Keeping the hobby thriving during not so good times

SB, I appreciate your optimism about The Greatest Hobby in the World and agree with your comments about technology and new, younger potential hobbyists.

The high tech consumer friendliness of LC, LC+ and LC+2.0 products makes me hopeful about model railroading, but the apparent impending loss of MTH makes me less so.

I have had some interesting thoughts recently about the model railroad hobby in relation to Covid 19. Prior to Covid, I thought of it as a past-time: something to do to pass the time that is fun and entertaining, but not vital or important. However, since Covid, I have thought of it as vital and important as well as fun and entertaining.

During the Covid crisis, model railroading can help keep us healthy, sane, and thanks to this Forum, connected to each other. This makes it vital and important for me, I suspect the same is true for many of you, my Forum friends, and potentially true for millions of others not yet introduced to our hobby.

IMO, Covid creates a great opportunity. We can grow the model railroading hobby by sharing with others our photos and videos of our trains and layouts, our enthusiasm, and how model railroading and this Forum has greatly helped us get through these challenging times. Arnold

I just recently paid a visit to a local train store that I never noticed before.  He is close to me in Newton NJ and I only found of the store's existence because of the listing in the dealer directory of the magazine.  He has a setup in the corner of his antiques store, and I figured I would at least buy some modeling supplies.  To my pleasant surprise I ended up buying 2 pieces of rolling stock.  He also discounted them for me without me asking.  I would have paid full price.  I was so happy that I could give him some business in these times.  I will be going back to pick up some scenery supplies in the future.

The name of the store is Feels Like Home.

The hobby may become smaller than it was in the 1950s or even what it is now, but I think there will always be a small number of people who are interested in trains and, by extension, model railroading. Due to cost and now a dearth of manufacturers, O gauge/scale may take a smaller market share in the future but there are numerous HO and N scale manufacturers that will support activity and competition in those scales.

As far as the hobby thriving in these difficult times, I have continued to purchase O gauge models during the pandemic and my trains, layouts, and the OGR Forum have been a frequent and essential activity for me while confined to home.

MELGAR

Covid has sped up progress on our layout by probably 15 years or so.  It was a great thing for us to work on as a family.  My wife and kids were building and painting mountains made out of shaper sheets, my third grade daughter spent hours landscaping a scene with a mobile home (bless her heart), and my second grade son built his own figure eight layout under the train table.  We have never appreciated this hobby as much as we have this winter, and while it doesn’t compare to the amazing layouts we see on this forum, it is a lot of fun to have something we put together as a family that is more intricate than just running trains on plywood.  I’ve definitely spent a few extra dollars with Nicholas Smith, Charles Ro and Woodland Scenics this winter.  For us it has been a real positive during these strange times.

Ben  

When I had Covid in December, I stayed home and played video games, trains, and spent time with the girlfriend since she got it too.

I couldn't agree more with everyone.  After about fifteen years of my trains just "existing" in the basement to be run once or twice a year, I have come back into the hobby full steam ahead (pun intended) in my post-Covid, semi-retirement.

What is amazing to me is the amount of help I can get both on this forum and on YouTube.  I never dreamed of building any of my own scenery... until now.  By observing photos/videos on here, and following some serious crafters' advice on YouTube, my train buddy observed, "looks like even YOU are getting crafty now!"