# I Don't Get it!



## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

I am a HS teacher. At the end of the school year I host a backyard BBQ for my students and their friends. As one student said, Mr P, the only reason I took physics was because I heard about your BBQ. Imagine, all these big federal bucks on education, when all it really takes is a good BBQ.

"I don't get it", one of my students said. "What's the big deal with the train? They just go round in a circle all day long. Why would that be fun?" 

The young man is a terrific young person. These are HS Juniors and Seniors. He was in no way disrespectful, just an honest teenage opinion.....I don't get it. The Elm Creek RR is indeed basically a "circle" (loop) around the entire back yard, with a side branch and some passing sidings. I intentionally kept the train very simple, an FA pulling 7 cars and caboose. I did select a few cars with a little interest, but by and large there was no WOW factor to the train. No sound or smoke. The train ran flawlessly, except for a time or two it was "kicked" by students with a plate of food. 

Some students think it is pretty neat, most of my students know my passion for trains, as they have seen enough pictures and have done quite a number of train physics problems, or built truss bridges in engineering. I've only had one train fan in 40+ years in the classroom. 

I don't get it!!!! I have often asked myself and my wife that same thing. Why can I sit there and spend an hour watching a train go around a loop of my backyard, and it just feels so incredibly good???? What is in our genes or maybe our jeans, that watching a toy train is exciting??? Admittedly as I sit there by the Elm Creek, I often find myself with hand on the throttle of a real fire breathing steam engine, heading down the main line at 60+ mph. And yes I've done that a couple thousand miles. 

I don't get it. As i watch a bunch of teens with heads buried in cell phone sending text messages to their buddy on the other side of the back yard.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I guess trains don't offer an endless supply of instant, meaningless, self gratifying bits of nothingness.

Andrew


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

I don't get it, either. 

I run a nice open-to-the-public layout with plenty of bridges, trestles, a village, farms, forest, two consists going around all the time, and lots of little people, vintage die cast trucks, and animals to look at. 

Everyone who comes to my shop has to pass by the railroad. It is essentially on the entrance route to the shop. We run trains every Saturday and Sunday. We sit out by the trains, working via wifi instead of in the shop. 

Folks come up the driveway, park, enter the train area and then we see what they are made out of:

Some stop dead and squeal with delight! "A train! A Train! Oh my God that is so CUUUUTE!" Then they ask, "What do you when it rains?"

Some stop and watch for one or two circuits -- several minutes -- and say that their grandfather had a train or their father, or they like trains. 

A few will take a seat on the built-in stone benches provided for their convenience and ask questions abut the era we are modelling, or about the power source, or about the live plants. 

But a significant number turn their heads away or look down at the ground as they trudge up the path past the trains. They do not want to see the trains. 

Gender does not seem to be a determinant -- as many men as women ignore the trains and as many women as men stop to watch, comment, or ask questions. 

And i really don't get the ones who refuse to look at the trains. What WOULD please them enough to cause them to look? Flashing strobe lights? Loud death metal music? Pornography? I have no idea, but whatever it is, it is NOT 1927-1937 steam locomotives running by little farms and over iron bridges and wooden trestles. 

Personally, i think they are not enjoying their lives enough to spare the extra calories it would take to look at the trains and crack a smile.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

> Why can I sit there and spend an hour watching a train go around a loop of my backyard, and it just feels so incredibly good???? What is in our genes or maybe our jeans, that watching a toy train is exciting???


I couldn't tell you. For me, it's almost like something I was born with. In my memory (which goes back to flashes around three years old), there are two things I can remember loving throughout my life... trains (particularly steam locomotives) and Superman. To this day, I still get as big a thrill out of both as I did when I was three.


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Sitting there all day with a cell phone glued to their ear and a computer in front of them! 
I don't get it.
Why do people have to talk on their cell phones driving, shopping, in church.
I seen people fall because, they are on their dumb phone and not watching were they are going.
I don't get it!

My 2 cents
Don


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## Rod Fearnley (Jan 2, 2008)

I have two wonderful grandsons 11 and 14. They love to come and operate grandpa,s RR............. For ten minutes! Then they are back on their iPads/iPods or whatever the latest electronic drug is.
I gave up being disappointed a long time a go.
I,m like Dwight, I cannot remember a time when I wasn't interested or had a train around someplace. I have acquired several skills that come from my love of model trains.


