TLOC
Well-Known Member
Happy Birthday Mike
Running Bear's May 2026 Coffee Shop
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As Terry said he is aware of its dying as he’s read about it since the 1940’s. I’ve only been around since 1952 and model railing since the early 1960’s. But Yes, it’s been dying since I can remember reading my 1st MR mag. Therefore because someone has read about it, it must be true!
It’s not dying, it’s changing. It’s never been a cheap, heck even an inexpensive hobby. Hobbies are meant for disposable income and that’s what has changed. There is less disposable income today than the previous 25 years. Why do we keep hearing it’s dying because those with the most disposable income even in times of belt tightening are generally the seniors or folks in the 50’s without children. We seniors stand out and is a point of contention for some. If oldsters are buying now who will buy when they are gone. The population and disposable income continues onward. Heck even in wartime and recessions modelers find a way and will continue to do so. The hobby constantly changes with the ebb and flow of technology. Slot cars killed the Model railroading hobby completely in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Gee, how’d that turn out?
What should have killed the hobby was the proliferation of Casino gambling across the USA. Have you ever stepped into a casino on a Wednesday afternoon. If you are under 60 years of age you might get carded. But it didn’t happen.
We are in a golden age of model railroading. Look at the variety and the accuracy of the selections we have. Prices, well IMO they have always been higher than kite flying, slot cars and a few others. But less than bike riding, auto collecting or restoration and golfing. It’s all a matter of where you put your money.
Have things changed? Absolutely. I belong to a private group on FB that are all weathering artists that sell their work. Many are complaining they are not making enough money because the sales are down. Well they’re down because the disposable income is less, not because the hobby is in its death throes. Economics plays an important part in any hobby. That hasn’t and will not ever change.
2020 with the bonus money Mr. Trump handed out and Mr. Biden followed up on spoiled the weathering artists, hobby shops locally and online. Believe me I couldn’t keep up with the demand but that demand is gone. So the price of that SD38 that came out that you were craving costs more so you only purchased 2 instead of the 5 different numbers you wanted. That’s smart not a dying hobby. It why manufacturers are looking at preorders. It’s just a different economic world than it was 6, 10 and 25 years ago.
Even if I slow my spending or stop completely for a month or 2 doesn’t mean the hobby died. Like many of us if we even stopped spending for a few years the hobby will always live on for us.
....but I do not remember ever seeing a semaphore in our area.
Instant gratification syndrome has caught up with the hobby. Attention spans measured in seconds instead of hours.
Happy Birthday
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santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Happy Birthday Mike.
ctclibby
Well-Known Member
Good Morning All!
44F @ 65% clear
MRR dying? I personally do not care what anybody thinks. It is NOT dying for me. I do hope that other folks get involved as 1st timers as it has so much to offer. Sure, a person can spend a ton of time on a computer/tablet/drawing board reproducing all that would be needed for a great MR, but that hands on experience can not be beat and on top of that, you get pretty good exercise lifting, moving, bending, squatting: we all know of the contortions necessary doing what you need to do. Brain exercise is another. Ya draw or create something on screen, now go build it. It all escalates from there. It starts simple and balloons into more thought, and even more thought. Keeps me busy. I can not immediately think of any other hobby with the breadth of this hobby. Some are close, but still.
Hear about the Proctologist tired of the same sh.t different day?
Decided to become a diesel mechanic.
His final exam was graded at 150%
150%? so he asked his instructors -
50% for determining problem, tear down, cleaning parts perfectly.
50% for perfect build up, was very clean and it ran.
So what is the other 50%? he asked.
Instructor "Never seen anybody do it through a tail pipe".
