# Many reasons to be involved



## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

All of us that frequent this portion of MLS do so for many reasons:

[*]New model releases[*]DIY information
[*]Stupid things we do 
[*]Wonderful gatherings[*]Interesting forums for steam ups[*]Need to know things [*]Which oil or water to use[*]To take a break from the stress of work[/list]Of all the before mentioned reasons there are a few times that a moment captures what I think is the best description for having a hobby.

Last night we got an email from someone that attended the Steamtown/Trolley museum steam up. There was a concern that they 
might of missed the event for this year... and here is the reason for being concerned:










Looking forward to this weekend and the steamup with another chance to make a special day happen for our future hobbyists!


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## Ding Dong (Sep 27, 2010)

The only difference between he and I Charles, is age. Doesn't this hobby bring out the child in all of us?

Rob Meadows

Los Angeles


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Thank heaven for Thomas the Tank Engine, who showed kids that trains actually exist.


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

The kids are always the best part...






















We even had Little Red Riding Hood inspect one of our steamers... 













And a cheerleader...


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

And then there's Bob Weltyk's Thomas. Always a hit with the younger crowd...


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, kids and family a great combination...


Rob
Without a doubt being "young at heart" makes life enjoyable. Wish all things could have such a simple perspective in a mad, mad world of adult complexities.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

I always enjoy the wide-eyed look of a child as I unexpectedly blow the wistle just as the locomotive passes them. hehehe 
Sadly, there is that 0.1% of kids who, despite being told not to touch, insist on running around the track poking at the train until they derail it (while their parents do nothing). A very small percentage fortunately.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By Ding Dong on 14 Feb 2011 07:08 AM 
The only difference between he and I Charles, is age. Doesn't this hobby bring out the child in all of us?

Rob Meadows

Los Angeles

Hi Rob,
That, and the amount of hair on MY head!!!!
I feel sure that a small percentage of these youngsters will remember the live steam, and when they are old and have spare money will be buying 'collectable' Accucraft and Aster, the same way that some buy Bing, Carette and Bassett Lowke today!
We will see what the future holds, or rather we will probably NOT see it!
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

I think most of us "mature folks", see ourselves in the in the eyes of these youngsters. C'mon admit it. I know I do!


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

With a Weltyk's Whistle, and a radio control for *just the whistle*, you can give one of the youngsters the control, and let him or her blow the whistle, not interfering with the operation of the locomotive, with the possible exception of running you out of steam.


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

I don't know about you fellows, but according to my wife I've never grown up, so this Hobby doesn't so much bring the child out in me as it confirms that I still am a child. "Well, I will not grow up. You cannot make me!" - Peter Pan


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Right on, Gary.

I'm 68 years old, and I have just as hard a time sleeping the night before I leave for Diamondhead each year, as I did when I was six years old, the night before Christmas.

It's great to have that feeling at any age.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom
Seems the experiences are universal, as Mike Moore offers a similar opporunity to kids to be engineers:










Enjoyment by all...


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

One of the better reasons I am getting into live steam, apart from my love of it, is to be able to share it with my two children. I hope to one day build one along side my son.


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Among alot of reasons one of the main ones is to hang out with my dad!


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Andrew, do you plan on attending the Ridge Live Steam Winter Meet at the end of the month?


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

YES!, I told my wife, since I didn't get to go to diamondhead, I will go to ridge! lol (hope one of the TARR members brings their 7.5" gauge live steam engine up there, would be extra fun(Since I will get to drive it )). 

If I go, it will probably just be there on Saturday, 26th (I live about 2.5 hrs away). Maybe the 27th, not sure though.

Everyone else - here is ridge live steamers website (VERY impressive 7.5" gauge track + a very nice Gauge 1 track):
Ridge Live Steamers

Andrew 

P.S. This weekend is runday at TARR:
Tradewinds & Atlantic Railroad


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

I'll be sure to look for you. I plan on going that Friday, but may go back Saturday too. I'll be the one without a train.


