Interesting membership survey from "Guild News" UK

I have noticed that the younger modelers at my HO club like to run trains that see operating on today's railroads.  All of them, however, have a few steamers.  I believe that as long as real steam is kept alive by preservation and running programs that steam will still be popular.

 

Joe

I've thought about making a poll about this subject,but it seems like steam is the main theme in O gauge in the USA also.

Yes this makes me wonder what lies ahead for O Scale after the founding generations  pass on. MTH,Lionel & Atlas have invested mega dollars in O Scale,so they must think it's looking good,then again,all 3 companies have business lines in other scales too,so the gradual loss of O Scale wouldn't be a major setback.

I didn't mean to sound morbid in this reply or offensive to the steam eras,that isn't my point.

 

Thank you,Harmon for the figures.

 

Al Hummel

I am probably the lone wolf here and also 3 rail, but I am in my early 60's and model the present with diesels only, no steam. I do have a couple older diesels, an RS3 & SW1500 for mostly yard duty, but the rest are all 1990's or newer.

One, I am not sure you would get similar numbers here.  England has a lot more trains

running (or had when I was last there, not recently) and shorter distances to go to

see the restored lines.  Many Londoners ride the Underground, so have that exposure to

rail travel.  There does seem to be quite a bit of interest in restoring and maintaining

historical steam lines such as the Ffestiniog.

It is likely that many of the younger people entering some facet of the model train

hobby here in the U.S. may model what they see, vs. what there once was. Here, it can be a longer trip to running steam.  From my, probably biased toward steam position, I see what looks like a lot of the new varieties of diesels offered by the American manufacturers, with fewer, at least different, steam models.  This, to me, seems to indicate there is a higher percentage of  followers here in the post steam era.

 

If your the "lone wolf" we'll be traveling in a pack of 2 then,because I'm in the same ship. LOL I moved to 2 rail as I spent 30 years in HO,so the 3rd rail just didn't seem right & the larger flange wheels were just 'wrong" for me. No offense intended.

I'll let models from the late 70s in my modeling circle,such as 4750s decorated for the Chessie System & the Family Lines System Railroads,as I model CSX. Sure is impossible to find MTH or Atlas CSX GP 40 or 38s for road switching.

Al Hummel

I agree. Steam was gone from the railroad scene about 5-10 years before I was born and I love steam locomotives.

I would say, for many, if not most, that steam is simply more visually interesting, and modeling is nothing if not an exercise in visual interest/enjoyment.

I wouldn't take Gauge O Guild figures as fully representative of the UK O scale scene at all. As a society it is very steam-centric, & as the average member age shows, most of them will have seen steam in mainline service (ended 1968 in UK), not just on Heritage railways.
There is plenty of Diesel Era interest in the UK, maybe not many of those modellers are Guild members.Certainly for someone like me, modelling modern/recent US outline, personally I feel the Guild has little to offer except some good Shows, so my interests & opinions will never be reflected in any survey of their's. I'm not alone in the UK in doing US O, either, judging by the bidding that goes on, on ebay.co.uk whenever any Atlas stuff gets listed!!

And, I sort of doubt it's representative of very much in the US as well.

Several things that would not be typical of US modelers would be 1600 kit builders and 800 scratch builders in this survey. Years ago, a representative from Red Caboose told me they were getting many of their GP9 kits returned because modelers would not build them so they were shipping them to China to have them assembled.  Scratch building here is where the air gets pretty thin, rare, I would have to say.

I think a lot of us stick with earlier eras because the railroads did more small jobs.   there was a lot more local switching up through the 60s.   Local way freights were very common and a lot of us as kids saw them poking around everywhere all over town.

 

Today we mostly see unit trains or 100 car mixed trains.    They whiz by and go someplace.    we don't see them switching the local lumbar yard or fuel dealer.   we don't see them at the Feed Store or the team track.  

 

that local work is a lot of fun for many of us who like operating our trains with some sort of direction for switching like switchlists or car cards.    to some of us those big freights are neat and romantic, just kind of boring when you get to modeling them.

Actually I think there are also a couple more of us around here somewhere and I'm glad to see you are another one. The more the merrier, or should that be misery loves company? I like the 3rd rail. Makes all the wiring and things much easier and you don't have to worry about cleaning your track all the time. I use Atlas-O and hardly ever clean mine. I don't know if cleaning is a problem in 2 rail O, but my grandson has HO and cleaning is a constant problem with his track. I have mostly BNSF and that is the road I try to stick with.

 

I am prototypically challenged and know very little about the real rail roads and their equipment. The wheels, lobster claws, 3rd rail, etc. don't bother me in the least. I really don't know the difference other than I can have smaller curves, which to me is a plus for space requirements. May try some Kadee's someday? I bought some, but haven't installed any yet. We live near a couple of sets of BNSF racks and that is what we see around here.

 

One of the neat things about this hobby is the variety available to us. You can have toys, finely detailed models or anywhere in between. I think the selection we have in O gauge today is just incredible. We really have something for everyone, at least I think so anyway. 

Yes,I got interested in the railroads in the late '60s & know what you mean about switching small industries. The trains still do that,but industries have changed to. Many have gone out of business entirely.

So the trains aren't to blame,they'd still switch small industries if they existed.

Al Hummel

I hear this song sung repeatedly that scratchbuilding and kit building is either dead or dying, yet when I'm at the East Penn trolley meet, Q-car tells me it's not true and that he's sold more parts in the past year than ever before.

 

Maybe that's only within that subset, but I think that's also unlikely.  I look at what the prices of parts and details sell for on eBay and watch them sell for over retail.  Someone is buying the parts.

 

Or, are they just buying them as a future hedge?

 

I've been selling a good portion of my Walthers passenger car interior parts off and there's no shortage of buyers.

When I started my layout about 8 years ago I was going with the 1940's to early 1950's.

Steam and early diesels along with vehicles, cars and trucks. Fright cars and passenger cars all 1950's and earlier. Then I picked up my first Dash 8 and slowly added more and more modern equipment. Now it's all 1950's to present with the present taking over.  

Glad to make your acquaintance!

I & others can help you out on learning more about the prototype practices,what 1 doesn't know others can fill in the spaces. There's tons I don't know either,so don't feel left out.

Whatever you enjoy in modeling is great & you should pursue it & don't fret about criticisms you may get. 1 thing we all agree on is we're in railroading together,&while we disagree on things,when the dust settles we still got each other's backs. That's my mind set anyway, no matter how much I might disagree on things,those are just my opinions on likes & dislikes.

 

VERY GLAD to see your enjoying O scale. I'm in the planning stage trying to sell my HO&N Scale equipment to pay for my O scale. I started buying in 3rail,but after being in HO for 30+ years with 2 rail,I just had to stay with the 2 rail in O scale or stay in HO. Sales will still determine where I have to stay.

 

I do things the old way,for example I like to write up Switchlists,now called "Work orders". Same thing,just done more by computer,I think.

 

Nice talking with another fellow railroader. Have a great day!

 

Al Hummel

Nice meeting you as well.

I must agree that the UK O Gauge Society is very steam centric.  I met a member once and it appeared difficult for him to admit diesels had replaced steam.  

 

There are few diesel kits available and they are expensive.

 

In my O gauge 2 rail group there is only one steam locomotive.  The rest all run diesels and were all in the age group that could just remember steam in action. 

What happened to the MTH GP38-2s? Atlas was talking about doing a GP40 over a year ago but....??

Al Hummel

The stuff that dreams are made of..............