone else mentioning that. But that certainly has led to a 'standardization' (literally, by definition) of layout construction to a point where it can be performed completely independently and yet still combined and shared collectively. That certainly is an important advance in my book. While it may not help the individual modeler all that much (though I'm not saying it doesn't or can't), it really does help pull groups together and get them quickly focused on shared collective goals.
BRAKIE Yamahammer Im gonna go a different direction here and go with Kadee couplers. Without them alot of the afore mentioned would be tougher to execute. Although I do agree with most of the responses so far, its hard to nail down that one item. Don't bet the farm.. Doug Smith introduce the car card/waybill operation back in '61 using X2F couplers on a small layout.A little known fact that is overlooked by today's modelers. When modelers think of the X2F coupler truck mounted couplers or poorly installed couplers come to mind.However,like the KD the X2F had to be installed properly and at the correct height to function as designed...It was a good answer to the hodgepodge coupler designs that was prevalent in the 50s and standardize the couplers manufacturers used.
Larry, as usual, makes a highly valid point from an historical perspective, one which I'll take a bit further.
I suspect that many hobbyists today aren't even aware that the X2f coupler was designed to be used specifically in conjunction with a concurrently developed uncoupling ramp. When so employed, they did function at least moderately well.
Even earlier there had been Mantua's hook and loop couplers (really the Kadees of their day, largely becoming the hobby's standard by around 1950, in an era of truly horrible couplers ) which likewise would perform pretty well in the earliest days of "operations"...providing that they were used with their specialized uncoupling ramps. And in speaking in terms of hobby advancement, I believe that the Mantua hook and loop couplers were the first ones widely used in the hobby that actually allowed remote uncoupling.
Of course, both the X2f and Mantua couplers tended to became a real pain in the buttocks in operation if the hobbyist failed to allow them to function as designed.
Man I love your avatar CNJ831. I could sit and look at it all day!
selector...but has anyone mentioned the lowly can motor?
Hi John:
I would have to say that it's Electricity...
I believe, although I can't say with certainty, that Electricity is what makes all the little people do useful tasks on our railroads.
I do believe that Ben Franklin might agree with me, were he alive...
-Ed
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