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## scottemcdonald (Jan 11, 2008)

[No message]


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## GaugeOneLines (Feb 23, 2008)

I see the photos here of kids looking at the trains and wide eyed at Thomas as he passes by. For ages now the pundits have been telling us that Thomas the Tank Engine is going to be the saviour of our hobby by engaging those youngsters and making them the railway modellers of today. 
Well, Thomas has now been with us for 26 years and assuming those kids that he dazzled back then were in the region of 6 years old, can anybody tell me why there are not all sorts of 30 something year olds coming into the hobby now. When I am at a gathering of live steamers or at a train show all I see is a sea of grey hair, virtually nobody in 30s and 40s except parents taking their children to "see Thomas and the other chuffa trains".............sorry but all Thomas is doing is continuing to nail the model railway hobby firmly to the nursery floor. 

David M-K 
Ottawa


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

David, I disagree... However I have made it to exactly three train shows in the last 4 years basically because of family obligations. Not for lack of wanting to go, but even the ECLSTS which I had planned to go to, finally, is being trumped by family obligations this year...again. (SIGH) 

We are out there. Of course I am in my 40's now and the gray hair is catching me. 

Chas


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By GaugeOneLines on 22 Feb 2011 11:07 AM 
I see the photos here of kids looking at the trains and wide eyed at Thomas as he passes by. For ages now the pundits have been telling us that Thomas the Tank Engine is going to be the saviour of our hobby by engaging those youngsters and making them the railway modellers of today. 
Well, Thomas has now been with us for 26 years and assuming those kids that he dazzled back then were in the region of 6 years old, can anybody tell me why there are not all sorts of 30 something year olds coming into the hobby now. When I am at a gathering of live steamers or at a train show all I see is a sea of grey hair, virtually nobody in 30s and 40s except parents taking their children to "see Thomas and the other chuffa trains".............sorry but all Thomas is doing is continuing to nail the model railway hobby firmly to the nursery floor. 

David M-K 
Ottawa 
DMK
As with all things there is an introduction, exposure, experience, friends, parents, buddies, and other influences that will determine the outcome of one's hobbies. If a child watches Thomas, then has a parent involved in the hobby along with a good friend plus a few train rides combined with a book/magazine and finally an affordable train set then the stage is set for the entrance of younger participants. Here are a few photos of these possible vignettes (notice how many have engineer/RR hats on their heads!)


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

David,

Don't you remember puberty, and the few years, (or maybe decades), where other interests kind of trumped the interest in trains? 


Some of them will come back. I did.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I read the Thomas stories to my daughters when they were little. Actually, the books I used were the pre-Thomas series of railway stories by the Rev. Awdery that were originally imported from England (called the Small Railway Series). My daughters are now in their thirties, but they still have fond memories of those books. Should they ever have children, I'm sure the stories would be back. I also think they would encourage an interest in trains, like Grandpa (me) had. 

I never got away from trains myself, but a lot of my friends moved away and came back later. 

My lust for steam is lurking, but will probably burst into flame with the right opportunity. 

Johnson bar in the company notch, 
David Meashey


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By steamtom1 on 22 Feb 2011 11:48 AM 
David,

Don't you remember puberty, and the few years, (or maybe decades), where other interests kind of trumped the interest in trains? 


Some of them will come back. I did.

Let's see....trains or girls/cars and independence.....


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Posted By Dave Meashey on 22 Feb 2011 12:09 PM 

My lust for steam is lurking, but will probably burst into flame with the right opportunity. 

Johnson bar in the company notch, 
David Meashey 
Please David,
We don't need any more 'bursts of flame'!
Please keep it in the firebox, where it belongs.
But I get your point (or is that switch for North America!).
All the best,
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

David L.; 

Trimmed my eyebrows more than a few times stoking 1:1 steamers. Usually did not touch the blower when replenishing the fire during a station stop, but sometimes there would be a backdraft and "FOOMP!" - neatly trimmed eyebrows. Had to fight more to keep the fire going than I did to put it out. 

But I realize that meths and gas behave different from coal. 

Feel free to use point, I'm an active member of BRMNA (British Railway Modellers of North America) even if my Hornby, Wrenn, Mainline, Airfix, and Lima OO models are shelf queens now. 