L8r
44F @ 65% clear
MRR dying? I personally do not care what anybody thinks. It is NOT dying for me. I do hope that other folks get involved as 1st timers as it has so much to offer. Sure, a person can spend a ton of time on a computer/tablet/drawing board reproducing all that would be needed for a great MR, but that hands on experience can not be beat and on top of that, you get pretty good exercise lifting, moving, bending, squatting: we all know of the contortions necessary doing what you need to do. Brain exercise is another. Ya draw or create something on screen, now go build it. It all escalates from there. It starts simple and balloons into more thought, and even more thought. Keeps me busy. I can not immediately think of any other hobby with the breadth of this hobby. Some are close, but still.
Hear about the Proctologist tired of the same sh.t different day?
Decided to become a diesel mechanic.
His final exam was graded at 150%
150%? so he asked his instructors -
50% for determining problem, tear down, cleaning parts perfectly.
50% for perfect build up, was very clean and it ran.
So what is the other 50%? he asked.
Instructor "Never seen anybody do it through a tail pipe".
L8r
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Good morning gentlemen, we're going to be on the way out west:
Car is packed and ready to go.
Car is packed and ready to go.
I wondered what the funny blotch was on the rear door, until I realized it was a reflection of the cat.
AirbrushNo5
Well-Known Member
riding the rails again in Spain today…
Kusojiji
RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
Happy B-day!
Kusojiji
RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
Enjoy your trip!
TLOC
Well-Known Member
If I didn’t know you as a regular Troy I would respond as “Troll, go back to your mom’s basement”! However because it’s you I know you’re asking it as a thoughtful question. So here goes…
As Terry said he is aware of its dying as he’s read about it since the 1940’s. I’ve only been around since 1952 and model railing since the early 1960’s. But Yes, it’s been dying since I can remember reading my 1st MR mag. Therefore because someone has read about it, it must be true!
It’s not dying, it’s changing. It’s never been a cheap, heck even an inexpensive hobby. Hobbies are meant for disposable income and that’s what has changed. There is less disposable income today than the previous 25 years. Why do we keep hearing it’s dying because those with the most disposable income even in times of belt tightening are generally the seniors or folks in the 50’s without children. We seniors stand out and is a point of contention for some. If oldsters are buying now who will buy when they are gone. The population and disposable income continues onward. Heck even in wartime and recessions modelers find a way and will continue to do so. The hobby constantly changes with the ebb and flow of technology. Slot cars killed the Model railroading hobby completely in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Gee, how’d that turn out?
What should have killed the hobby was the proliferation of Casino gambling across the USA. Have you ever stepped into a casino on a Wednesday afternoon. If you are under 60 years of age you might get carded. But it didn’t happen.
We are in a golden age of model railroading. Look at the variety and the accuracy of the selections we have. Prices, well IMO they have always been higher than kite flying, slot cars and a few others. But less than bike riding, auto collecting or restoration and golfing. It’s all a matter of where you put your money.
Have things changed? Absolutely. I belong to a private group on FB that are all weathering artists that sell their work. Many are complaining they are not making enough money because the sales are down. Well they’re down because the disposable income is less, not because the hobby is in its death throes. Economics plays an important part in any hobby. That hasn’t and will not ever change.
2020 with the bonus money Mr. Trump handed out and Mr. Biden followed up on spoiled the weathering artists, hobby shops locally and online. Believe me I couldn’t keep up with the demand but that demand is gone. So the price of that SD38 that came out that you were craving costs more so you only purchased 2 instead of the 5 different numbers you wanted. That’s smart not a dying hobby. It why manufacturers are looking at preorders. It’s just a different economic world than it was 6, 10 and 25 years ago.
Even if I slow my spending or stop completely for a month or 2 doesn’t mean the hobby died. Like many of us if we even stopped spending for a few years the hobby will always live on for us.
migalyto
Well-Known Member
Have a safe trip and eager to see all the photos!
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
First: Happy trip around the sun day to Mike!
Second, found the ethanol free gas pump at the local station.
That's 5.979 per gal.
Reg Unleaded was 4.92 per gal.
