They just don't get it

[jcbrock]

My love of the hobby was (and is) so strong that I really didn't care all that much about being made to feel stupid sometimes.

Eric, I for one am glad you have stuck with it. I think the work you and Mike Massee and Anthony Duarte are doing is inspirational and interesting because you guys don't just do it the way everyone else has done before.

[littleevan99]

Thankfully I've never really had me ask any questions that made me go "really?" Most people just think that it's cool that I'm interested in building my steam locomotive. From someone who Just didn't get it, and who never thought he'd be able to build something like a steam locomotive now needs to build himself a boiler! I think the answers to this thread have been, "interesting."

[gwrdriver]

My love of the hobby was (and is) so strong that I really didn't care all that much about being made to feel stupid sometimes.

The first person I ever met in the hobby, "Roy", was a complete jerk. He was on the first day I met him, when he told me he had no time for boys with no tools and to get lost, and he was until the day he died (utterly friendless.) I didn't let him run me off though, because I knew I was meant to be an ME and I soon found a willing mentor (Paul Brien.) For most boys (and many men) that fist encounter would have been the end of it, but I wanted to be a live steamer MORE than I wanted to avoid jerks. That's all there is to it . . . you just have to want it, and then make it happen.

[NP317]

Quote:
"...that fist encounter would have been the end of it..."

Perfectly said... ((-:
~RN

[marshall5]

I guess I was lucky when I went to my first live steam club (at age 13) as the 'good guys' outnumbered the old grouches about 3 to 1. One guy Bill Terry God bless him even let me run his engine - a 5"g. 0-4-0 'Ajax' by the end of the day. From then on I was 'hooked' moving on over the years to full size locos and traction engines and some 10 years ago back to live steam. Over that time I've learned that no question is too stupid and 'Joe Public' is genuinely interested in what we do - I still get a buzz out of letting people sit on the loco as I explain how they work. I believe that it is vital to the survival of our hobby that we engage the youth of today many of whom have little or no experience of 'making stuff' as we did. Ray.

[chooch]

marshall5,
You wrote in part-- "'Joe Public' is genuinely interested in what we do - I still get a buzz out of letting people sit on the loco as I explain how they work. I believe that it is vital to the survival of our hobby that we engage the youth of today many of whom have little or no experience of 'making stuff' as we did. Ray."
---------------
Steam locomotives and other steam machines are a Wonder and so are all you hobbyists that build them.
But I believe the same can be said for Diesel And steam locomotives, gas or Electric powered. Especially of today where many have never or hardly seen real steam engines. running or stationary.

No matter what one prefers to build, steam or diesel train models, I firmly believe restricting to just ONE type of locomotive on a Club or Private track is a quite negative attitude and certainly does Not promote the hobby in a Positive way.
As someone has said ( I believe) such reasoning could lead to non interest, non participation in or, the building of NON-Steam railroads. further adding to the division we now have.

More railroads? Perhaps ? But the division would still be there.
Just an added note. You can not run your non steam loco on a steam only track but, how many run a steam loco on an open ALL type powered locomotive. Oh! That`s different. H-m-m-m-?

Experience speaks.
chooch

[LVRR2095]

A number of posters have mentioned "our hobby" as if we all shared the same hobby. I suggest that each and every one of us has a different hobby. People talk about being inclusive and allowing all forms of motive power to run. But I don't see how that is the answer. There are already divisions that will never change. Take electric model railroading....if you model in HO scale, you can't run on an O gauge club layout. I'm sure you would be welcome to visit, and if you really enjoy the club and the folks at that club....you need to get an O gauge train to participate.
To those who have a "steam only" club, that is because steam is their hobby....not necessarily ride on railroading.
If you enjoy that club, and the people at that club and you want to participate, then you need to get a steam locomotive.
Keith

[Steve Bratina]

Good point Keith. A live steam club is for live steam enthusiasts. A miniature outdoor railroad club is for those who enjoy all aspects of the miniature railroad hobby. The separation can also be between those who give public rides for the interest and entertainment of the public and those who share a ride on a single car for like minded hobbyists.
You example of model railroading can be broken down in another way. They enjoy all aspects of railroading but they are very specific in their scale interest. It it is also true for 1/2", 3/4", 1" and the larger gauges. Only we have a choice of driving power (steam, gas or electric) where model Railroaders, with some minor exceptions, are electric or electronic.
Vic Shattock rode the fence on this one I guess!