Yours, 
David Meashey


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## rwjenkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By GaugeOneLines on 22 Feb 2011 11:07 AM 
Well, Thomas has now been with us for 26 years and assuming those kids that he dazzled back then were in the region of 6 years old, can anybody tell me why there are not all sorts of 30 something year olds coming into the hobby now. 
Thomas has been around a lot longer than that. The original W. Awdry "Railway Series" books were published between 1945 and 1972 (although the Thomas character didn't appear until the second book). Although I never really watched the TV show until my now-six-year-old niece got into it a few years ago, the original books were my bedtime stories growing up. Of course it didn't hurt that my dad loves trains and got me into railfanning, model railroading, and volunteering with the local railroad museum, but I think that early exposure to the Thomas stories was a big part of the reason why somebody like me, who was born too late to witness the steam era (either here in the US or in my native England), grew up with such a sentimental attitude towards steam. 

I'm 38 now, still have a full head of brown hair (with only one or two gray ones spotted to date), and I've been involved in model railroading in some serious form for the better part of three decades now, and in gauge one live steam since 2004. There are a few others close to my age in my local live steam group. When I run at shows, there are a number of youngsters involved with some of the smaller scale clubs who seem genuinely interested in live steam, and are always eager to help me fire up my engines and take a turn on the throttle.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By GaugeOneLines on 22 Feb 2011 11:07 AM 
I see the photos here of kids looking at the trains and wide eyed at Thomas as he passes by. For ages now the pundits have been telling us that Thomas the Tank Engine is going to be the saviour of our hobby by engaging those youngsters and making them the railway modellers of today. 
Well, Thomas has now been with us for 26 years and assuming those kids that he dazzled back then were in the region of 6 years old, can anybody tell me why there are not all sorts of 30 something year olds coming into the hobby now. When I am at a gathering of live steamers or at a train show all I see is a sea of grey hair, virtually nobody in 30s and 40s except parents taking their children to "see Thomas and the other chuffa trains".............sorry but all Thomas is doing is continuing to nail the model railway hobby firmly to the nursery floor. 

David M-K 
Ottawa 
I think you are at the wrong shows!







Yes, there's always a number of old'uns, but on my recent visit to the T&ARR track in Coconut Grove, FL, I was surprised to see the number of younger families and younger guys. Heck, ALL the steamers except me were half my age. Check 'em out: *Run day at TARR*


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep, the regulars in live steam gauge 1 are StevenJ (late 20's), cjsrch(20 something lol), Bruce (early 30's), and I (31).


Peter Thornton(you all know), Meldrum (has a scratch built alcohol fired engine), Charley (has a AML K4 on order - has a 7.5" gauge engine also) , Mike (donated the entire inner loop, has O and Gauge 1) and my father are part of the older crowd in the club that do live steam in the club. I am trying to find them and promote the hobby the best I can!! lol 

We do have a bunch of young & older guys who run electric trains on the same track too. Frank Vanak has an LGB/MTH collection someone would dream for (he had that huge caboose train in the video cjrsch took), we keep temping him with live steam hehehe. George has an Aristocraft diesel that he put a MTH DCS system inside, a few young guys with LGB Genesis engines, eggliners. I purposely built the track to be friendly for sparkies because I knew we lacked live Steam locals. The local hobby shops don't carry ANY live steam stuff yet (I am working on that, hard thing to push).

My goal has succeeded, took an almost non-existent group of gauge 1/gscale guys in South Florida and have started a the gauge1 section of TARR! 2.5 years of work!! Now on phase 2 of the track, bridges, towns, trestles, etc etc!


Andrew 

P.S. If you want to change/promote the hobby, get out and do it yourself! Yes, it is hard work at times(planning, funding, campaigning) - building+running is the actual fun part! This club track I put together and got the locals to come out and run is a prime example of what happens when you set out to accomplish something and succeed. I always have a bit of Irish luck with me at all times though (last name is finegan lol). I think thats because of my persistence and stubbornness to never fail lol.

I even have a thomas set, I put him out only once a run sometimes. The other engines need equal track time lol (I hide thomas in a box in the off times).


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## Ding Dong (Sep 27, 2010)

I was reading Thomas the tank engine books in the late 1950's early 1960's, and I'm now one of those grey haired S.O.B'S you see at the steam-ups.

It worked for me !!!!!