Wife wants to go hit the flower sales today since Mother's day is next week and it will be jammed at the flower and patio sectors.
I'm in charge of driving and carrying. I might also push the cart. We'll see.
I agree with Tom's take on the hobby. Those with the disposable income are either young unmarrieds or older empty nesters. In our gaming zone, the historical gamers complain about the lack of new younger gamers, but forget that new, younger gamers play sci-fi and fantasy stuff ... they "graduate" to historical minis when they no longer want to compete in the cut-throat tourney scenes. When they realize they want to play a longer game with friends, and not several games on a clock at a tourney...
so it's good to see the hobby growing, even if it doesn't look like it.
Part of what I realized when I tore down my basement gaming table is the likelihood of me getting people over to play with toy soldiers was slim, so dedicating the floorspace to the table wasn't "affordable" when the model railroad footprint could expand. No other person needed to "play trains" compared to needing an opponent or three for a fun game of Yanks vs Johnny Reb or WW2 gaming.
Second, found the ethanol free gas pump at the local station.
That's 5.979 per gal.
Reg Unleaded was 4.92 per gal.
Wife wants to go hit the flower sales today since Mother's day is next week and it will be jammed at the flower and patio sectors.
I'm in charge of driving and carrying. I might also push the cart. We'll see.
I agree with Tom's take on the hobby. Those with the disposable income are either young unmarrieds or older empty nesters. In our gaming zone, the historical gamers complain about the lack of new younger gamers, but forget that new, younger gamers play sci-fi and fantasy stuff ... they "graduate" to historical minis when they no longer want to compete in the cut-throat tourney scenes. When they realize they want to play a longer game with friends, and not several games on a clock at a tourney...
so it's good to see the hobby growing, even if it doesn't look like it.
Part of what I realized when I tore down my basement gaming table is the likelihood of me getting people over to play with toy soldiers was slim, so dedicating the floorspace to the table wasn't "affordable" when the model railroad footprint could expand. No other person needed to "play trains" compared to needing an opponent or three for a fun game of Yanks vs Johnny Reb or WW2 gaming.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Good morning. 49°F out there to start off. 62°F for a high again today. Storms possible later today and tomorrow. Nothing severe.
Happy birthday Mike. Mine is coming up too in a couple of weeks, hence the gift my ex- sent me yesterday. Hope you have a great birthday.
I can tell all of you with 100% certainty that the MR hobby is not dying in Europe. Just the opposite really. MR has always been more popular in Europe than it is here, probably because they rely so much on rail transport in Europe and carries over in the hobby.
Hundreds of manufacturers, hundreds of liveries, locomotives, and wagon types. It would be impossible to collect a fraction of a fraction of the equipment offered across Europe. There is always something new around the corner. The Nürnberg Toy Fair is huge and over 70,000 new products are shown every year. That's not all MR related, but a good portion of it is.
Have a safe weekend folks! Servus!
Happy birthday Mike. Mine is coming up too in a couple of weeks, hence the gift my ex- sent me yesterday. Hope you have a great birthday.
I can tell all of you with 100% certainty that the MR hobby is not dying in Europe. Just the opposite really. MR has always been more popular in Europe than it is here, probably because they rely so much on rail transport in Europe and carries over in the hobby.
Hundreds of manufacturers, hundreds of liveries, locomotives, and wagon types. It would be impossible to collect a fraction of a fraction of the equipment offered across Europe. There is always something new around the corner. The Nürnberg Toy Fair is huge and over 70,000 new products are shown every year. That's not all MR related, but a good portion of it is.
Have a safe weekend folks! Servus!
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Morning All. Clear and 50°, back into the mid-70's today. Warmer for a few days and then cooler for a few days; then warmer...etc.
