So, this has been bugging me lately, two conversations:
1) Recently, me and a co-worker of mine at Jewel exchanged our thoughts about trains, and he stated to me, "You're an odd one" for liking them, and continued, "I hate trains because they're loud and unnecessary."
2) A while back, while I was a sophomore (high school) still, a peer of mine said "Only I like trains" after I made him aware of my interest.
This ignorance and disrespect for railroading among today's youth is disgusting. Of any generation for that matter. Another concept I cannot grasp is how little many know about how railroads operate. I mean, COME ON! For instance, think about how many will understand sports jargon and auto terminology; it requires nearly the same amount of knowledge as a thorough understanding of railroad operations, locomotive models, rolling stock identification, etc. The same can be said for how many know what a Boeing 747 is but cannot identify an EMD SD40-2, a machine that's somewhat like the rail equivalent.
It's unnerving how many cannot go past "coo-choo" when it comes to rail. That old assertion, "Everybody loves trains," may no longer be applicable in today's society. Even those who claim to possess knowledge in rail only have an insanely rudimentary comprehension.
Why? What is the reason for this????? Peer pressure? Conformity? Everyone should be taught the wonderful world of railroading.
People are seldom well educated about things that don't interest them. Ever since the individual railroads dumped their surviving passenger business on Amtrak they have been working hard to get, and remain, below the public radar.
Almost every mention of railroads in the popular media is negative, from grade crossing accidents to derailments to labor problems to carloads of hazardous materials running away through the center of downtown...
Anytime there is a collision between a present or proposed rail line and the NIMBY/BANANA faction, the latter get far more press/TV time. Reporters are enchanted by catchy slogans, and bored silly by rational arguments and hard statistics.
Don't kid yourself that the average pedestrian is well educated about aircraft. My locals on the street squawk mightily about afterburner noise (Air Force Base 6 miles away) but don't know the difference between an F-22 and a C-130! Likewise, for every person who can spout sports stats there are a hundred who can't.
As for being taught ANYTHING, the schools are too busy, "Building self-esteem," to teach grammatical English, simple math and the rudiments of hard science.
People who are interested in trains will do the research, learn the facts and enjoy railfanning and railroad modeling. People who aren't, won't.
Chuck
It is the same for the major industries, and most worrisome of all, for the primary resource industries which are the original creators of wealth. How many city dwellers fuming at a now-5 minute-long crossing blockage are keeping a part of their consciousness on the hard work done on the farms and other agricultural operations that generated the apple he is munching, or the mine where the heavy metals in his cell phone on which he is texting were extracted?
When coal was big, it also was a time where people had to be familiar with its provenance and its use. How many people ever get inside an automobile factory today? But buddy is first in line at the blocked crossing and seated in one.
We are a society that seems bent on disengagement. We use any number of opportunities and gadgets to keep ourselves from having to actually deal with each other. We do it at arms length. My niece texts her mother one floor above her all the time at home. How cute is that!
Trains, as far as they are concerned, are impediments that must be convenient for other wretches who depend on them for whatever that may be. It will take big bucks and some creative and persistent thinking, and then concerted action, to get the culture to develop a positive regard for the primary industries and what they do, let alone trains that block so many crossings....apparently moving so dead-slowly all the time.
At least farms have nice moo-cows.
-Crandell
I agree that railroads are mostly below the radar. There are some railroads that go out of their way to educate the public (notably CP's Holiday Train), but most people don't notice trains.
I would, however, contest your point that "all" younger people today disrespect and ignore trains. Perhaps it is you that is ignorant of the teen railfan community? There are plenty of teenaged and younger railfans and modelers, many of whom have skills in photography, videography, and modeling comparable to adult hobbyists. And most of us respect railroads for what they are, just like you adults.
I think most teenaged and youth modelers keep their interest in the closet because they are fearful of not fitting in. It's not considered "cool" to like trains, so most teens don't tell anybody about their interest EXCEPT on forums like these.
If you want more proof, see the two threads for teens on these forums. We even have our own forum elsewhere on the web, but I can't post a link without breaking Kalmbach's rules.
Teen Model Railroader Place
Teen Railfan Place
I never once said ALL teens.
It's not just today's youth that is this way either. People lack understanding in general. I work at a local railroad museum and I met a nice lady, 40 - 50ish in age. She would never get on a train. "Amtrak has too many accidents". As I talked to her, I realiized that EVERY passenger train in her mind is Amtrak, whether it be the Washington Metro, NJ Transit, the California commuter train incident. I don't think she considered a freight train as Amtrak, but that could be, too. It's lack of education. The only railroad commercials that appear regularly here in the NY City area belong to Amtrak. (I have seen CSX and BNSF advertized, but that was on PBS stations as sponsors of programs). Fact is, Amtrak = US rail in the minds of most people.
I have never been "harrased" because I love trains. I am never embarrased to tell people that I love trains. 99% of the time I wear a shirt with a train on it. Actually, people go away with a whole new perspective and outlook towards trains if you even give 30 minutes of education.
