The question keeps coming up on the O scale lists, too (doesn't seem to be quite so much an object of discussion among HO or N modelers, but then I know about what goes on there mostly from the NMRA Bulletin or RMC). Granted, there tends to be a lot more commercial products for contemporary railroading in those scales for them as likes it.
The anxiety seems to be that the younger generation is not exposed to railroading in their daily experience, hence they have no interest in replicating it in miniature. Or that all of us old farts (I am sixty-nine and have been a serious model railroader off and on for over fifty-five of those, not counting an even earlier encounter with Lionel) are committed to modeling only what we remember from first-hand. How does one then explain the perennial interest in military miniatures? And contemporary military affairs usually is the least represented among modelers, apart from those who play with the most modern aircraft? Military modelers overwhelmingly are fascinated by historical periods, going back to the ancient world, and particularly invested in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. I doubt I have an explanation for this phenomenon, just that it calls into question the usual rationale for hand-wringing about the future of model railroading. Jace Kahn General Manager Ceres & Canisteo RR Co./Champlain County Traction Co. > Unfortunately, this unfortunate trend may continue, thanks for the most part > to railroading today as compared to when most of us were growing up. I'm not > into discussing whether this is bad or not, at least not here, but just > pointing out some circumstances that do not induce a compelling interest in > trains. > > This came into sharper focus for me when I watched the YouTube video in the > thread "4 minute time waster". Watching and listening to Andy's > sound-equipped CNR Pacific conjured up memories of similar experiences into > my early teens. How many young people today can smell the coal smoke and > valve oil,or hear the sounds of a steam locomotive getting a train underway > with a real sense of purpose and necessity? > > The answer? Anybody who goes to a fan trip or museum featuring steam > locomotives, but the video focused in on Andy's locomotive with a sense of > purpose and reality that we Who Were There remember. To me, watching a > prototype operating steam locomotive today is about the same as watching > bored animals in a zoo cage wander around in a useless and aimless fashion > rather than in their natural habitat. > > The problem goes even further. In our day, we could go down to the depot, or > wherever, and interact with the people who worked on the railroad. Today, you > don't even see them through darkened cab windows. Sometimes we even got to > ride in a locomotive cab and the congenial engineer would let us even ring > the bell, blow the whistle, or even crack the throttle when conditions > permitted. Today, that could get a kid a serious lecture, and the engineer a > jail term! > > We used to stand at track side and watch trains go by, waving at the crew > members. Today, if you watch endless stack and unit trains roll by with > conveyor belt uniformity, you're likely to get turned in as a potential > terrorist, not because the train crews want to, but because they don't know > if you were planted there by their crews' superiors to make sure they do. > With an environment like today's, why should any youth even be interested in > railroads, let alone modeling them? > > Ah, but all is not hopeless; Buzz Lightyear and his ilk can hold their > interest only so long before they look for something with more substance. > That's where we come in. Maybe a little acquired maturity works in our favor, > in the long run. > > Bob Nicholson _________________________________________ > > > > -- In [email protected], Carey Probst <ca...@...> wrote: > > > > My sentiments exactly, good to have kids in S ;-) > > > > Carey > > > > Carey Probst > > > > Member, M.I.T. Educational Council > > > > Perm: hcpro...@... > > > > A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, > > > > the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. > > > > > > On 11/7/2010 4:41 PM, John wrote: > > > > > > You lowered it John Armstrong > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: johnmwalker > > > To: [email protected] <mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com> > > > Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2010 2:14 PM > > > Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} an unfortunate trend! > > > > > > I'm a newbie. If an SHS SW-9 running back and forth on eight feet of > > > flex track with two freight cars counts, then I've been modeling S-scale > > > for three months. My lonely but nonetheless mighty fleet of 12 total > > > axles sits on a gigantic table that will - in due course - become a > > > massive layout. > > > > > > I'll be 49 in February, so I did not help the age pool of S-scalers --- > > > I suspect I added a few months to the average. Sorry about that! > > > > > > : ) > > > > > > --- In [email protected] <mailto:S-Scale%40yahoogroups.com>, Bob > > > Werre <bob@> wrote: > > > > > > If S scale lost that many layouts/modelers we'd be gone in three years! > > > Something to think about with our increasing age. > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus > > > signature database 5598 (20101107) __________ > > > > > > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. > > > > > > http://www.eset.com > > > > > > __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus > > > signature database 5598 (20101107) __________ > > > > > > The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. > > > > > > http://www.eset.com > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! 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