Demise of local train clubs

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
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[quote user=“xboxtravis7992”]

As probably one of the younger guys on here (24), I think I can throw out a few ideas of what makes the traditional club scene not quite that appealing to my generation.

Yes, we do spend a lot on “screen time.” But a large portion of that can be “hobby time” too. We have a local railfan group that is very active in communicating via Facebook. We message each other a lot, and hold somewhat regular meet ups in the real world. Our last trip in November a large group of us went out to Milford, UT for an overnighter to railfan the old LASL. This Saturday we are heading up to Echo Canyon to watch the Evanston Subdivision. In person, we talk face to face; a lot! (Probably very loudly too! ) We wouldn’t have gotten together as a social group if it weren’t for social media, and our online time does eventually lead into real world face to face interaction. I was a very lone wolf railfan convinved I was doing the hobby alone in my area, before Facebook started to connect me to other local railfans. Mind you this “club” of ours is very informal, very relaxed, and free spirited. Not a cent of membership dues, no list of pledges or club rules. Just a group of guys getting together to have fun. This social group has got me into operating sessions, railfanning local sites, visiting train shows together, helping on small restoration projects, etc.

Now what does a formal club offer? Well, it’s fees would take from my wallet; taking away money I could be spending on other parts of the hobby. Older members probably wouldn’t be active on social media, so outside club events it might be a bit harder to get a hold of them if I didn’t know their phone number, and even then phone calls rely on calling at a moment their schedule is open or a good answering machine to record what I wanted to say (I do phone calls as part of my job, and know very wel

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Hello X Box Travis,

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I just re-read my response to your post, and I don’t think my tone came through as I intended.

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I wanted it to sound like I agreed with you that social media is important for bringing people together with similar interests that would otherwise have a difficult time finding each other.

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My second point was that many model railroaders do not want to meet like minded people and meet socially.

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I am in both camps, weird huh? I love to meet new wargamers and boardgamers of all ages and hang out, but I have a very hard time getting along with model railroaders.

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The two groups are very different from one another, and I really cannot put a point on as to why.

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-Kevin

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I like Sheldon but then I tend to like people who speak their minds weather I agree or not as long as they are honest about it. I am very social if given the chance but don’t do facebook, my daughter keeps me up to date on family things there.

104

I being a younger member of this forum think a broad brush is being used here…

1 Studies have shown many of today’s youngsters CANNOT tell the difference between virtual and real life! Which is a problem…

2 teamwork is a virtue leaving this country quickly, too much division in the rhetoric nowadays…

3 clubs are dying because lack of membership plain and simple…

4 going online CANNOT beat face to face communication… not saying I don’t appreciate you guys or don’t think of you as friends but we as humans are hardwired to work better face to face…

5 clubs are NOT necessarily a Mish mash of scenes, my club has a very well done layout and operates under prototypical limitations…

6 I think people aren’t passing enough information, wisdom, advice, opinions on to the younger generation, if I didn’t have a club or this forum I probably wouldn’t be starting a layout let alone considering it…

In a song by Billy Joel off the album Turnstiles there is a song “James” in which he sings, “Do what’s good for you, or not good for anybody…” that sentiment is somewhat true but also share the love a little, I mean tonight for example we had a grand old time at the club, laughing and carrying on, that’s what it’s all about, fellowship, kinda like church in a way…

I strongly encourage, recommend, suggest, and urge anyone who has the opportunity and means to join a club or multiple clubs to by all means do it! There’ll be a bad apple here and there that gets in your way, just get past it and enjoy the good folks…

105

Back to closing clubs. I was at Caboose Hobbies this week, they now have a DRGW steel caboose in the parking lot. Asked about it…it was aquired from a club in parker. Looked online and that was the DG&O club. Guy at caboose said that club was folding. Looked at the website and did not see anything about folding the club BUT…the building they are in is listed for sale with complete model railroad ? Wonder why that club went down.

The clubs formerly in Union station that were kicked out several years back…the great O Scale club to my knowledge did not find a new home, I assume that club is unofficially disbanded by this point. The HO guys relocated at White fence farm but updates are slow in comng and the layouts they do refer to look pretty small and not too inspired.

There is an HO group out at Lockeed Marting but you have to be an employee or ex employee only to join. Limiting membership like that makes one wonder how long they can survice. Thier club officers are only the same few peple year after year so you wonder if they only have a handful of members today.

Moffat N Scale and the Golden museum folks appear stable (Good thing)

106

I think people are busier than ever which prevents them having time to participate in clubs/associations of any kind. Years ago, my Dad left for work around 7:30 and was home by 5:00 pm. I leave for work at 5:50 am and try to be home by 5:15 pm. Most of my friends are in the same boat. Many Americans are working longer hours than their parents. Employers demand more and more, people I know check their work e-mail once a day when on vacation (if they even take one). I see same issue with a faternity at my church fewer and fewer are joining.

I should mention that people are spending more and more time online as well.

