I guess trains arn't fun toys anymore

Steve

You expresses my sentiments exactly!

I just want to get into the Ozone listening to my Old Toy Trains

making a clickety clack as the wheels pass over the rail joints as they go roundy round.

 

Happy Rails!

Dave

 

 

True.....

 

Remember playing Army, getting shot and then get up and play again? No, not real but fun....I am gravitating more and more towards fun again.

 

Rick.

Plenty of what you want in the 2014 R-T-R catalog, for today's kids and yesterday's.

I couldn't agree more Steve!  I miss the traditional sized stuff.  Now it's either scale stuff or Lionchief.  I haven't bought any Lionel stuff in a number of years...since the last Conventional Classics.  It seems like they are really cutting off a part of their customer base.

 

Jeff Davis

The hobby is still loads of fun for most; its just that its a more expensive complex hobby that requires a different approach. It also migrated away from a kids toy to an adult hobby and as such we do things on a larger scale these day. This hobby has to be fun as it is still thriving. It may shrink a bit but I truly believe that it will always exist. The next generation of hobbyists may not be children but I predict that the next middle age generation will carry's the torch. My son Doug is 31 and is just beginning to take an interest. When I check out, I'd be willing to bet that he takes over dads model railroad. Its either that or my prize scale Hudson's will be on the lawn in a yard sale selling for $2 each!

Trains are simply more fun to run today.

My advice... Just say "NO" to boring PW trains and join the living,.

Joe 

Steve....my friend....you are still the one in control as far as how you enjoy the hobby.  How others express themselves is their way of "enjoying" the hobby.  Thank goodness we each can do it our way if we choose....so don't get down!!  You are still in control!!!

 

Alan

 

Same here Jeff

My two cents as the dad of a seven year old, and as the son of baby boomer who let me play with his 1940's / 50's PW Lionel trains as seven year old myself.

 

I loved the PW trains in the 1970's when I was six ~ nine, the smoke, the size (big for little hands), spending time with my dad, our layout (two sheets of plywood in the basement), the operating cars, and pushing buttons to make coal load / unload, etc. It was a blast. But we also lived in a world with four TV channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS) which did not have 24/7 kids programing, there were no video game systems in our house at least, no computers, no tablets, and no internet.

 

Fast forward 30 years --

 

My son loves to play with the trains, but having grown up in a house with all the items mentioned above which were not part of my childhood, he is used to building ultra realistic imaginary worlds in games, being able to watch kids shows any time, any day (although we limit their TV time), and is very quick to learn how to control everything with technology. His attention span for the good old PW trains is about 30min, max, and that is with Lego and Dino toys being brought in to ride / battle / etc. with them. Pushing a button to make something happen is part of everything so the magic is gone.

 

Lionel and MTH are both on the right track with command systems in remote form and tablet control on its way (soon I hope), that is what even young kids are used to and comfortable with. Trains that do all sorts of things, Crew Talk by example (Which I hate but he loves) helps keep his attention and interest. When we are playing with the modern stuff we can spend three / four times as long before his attention is drawn away than when we have the PW stuff out.

 

New generation, with new toys. I can say that within his lifetime (the past seven years) the world as become somewhat Science Fiction to me. Having something my pocket able to connect anytime, anyplace, to almost all collective human knowledge is truly out of this world.

 

 

uh oh... guess I should not mention the next phase of model railroading... The Holodeck Railroad...

 

 

Different strokes for different folks, although I have to say I am impressed with the latest Lionel conventionally equipped motive power with Railsounds. The fact they are reasonably priced is an added bonus.I trade off running tinplate versus contemporary stuff. Each has their own charm.

Our immediate postwar generation lived in a much different world where imagination played a larger role in our play, whereas today everything is judged by virtual realism. Adults don't have the same developmental needs as children in exercising their imagination as learning creativity. So for adults, it's pick and chose and for today's children I do suspect that they are missing out on those aspects of creativity we had...but if you think about it, theres more to a layout than motive power etc.

Kids can be creative in how a layout is set up, how it's played with. So I dont think theres a simple answer to any of this.

Yes! My newer, sound-, cruise-, whistle-steam and swinging-bell equipped locos are GOBS OF FUN!  Thee older postwar stuff seems - well, old fashioned - even though I love them and love the memories of playing with them in the '50s.  but I would not trade these modern locos for the old stuff - and of course, I could if I wanted, but no way. 

