While I can agree with some of what you’re saying I can also see where the older members are coming from. One of the problems in our culture is we’re ending up with fewer and fewer third spaces that are for adults only as everything becomes more family friendly to make the authoritarian crybabies happy. As a result, there are fewer places where adults can enjoy their interests engage in adult level conversations without having to censor themselves especially in this hobby. I can see why a lot of the older members don’t really want to be there. I know everything needing to be politically correct and family friendly is one of the annoyances I have with this hobby’s culture nowadays. While I can respect that we need to bring new members into the hobby it doesn’t mean we need to turn it into Disneyland.
I agree with Bear the youth is the future of our hobby we have work hard to keep it going thru the year why throw it away now, just learn to get along ,the youth in these clubs are not forced to be here they are here because they want to be.
Having coached kids for decades it was easy to impart what was expected of them while at the rink and more so when we went to a tournament in another Province or country. Their behaviour as ambassadors to the sport was exemplary when we travelled. When at our home rink this was also the case, you will now see 10 and 12 year olds showing up at the rink in suites just like the pros, however, some parents were another matter all together with behaviour that would see them banned from the arena.
The one and only time I attended a MRR club with the intention of joining, I was quickly turned off by the attitude of a couple of older members towards the kids who were well behaved and nothing more than enthusiastic in my eyes. I did not return as I would have been butting heads with these miserable geezers.
I see nothing wrong with having separate operating sessions for young, old and everyone if that is what it takes, however, like I said, in my experience it has been the behaviour of the adults that I have frowned upon.
Great story, and a great point of view, Brent.
Rich
Love that story. Everyone should write a story about their mother. By the way, a very cute kittie in your avatar.
Rich
you are right Batman, I helped coach little league baseball the kids well behaved the parents another story.
The thing that gets forgotten (imo) kids move on to other things. Girls (or boys) marriage, jobs etc all distract them from trains.
Keep it entertaining for them. Let them take charge now and again, so when they leave they want to come back later.
David
We have eight hours of structured operations every month; otherwise the club is available to all members unless there’s some mechanical or scenic work going on that obstructs the mainline. Because some of the “free runners” object to organized TWC operation, a specific time was finally set aside for them to organize their own sessions. Hasn’t happened yet, after five years. One small group does run their more modern stuff Friday evenings. but they are part of the TWC group as well.
If it turns out that older club members are avoiding sessions because of the presence of younger members, that is going to provide a difficult dilemma going forward. Where is King Solomon?
Rich
I don’t really have a lot to add except to boost what others have said.
Our operating hours are actually mornings on Tuesdays and Saturdays precisely because nights became a driving challenge for older members. Saturdays can be chaotic as we have some very active teens that can be a challenge, but what we’ve found is that we just are open all day and eventually the tenor changes and people who want a more laid back experience get the opportunity. Of course, our club is also open to members 24/7 so the members who really don’t like to be around more rambunctous modelers will often run on a day when we aren’t “open.”
If they are like me, they are falling asleep on their sofas around 8 PM.
Rich
Ok, so we’re both not fans of political correctness, but I’m struggling with the above phrase. Why is censorship required? I am missing an important aspect of American Railroading and the Hobby? For instance, is a “Detroit Lubricator” a euphemism for something normally seen on the Wild Side? The mind boggles!!
The Older Club members, mostly retired and the majority who were quite happy with youngsters, did initiate Tuesday morning meetings, “The Old Buffers Club,” as it became known. Working shifts, I was able to attend a couple of times, after which I gave up as it was just a gabfest, not a train to be seen running on the layout. Still, it did seem to keep them happy.
Didn’t save the Club in the long run though!
I was in a similar position at a club I was in. All talking and not a train ran.
I moved on.
David
That reminds me of a young fella on the old forum a few years back that wanted to buy a real locomotive and move it on track from its East coast location down to his father’s farm down somewhere in the South. He took a liking to girls during his time on the forum and eventually disappeared never to be heard from again. Anyone remember him?
Rich
You’re not missing anything. He’s trying to excuse rude, crude, intolerant anti-social behavior.