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Our club holds a tour every summer, June 28th this year, and usually get around 4-500 people attending. This year we have 6 layouts on a self-guided tour for $5 a carload for the entire day. The over 60 crowd loves the memories and the under 10 crowd make new memories. The young children usually have to be drug away crying leaving their friends Thomas, Percy and James. I do admit a lot of teenagers would be harder to impress.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

My grandfather had a very large lionel layout that took up the entire garage I would watch the trains and everything else for hours. My father built a nice layout also that was 60 years ago. I still remember it all and now I have a g scale layout out doors and my granddaughter 10 and grandson 8 love to play trains when they come over. I guess I,am lucky.I have always got it .Steam trains are like a living thing. I can watch them for hours or drive for hours to ride on them.


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## Pete Chimney (Jan 12, 2008)

Tom 

I think a difference between "our" generation and "current" generations is we had to create our own entertainment. By "our" I mean those of use ~45 years of age and older. All we had was a TV (and only 1 TV in the house for that matter with rabbit ears) and many of us had model trains, or ship/plane/car models we assembled. In other words we made stuff with our hands and our minds. Your layout, even though it is not large or complicated, you made with your hands and mind. 

The "current" generations is frequently content to view or have already things already made for them and have no interest or skill in building or creating physical things. This is not good or bad, but it sure is a difference from when I grew up.


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Yes, i agree that being taught to make and build from a young age adds considerably to our enjoyment of model railroading. 

As for the fascination with trains (rather than, say, model cars or model airplanes), i think it may be a case of early age imprinting. I don't know for sure how general this experience is, but in my own case i do attribute my train fascination to "growing up by the tracks." You heard the trains, you learned the whistles, colours, sizes, timetables, and waited for them to come by... 

I was lucky to live in three different places "down by the tracks" before the age of 8. 

I literally learned my alphabet by reading the words on the cars. By the time i was 4, my mother, who was a writer, wrote a short story about me called "Nonnie and the Trains." She also bought me the book "Chessie" about the railroad cat, and. of course, i named my own cat Chessie. We travelled by train regularly. 

As i got older i used to walk the tracks for miles, up and down the East Bay Area, jumping aside when i heard the trains approach. I had no illusions that they would let a woman be an engineer in those days, so i never aspired to a job with the railroad, but i began to collect songs about trains and to sing them. I also read about famous crashes and derailments, which was a bit morbid of me, i suppose, but i wanted to know the stories behind the famous songs.

When i grew up and left home, i started to use trains for transportation and to see as many places as i could that way. I still go to railroad museums and ride historic roads when i can. I listen to train songs all the time in my shop as part of the sound track we play there. 

Deciding to model a train was -- at age 66 -- the best decision i have made in years. I am so happy with my layout, despite the cost over-runs and the mistakes we have made. Yes, playing with trains is a "return to childhood," but so what? it makes me very happy and it may inspire others to find their own form of joy. 

I cannot fault those who don't share my pleasure. They just didn't grow up "down by the tracks," i guess.


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## Fred Mills (Nov 24, 2008)

....."Drugged away"....egads, drugging the children is not the answer....possibly you meant "Dragged away"...at least I hope so....!!


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## Fred Mills (Nov 24, 2008)

Some of the messages prove a point....simply having an outdoor model railroad, that just runs around in a circle, can become very boring after a short while, not only for children/young adults, but also for adults. Building a model railroad that can be "Operated" opens up more interest levels in all of us.
Operation, can mean different things to different people. What I am directing my comments to, is operation that gives meaning to what a railroad in real life actually does.
Adding the roundy-roundy element to a true operating railroad, can be a pleasant interlude, for adults to enjoy a dram of good Whisky, or a bheer or two, while sharing thoughts, and watching a train go by.....

Going to the trouble of building a model railroad in the garden, can put a bit of animation into the garden, but doesn't really promote a long lasting interest in a lifelong hobby of model railroading.

This is just my opinion, based on observations over 40 years...others may have different thoughts, and I respect them.....so don't jump on me as if I am some sort of enemy...please......

I have also observed so many kindly grandfathers, building an outdoor railroad "For the grandchildren".....most times it is a wasted effort, within a short period of time. It is best that any grandparent, should build his railroad for himself, as a great hobby in his/her retirement, and share it with the grandchildren, IF....they show an interest. This way the efforts are not wasted over the long term, and the retired grandparent ends up with a great hobby for himself....a very healthy thing to do.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

As far back as I can remember, trains have been part of my life, 1:1, toy, and model. At Christmas 1940, when I was 6 months old, Dad came home with a used Lionel, so I was told. I do remember from early childhood riding and watching trains. I know it was early childhood,because the war was still going on. If I got a good report card in elementary school a family friend would take me to a parking lot in Alexandria, Va. that overlooked the Potomac Yards and the mainline of the RF&P.