Steve,

   I do agree with your opinion, especially that our train hobby is suppose to be fun,

my layouts are always a child like fantacy land, there are others however who take everything very seriously and want absolutle realism, hay each to is own, fun means different things to different people.   I really do believe some people get their fun out of complaining about things, and we have more than a few of these wonderful people in our train hobby, they mean no harm and have fun in their own way.  Being a Tin Plate kind a train guys, I tend to enjoy my trains as little boys toys, my trains are still my biggest Christmans gift, and I have always had fun with them, and will continue to do so, no matter what any body else does or says.

PCRR/Dave 

 

I just don't understand why one would think that those folks who enjoy a different aspect to the hobby aren't having fun?

 

I've been back in the hobby for 16 years, starting out collecting PW Lionel, moving to modern-traditional, to semi-scale, and finally to scale.  I have enjoyed each step on this hobby journey. 

 

Nothing ties me the hobby.  I stay in it because I enjoy it.  If I didn't enjoy it, I would simply sell everything off and get a new hobby.

 

This is simply the best time EVER to be involved in this hobby. Thanks in part to the internet, one can find almost anything they wish to fulfill their niche in this hobby.  It could be prewar, postwar, traditional, modern tinplate, semi-scale, or scale - it's all available to those who seek it. 

 

Jim

Let me offer this poser to you:

Would you be happy with your Texas Special trains if they were painted in purple/white or silver instead of red/white or silver?  If not, why?  They're just toys after all.

 

Everyone has fun with their O gauge trains in different ways.

 

For some, having whimsical or merely loose approximations to the prototype are sufficient and they have fun & enjoyment with those.  Cool beans.

 

For others, having something that resembles the prototype as closely as possible is part of the fun & enjoyment for them.  Also cool beans.

 

It's not unreasonable to have different expectations on the higher-end, high-dollar scale models versus more traditional, economical & whimisical Thomas the Tank, Scout, or NASCAR train sets.

 

They're only not fun if you decide they're not.

Modern electronics has blown the doors off of conventional operating trains in features, operating variety and play value. I cannot go back to conventional operating trains.

The correct way of dealing with it is, of course, to simply not worry about what anyone else does with the hobby.

 

If I cared about how others approach the hobby, I would be even more of a basket case than I already am. 

Hi Steve.  My first engine was a Lionel  2037 also!  I like realism and prefer modern day stuff to postwar but to me it's still all about fun.  I don't get too worked about grab irons on the wrong side of the nose or headlight placement.  When I was a kid laying on the rug (we didn't have a "carpet!" lol) and watching the trains whizzing by, I was just so happy to have this cool-lookibng toy at my fingertips.   I don't ever want to lose that feeling.  

 

- Mike

Different strokes for different folks, that's what makes our hobby so diverse and interesting. I think we are all having fun doing what ever we like in the hobby, even the ones that may sound grumpy from time to time are having some fun sometimes. Just do the things you like with your trains, purchase what you like and enjoy it all while you can, life is short.

Fun for me is running an accurate scale steamer with lots of smoke and sounds at about 10-15 scale miles per hour with a string of accurate scale freight cars arranged in a consist similar to onesI've seen in old railroad films.

IMHO, There are "toy" trains and there are "model" trains. O gauge is at a point where the line between the two has become blurred. I think that both can be enjoyable or not. It depends on the person.

Although Lionel is not offering a lot of the "traditional" size and style products, there are still tons of them in the used marketplace.  There is plenty of space in the hobby for all kinds.  I enjoy super detailed prototypical stuff, whimsical stuff, and much of the traditional and post-war stuff.  Each piece has it's own charm.

 

I do stuff that fun for me, I don't really care what others think of how I run my RR.

 

I wonder if some of this consternation came about with the advent of the more detailed hi-rail layouts that took a page from HO in terms of realism, and that, in turn, was trumped by the advent of electronics. I heard many a comment from folks who would not submit their layouts photos because in hi-rail terms, it was "not good enough." The impression from a lot of publications was that hi-rail layouts were "the thing" and conventional less realistic layouts see less coverage..and then theres the aspect of "good enough"versus "not good enough" that then appeared. I remember as a young man that if you said AF was more realistic, you got run outta town and now it seems this scenario is reversed...the irony of all this is that nothing on the market is realistic in the strictest sense..whether it's two or three rails..it's all fantasy based. 

