The future of model railroading.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I suppose you mean other than opening up the American continent to settling, mining, industries and devlopment, giving us the term "robber barons", and being crucial to the winning of two world wars? More American young people know that we once used horses and wagons to get around than know anything at all about the railroads.

There was a lengthy period in our history when everything and everybody in the nation either moved by train or didn't move at all. I would say that deserves a mention or two in the history books, right alongside windjammers and steamships.

Of, course, that's just me.

That doesn't really answer my question. Except for the World wars, all of that was before 100 year ago.

As 100% necessary as railroads were to the country's war effort during those wars, I fail to see how they need more than a short mention in a history book for this. There were plenty of other companies and industries doing there part in the war effort. By the time of the secodn world war, the railroads were already in decline and being overshadowed by trucks and aircraft.

Don't assume that the railroads are left out of the history books and lectures. When it comes to our country's earlier history, there are entire chapters on how the railroads were the catalyst for expansion, both in territory and in industry/transportation. Robber barons and monopolies get long sections of my history text books as well.


However, lets not get to far off focus. Your premise is that the reason there is little interest in railroads (and by extension, model railroading) is that they do not teach.

Even if this history managed to get someone to gain interest in railroads, Railroading itself is vastly different than it was in 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was completed, and even very different than the peak of american railroads in the early 1900s. If anything, the fact that railroads are long past their prime seems to suggest to some people that railroads are outdated and backwards (I do not believe this, but it is a popular opinion).

Any fascination acquired through the old stuff may not translate so readily to more recent railroad topics.

Also, its important to note that there is very little support for those interested in modeling time periods before the 1930s. In fact, model railroading is almost entirely focused on the transition era or the modern day.

Besides, history and model railroading are different subjects. While one must be a little bit of a historian to build a model railroad, I don't see how history will lead to vast improvements in model railroading. There has to be drive to do the activity, not just historical interest.