I will happily watch a model train go round and round it's loop, whether it is my loop or someone else's. I have just spent two days at Dr. Rivet's Spring steamup watching mine and others trains go round and round on a loop of track.

I can't speak for why some could care less about trains, that is just part of life. On the other hand I would never be seen at a rock concert or a nightclub. I like music, but I'm not all that fond of crowds and I have better uses for my funds.

Chuck


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Pete Chimney said:


> Tom
> 
> I think a difference between "our" generation and "current" generations is we had to create our own entertainment. By "our" I mean those of use ~45 years of age and older. All we had was a TV (and only 1 TV in the house for that matter with rabbit ears) and many of us had model trains, or ship/plane/car models we assembled. In other words we made stuff with our hands and our minds. Your layout, even though it is not large or complicated, you made with your hands and mind.
> 
> The "current" generations is frequently content to view or have already things already made for them and have no interest or skill in building or creating physical things. This is not good or bad, but it sure is a difference from when I grew up.


I think that has a lot to do with it. When you grow up as a kid with not that much you are forced to have an imagination and be resourceful with what you have. I got the bug somehow from a very early age and found tinkering with trains was an introduction to electronics, engineering, design, architecture, craft and the study of history and still does.
Now we have mass consumerism and nearly everything already done for us it has taken the value from what could only be done with a lot of personal passion and effort.
Modern technology has paved the way for remote controlled cars and helicopters etc. which are a lot more dynamic and action oriented and don't need a fixed track. Some kids these days are not even stimulated by them and would rather be immersed within an online computer game. The problem with them is they are filled with quick goal oriented tasks and rewards which don't accrue to any real world advantages, skills or physical exercise. 

Andrew


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## TJH (Dec 27, 2007)

Fr.Fred said:


> Some of the messages prove a point....simply having an outdoor model railroad, that just runs around in a circle, can become very boring after a short while, not only for children/young adults, but also for adults. Building a model railroad that can be "Operated" opens up more interest levels in all of us.
> Operation, can mean different things to different people. What I am directing my comments to, is operation that gives meaning to what a railroad in real life actually does.
> Adding the roundy-roundy element to a true operating railroad, can be a pleasant interlude, for adults to enjoy a dram of good Whisky, or a bheer or two, while sharing thoughts, and watching a train go by.....
> 
> ...


I don't know if I'd say that realistic operation is necessary, but doing a few things that bring the train to life can help, like sound and smoke. Doing some scenery can also help. My grandfather will take anyone who comes by the house down to see our train, and inevitably they are impressed by the mountains, the trestle, the waterfall, the tunnels, the buildings he has scratch built, his figures, etc. The fact that the locomotives steam and hiss and blow the whistle and ring the bell and yell all aboard only adds to the effect. I"ve shown people of all ages videos of the trains running and they are at least impressed, even not attentive. I think if you can have a plausible connection to history and can tell a story that surround the real railroad that inspired yours, or the technology and engineering involved in the locomotive being represented, you can help your audience connect to it. I love watching the trains go around our layout and imagining I'm back in Colorado with the real things.

I admit, as much as I'm into trains, I would get bored watching a soundless locomotive run in a loop. Not to start a steam vs diesel war, but if said locomotive was a diesel, my attention would be even shorter. Indeed, at train shows, if the operating layouts don't have steamers on them, or if the diesels don't have impressive lights and smoke and sound, I won't spend any time at the layout. 

I think part of the issue may be a general lack of appreciation for machines and mechanical devices in my age group and younger (I'm 30). Many media are reporting left and right about how mine is the generation that has fallen out of love with the car. There has been much speculation about what is at the heart of it, but I will say that when you consider the cost of having fun with your car or a model train, it is difficult for someone my age or younger to afford, whereas we can much easier afford and use a smart phone with apps and games.


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

A comment on the notion of scenery: Since our layout is open to the public, we get "all kinds" and just today there were two women and a man (husband of one of the women) who stayed a while. They were in their 30s, i think. 

The man walked all around the layout and asked questions about power supplies and grades, and scales. He had had Lionel trains as a kid. 

The women were all into the tiny people, and the fact that i was sitting there on the bench, painting people. They were interested in what i call the "doll house factor," and they were pointing out scenes like the lonely woman in the cemetery, the man with a truck full of watermelons, the kids playing baseball in the vacant lot. I don't think they even really noticed the train going by; they were far more aware of the cobbler mending a boot outside his shop. 

Everybody got something -- but what they wanted was different. 