Rob Meadows

Los Angeles


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## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

In the 60's I had a neighbor (then in his 50's) who was a "train chaser" ( don't know what they called it back then ) but he would ask my mom if I could go with him to "watch" the trains,( Reading T-1 Northerns pulling the Reading Rambles among others) He knew I loved trains, but I was terrified standing right by the tracks with, what in the eyes of a six year, old looked bigger than a house. BIG, LOUD norhterns came thundering past, ground shaking so hard you could hardly stand.... Remember it like it was yesterday. After that you spend the rest of your life drawn to it.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3encXM6RgEw


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By GaugeOneLines on 22 Feb 2011 11:07 AM 
I see the photos here of kids looking at the trains and wide eyed at Thomas as he passes by. For ages now the pundits have been telling us that Thomas the Tank Engine is going to be the saviour of our hobby by engaging those youngsters and making them the railway modellers of today. 
Well, Thomas has now been with us for 26 years and assuming those kids that he dazzled back then were in the region of 6 years old, can anybody tell me why there are not all sorts of 30 something year olds coming into the hobby now. When I am at a gathering of live steamers or at a train show all I see is a sea of grey hair, virtually nobody in 30s and 40s except parents taking their children to "see Thomas and the other chuffa trains".............sorry but all Thomas is doing is continuing to nail the model railway hobby firmly to the nursery floor. 

David M-K 
Ottawa David - I have to agree with your viewpoint. The only time I've seen substantial representation of the earlier 'Thomas' generation - the middle-20's folks - actively involved in scale live steam has been with the visiting members of the Swiss group of the G1MRA. While I'm certain that there ARE a few out there, any GTG I attend is 95% attended by the likes of us old f&rts. Some, like me, don't even have hair, let alone grey hair. The likes of Andrew Finnigan are passing rare here in UK, I'm sad to say.

For the last ten years or so, our little hut has been surrounded by houses with youngsters, all of whom can probably see and hear our trains - electric and noisy, or steam and uh, steamy - even advertised on the front porch - 'steam trains today'. Nobody has ever been near. Not once.

But hey, this IS the UK......

Best 

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Then there's Tanner Morgan, who, early in the week at DH, logged about 12 hours of track time in a 24 hour period.


The kid is a real enthusiast. We need more like him.


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## Fritz (Jan 11, 2008)

Some children told me, they don´t like the smell of beer and tobacco, which very often comes from adults at public exibitions. Others simply think, it is quite boaring, to watch trains going round in circles and have adults yelling at them, to keep their fingers off. How long do your kids watch an adult train layout? Longer than 3 minutes? 



Have Fun

Juergen


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Probably should mention this. I am over 65 now, but neither do I have any memories of actual steam operations on the local railroad from growing up (it was the Reading RR mainline from Harrisburg to Reading, PA). I remember the Iron Horse Rambles, and even rode one of those with double-headed T1s (2100 & 2124). BUT I don't remember steam in actual revenue service on that line. 

Still, I always had a deep affection for steam - except for a brief flirtation with my American Flyer PA1 powered Comet passenger set. With my American Flyers, steam outnumbered diesels and electrics by a 3 to 1 ratio. 

I managed to get a summer job working on the only operating steam locomotive within a 50 mile radius of my home, the Crown Metal Products two foot gauge 4-4-0 at Hershey Park's Dry Gulch RR. Later I was privileged to run two H. K. Porter standard gauge steamers at the Wanamaker, Kempton & Southern Railroad tourist line. 

I'm not the young guy anymore, but they are out there. I see them at meetings for the Roanoke Chapter NRHS. Maybe not in huge numbers, but they are steady and they are dedicated. They are currently the main thrust for the work restoring the Roanoke Chapter's N&W M class 4-8-0 and Baldwin Diesel switcher. 

Don't despair yet. There is an affinity for steam that "infects" people, whether they grew up around it or not. 

Best, 
David Meashey 

P. S. OOPS! Forgot Steamaholics Number 462 (as in Pacific







)


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

are part of the older crowd in the club 
Well, thanks Andrew. I don't FEEL any older - just a bit wiser. (Like I don't start a new job, a new family and a new steam track at the same time! ;-) 

Incidentally, you didn't answer the question. Did Thomas have any influence on your interest in trains growing up? I guess your not a typical enthusiast, as your Dad probably pushed you in to it. How about the other guys who didn't have a Train Dad?