50 or 60 years ago, there were fascinating locomotives with lots of motion, right out in plain view; and breathing smoke and steam; cabooses on the ends with brakemen who would wave at you, or throw chalk to you; trains that stopped at nearly every little station to set out/pick up cars or take on water (and you could stand CLOSE to them and WATCH while all this was going on.
Today, there are trains that (as a general rule) roar past you at 40 or 50 MPH; the locomotives have little CHARACTER (sorry, Diesel fans!); cabooses and friendly rear-end crew are a thing of the past; they seldom stop; when they DO, you're likely to get involved with the local law enforcement if you even WATCH too closely, let alone try to get right down to the edge of the tracks...
I'm not sure I would be attracted to railroads, if they were just now appearing on the scene in their present form!
Remember: In South Carolina, North is southeast of Due West... HIOAg /Bill
Rail awareness has grown quite a bit out here spurred by the expansion of Metrorail trolleys and Metrolink commuter trains, alot more people are riding the rails again, and that brings awareness about rail and crossing safety. We have had the 2 of the worst rail accidents here yet aside from a few cranks no one wants to see the commuter trains or trolleys go away.
Have fun with your trains
I am glad to say that i grew up in Transcona, which is a Canadian Pacific/Canadian National town and HQ for the Central Manitoba Railway, for me growing up, trains were a part of everyday life, and if you did'nt know much about them or like them, you were probably not from Transcona, i grew up watching Old No.3 of the Prairie Dog Central steam into Transcona Shops for repairs, and nothing beat hearing that classic banshee whistle. I am now a member of the Midwestern Rail Association and a volunteer at the Winnipeg Railway Museum. Check out our website @ http://www.wpgrailwaymuseum.com/
vsmithRail awareness has grown quite a bit out here spurred by the expansion of Metrorail trolleys and Metrolink commuter trains, alot more people are riding the rails again, and that brings awareness about rail and crossing safety. We have had the 2 of the worst rail accidents here yet aside from a few cranks no one wants to see the commuter trains or trolleys go away.
I live in Los Angeles too; I agree with the reasons you mentioned, as well as the fact that Los Angeles is an important destination for both freight (Port of LA/LB intermodal traffic) as well as passenger trains (Pacific Surfliner is the most popular Amtrak train outside of the NEC), not to mention the proposed California HSR. We also have the Alameda Corridor, the Hobart, East L.A. and Colton yards, and are just a few hours' drive from both Cajon and Tehachapi.
I would also imagine trains to be looked more favorably in other cities where railroads play a large role in the region's economy or have a large or growing rapid transit system.
To the original poster, I hope you give your co-worker a brief lesson on how their HDTV, yesterday's lunch or the Nissan they drive wouldn't be possible without trains transporting them!
The problem is is that there's no education about it. No advertisements. When my mom has the radio on in the car in the morning, I sometimes (for example, today) hear a comercial for Amtrak NorthEast Regional. I doubt that even my mom pays attention.Now, do they play these commercials on Z100, where teens would be more likely to hear this? Nope. And even if they did, I highly doubt that any of them would pay attention.
Most people haven't even experienced a train ride. For example, back in the spring, our lacrosse team took the train into NY to see a NY Titans game. You'd be surprised how many people mentioned that they've never been on a train before. Even some of the parents.
As Tyler said a while back, it's not ALL teens, only most of them. In addition to Tyler and myself, there are several more of us teen railfans/model railroaders on here, as well as other forums. There's not many, but we're out here.
I don't tell anyone, because a) they'd think I was a freak, and b) even if they didn't, they wouldn't care less. So what's the point? You think telling people about your hobbies will suddenly make everyone aware about rail? No way.
Back in the fall when we had Driver's Ed, we spend a whole double period watching a movie about the dangers of trains and driving. The movie was supplied to all local high schools by NJ Transit and Operation Lifesaver. I bet at not even half of the kids in our class have heard about either of those orgainizations, although NJT runs trains, buses, and light rail all across the state!And when we were on a bus in Newark on the way to a hockey game, some kids spotted a light rail train, and called it a "baby train"-- Hardly educated about rail, IMHO...
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
Compare them to airplanes. Yes trains are more widespread so it's a bit like comparing apples to oranges, but most people can't identify plane types either.
Of course, as to talking about steering wheels on trains...that's not cool!
I kinda can't expect people to be able to identify different models of locomotives. I still can't tell the difference between a GP7 and a GP9.Now, say, a GP7 and a SD70ACe is completely different. Hopefully, anyone with even a little common sense will be able to figure out that the larger locomotive is the one with the bigger number in its name...
And yeah, steering wheels on trains is pretty bad.Kinda like when my brother said "Isn't it dangerous to run the power lines over the train tracks?" And even when I told him that they were for electric trains, he STILL thought it would be a hazard... *sigh*