So i think a good layout has to have different points of relevance -- trains, scenic enhancement (mountains, bridges, trestles, tunnels, switches, a train yard, and a water feature if you can afford it [i can't]), basic landscaping, and effective use of miniaturization (farms, towns, industries) for those whose interest is in doll houses but not in trains.

Which leads to the question: if the train hobby is diminishing, in part to the rise of interest in computer simulations, then what is happening to the doll house hobby? 

Anyone know the facts on that?


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## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

catherine yronwode said:


> Which leads to the question: if the train hobby is diminishing, in part to the rise of interest in computer simulations, then what is happening to the doll house hobby?
> 
> Anyone know the facts on that?


Old ladies. That's what's happening. They live a lot longer and there are a lot, a lot more of them. They're keeping the doll house and crafts industry humming along nicely. Drop by a crafts store, toy store or doll house specialty store on a weekend and you'll see for yourself. And as grandma's they're indoctrinating their grand kids into the fold.

It's insidious ! I tell you it's a disaster, a disaster.


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

I think Fr. Fred has a good handle on the situation (as do some other folks). Here are my basic "rules" regarding my own backyard layout:

1 - It's a hobby - don't knock yourself out trying to get it done according to a self-imposed schedule.
2 - It's a hobby - don't try to please the neighbors, your grandkids, your club, etc. It's YOUR hobby.
3 - It's a hobby - lots of other hobbies have come and gone over the centuries. Be glad you enjoyed a model railroad as a kid and you now have the luxury of building another, bigger, one.
4 - It's a hobby - don't be disappointed when your grandkids lose their interest in Thomas and move on to non-railroad things. It's okay for you to keep your interest in trains.
5 - It's a hobby - have some "operations" to do. It keeps up your interest when there's no visitors.
5a - It's a hobby - try some "doll house-ing" (better known as "modeling"). It helps hold the interest of the non-railroaders. 
6 - It's a hobby - build a "loop" into your layout. There will be times when you just want a train running around while you enjoy breakfast on the patio, a beer with the guy next door, a chat with a relative, some quiet time, etc.
7 - It's a hobby - feel free to modify this list at any time.

JackM


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

To each his own. I've lived by that thought for years. Everybody has their idea and I accept that their ideas may not be the same as mine. As for not knowing what the big deal with the trains is, most likely is because they didn't have a train as a little kid. They most likely didn't have a parent to help them build the train into a railroad. Sure just putting a circle of track down and sitting the train on the track to run circles isn't even fun for a small child after a while. It's the making of a railroad that brings the interest and fun. From a loading crane or a car that has cows that move around by the push of a button, little kids get interested because they now can do stuff with the train. Give them a couple buildings and some figures and they build a town. It's the same with adults. You don't see many layouts on this website where there is just a circle of track and no scenery. But you see plenty of layouts with scenery where hobbyist have trains running round and round. I think the majority of train hobbyist get more enjoyment out of building their layouts then actually running the trains. 
Having a railroad layout that can be operated like a real railroad takes a lot more thought and money. Unless you are young and can bend down a lot, your layout will need to be raised up off the ground. Unless you have someone to help, you'll need powered switches and RC controlled couplers.
Just my thoughts, but what do I know? My garden layout is in the garage, goes round and round and has no scenery.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree with those who observe that we (War baby /Boomer era folks) were encouraged to develop and use our imaginations as kids. Lionel, American Flyer, and Marx all touted that principal. There were also the Erector sets, builder and chemistry sets, tinker toys, and block sets (wooden, Lego, and others). Model car kits were designed so you could "customize" the car. There were play sets in colorful tinplate for service stations, forts, doll houses, and even amusement park rides.

We had an appliance store next door. They would set packing materials out for the trash. Some of the other boys in the neighborhood and I would sometimes take a few of those discarded boards, nail them together, and pretend they were airplanes. Of course, we had to hold them aloft to make them "fly," but that was OK as well.

It is somewhat amusing, but sometimes even folks within our own hobby "don't get it." I was running on the Aikenback short track at this year's ECLSTS, when a gentleman approached and asked whether he could test a locomotive he wanted to buy on that track. I had to explain that there was no electricity going to our rails, but as long as the locomotive ran on battery, clockwork, or live steam, he was welcome to try it. He still had a puzzled look on his face when he walked away.

I do hope that younger generations will enter or return to trains as a hobby. There is so much creativity to be enjoyed in our hobby, and each enthusiast can go to the level he or she feels satisfied with.

Keep on trackin',
David Meashey


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## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

Poking my head in as a youngster... (20 years old)

The funny thing about liking trains through high school and beyond into the workplace was that people would always ask 'why trains?' or 'did you watch thomas when you were little?'. (to which end, I counter back, 'why do YOU like ________ ?)