People coming down to talk and not run trains is also very typical. I often joke it would be cheaper to shut the club down and just all meet at the most convenient Mcdonalds.
But people carve socialization. It’s perfectly normal to be in a club a socialize. And some of those folks have their own Modeling projects at home. They joined the club to be with other MRs not to “run” every time they are there. But you do need a mix of members to keep a club going.
Got to agree with Rich , 8PM out like a light.
LOL. My daughter and husband and two grandkids want to come over and watch the Super Bowl. Doesn’t that start at 5:30 CST with a one hour halftime show and end around 9:30 or 10 PM? No way will I see the end of the game!
Rich
LOL I’m not even going to try I will never see the end.
Hey guys, I was reading this thread and thought I would share my experiences as a young hand back in the day:
Back when I was 12 (around 2018) I was part of an HO scale (DCC) club in Oceanside almost entirely made up of older people. The only exceptions I can remember were me, and a few people around 20. My personal experience? I loved it for the most part, and most everyone was nice and enjoyed having me there. We had free running sessions once a weekend and work days once a week. Once every couple of months we would have an ops session, which all members were able to attend. I really enjoyed the one I went to, and despite my age I had no problem running a scheduled passenger train accurately. While the club had structured routes and rules even for the free run nights, they weren’t overly strict and most members were easygoing over it. I think what pushed me away at 14 years old (besides $25 a month membership) was that as the club decided to start expanding the layout they started to move towards being more museum style with operations and rules. Some of the members started getting more serious about it and the free running days basically all turned into ops sessions. Eventually I felt that the fun, easygoing mood from before was gone, and although none of the older members were directly rude to me, it began to be clear that I was becoming less wanted there (although I always kept up the running standards to a T). They were so busy with planning and expanding everything prototypically that it ceased to be a club and became a museum. The older guys were a bit overbearing and I can remember them being just a tad rude to visitors every so often when a young kid would touch the layout without knowing he shouldn’t for example. Eventually the fun ceased for me and I quit at around 14 years old. Without space at home for a layout I missed being able to run my trains, and I did want to go back when I was older. When I was 16 I went back to see about rejoining and when we talked with them they said it would be $60 to register and $25 a month afterward! You were required to wear a club shirt and pin as well, something they never cared about before. That was the dealbreaker. Don’t get me wrong, I get that there are people that want to run a railroad in miniature with as much accuracy as possible, and I can relate to a degree. But I am the type to run vintage toy trains under a tree or my scale trains on a small loop and enjoy myself. Thankfully, my club story doesn’t end there. My family goes up to Lake Arrowhead for vacation every year, and quite a few years ago now I discovered a tiny modular HO scale club that rents space in Lake Arrowhead Village. It’s made up of only four members, all older. The difference from the other club? These guys will literally invite visitors to run trains if they have them, they have an eye spy on the layout for kids, and they only ask for any donation you can give, no entry fee (something the other club had). The layout is just a simple four track loop with a yard, and they don’t bother with operating rules or anything. My tradition nowadays is to go up once or twice a year and run my trains with them. Two of the members don’t run the layout as often because they are busy, but I’ve become friends with the two regulars and they are really great guys. They walk around the layout, just chatting with visitors or helping the kids with the eye spy. Such a difference from the other club, and I am beyond grateful that they allow me to be an honorary member. In fact I will be heading up to visit them soon. So thankfully my story has a happy ending.
My two cents to clubs wanting to balance the youth and the older people? Have proto ops sessions for the older guys so they can enjoy quiet, serious time going by the book. But whatever you do, keep some free run sessions for the club as a whole, regardless of age. Above all, just being easygoing with the kids does wonders. Take it from someone that dealt with overbearing members; that was the main factor in driving me away. I don’t know how kids only sessions would go over, but I dont think they are necessary. This may be a bit surprising to some, but kids really do enjoy socializing with their elders, and I don’t believe they would have as much fun without older guys.
Anyway, just thought I would share my experience from the youth point of view.
PS: apologies for the length.