@Dennis-LaRock posted:Everyone on OGR starts out very, very old... and magically, we become much, much younger!
When does that happen ?Lol! When I started my layout, that duckunder was a good idea....today...not so much 😐
People are dying? When did this start to happen?
There still is hope --
I had a problem ordering a Menard's item. Posted here and on Facebook and one of the members there helped me out. Found out he is 23.
So there is still hope.
Yep, one of the dwindling Boomers-to-Doomers crowd here...
I still think the thread's original challenge is a bit silly. 2+ years of incubation hasn't changed the pessimism or optimism...IMHO. I did celebrate it's phoenix-like resumption, though...I made some popcorn for the occasion.
But, tell you what... I'd rather we table this for another 2+ years...and be around to show up for another go at it! You know, something to look forward to!
I mean, besides the garbled consonants and elided vowels of my aging hearing, there's this background 'noise' that a pro-wag labels "tinnitus". But, I'm not so sure. Sounds more like the approach of dragging chains, shuffling feet, rhythmic pounding from the handle end of a scythe. (Either that or about Four Horseman approaching from afar.
)
My annual physical is this Tuesday at 8 AM. I think I'll share this thread with my doctor and ask him for a guesstimate if I'll be around for the reunion resumption in another 2+ years. (I hope to still be able to afford popcorn then!) Birthday's about another week later. (Danged candles are a 4-alarm fire already!)
I hope to join y'all then.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."dwindle" on!
Yes the Hobby is dying and it's not dying at the same time.
What I mean completely is that, as a 26 year old who has been around so many great mentors, it's painful when one passes on and I am relegated to selling their collections. Some are easy to sell, others not so much. It depends on what they collected and in some cases what mods they did to their models.
For example, I sold a collection of non command control locos and MPC era cars. It took 5 years to sell. It was probably because the younger generation like me and some others the same age as me only like the Command control models.
A collection I'm selling now has/had a wider selection of command locos and newer stuff people loved to collect and operate.
It really depends on what people collect now. Hobby shops have to adapt and it's hard to adapt to the times especially with hobby shops in other cities and states having better offers and deals than the local ones. I buy most new stuff from out of state dealers because of the deal I get. But I try to buy rolling stock in State which is sometimes hard to do.
Arnold,
I note in your threads that you keep referring to some sport called "baseball."
What in the world is that???
Mannyrock
Not sure how this fits in, but I just turned 60 yesterday. I am laid up and am on home rest and rehab for next year….I am no longer a cool guy, I am an old guy. My wife asked me to pick something out, stay within our constraints and I chose a Williams product, nothing fancy, no modern electronics. The cars are solid and the loco weighs a ton.
I am employed as a teacher, and being the old guy on the staff, the younger guys and girls, give me mad respect and I have helped everyone at our worksite at one time or another. I am The ‘dads’ to a bunch of young cats. I am Catdaddy.
these cats have visited me here and there, bringing me small bits of joy and helping my wife cope with all of this. Everyone knows I do trains, some think it’s silly, others are curious. They all look at my new train set , the pick it up and marvel how solid it is. A few want to see my layout, and some I show even if they do not ask. They all take control of the old fashion transformer controlled Williams SD90 loco and three cars.
They almost all say they get my hobby. Some see the fun in scenery, others looked at my amateur bench work, a few fixed some stuff on bench work, others asked about how people ballast. I tell them if I know and others I show this website or how I learn. A few wives say their husbands will like this, and a few of ladies thought painting some of the flats I am working would be fun. Others ask about putting lights in building.
o scale is expensive, takes up lots of space for a layout..today youngsters have lots of DI but they live in smaller spaces, cause it cost so much . HO and N scale become more realistic options, but I argue, they are getting their train on.
so the answer is like a virus the hobby is adapting to the world…it’s dying and growing at same time. My 2 cents, sorry to be so wordy and I hope I stayed on point
I'm maring my calendar to repeat this conversation in five years. Also in ten years. Won't go further - don't want to push my luck past the century mark.