Yes, when I was tiny, that blue british E2 0-6-0T and the rail line he ran on got my heart racing and my gears turning with railroads. And beyond that, the local railroad museum let me see the big stuff, and get interested in their history and preservation. From there, however, exposure to mainline railroads and freight traffic, and reading a lot of books and magazines, have molded my answer to these people that don't get my passion:

Trains are huge, fast, powerful and loud. They shake the earth under your feet and leave you watching in awe as they thunder past with thousands of tons of steel and freight in tow. And beyond the awe factor, is the technicality of how railroads work. _Why_ is that train hauling coal south? Where are those steel coils and pipes going? Why do they need five locomotives on that consist? etc.

Scaling all that down, is the model train. Models let you reproduce the big size passion into something smaller, more affordable, and customizable. And I've come to find out of most hobbies, its the most rewarding, (completing that painting project) and stress relieving, (wake up in the morning with coffee, and run some trains too), while being the most complex at the same time. (track geometry, consist creation, train maintenance...) Every single part of the railroad has its own purpose, whether it be a siding, building, or freight car. And we devise an entire world for the railroad to serve a purpose.

Model railroads are an involving, intellectual hobby, and tend to bind both model and prototype interest together. Liking that one model caboose or locomotive gets us to research the prototype, and likewise, liking the real one, causes us to find/create a scale counterpart.

Model railroads stretch the brain, and give us reasons to think and dream, and create. And we continue to do that, because a model/garden railroad is never complete. There's always something new to plan and create and acquire.

That's why _I_ like trains, and the hobby of model trains. Yes, I do play computer games like any young man, but they are nothing but digital falsehood on a screen. Throwing track together and plopping down some trains, cracking open the insides of a locomotive to lube/grease it, and painting/building things, (getting paint and dirt and grease and stuff on the hands) beats virtual entertainment every time.


Oh, and another thing - Telling someone you have model trains is one thing... But then showing them your collection of huge G scale trains on a massive layout of track, much bigger than their dad/grandpa's HO/O gauge trains, seems to raise a few more eyebrows...


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## GN_Rocky (Jan 6, 2008)

* Here's my 2 cents worth...*
*It's a different world now as the young kids are not like we were - at least 90% of them - can't saythey're all bad eggs. But seriously the world has changed and NOT for the better  With all the senseless garbage being dumped on the kids thru Tv, Computer and video games our world is headed straight for the garbage dump. Parents would rather (most, not all) give their kids money and phones/computers, etc. to go away and leave them alone. Also there is a lack of disiplain for when the kids cut up too and that is thanks to our wonderful government that says "It's not the parents place to rise their kids, we'll do that for you and you'd better not spank them either or you'll go to jail for child abuse"  The kids know how to play it well too. I dunno, I guess we should enjoy what we have before it's all over and the way things are going the end will come soon too. Sorry to rain on the parade, it's just how I see it unfolding before my eyes. *

*Well back to chores and I will go play trains later.*

*BTW, do kids ever do chores anymore ??? The teenagers I see at the work places don't seem to want to do any work to earn their money. Something is terribly wrong *

*Rocky*


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## TJH (Dec 27, 2007)

GN_Rocky said:


> * Here's my 2 cents worth...*
> *It's a different world now as the young kids are not like we were - at least 90% of them - can't saythey're all bad eggs. But seriously the world has changed and NOT for the better  With all the senseless garbage being dumped on the kids thru Tv, Computer and video games our world is headed straight for the garbage dump. Parents would rather (most, not all) give their kids money and phones/computers, etc. to go away and leave them alone. Also there is a lack of disiplain for when the kids cut up too and that is thanks to our wonderful government that says "It's not the parents place to rise their kids, we'll do that for you and you'd better not spank them either or you'll go to jail for child abuse"  The kids know how to play it well too. I dunno, I guess we should enjoy what we have before it's all over and the way things are going the end will come soon too. Sorry to rain on the parade, it's just how I see it unfolding before my eyes. *
> 
> *Well back to chores and I will go play trains later.*
> ...


I'm not trying to pick a fight here or derail this conversation, but with all due respect, saying things like that won't help bring my generation into the hobby. I'm not saying this to defend us, say you're wrong about us, or agree with you either. Valid or not, if someone my age is new to or exploring this hobby, coming to a place like this and seeing that sort of opinion being expressed isn't likely to make us feel welcome or want to connect.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

The truth hurts, get off the couch...

