Layout Visitors-Train People Verses Non-Train People

What do you think?  I think it's all about the quality of the time spent.  No need for me seperate or catagorize.  Ok you got me...I will catagorize...it's all about the fun had with trains.

-rog

PTC, I guess the question could depend on "who would you like to impress?"

I had a traveling layout years ago built on a door with the idea of encouraging people with young children to get involved in the hobby, and to show them it could be done without spending a fortune.

Manual switches operated "automatically" with fish line, 027 track with ties added... all purchased used. Manually operated accessories built from commonly available department store toys, like farm and construction sets. All simple ideas that were not super complicated, so that folks could get inspired that they could not only do the things I had done, but even come up with their own ideas... an element that has been lost in the hobby today with the pre-packaged, ready-to-run kinds of products.

I had a Warner Brothers Taz figure I took off the end of a pencil, mounted it to a motor, so when you pressed a button, it would spin like crazy. It didn't do anything else, yet kids and parents alike loved it.

I got a lot of questions like "how did you do that? or "how did you make that?" Mothers in particular would ask about the costs, so I also had saved all the receipts to show just how cheaply I had built the layout. Many times it was the mom's who were taking notes and taking photos of the layout.

Modern road names on 027 trains. Yeah, I know Conrail and Norfolk Southern didn't operate Alco FA2's - but on my layout they did. Kids and parents might not have realized the locomotive model, but they sure made a visual recognition to the paint schemes that were seen on the rails at that time.

There were always more expensive, more impressive trains and train layouts at the shows, yet I always had a crowd. People would always look at the other more expensive trains and undoubtedly be impressed. Yet they'd come back saying "we like your layout... it seems like something we could do."

I guess my take on the hobby is different. The phrase "The magic of Lionel" has been used for decades, not just by Lionel but by many others. To me, that magic is not that the trains are exact replicas and sound and perform just like real trains. The magic is that they "appear" to be like real trains.

To be honest I really haven't had any train people look @ the layout. It just has worked out that way. All my visitors have been "civilians"

A person's perception, and subsequent appreciation of, anything largely depends on their prior knowledge and experience.

That is an interesting question.  I have had both people into model trains and other visitors, young and old, with no train related interest's at all.

The train hobbyist visitor, no matter what scale, had no problem operating the trains on my layout with a little instruction on the Legacy operating system.  They already had appreciation for how much work goes into the construction of the layout and they always had very interesting questions on my wiring, lighting, construction materials, ets.  They also had fun with some of my operating accessories, train dialogs and sounds.

The non train visitors, relatives, friends and acquaintances, were more in "awe" of my layout and the ability of my O gauge trains to do various operations and sounds.  I am selective when it comes to these "civilians" operating my trains but have rather slow and special motorized units for them to operate, usually in the conventional mode. 

I tend to prepare myself when I show the layout to various age and types of visitors and it has worked out just fine for everyone.  I will operate the Legacy engines and operating system to "show off" their capabilities, but I have just as much fun watching a boy, girl or adult take a dockside switcher train around the layout by themselves and just play and have fun.  It's all good to me.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Not many train people in these parts. (very rural) I usually don't invite anybody to the train room unless they express an interest in seeing the layout or initiate some kind of train related discussion with me. The exception would be children of my friends whom I know might be old enough to be interested.

While I like sharing trains the hobby is for my indulgence. If I spent time alone in the layout room that's good enough. A local train-buddy would be cool but it hasn't happened yet.

Michael:

I can completely relate to your comments as we also live in a very rural area. There are few train people, never mind just restricting it to O-Gauge, within 25 miles from our home. However, living in a rural area does not mean we are devoid of friends who regularly visit us. Both my wife and I are so much into our hobby that it is easy for us to talk about our layout whenever we are given the opportunity to do so. It is natural for our friends to seek out what our interest in trains is all about which then promotes visitors to the layout.

As far as folks who are active in our hobby, and despite the rural area we live in, we have held two very successful summer outings at our home within the past two years that has given us a wonderful opportunity to share our layout with many Forum members. Some traveled hundreds of miles just to attend. So my take is no matter where you live, there is a way to share your hobby if you are so inclined to do so. This is strictly a personal decision as many like their privacy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

For us, sharing our hobby is important and we do it as often as we can.

"Showing it" may be fun, yet isn't everyone operating it the most fun? Especially when others come over, even those without a real interest and still run some trains? A little food, soda and some laughter! Especially after technical difficulties, human or control system induced. (Rivet Counters being the exception!)

You mention living in a rural area and I understand that is a limiting factor for having nearby O gauge friends.  I live in a fairly small town (11,000) but we are close to Chicago (50 - 60 miles). 

What has amazed me is how many train people live so close to me that I did not know about.  I have met people through this forum but even more through my local hobby shop.  I have met people at one of our garage sales and at church.  I have met people selling train things through ads in the local paper.  Three of my best train friends live ten minutes or less from me.  And going to the monthly train show at the DuPage Fairgrounds has enabled me to meet even more.  So, I wonder how many more train people there are that live close to me than I still haven't met?

Art 

With our modular club, our visitors are 95% non-train people. That said almost everyone knows what "Lionel" is. In civilian speak "O Gauge 3 Rail". If you even try to explain branding such as MTH, Atlas, or others eyes roll in the back of their heads.

