The Quality of train shows today

[ocalicreek]

There is indeed a staying power to model railroading like nothing else in the hobby world.

Ditto also to the comments about parents & parenting. My wife and I may be 'old fashioned' compared to many of our peers, but we spend time interacting with our kids and for me (and sometimes her) that means playing trains with the boys (among other things like pushing them on the swingset). My youngest (almost 1-1/2) has been playing with his brother's and now his own wooden trains and just the other day figured out how to put track pieces together.

But that's another side of the hobby that has been championed by Lionel, really, even caricatured by Lionel, that of boys and dads playing together. Ironically, it's the baby boomers, those kids who snuck their lionel catalogs to school, who are one of the most narcicistic generations. It was the boomers who thought kids 'cramp their style'. This could have something to do with the indifference shown by many older folks in the hobby to folks my age (their kids age). They are happy to do something with the grandkids, but often complain about their kids...and sometimes rightfully so.

The trend Lionel began continued into the 80's, as I recall a picture of the 'Carbondale Central', Malcom Furlow's urban bent-figure-8 beginner layout on the cover of Model Railroader. Right smack in the center is a dad looking over his son's shoulders as the kid runs the trains. Was this really happening outside of Waukesha, Wisconsin, in the real world? Or was this more propaganda built on Lionel's ideals?

Sorry this drifted away from train shows, but I think the ideas are inter-related. And I really do believe there is a great future for the hobby and it's a great time to be in the hobby and sharing it with kids.

Galen