Many of us fuss about detail, sound and accuracy of those things with the scale sized equipment. You have to remember there is a MAJOR difference between the 027/Rail King stuff and the scale sized engines and cars. Many of us, myself included, got into (or back into) O Gauge because of the scale offerings.

 

If you're going to spend the money on tooling for a new product, why not get it right? Whether it's the door on the wrong side of the nose, or the wrong whistle for the steam engine, do the research and get it right. Sure Lionel will sell some Daylight colored Cab Forwards, but not nearly as many as the accurately

detailed, sound, and painted version. 

 

There's nothing wrong with your 6 cars train running around the loop at 150 mph, nor is there anything wrong with my 30 car scale sized train moving at a scale 30 mph.  $1000+ for steam engine, and $50+ per car, I expect this stuff to be accurate.

For me, trains are fun, meant to run and yes play with. One reason I like to set up Plasticville buildings and houses. I also like to see passenger trains running around the layout, but also do a little switching and setting up a freight train. I fear that the new breed of scales and features like the new BB and the cost of tracks, and accesories will eventually take the fun out of the hobby and turn them into investments. The average Joe won't be able to afford the trains for his kids, and the kids won't grow up with memories to buy them in the future.

As to proof, remember buying model kits when they were under a dollar, and seeing the same model now close to a 100.00? Todays kids don't buy them like they use to. When comic books started jumping in price from a dime to over a dollar, kids did not buy them, only the adult did for investments. I hope I'm wrong, but knowing many old codgers my age who say they would like to get  train as they had when younger, its not for the want of space, but lack of the dollars available. I'm hearing this, and seeing this already. The Hobby is getting to high in cost and outlay.

My engines maybe cheap, and not to scale, but the sounds and smell of the transformer is enough.

Sometimes I have more fun when my son and I play with his Lionel Thomas and Pennsy Flyers sets, running through wood block tunnels, shuttling Lego people and transporting Matchbox and Hot Wheels vehicles. He doesn't care about scale - it's just fun. 

 

I do enjoy my layout  - may not be as sophisticated or spacious as some but I have enough action that i haven't grown tired of it. And I run a mix of everything - rivet counting be ****ed!

 

On the flip side, the toy train types have been guilty of fussing regarding the non-scale or whimsical stuff too.

 

Look at the fuss some people had over the postwar Santa Fe F-3 remakes from a couple of years ago because the red paint was too dark and not shiny enough compared to the original postwar versions.  It's just a toy after all, why couldn't they enjoy it for what it was instead of complaining to Lionel about getting correctly painted shells?

 

How about the CC Berkshire?  People were fussing and mulling over which variation of the Berk it should be, whether it should have 3 or 4 pane cab side windows, Baldwin versus plain spoke drivers, etc.  It's just a toy, why not enjoy it however it's made?

 

Let's not even get started on the whole Polar Express thing.  A "scale" Polar Express?  Wanting a scale observation car with the exact same rear platform & roof end as shown in the movie?  Complaining of the road name being above instead of below on the cars? Not having simulated snow on the roofs?  Fussing over the number of cars?  Marker lights wrong on the starter set version?  It's just a toy, why not enjoy it however it's made?

 

 

...and the list goes on.  I call all those scenarios above "reverse rivet-counting."

 

 

 

 

 

Again, it's all not fun only if you decide it is.

It seems that folks from my generation usually start these kind of posts.  They had fun playing with trains in the 50s, and that is the kind of fun the want to reproduce today.  That is one aspect of this great hobby.

 

Since I grew up in projects, I did not have toy trains as a child.  My father-in-law and I did play with his Lionel trains when we visited him.  It was fun to do this with him, but I did not really get into the trains.  That is, until Lionel came out with RailSounds.  I bought him a couple, and for me running those engines was a lot more fun than the PW stuff.  Then Lionel came out with TMCC and I was hooked.