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

David, I guess I'm a youngster compared to you (only 63), but I do remember steam operations behind my house. The tracks were less than 100 feet behind our back door and I often saw steam freight trains go by. I recall the first time I saw a streamliner go by, I was so excited to see such a modern train in our backyard. My mother was never happy with the steam engines. SHe would hang up the laundry only to have a steam train come through spueing out black smoke. She would then take the laundry down and wash it again.
BOb


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Here is the station that got it all started for me, in Waterbury, Connecticut. 


I was probably four years old. The train was pulled by a New Haven Railroad I-4 Pacific. It ran from Winsted, through Waterbury, to Bridgeport, where it connected with the main line from Boston to New York. As it rolled into the station, noisy, steam coming out of it, wheels larger than me, it scared the pants off me, but I was hooked.
















_*  Jon Rothenmeyer photo*_


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Fritz on 23 Feb 2011 07:05 AM 

Some children told me, they don´t like the smell of beer and tobacco, which very often comes from adults at public exibitions. Others simply think, it is quite boaring, to watch trains going round in circles and have adults yelling at them, to keep their fingers off. How long do your kids watch an adult train layout? Longer than 3 minutes? 



Have Fun

Juergen 
I have seen kids at the meets either stand frozen in place or running after a locomotive for the entire running session (normally 30 minutes)


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

We, The Michigan Small Scale Live Steamers, do not allow alcoholic beverages at any of our public appearances. There is no smoking at our indoor shows, and outdoors very few of us smoke.

Here is a picture of one of the peanuts chasing Ernie Noa's Thomas...











And another, who is more interested in the EXIT sign than the trains. Oh well, you can't win them all.


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## Fritz (Jan 11, 2008)

We got some Kids and Teenagers at the Feldbahnmuseum, which seem to enjoy trains. 

[url="


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

lol, I don't plan on growing up either(my 8 year old nephew tells his mom that I am just an older kid that has more expensive toys lol). I am trying to get a headstart to you guys in scratch building these live steam engines ;-P

No, thomas didn't affect my life loving trains, I didn't even know about thomas until much later in life.

It was the trains at Disney World, , It was the Stanz LGB set around the Christmas tree. It was the visits to the station in Chattanooga, TN and the TVRR (on the way to the smoky mountains, our normal vacation spot). It was the ground layout in the backyard that we built when I was 10 (no ladder bed, track got dirty and the weeds took over, it was a mess lol). It was my dad holding me next to the track near the Chattanooga historical station at the crack of dawn while some HUGE 1:1 live steam engine went roaring by. Scared the bejesus out of me! I wish I knew what type of engine that was! (was around 1985). It was riding the White Pass engines at Silver Dollar City(ahem I mean dollywood, TN). We use to go to all the trains shows together too.My dad use to call me "Choo Choo Andy" all the time. We had a large HO layout in a big room when I was 3-4, I would grab an HO engine (I think that engine was missing ALL of its detail parts lol) and walked into my parents room and woke them up, so they would turn on the HO layout. There was even an earlier smaller layout that my dad told me about that I don't remember at all.

I wish gauge1/gscale didnt dimish so badly in South Florida like it did!

What is really weird is, my brother and sister have almost no interest in it. My brother is 2 years younger than me and my sister, 3 years. 

Maybe its the mechanical engineer in me that keeps me interested. 

Yes my dad had a BIG impact in it(most impact). I was actually not interested in my early 20's for some time until my dad bought that Live Steam K-28 and I got the Ruby 4 Christmas's ago (I still owned a few sparkies though). Got hooked all over again, even more so than my dad lately lol.

My dad got hooked playing with his american flyer set with his dad, I have a picture that I scanned from a slide somewhere. He still has that set even though it looks like its shorting pretty badly (I could prob fix it if I tried).