Yesterday was another day of yard maintenance, after spending over an hour removing stuff entwined around the mower blades. Not only was there baling twine and aluminum screening, but also some welded wire fencing of some sort. The kind of debris that bounces off someone's truck or trailer and usually just ends up on the side of the road. In this case, it made it up and into my yard and was engulfed by some foot-high grass in an area that doesn't get mowed often; i.e., the NE border between the actual yard and my hayfield. I was then able to mow for another hour. Later I made some homemade spaghetti sauce with last year's canned Tomatoes for a delicious supper of Chicken Parmesan.
Today will mark a return to the weedeater to get around those trees and other obstacles that don't play well with the tractor/mower. Later this afternoon, we travel to North Dallas for an early Mother's Day dinner for my wife. Both daughters have out of town plans for next weekend, so we're doing it early. Will probably have to get a load of laundry done this morning.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I mainly ran trains. I did add the final (for now) ground cover to an area about 1.5" x 5.5" over in the neighborhood, and I am calling that phase complete. What's left for the neighborhood project? I'm pretty much done with trees as well, but I am looking at shrubs at a few houses. Then I need more figures and pets. I have about 25 or so set aside and I am studying where to best utilize them. They're from before I even started. I haven't even looked at the figure stash yet. I see the need for at least a dozen more vehicles, but I need to dull coat some first. Finishing that blank RH corner is not in the picture right now; hasn't been since I started this particular project. Track there is not fastened down and is just used as temporary storage sometimes. Final score is 12-homes, the general store, a church and one background industry have been placed in a formerly blank approximately 15 sq.ft. area. That includes the cow pasture on the other side of the tracks.
Mike - I wish that you hadn't reminded me about the pool. I have a bigger issue this year than normal, as the cover ripped back in some October winds. I don't know how much debris might have gotten in since the water is now quite dirty. I wonder how much the cost of Chlorine has gone up this year...I did purchase 9 gallons last fall to use as a starter. Usually takes 6 for a proper opening.
John -
Terry - Here, May is historically our wettest month, averaging over 5" for the month. I have personally had over 15" in a single week back in '82 or '83 I think it was.
Although not really my type of music, Engelbert Humperdinck is 90 today. Didn't realize that he was still with us. He was all over the radio in the 60's.
Everyone have a sensational Saturday.
Yesterday was another day of yard maintenance, after spending over an hour removing stuff entwined around the mower blades. Not only was there baling twine and aluminum screening, but also some welded wire fencing of some sort. The kind of debris that bounces off someone's truck or trailer and usually just ends up on the side of the road. In this case, it made it up and into my yard and was engulfed by some foot-high grass in an area that doesn't get mowed often; i.e., the NE border between the actual yard and my hayfield. I was then able to mow for another hour. Later I made some homemade spaghetti sauce with last year's canned Tomatoes for a delicious supper of Chicken Parmesan.
Today will mark a return to the weedeater to get around those trees and other obstacles that don't play well with the tractor/mower. Later this afternoon, we travel to North Dallas for an early Mother's Day dinner for my wife. Both daughters have out of town plans for next weekend, so we're doing it early. Will probably have to get a load of laundry done this morning.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I mainly ran trains. I did add the final (for now) ground cover to an area about 1.5" x 5.5" over in the neighborhood, and I am calling that phase complete. What's left for the neighborhood project? I'm pretty much done with trees as well, but I am looking at shrubs at a few houses. Then I need more figures and pets. I have about 25 or so set aside and I am studying where to best utilize them. They're from before I even started. I haven't even looked at the figure stash yet. I see the need for at least a dozen more vehicles, but I need to dull coat some first. Finishing that blank RH corner is not in the picture right now; hasn't been since I started this particular project. Track there is not fastened down and is just used as temporary storage sometimes. Final score is 12-homes, the general store, a church and one background industry have been placed in a formerly blank approximately 15 sq.ft. area. That includes the cow pasture on the other side of the tracks.