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All groupings are losing people and for many reasons. People used to belong to these things to network, now networking is becoming centered around work (just talking in person stuff here). People have less tolerance of cliques too among other things, been there, done that. I find most clubs do not have a permanent plan, they think that the status quo will remain, that is just stupid, don’t know of any other way to put it and I have seen club after club die off because of this and many were around for close to 50 years.

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Caboose Hobbies is no more. That new shop is not Caboose Hobbies but goes by a different name: Caboose. I find it odd how it is stated to be the same shop that simply moved. Nothing really moved right? Unless it is just the disimbodied spirit of Caboose Christmas present.

Caboose Hobbies, from what I understand sold of all their remaining inventory and closed last year and the owner retired. A new shop opened at a different location with a new name to fill the void left when CH closed.

Or am I mistaken? What legal kind of Voo Doo allows Caboose to say est. 1938? I followed the saga of the closing and opening of the “replacement” shop with a new name and new owner. If they are really still Caboose Hobbies, why doesn’t the sign on the store say Caboose Hobbies, you know what I mean? Things just don’t add up - it’s a black box, kind of like in high school where we did a formula and had to show our work so the teacher could see how we arrived at the final answer. The final answer here is a shop with a different name, but still claiming to still be the same store with the same history. It raises more questions in my mind than answers. Can some one clarify this conundrum and open up the black box and explain it all?

[Quote]There is an HO group out at Lockeed Marting but you have to be an employee or ex employee only to join. Limiting membership like that makes one wonder how long they can survice. Thier club officers are only the same few peple year after year so you wonder if they only have a handful of members today.

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Did you mean Lockheed Martin? My daughter started working for them last summer at their Owego NY location. I didn’t know their was a LM train club.

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Speaking as a member of the under 40 crowd, I think for a lot of hobbyists who are Gen-Xers and millenials things like facebook, instagram, pinterest, youtube, and messageboards have taken the place of clubs. I mean look at it this way. If you have internet access at your home or wherever you happen to be sitting at the moment and you get on the site, you’re already there so you didn’t need to go anywhere. Plus message boards and social media sites are up 24/7 so you don’t need to get there at a special time unless you want to take part in livechats or something like that.

I agree it’s not quite the same as actually being at a brick and mortar club where you operate and work on the club layout, but if you meet some people near you, you can set up something where you all take turns visiting each other’s layouts. Like a brick and mortar club with a message board or social media site it’s your decision what all you want to get out of it. If you feel you’re not getting what you want out of it, well then you can leave. The world will go on whether you’re there or not.

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Yeh, the 24/7 argument is a key one.

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I will say this, for me, when I was interested in it and had time, the round robin group that met at a different members home each week and worked on or operated his layout, was more fun than a club with a club layout.

The key however is still time and enough common interest among the group…and enough operating layouts.

For me, the group changed as membership evolved. All great people, but I felt like I had less to offer and that the modeling “direction” of many of the newer (some younger, some not) members was not in sync with my interests.

I also felt it was taking time away from my own modeling, plus I had family obligations on the meeting night for a while, etc.

Sheldon

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The only hole I see in that statement is the clubs that has gone DCC has the younger members while the straight DC clubs has a limited number of old men sitting around wondering why they can’t get new members. These are the same old buzzards that makes up the hobby is dying or young people are not getting into the hobby crowd.

Todays younger modelers and railfans are far more knowledgeable then I ever was as far as horn types and modern diesels.

113

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Doing the Round-Robin thing is great. Just a few simple rules to follow like “The owner of the layout has final say on all decisions” for example.

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I did Round-Robin for a while when I started my “Dream House” layout. My participation ended when my money situation became dire and I could no longer to afford to work on my layout.

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I have not seen any of the guys from that group in 15 years.

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-Kevin

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Even though I enjoyed the round robin, I was not interestd in having help with my own layout.

On the other hand, my skills were welcomed by a number of the others. I designed layouts, built benchwork, layed track and even designed a built a control system similar to what I use on my layout for one of the members.

Today, once I get the new layout to a basic operating level, I would be inclined to invite the group for a visit, and my me interesting in regular operating sessions.

But for now, I’m happy to just be building trains.

Sheldon

115

Is this in northern California? Here in Southern California, there are plenty of clubs, both stationary and modular, as evident by the abundant representation in our local major train shows. The Napa area alo underwent a major fire that affected a large population of its residents, so model railroading might not be the highest priority for their members if their houses burned down or were seriously damaged.

That said, as a relatively-young modeler (I’m “only” in my mid-40s :)) I have no interest in a club. I’m all for them, but I’d rather spend my time and money on my own layout.

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Yep, around the bay. Used to be a bunch of shows, now very few and the clubs are dying like flies. As far as Napa, it is the people who run the fairgrounds, just as was the case in San Mateo. There are few train shops anymore too though we still have two within 30 miles, both run buy headstrong people, never go to either anymore and I am not the only one who they alienated. Even at the shows that still exist, attendence is down in part because parking costs more than the shows in some cases which bothers some, less tables, another blow, traffic around here dosn’t help either but there are other reasons too. I know all about the shows because of the people I know and I personally talked to the former head of the San Mateo Expo center that was in charge at the time that club was asked to go. I have known many hobby shop owners too so I have good insite into what is going on.