Andrew


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

I think what attracts me the most about trains is the track and how it works. I like anything that runs on a set of rails: trains, streetcars, mine trams, roller coasters, telescopes, space vehicle launch platforms. I think it's how the flange wheel works and the fact a rail vehicle can go anywhere a ribbon of rails is built to guide it. I love the sounds of flanged wheels on rail. I remember as a kid being amazed at the track work in the streets of the Pittsburgh streetcar system. Track is beautiful as is the equipment that runs along it. 

Patrick


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I would imagine folks coming to a forum like this have already "gotten off the couch." 

I would also suggest that Randy's generalization about today's kids are the same generalizations I heard about _my_ generation, the same things folks said about kids in the 60s and 70s and on back into history. 

Do kids have more "electronic distractions?" Sure. They're also using those electronic distractions to do some phenomenal, innovative things. My kids are in elementary school and know more about my iPhone than I do. It's an absolute no-brainer that within the next 5 - 10 years, we're going to have 2-way communication between the locomotive with a camera in the cab and a handheld throttle on a tablet or phone that displays what the camera is seeing. We're already flying R/C drones like that. 

Yeah--I can see why today's teenagers "don't get" the appeal of the simplicity of a train running around a loop of track. It's not the nature of a teenager to enjoy simply passive activities. That's not how typical teenagers are wired. It wasn't how I was wired when I was a teen. Model railroading for me as a teen was far from a passive activity. I was building models and coming up with new ways to do prototypical operations on our railroad. I was very active in our local club, and almost always had something going on somewhere. 

Even today, while I have a better appreciation for the occasional time when I just want to sit back and passively watch a train run silently around the garden, I still find myself thinking of those whose railroads are built solely for that purpose "why don't you want do do something _more_?" 

I totally understand where this student was coming from. Alas, there's no way to get him to "get it" simply by explaining it. It's something he has to experience for himself to understand, because it's a state of mind. Most likely, he won't experience it specifically with trains running through the garden. He'll find it on the front porch of a cabin in the woods, reading a book on the beach, or walking his dog around the neighborhood. He'll get to a place of total mental relaxation, and then he'll "get it." He'll understand why you run trains. He'll understand why your neighbor fishes. He'll understand why so many of us find refuge in the pleasures of simple passive experiences. 

Later,

K


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## JPCaputo (Jul 26, 2009)

As a 30 year old youngster I remember trains and had a set since before I can remember. Also i went with my dad to travel town and the lals live steamers every weekend growing up. 

I love electronics and new gadgets, but having always taken things apart and putting them back together again ( more successfully as I aged ) I became a mechanical and electrical engineer. I had a g gauge train ( Bachman Connie ) sitting on my desk when the need to run in a bunch of bearings in. Guess what I used. 

Also being electrical for school projects, I built my own DCC system that I've been wanting to do for a while. And the adapter to control it via the computer. 

When I have kids ill do my best to make sure they have plenty of trains around.


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## jcopanos (May 29, 2010)

I am older and from the "VN generation" but have to agree with Kevin and TJH. Although I grew up in Central Ohio (near Pete) along the PRR tracks I just dabbled in model trains because of "life". Having served five years in the military, then transfered across the country 5 times in civilian life, I never really had the opportunity to lay down a garden railroad in ernest until I retired two years ago. Now I watch the train "go around and around" but my real joy is working on them. I can honestly say that I probably spend more hours scratch building buildings than I do actually running trains. But I would change it. It's all what you like to do...and have the time, energy and funds to do.
Jim


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## harvey (Dec 30, 2008)

Last week I got off the couch to lay on the floor while my two grandchildren were running Percy at a hideous speed around the family room. With eyes half closed I moved a little too close to the track and nearly got wacked with an eye level, high speed buffer.
I was seriously reprimanded for not paying attention.
Next time I'm staying on the couch, too dangerous on the floor with these two.
Cheers.


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## GN_Rocky (Jan 6, 2008)

* I'm not starting a war, just stating to those of "My" generation and the one perhaps before that things are worse than when we grew up. TJH you can't tell me that these gang things are normal and all the senseless behavior that they do. True we as kids hung out and did things our parents dis-liked, but NEVER did we talk back to our Mom's and Dad's, heck we'd get knocked into the next room if we did and if so, we deserved it too. Now you were quick to judge also not reading what I wrote. I said most NOT all like 90%, maybe that was harsh so I'll say 75%. My wife was watching the news and it showed one young girl kicking the crap out of another kid on a scooter. That's NOT normal !!! Why do kids act this way ??? Because they are not brought up the right way. Nuff said !!! We used to build tree houses, build go carts, etc. And we also needed to be home at dark when the streetlights came on. Those were the rules and good ones too. Now kids are running the streets all hours of the night, drinking, doing drugs and hurting and killing other kids and adults as well as destroying/burning/wrecking things. This crap NEVER happened when we grew up. Yes, some of us did a little drinking in our late teenage years, but violence... Nope. *

