For the five years I've been "seriously" engaged in model railroading, it seems like no matter what forum or venue I participate in with other model railroaders, the subject of "how can we get more people into model railroading" always seems to surface. A side question, though closely linked is, how does one go about giving direction to someone interested in getting started in model railroading (which is clearly a larger feat that it initially looks).
While these questions continue to surface, the information age we live in is beginning to give us more insights on the past and where things are going. Recently, Model Railroader made available a DVD of the past 75 years of their magazine. Opinions of the current state of the publication aside, this DVD gives a portal to view how the hobby has evolved. For some, this is like looking back through old high school year books. For others, like myself, who were born 30 or 40 years after the magazine had been around it's a way to understand what came before us.
My wife had purchased the DVD as a present for me last christmas, and I've had enough time to peruse through it. I noticed a few things. First, I don't see near as much talk about getting new people into the hobby. It's there, but it doesn't seem like it's a big deal. It's more of a "we're having fun, and here's how you can have fun too."
But then there is the issue of layouts of a different character. I recruited my wife to confirm I wasn't just making it up. Layouts from the 80's look different than the contemporary layouts of today. And it's not just the photo quality either. There was a certain texture and spirit about layouts from the 80's that seems lost in the sterile modern-ness of layouts today.
It wasn't until I considered my own frustrations with model railroading that things begin to add up. Joe Fugate's "Reverse Running: Has the hobby gotten too serious?" article in the July 2012 issue of Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine was a good reflection on how things have changed -- clearly I'm not the only one who's noticed it. Joe's closing remarks give some motivation without direction, "By refocusing on this core value as the primary motivation for the hobby [having fun with trains], don't you think our hobby will appeal more to the general public once again?"
Reflecting back on my experiences as a model railroader, comparing them with snapshots of layouts gone by, then again with the layouts of today, the one element it seems has been lost is the social connection model railroaders make.
Layouts of the 80's were a bit whimsical, not because the builders of those railroads cared nothing of prototypes, but because those builders understood the value and meaning derived from a railroad when it is shared with others. Count the number of mentions or references from articles published in the 70's and 80's which relate to a railroad being in the family room or built with family or built with children, compared to the last 10 years of model railroading publications.
Has the drive for realism in our modelling also driven us to leave behind family members and friends who aren't "train people" but might have enjoyed our trains had then been a tad more relaxed? Has the move from family room to basement isolated model railroading to a too-demanding hobby for a few elite?
Perhaps Joe's closing statement could be appended a bit. "By refocusing on the core value of having fun with trains with friends and family, don't you think our hobby would naturally have more appeal?"
It's been over a month since my last post, but I have a good reason why. I rarely post non-train related type of things on this blog, but this one in particular is noteworthy:
Our first child was born this week.
Granted, I knew this was coming (of course), but for the past few weeks I've been pondering how this will change things for me in regards to model railroading. Back in July, I wrote a blog post titled, "Emerging Ideas" where I basically said that fighting consumerism in model railroading and striving to scratchbuild or at a minimum greatly customize everything on your layout would likely lead to something better in the long run.
That is likely true, but perhaps there is a different road to take to get there: "What will my friends and family like the most or be the most engaged in regarding my layout?"
If there's any challenge I've had with model railroading that I've yet to overcome, it's lack of focus. I'm sure it's clear, following my blog for any amount of time, I have a knack for jumping from thing to thing. Ultimately, these are being driven by a question I'm asking myself, "Is this what I want to do? Is this the best thing out there?" It might be crazy mexican narrow gauge trains one week, followed by new york car floats the next, then onto pacific northwest logging, then dry arizona mining, and so on.
Why all the jumping? Likely because the customer I'm trying to please is myself. Having logged over 5 years of professional graphic design experience I know the hardest person to design for is yourself. Ever notice that professional graphic design firms pay other design firms to do their logo and identity? It's not because they are incapable, it's because most of us are our own worst critics.
So what if that stops?
What if we start making decisions on our layouts, influenced by prototypes, but based on what would draw in our friends and family more? Would that actually free us to make the compromises we know we need to make, without second guessing them the entire way through? Would that allows us the freedom to enjoy our layout with others because we aren't consumed with an unholy pursuit of perfection? Might we just find that others can enjoy our layout just as much as we can, which gives our railroads a purpose outside of moving passengers and freight around a mini world?
I might just have to try and see for myself.
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