Will the price of gas affect your meet attendance this year?

[steamin10]

Yea, Thats why BP made the move , endorsed by gov to buyout Amoco. it is all rigged to make profits, and the Little oil man President, is clueless how this wrecks the fabric of the US economy. I am bitter at the wholesale destruction of our way of life for a mere profit.

[ALCOSTEAM]

One thing you must realize about comparing fuel costs from one country to the other is what are the added costs. In many countries there are huge amounts of taxes put upon motor fuels. In England motor fuel taxes go to support many forms of public transportation. Here motor fuel taxes are much less and nearly all of that is going to fund anything but highways and public transportation.

Even at 4.00 + dollars a gallan gas and diesel nearing 5.00 in places I see little sign of anyone slowing down to conserve or in the least to run the posted speed limit. My car with the cruise set at 65 mph on the interstate will average nearly 30 miles per gallon, just 5 mph more set at 70 mph it drops to 25-26 mpg, at 75 it falls to 22-23 mpg. Even if it takes a minute or two longer to get where I am going, in a years time the savings adds up. It could easily fund two or three live steam outings each year.
If you put yourself in the shoes of the big oil execs and traders and looked out of your window at the passing traffic and summed up the situation. Lots of BIG SUV's and pickup trucks being driven as daily drivers, many times with only one person in them. Countless vehicles of all kinds going 10-20 or more miles per hour over the speed limit. The neighborhood kids out cruising all day and night. The welfare families with their new STS, or Escalade, or Navigator. Everyone it seems is out to live it up large and the oil execs are right there with them to cash in on it.

tim

[Steve Bratina]

My chum Murray Bennell and I attended the NJLS Spring Meet, went over to visit Steamtown and ended the week at the PVLS Spring meet. It cost about $300.00 for gas for the 11 day trip. We had two 3/4" engines each and all the fixin's to go with it.
The accomodations for the total trip was around $850.00. The food was good but the best eating was at the Clubs. There is nothing better than a breakfast at a steam meet. The dinners are tops too!
The trip was very enjoyable and it was great to see both clubs and some familiar faces again.
Dave Sclavi's K4 is really "Jakealoo" as my Grandfather would say. (top notch)
The boiler room stuff I got at the NJLS flea market was quite a bonus. The only thing that I really miss was stopping at Tannersville on the way back from the Jersey meet to have breakfast at the railroad restaurant. The little tank engine and the coaches are long gone. Too bad.
In short, the cost of the trip was well worth it.
Keep Steamin'
Steve

[B&OBob]

Be happy. Go while you can regardless of gas cost. I had great times at Waushakum and other tracks when I was able. Now I can't drive at night, and a long trip on top of the exertion of running is beyond my sagging endurance. To repeat, do it while you can (or whilst you can if in U.K.).
Bob

[Blackstone Valley Shops]

The short answer is no . The wife and I go to as many meets as we can. Thats why I bought my 1 inch mogul . Easier to travel with. The problem for me is getting time off work. This year I'll get some time for Long Island Live Steamers summer meet and possibly get to Penn Live Steamers meet. I get much more out of a meet than just running trains. The people I meet and the loco's I see make it worth while. And the knowlege I gain by picking the brains of those whov'e been there and done that is priceless.

[Berne Ketchum]

I see no reason not to adapt. Let's face it, our hobby isn't the greenest one around so I'll consume less energy in as many ways as I can to justify (if only to myself) burning a little coal just for the heck of it. I'll probably haul my train on just one longish (600-mile round trip) this year, and confine most of my steaming to a couple of friendly tracks in a 60-mile radius. One of them offers covered storage so I can leave my train there, park my pickup at home, toss a bag of coal into the back of the Prius and go. Two gallons of gas vs. six gallons per 100-mile round trip -- not too hard to decide -- and so far, my happiness quotient hasn't decreased.

[Harlock]

I bought a used Dodge Dakota V6 from a friend's father who passed away specifically for the purpose of hauling trains. This is a smaller Dakota from 1996, but been babied it's whole life with low mileage and only cost a few thousand dollars. Gets around 21 - 23 MPG freeway with cruise. Later this year, I plan to haul the Chloe, riding tender and one small passenger car around in back, no trailer needed. There is a camper shell so once I am unloaded I can sleep in it as an alternative to a tent. It's a 6 foot bed and no crew cab. I think that's a pretty good compromise for 7.5 gauge. I'm fortunate to live in Southern California, where there are a lot of tracks nearby, but plan to make a pilgrimage to train mountain for the next triennial or for a narrow gauge meet, plus visits to northern california tracks on occasion.

The price of gas will have some kind of impact on my activities (going to meets will be a little less casually planned) but I will still hit the major ones. Like others have said, the truck is paid for and requires little maintenence because it's only used for that and occasional household hauling. The "TCO" is pretty good.

In reality, the difference between taking the truck and driving my 28 - 30 MPG car isn't that much, when the rest of the weekend's expenses are taken into consideration. Been taking the car to clubs for a few years now and those mini weekend vacations do add up.

I work two miles away from home so I only fill up my car's tank every other week, after including other miscellaneous errands, so my normal gas costs are fairly low, but no longer an insignificant part of the monthly budget. Good news is the car's paid off this October.

I can see that for some people the gas factored in as a recurring cost of owning a large RV or motorhome and trailer, and for other people the gas price is enough to put the entire thing over the edge of reasonable affordability.

Some many number of years from now when the Kozo A3 is done, I can put it in the hatch or backseat of my small wagon, and by then as Bill said there may be a resurgence in the smaller scales But I also like to see the big stuff!

--M