FWIW, I can't recall a single child that didn't enjoy seeing the trains run. I have met quite a few parents who didn't care to be "bothered" with trains.

Gilly

After the looking novelty has worn off,it seems that most if not

all would like to interact with the layout in some way. Anything from

blowing the whistle to pushing a button to make the crossing gates

come down. If they are really lucky the owner has a Lion chief engine

that they can easily run.

At Christmas time we put candy canes in a couple of 3469 dump cars.

It's great to see the faces when the MAGIC train stops and dumps a

candy cane in front of them...

My opinion is that the visitors are as diverse as the hobby itself....

Almost 3 years ago, I held a "train smoker" for 20 or so people.  Everyone except infants got to run the trains (CAB-1 remotes).  The layout didn't have much scenery or many buildings, but most people enjoyed it.  They were, with two exceptions, not model railroaders.  I think most were mesmerized. I don't recall a lot of questions.

George

Art,

Looking at your profile, I am guessing you live in the town next to mine.  I would like to meet you sometime.  I have not been to the Dupage show for several years, but I was thinking about come out this Fall.  Your post is interesting in the people you have met because I met a guy off the Forum yesterday that lives less than 5 minutes from me.  I was surprised to find that I lived so close to someone that had interest in O’gauge Trains and layout.  I don’t have permanent layout, but I set-up a good size Christmas layout every year.  The only people that have come see it are family members because I have not known anyone that was interested.

Ken 

Ken - The easiest way to meet would be to get up early and join us at the next DuPage show on Sept 14.  We always meet at 7:00 AM at The Verdict Rest. which is on County Farm RD in Wheaton just north of Roosevelt.  We have breakfast, talk trains and then head off to the show before the front doors open to the public.  This is a quick way to meet 8 to 12 guys that love trains, are socialble, and enjoy each other's company.

Art 

Ken:

I can assure you that if you take Art up on his offer, you will have a great time. No better way to meet many of your Forum friends. This is how a met Art and this led to making many train friends in the Chicagoland area.

Art,

I will try to make it out next week.  If not I will try to get there in October. 

Thanks

Ken

I'm not really at a level of completion to show my layout, but I have had a number of people see it. But I have no real desire to impress "train people" no offense intended. I hope to have a finished looking layout, although not really, done by the holidays. To the end of "non train" viewers I have built in a number of , I'll call them "non train references" into the layout. IE: one of the painted ladies, victorian house from San Francisco with the family from "Family guy" viewable thru the front window waching TV. A muffler shop, from The 70's Show, The Ghost Busters Firehouse complete with Ecto1 and The Stay Puff Marshmellow man, Moe's tavern from the Simpson's, King Kong on top of a building housing Wolf Man Jacks radio station, an ACME warehouse, The Adam's Family house, The Munsters house, the Bates Mansion, the Bada Bing pizza parlor (reference to the Soprano's) and other local and comic characters and scenes. My hope is for the average person to look at the trains and animations, say look check it out the .......... from the ............. I would like the non train people to see and find somethings that they reconize in my layout. And I'm not really conventional anyway. I like  a little toy, and some humor, even twisted mixed in. In the hope of amusing the average person. So my hope is that you don't need to know an F3 from a SD45 or a Challenger to have fun looking for the humor, and a scene or character you reconize from TV, the Movies, or across town. I don't know yet how it's all going to work, but so far I get a lot of Coooooolllllll's.............................. and that my friends is what makes me grin.

The best visitors are the ones who bring their own beer, preferably something the host has a taste for.

Matthew, I will make sure I have a leash on him.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas this year as we hope to set up the club layout at the real estate office on Main Street again this year. Our lobby is the prettiest one in town (was an old bank) with a 25' ceiling, huge windows, and 5 chandeliers. It was a real hit last year.

I plan to be at the office as much as possible to keep the trains running this season and anticipate a lot of good comments and interest.

Thanks to all of you for your input. After giving this more thought, I have come to the conclusion that the best visitors are Forum members. They know their stuff, they have a keen interest in the layout, and the hospitality is the absolute best. We all have so much in common and that is the bond that cements this special relationship.

This is exactly my situation although I live in Southern CA. For the most part others in the family -- especially -- and friends have very little interest. There are occasional surprises but mostly it's my neighbor who comes by now and then to check progress. Very young and very old is quite a bit different and that's where I really enjoy sharing the layout. The mother of one of our close friends is in her late 80's and always spends about 30 minutes looking at the layout. Not so much the trains but the scenes and the memories they bring back to her. Also her son, who passed away from Leukemia was a big American Flyer fan. A while ago she gave me several boxes of his accessories collection. Some of the pieces like the Branford Diner enjoy a place of honor on the layout and that makes her happy which makes me happy too.

You are correct Matthew, I could not resist having a little fun. The Black Bear is prevalent here in Maine and every now and then, one comes across the yard. They are beautiful animals. However, I have not got close enough to one to put a leash around their neck. 

Hey Art.....you better watch out about how small your town is now.

I used to live in Naperville until 1973, at that time it was about 20 - 30 thousand folks

.......and now! My gosh!

What bums me out is, when I lived there, I never heard of the train shows at the Dupage County Fairgrounds........