@Landsteiner posted:Psychologically and in terms of life expectancy, the model railroaders of the 1940s and 1950s who were in their 40s-50s (seemingly young to us) could only expect another 10-20 years of good health and life. They were born before vaccinations against childhood diseases existed, before antibiotics were available and before we understood the role of air and water pollution in cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer. So they correspond to today's 60-70 year olds in many ways.
Not really. If they lived past those childhood diseases and giving birth, they have as good a chance of hitting 80 or so as the rest of us have. Those were the two biggest natural killers. Average life expectancy--being an mathematical average--is not a predictor of any person's death age. The ones who avoided dying by those methods are the ones who drag the average up over 7 -30 years of age.
Here's an example. I have heard that there is a new factor dragging the average age of US citizens, especially those in their 20s and 30s, down. It is the so-called opioid crisis. It is not making people die at 70 rather than 80 but in their early adult years. The average is dragged down by these relatively early deaths, not by a reduction in the years of octogenarians.
"Not really. "
Really. As mentioned, I work in a large hospital where I know the ages of many patients. I've been doing this for about 50+ years. In the 1970s I saw essentially no patients in their late 80s and early 90s. Now there are literally probably 30-50 every day. Those are not the only data. Life expectancy at age 65 cannot be calculated precisely now but has been steadily increasing since the 1950s and 1960s. There are now dramatically more centenarians (100 years +) than there were in the past. Most explanations center around the long term effects on the immune system of folks not having to deal with devastating infectious diseases like measles that are now vanishingly rare due to vaccines. My own thought is the lack of inflammatory and carcinogenic air pollution probably plays a substantial role. The rate of heart attacks and strokes are now 70-80% below the rate in the 1950s. If you don't die of a heart attack in your 40s or 50s, you're obviously more likely to live into your 70s-90s and that's what the data show.
Once you've made it into your 50s or so in good health, some medical advances, including controlling hypertension and diabetes, statins to mitigate all sorts of inflammatory and vascular processes, may also contribute to improved health and life expectancy.
@SDIV Tim posted:Yes the Hobby is dying and it's not dying at the same time.
What I mean completely is that, as a 26 year old who has been around so many great mentors, it's painful when one passes on and I am relegated to selling their collections. Some are easy to sell, others not so much. It depends on what they collected and in some cases what mods they did to their models.
For example, I sold a collection of non command control locos and MPC era cars. It took 5 years to sell. It was probably because the younger generation like me and some others the same age as me only like the Command control models.
A collection I'm selling now has/had a wider selection of command locos and newer stuff people loved to collect and operate.
It really depends on what people collect now. Hobby shops have to adapt and it's hard to adapt to the times especially with hobby shops in other cities and states having better offers and deals than the local ones. I buy most new stuff from out of state dealers because of the deal I get. But I try to buy rolling stock in State which is sometimes hard to do.
Hi Tim, that is a really interesting perspective. Regarding the MPC comment, I am wondering what the issue was with selling them. I have acquired a lot MPC over the years, they are very colorful, plentiful and relatively inexpensive. Most were like new with the box, they also work well and are easy to repair. So, I think they provide great play value. Some of the MPC stuff is junk, so was wondering what you think was the main challenge in selling them. Price, shipping costs, lack of knowledge among buyers about MPC, etc. Best,
@Landsteiner posted:"Not really. "
Really. As mentioned, I work in a large hospital where I know the ages of many patients. I've been doing this for about 50+ years. In the 1970s I saw essentially no patients in their late 80s and early 90s. Now there are literally probably 30-50 every day. Those are not the only data. Life expectancy at age 65 cannot be calculated precisely now but has been steadily increasing since the 1950s and 1960s. There are now dramatically more centenarians (100 years +) than there were in the past. Most explanations center around the long term effects on the immune system of folks not having to deal with devastating infectious diseases like measles that are now vanishingly rare due to vaccines. My own thought is the lack of inflammatory and carcinogenic air pollution probably plays a substantial role. The rate of heart attacks and strokes are now 70-80% below the rate in the 1950s. If you don't die of a heart attack in your 40s or 50s, you're obviously more likely to live into your 70s-90s and that's what the data show.