 

So I guess I'm one of the serious train folks since I'm Hi-Rail and want everything scale-sized and to look right together.  However, I do like to just run trains around the layout (and its fun).  I also like more realistic operation like switching cars from the yard to an industrial siding (and its fun).  I like the scale size equipment and search my LHS and trains shows for appropriate models (and its fun).  I have also set my layout era to 1949 PRR so that adds additional challenge in finding the correctly painted cars (and its fun).  The complexity of trying to set up my layout to run conventional, Legacy, and DCS with an eye towards using tablets for total control has kept me busy (and its fun).  I do enjoy trying to make realistic scenery (and its fun).

 

Oh, wait.  I guess I'm having fun with my trains.  And I thought I was serious about them.  Well, I need to go do something that is a serious matter for me; time with my family.

 

Take care, everyone.  And enjoy life.

The great part about being a model railroader is, there is something for everyone or nothing what ever the case maybe. You don't have to buy the top of the line or ready to run. You don't have to buy anything, if you enjoy what you already have you are way ahead of the rest of us in my opinion.

 

Sometimes I see some model railroaders dwelling on our differences rather then what we all have in common. No matter what scale, how many rails or how much money we spend we are adults/kids playing with toys and there is something great about that!

 

HAVE FUN!

There are many ways to enjoy the hobby, we all do it a little different.

 

If it's on the Internet you need a big FILTER on your end.  Ignore what you are not interested in, it's a waste of your time.  

Don't forget the #1 rule of forums:

DON"T FEED THE TROLLS

Dan

I have no problem with anyone enjoying the hobby as they see fit; my problem is with the high-and-mighty types who look down on those who don't meet their "standards".  I'm a toy-train guy myself, collecting and running MPC and LTI trains.  I couldn't care less about scale models; I've got a ton of HO scale models sitting in boxes that will probably be eBay'ed at some point.  But I don't begrudge anyone whose interests lie in scale or hi-rail trains.  If they're having fun, great!

No matter what your interests or likes, you can enjoy O gauge railroading.  It is a great hobby whether you do it on a real budget or you can order 3 or 4 of the $1500 to $2000 engines in the new catalog.  There is something for everyone and you can at least enjoy the expensive stuff by talking to others, and watching them on layout visits.  I will never own a Ferrari but it doesn't mean I totally ignore them or think they are too expensive.  I can still enjoy them at shows and converse with the owners.  Same for trains.

 

It is all in your attitude and how you enjoy the hobby.  While there will be no Big Boy for me or a gold plated Polar Express; I enjoy what I have and love to go to York just to look, learn and socialize with like minded hobbyists.  Searching for a good deal is the most fun!

 

 

Don't forget - there is a switch on the bottom of the Lionchief Plus that makes the engine conventional.

Dan

Who you callin' a "model railroader?"  I play with my toy trains, period.  No "railroading" involved.  I wanted to be a railroader I'd man up and put in an application with the UP.

 

Pete

I still find them fun, but then in my case the "fun" is in the form of operational and implementation problem solving. That's why I like helping people with odd spaces re-design layouts or more complex issues as I find the challenge to actually be relaxing. Weird way to have fun by some standards, but it works for me.

Now that is funny and true!

 

I only recently learned that a troll was more then something out of Norse mythology, yes I live a sheltered life.

 

We need a sign like at the zoo "Please don't feed the trolls"

 

Very funny loco-dan, thank you!

Forgive me Pete, I should have said "model railroaders and toy train players" I'd hate to put you in the wrong category.

 

Now man up and stop complaining! ;0

Where are the politically correct police when we need them?. LOL.

This is why I'm pretty much ignoring everyone that's trying to steer me to making my planned layout more realistic.  They are toys, and I'll play with them as toys.  The sounds and smokes are just icing on the cake.  Like said above, I hate the crew talk, but my 10 year old loves it.  You should of seen his face when he found out his locomotive he got for his birthday did it!  He couldn't find me fast enough to tell me it was talking and how cool that was.  My layout will be nice looking trains in a toy like world.  There'll be small Pikachus, LEGO compatible Daleks, and dinosaurs a plenty.  Why?  Because these are toys, and my boys love it that way.  I can't tell you how many time my open gondolas and hoppers have carried "passengers".  My VL BB will pull trains of old Marx tin plate cars, the open hopper "passenger" cars, and anything else I care to put behind it.  Like the characters found in Toy Story, my trains just want to be played with and love, and that they will, no matter what the nay sayers say.