Mike - I wish that you hadn't reminded me about the pool. I have a bigger issue this year than normal, as the cover ripped back in some October winds. I don't know how much debris might have gotten in since the water is now quite dirty. I wonder how much the cost of Chlorine has gone up this year...I did purchase 9 gallons last fall to use as a starter. Usually takes 6 for a proper opening.
John -
I use one, but only for the final blows. Too unsteady before then.
Terry - Here, May is historically our wettest month, averaging over 5" for the month. I have personally had over 15" in a single week back in '82 or '83 I think it was.
Although not really my type of music, Engelbert Humperdinck is 90 today. Didn't realize that he was still with us. He was all over the radio in the 60's.
Everyone have a sensational Saturday.
We used to live about 5 miles south of Colfax (Applegate) and the original trans continental mainline( SP when we lived there and now UP) was about 700' from our house. Lots of old history by us.... Section house, tunnels, and one property had a hand dug, stone lined, well by one of the tunnels that was part of the Chinese laborers camp. I have a couple of the original pointed spikes that were used when the track was laid.
....but I do not remember ever seeing a semaphore in our area.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Postal delivery is so bad in St. Louis, two local Representatives have introduced a bill entitled the 'St. Louis County Mail Reform Act'. Can you believe that? They have to enact a law to get the USPS to do their jobs in St. Louis. This is the worst postal district in the entire network surpassing even Chicago and LA.
Space is the largest issue with this hobby in the West. We don't have the basement real estate that you guys East of the Rockies have. N scale is growing out here due to housing logistics and apartment life. Clubs are few and far between. There is only 1 within a 30 mile radius of me and that's because they actually own the building they're in. They actually encourage younger people to get involved rather than make it a good ole boys club of "older" guys.
The hobby ain't dying, but it is definitely changing. On30 IS dying. There are very few niche manufacturers left and Bachmann just cancelled their updated all steel gear Heisler due to lack of pre-orders. Ebay is clogged up with sellers trying to get rid of their stuff.
Bachmann, Walthers Trainline, Athearn Roundhouse and Atlas Trainline wouldn't be there if there wasn't a demand for that price point. The same goes for Scale Trains, Genesis, Rapido, and BLI. If there is a profitable demand they will build it.
Having had tables at swap meets the last 2-3 years the vast majority of attendees are the 40+ crowd, with the majority being 60+. I have noticed lately that attendees of all ages seem to gravitate to the lower price & quality stuff. Maybe this is just "I have money burning a hole in my pants" syndrome. I sell structures with ease at every show. I've spoken with owners of the few remaining LHS in the area and they confirm that people don't want to build anymore.
I know when I sell off my rolling stock or engines I will not get a lot for them. That's fine. I'm very pragmatic. They're just things/stuff I have enjoyed.
The hobby ain't dying, but it is definitely changing. On30 IS dying. There are very few niche manufacturers left and Bachmann just cancelled their updated all steel gear Heisler due to lack of pre-orders. Ebay is clogged up with sellers trying to get rid of their stuff.
Bachmann, Walthers Trainline, Athearn Roundhouse and Atlas Trainline wouldn't be there if there wasn't a demand for that price point. The same goes for Scale Trains, Genesis, Rapido, and BLI. If there is a profitable demand they will build it.
Having had tables at swap meets the last 2-3 years the vast majority of attendees are the 40+ crowd, with the majority being 60+. I have noticed lately that attendees of all ages seem to gravitate to the lower price & quality stuff. Maybe this is just "I have money burning a hole in my pants" syndrome. I sell structures with ease at every show. I've spoken with owners of the few remaining LHS in the area and they confirm that people don't want to build anymore.
I know when I sell off my rolling stock or engines I will not get a lot for them. That's fine. I'm very pragmatic. They're just things/stuff I have enjoyed.
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Instant gratification syndrome has caught up with the hobby. Attention spans measured in seconds instead of hours.
The "Squirrel!" generation.
Texas Hobo
Well Known Hobo
Happy Birthday
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