Once you've made it into your 50s or so in good health, some medical advances, including controlling hypertension and diabetes, statins to mitigate all sorts of inflammatory and vascular processes, may also contribute to improved health and life expectancy.
Not a health care worker, but think percentage of Cigarette Smokers could be a MAJOR factor. Maybe what you meant by (inflammatory and carcinogenic air pollution). Not sure.
Although maybe "vaping" can help reverse that positive trend.
BTW am going to start a new topic on Doomed Hobby.
I think it’s funny…I wonder if they could make a show like hee haw today. Probably not…
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:For a little comic relief, I tell my good Forum friend, Bryce Manz (OScaleLover), who is 21 years old and a very skillful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic hobbyist, that he will end up with all of my trains and those of the 15 other members of the Railboys (our local train club) down the road. LOL, Arnold
Arnold, thank you for the kind comment and very kind reference to my age. Ever since we met several years ago and you mention me to folks, I am always 21. I feel like Jack Benny celebrating the 'nth' anniversary of a birthday 
Don't worry I'll pay your wife a fair price for your collection haha!
Bryce
Like Blood Sweat & Tears said, when I die there will be one child born to carry on. There are things that will no longer be around when we are gone because a few of the upcoming generations do not participate in them. The way it goes.
@RickO posted:When does that happen Lol! When I started my layout, that duckunder was a good idea....today...not so😐
Yep, a old office chair with wheels with out the back on it works wonders.
So whatever happened to 40 being the new 30, 50 being the new 40, 60 being the new 40, 70 being the new 40... 80 being the new 60 ?????
Aren't Baby Boomers supposed to die before they get old (Pete Townshend riff now, windmill style)???
Turning 60 in 2023, I am convinced that I won't die until my layout is complete and I'm a long way away from that time!!!! Ironic, isn't it, that old dudes make up the hobby, but the hobby itself makes us old dudes keep on keepin' on?
Mike
@IRON HORSE posted:So whatever happened to 40 being the new 30, 50 being the new 40, 60 being the new 40, 70 being the new 40... 80 being the new 60 ?????
Aren't Baby Boomers supposed to die before they get old (Pete Townshend riff now, windmill style)???
I think the more relevant question is: "Do the hypnotized ever lie?" 
And darn those old people, going and dying like that and dooming the hobby!
What were they thinking? 
George
@G3750 posted:I think the more relevant question is: "Do the hypnotized ever lie?"
And darn those old people, going and dying like that and dooming the hobby!
What were they thinking?
George
I think they were thinking that ... the beards have all grown longer overnight....
Mike 
Well,,,,DUH !!!
@laming posted:
Where in the world did you find my favorite song ? I watched the bloodhound and these guys a long time ago. Crazy show. Thanks for sharing.
As far as the hobby issue , almost all the people I know don't have the income anymore to support ANY hobby that demands much of an investment.
@OGR CEO-PUBLISHER posted:I am not sure I understand your choice for the title of this post/thread??
I'm not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV but I'm pretty sure that getting older and dying are a constant, so to answer your question yes people are continuing to get older and yes at some point they do die. Or to put it as a sports metaphor...
"In this corner, wearing black and weighing in at 27.5 Lbs with a record of 117,020,448,575 wins and no loses THE GRIM REAPER!"
Jerry
Why fight the inevitable? Send me your Trains while you still can.
But, as my son-in-law wrote on a birthday card five years ago "60 is the new 80". Planning two birthday and one anniversary party in 2037.
Somethoing elsed to consider. The good lord put me on earth to do a certain set of projects. At the rate I am finishing them, I will live forever.
I think that this thread has really gone on long enough....responses now are not really adding any reasoning to the content....lets get back to talking trains in other threads.