* Things have changed and much worse than you think.*
*You ARE welcome here, we all share the same hobby and intrests, but keep in mind please that many of us grew up in a more simple and less stressful society than what kids grow up in today. We all have our opinions too and I won't get political, but something, somewhere is REAL messed up in my opinion.*

*Rocky*


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Rocky, I think 75% is still too harsh. I work on the rule of thirds. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, dumb whatever. So with that in mind maybe 66%. 

Andrew


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## GN_Rocky (Jan 6, 2008)

* Ok, I'll agree on 66% and at least 40 % of the parents are dis-functional. Either way it's sad to see where our country is heading *

*Rocky*


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

That still leaves 1%. That is reserved for serial killers, megalomaniacs and politicians.

Andrew


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

.........and lawyers


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

It was a different time. We did more of " Lets Pretend". We made do with stuff around the neighborhood. Stories on the radio let us form pictures in our minds. Because of that we have a lot of the stuff we have today because of the way our imaginations were generated. 

I can not see why today's generation find some things so fascinating.
I can not understand today's generation's obsession with texting any more than they can understand with my obsession with making a train go around in a circle. 

JJ


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

If you don't click the Like box, I won't be popular!

I don't need to be popular, I have trains! I can build things and make my environment more rewarding!
Go away!


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I dunno. I've got two elementary-school aged kids. Yeah, they love playing games on my iPhone, but that certainly doesn't stifle their creativity! Quite the opposite, actually. They're both using the phone and computer to look up "how to" stuff on YouTube and learning new art techniques, projects, science experiments, etc. 

One look at all the scraps of worthless stuff my kids turn into really cool toys and you'd never be able to support the argument that computers and phones are dulling our kids' creativity, imagination, or the ability to play pretend. (If anything, it's something of a problem for me, as I can't throw any scraps of _anything_ away when I'm building something in the workshop. "Daddy, I can _use_ that !!!" )

Later,

K


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

GN_Rocky said:


> * I'm not starting a war, just stating to those of "My" generation and the one perhaps before that things are worse than when we grew up. TJH you can't tell me that these gang things are normal and all the senseless behavior that they do. True we as kids hung out and did things our parents dis-liked, but NEVER did we talk back to our Mom's and Dad's, heck we'd get knocked into the next room if we did and if so, we deserved it too. Now you were quick to judge also not reading what I wrote. I said most NOT all like 90%, maybe that was harsh so I'll say 75%. My wife was watching the news and it showed one young girl kicking the crap out of another kid on a scooter. That's NOT normal !!! Why do kids act this way ??? Because they are not brought up the right way. Nuff said !!! We used to build tree houses, build go carts, etc. And we also needed to be home at dark when the streetlights came on. Those were the rules and good ones too. Now kids are running the streets all hours of the night, drinking, doing drugs and hurting and killing other kids and adults as well as destroying/burning/wrecking things. This crap NEVER happened when we grew up. Yes, some of us did a little drinking in our late teenage years, but violence... Nope. *
> 
> *Things have changed and much worse than you think.*
> *You ARE welcome here, we all share the same hobby and intrests, but keep in mind please that many of us grew up in a more simple and less stressful society than what kids grow up in today. We all have our opinions too and I won't get political, but something, somewhere is REAL messed up in my opinion.*
> ...


doood........spoken like a true geezer...mentally, at least.

And, imho, your comment is political, and as mentioned, makes this site/forum appear to be not only unwelcoming, but, hostile and ignorant.

As one in his mid fifties, none of this is new, its just publicized. There have always been gangs, rapes, drunks, drug addicts, and depravity. 'Our' generation or the one before produced Stalin and Hitler, Pho Pot, the great depression, racism, anti Semitism as accepted culture, homophobia, and sexual inequality. They type of violence you speak of has been a way of life in many urban ghettos for generations. It just wasn't covered. Folks haven't been brought up 'the right way' since the 10 Commandments were needed as a reminder.

The current generation, imho, has a lot more information, is more accepting and more open minded on many more issues. They also are facing many more obstacles, such as simply getting education or jobs. Parents have less time and most have less money, which can translate into kids being on their own. We watched Spin and Marty, they watch youtube or play video, or text etc. Same stuff, different vehicles.