Here is the main issue I see with the younger crowd not playing with trains (I have done all these other things too so I know - yes I am a PC/x360 gamer too):

(My Opinion) 
-=begin mini rant
Our hobby is expensive compared to other things that people can do. Less disposable income(no more pensions - grrrr) - x360 $300, Game $50 - so around $350 (from scratch) you have a game that will keep you occupied for a good 3 months and let you play with your friends every night without leaving the comfort of your home. Its also available everywhere and all your friends are playing it.The new generation is the "I want it now"/lazy/"entitlement" generation lol - this is probally due to the parents not taking the time to work with their kids because they are too tired from being overworked at their present job (or they just don't care). Lack of impressive train equipment running at times (nothing like a 1:1 steam engine!). Train crossings are seen as a nuisance, an irritation now days. The city I work in, they have a mandate for the 1:1 trains to not blow there horns at the crossings, so they don't. Yes there are crossing accidents all the time (due to the snowbirds also). Trains going in a circle is not exciting to the "now" generation (I can almost call it the ADD generation).One thing we really have going is our equipment doesn't fall apart. It will last forever if you take care of it(most of it anyway). a gaming system or computer will not (or just the fact of it going obsolete, our trains don't really go obsolete). As long as we have a good healthy "core" group of individuals promoting the hobby, it will be around. I know cost/space is a huge factor in our hobby. Club tracks are a good way to get around this. We do need our local hobby shops to step it up. I don't believe they properly advertise the hobby at times. (now the model airplanes, have you seen how Parkzone/Eflite advertises and sells. They stock up all the hobby shops before they sell it at their own store, They have built in profit for the hobby shops(no guesswork - but I think its a MAP thing), they have been VERY successful at doing it! - they come out with a new airplane almost every other month!)

-=end mini rant 


hehehe 


Andrew


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

without leaving the comfort of your home 
I'm sure part of it is this modern issue of letting your kids play outside unsupervised. If they never do, then they never develop interests in what's outside - just what's on the boob tube. 

When I was 8 or 9, in our summer holidays, I used to meet my pal down the street every morning and we'd go down to the railway tracks at the end of the main road and watch the "South Yorkshireman" head off to London behind a B1 4-6-0 or sometimes a pacific.


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## cjsrch (May 29, 2010)

I watched Thomas growing up but it was because he was a train that I watched ... My dad was kinda into trains he had layouts and a few books 
Nothing to serious . When I watched Thomas I wanted a layout like that one until I met Andrew I was more interested in scenery and switching then the engines them selfs when it came to modeling, of course I loved anything 1:1. 

Growing up I had Lionel as well as n scale the n scale grew into a 4 by 4 layout that never got past adding grass sincey father was perfectly content watching a engine run in a circle for hours 

I have a photo of me staring next to an engine somewhere when I was maybe 3 that I can't recall at all. 
What I do recall is the elicot city b and o rr The first passenger station that still stands , I went there every month. 
Sadly we don't have anything like that in fl so I wonder to my self why the kids that like trains actualy like them when all they experienced is models 


I am glad to say my father has finally started coming with me to tarr rundays. And is actualy now calling me to ask whenwe can go again . 
I'm hoping he gets back in the hobby after being out for so long . 

Currently all I have in ls is a ruby and a set of 7 tender wheels for an a3 switcher. But I think this time I'm in the hobby for good 

Sent from my iPhone


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## tacfoley (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Dave Meashey on 22 Feb 2011 01:37 PM ...my Hornby, Wrenn, Mainline, Airfix, and Lima OO models are shelf queens now. 

Yours, 
David Meashey Sir - shame on YOU. Get'em running.

tac
www.ovgrs.org
Supporter of the Cape Meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Ah, TAC; 

Not all of us USA citizens have huge homes with equally huge basements beneath them. (At least our modest home is paid in full.) My modest 9x12 (that's 
feet) former layout room now houses a workbench, numerous large scale trains, and my late mother's china cupboard. The OO and some HO now reside in 
the china cupboard. I have no space for a permanent track. Someday I may purchase some of that HO track with the built-in roadbed (like Bachmann) so 
that my "treasures" may stretch their wheels again. All my HO gauge stock is plain old DC. 

I am currently content to get my HO "fix" as a regular operator on the Lakeside Lines RR in Wythville, VA. It's owner, Tom Harris, seems to be quite well 
known among HO enthusiasts. However, his layout runs solely DCC, and would probably fry my traditional stock - if any of it were up to Tom's standards.

So, TAC, I'll try to get'em running someday. 

Yours, 
David Meashey


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