[Doug_Edwards]

No matter what one prefers to build, steam or diesel train models, I firmly believe restricting to just ONE type of locomotive on a Club or Private track is a quite negative attitude and certainly does Not promote the hobby in a Positive way.

I would suggest that you visit the Riverside Livesteamers. Not only did I find it to promote the "hobby" in a positive way, it is family oriented and the members friendly.

With all the tracks these days compared to years ago, I don't have a problem with them specializing in steam only. Other groups focus on logging steam, NG steam, Pennsy steam, etc.. TM even has a NG meet. There is an annual NG convention, and in the northwest, a logging modelers convention. The list of specialization goes on.


Regards,

Doug

[aopagary]

reading this string for the first time, a few things came to mind...

at the San Diego Model RR Museum there are two HO layouts. Tehachapi Pass has a huge rule book and a test an operator must pass before running. no models of prototypes that did not historically run on this SP modeled RR can be put on that layout and trains must be run at scale prototypical speeds. there is much more, but i think you get the idea. the other HO layout, the San Diego & Arizona Eastern RR has much less stringent operating rules. on any day you can see trains from eastern, midland or western lines as well as some European prototypes running and as soon as you learn how to use their command control throttles, they'll turn you loose to run as you like. i have hardly ever heard a member of one club express a negative view of the other. each club is satisfied with their own operating rules and the museum is glad to have both on display.

on a totally different topic, i was sad to read the other day that Radio Shack is going out of business. when i was in HS and lived in a semi-urban area, i was lucky to have 4 different stores i could shop at for electronic components. the last time i was in that area, it was down to 2 and Radio Shack (though my least favorite) was still among them. as a kid Popular Electronics was my staple reading material and i enjoyed building many of the published circuits. of course i would still have put myself in the minority of the student body, but at least things like this were available. as was mentioned earlier, you'd be hard pressed these days to still find a HS offering a "shop" course to boys and home economics for the girls.

Popular Electronics which at one time had a circulation of 400,000+ readers stopped publishing in 1999. the most popular follow-on publication today, "Nut and Volts", has less than 1/10 of that circulation. for a while it looked like "Byte" magazine would absorb the electronic hobbyists who, like myself, were more interested in the digital vs analog side of electronics, but that publication also ended in 1998.

and just to touch on a third topic... it wasn't until recently that i discovered why Gilbert didn't offer step by step instructions within the Erector set manuals, typically only showing a completed model. his point was that he actually wanted boys (ok, and girls) to figure out the construction for themselves.

it's probably been decades since most people here looked at a steam locomotive for the first time. i can remember those days, though, and it was way before there was an internet to Google "how does a steam locomotive work". to me it was a black box that mysteriously moved down the track, so these days i'm very tolerant of basic questions.

cheers...gary

[aopagary]

[quote="chooch"]
Just an added note. You can not run your non steam loco on a steam only track but, how many run a steam loco on an open ALL type powered locomotive. Oh! That`s different. H-m-m-m-?

=====+++=====

visit Maricopa Live Steamers (sic)... an "anything on correctly gauged wheels" operating policy and quite a few steam locomotives firing up when i've been there in the past. of course Maricopa has over 17 miles of track and 7 or 8 different routes vs the ~1 mile single track, single route mainline contained within the confines of Hunter Park available to the Riverside club. consider that some policies develop from taking into account the logistics of the track plan.

or maybe i'm not getting the point you're trying to make?

[littleevan99]

One thing I'd like to add about most HS not offering shop classes anymore, is that most kids just aren't interested in them anymore. At my HS we have 2 woodshops, and 1 welding shop that I'm taking the class for. When we rotated through the various electives during freshman year, the woodshop and welding shop classes were the ones that the most people whined about. I guess getting a little grease or sawdust on you is the end of the world now. Why would most HS offer them now? Most kids wouldn't even consider them.