Don't confuse issues that arise from social conditions with a decline in youth generally. Idiocy is not confined to the young. Last time I listened to the news there were as many adults toting guns and shooting folks as kids, as many drunk adult drivers as kids, and no kids creating banking crises that I am aware of. If you spent time with kids and teenagers, I think you'd find they are pretty much like kids have always been.



And even back when I was a kid, some of my friends didn't particularly like trains, and a few did. Some folks like things in miniature, others don't. 

I seem to recall here, on this forum, introspection and questions about why grown men play with trains. To have a kid call out "the Emperors new clothes aren't there" shouldn't be too offensive. The rest of us still go right on playing trains. Me, with a scotch on hand, watching it go round and enjoying myself. Not sure where that puts me in the scale of things.


I imagine that many of us find a connection somewhere in our psyche, with trains, not unlike older music, films, and other contextual stuff. Some kids will have this some will have something else. Different but not bad.

We live in a diverse and imperfect world. I like trains and I think highly of the upcoming generation.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Tom Parkins said:


> I don't get it!!!! I have often asked myself and my wife that same thing. Why can I sit there and spend an hour watching a train go around a loop of my backyard, and it just feels so incredibly good???? What is in our genes or maybe our jeans, that watching a toy train is exciting???
> 
> I don't get it. As i watch a bunch of teens with heads buried in cell phone sending text messages to their buddy on the other side of the back yard.


 
You think it's just teens?

At our open house last Saturday, one of my best friends (42 years young) brought his fiancée (engaged 2 years ago). If it matters, she is Latino and works for a legal firm.

While my friend, and I, and a bunch of other people, sat and watched the trains and looked out over the garden, most of the time, she was busy texting.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Most of us are from a generation that had to go to some effort to be entertained or we were bored. Knowledge and skills were obtained along with a sense of self esteem or perhaps a lesson well learned. Today there is a plethora of electronic gimmickry and merchandise for instant gratification which is transient and only serves the need for the moment. What it will produce is a culture of trash minded individuals who are easily manipulated by the providers of such trash. 

Andrew


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

I notice all too frequently women perusing the shelves in shopping malls while simultaneously texting. I thought at first, perhaps they were comparing prices but no, that would be too functionally logical. They do it because they can... 

Andrew


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## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

Garratt said:


> Most of us are from a generation that had to go to some effort to be entertained or we were bored. Knowledge and skills were obtained along with a sense of self esteem or perhaps a lesson well learned.


Still happens today. Depends on how we were raised too. Some feel accomplished by beating a hard level on a video game. I personally feel accomplished by putting a million parts back together (correctly ), sealing hours worth of paint with a matte finish, and coaxing something crusted, busted and abused back to life, and cleaning it up to a nice happy-humming shine.

Maybe I just have an old spirit that makes me different from all the other partying instant-gratification twenty-somethings. I appreciate older technology built to last, and old, proper life values. I love curating a collection of old restored trains, and keeping them running. Its a hobby I and the rest of us on MLS pride upon, that we invest a lot into, which makes it bothersome when people can't understand why we have this passion.

For the record too, even as a young pup, lots of things about my current generation, and the world we live in, (and hardly seem to value anymore) bother me too.  The problem is only I and a select few others actually can comprehend the idiocy and problems around us. Our voices just aren't loud enough to make a difference.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Our voices are way loud enough. They just won't pull out them darn new fan-dangled earphone thingamajigs to listen. Ignorance is bliss! Say whaaaaat?

Andrew


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Andrew's reference to the people texting while stocking shelves reminds me of the auto parts business I used to work for. The company sold parts primarily to car enthusiast much like train hobbyist. It was a call center but years ago, you had to know something about cars to work their as the customers often needed help and expected to talk to someone that understood what they needed. Then after 10 years, I went back to work for them only to find out that the philosophy of the call center had changed. The people on the phones didn't need to know anything about the parts they were selling. They were now allowed to text, play games on their phones and surf the internet all they wanted. They only had to answer the phone, take orders and try to up sell. It wasn't out of the ordinary to hear someone ask the customer if they needed wiper blades after selling them floor pans and fenders for their car. With no requirement to learn the product, we had people on the phone who had worked there for over a year, who still knew nothing of what they were selling. They didn't know a hub cap from a gas cap. But they knew how to text and surf the internet. My point is, by never learning the product, how could they ever gain any interest / pride in the job or place they worked? It was nothing more than an 8-5 job. Come in, answer the phone, enter orders and go home. I'm sure 99% of them never thought a single thing about work when not there except that they had to go back at a certain time.


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