Model RR Hobby by Region..

Population concentration....more in Chicagoland, more in Calif.  Kinda sparse in

Montana, Wyoming, and Nevada.

A strong railroad history coupled ( no pun intended) with the best selection of long standing/wellknown hobby shops.

One good reason could be that the east coast has the largest amount of railroads that date back to the mid 1800's, most of the technology was on the east coast. The state of Pennsylvania had a lot of smaller or short line railroads then many states had.

Florida got into the railroad late in the game but has three active rail lines today.

Lee Fritz

One word:  Basements

Except Florida, all the big member states have homes with basements.

Even a fancy new 3500sf house in Texas is not going to have enough room for a decent oscale layout

Interesting!  That too was my thought!  I grew up in NM and Tx, and I really can't recall ever seeing a layout in any of my friends homes.  Never saw one until my father's work took us to the wilds of Ohio.  In Ohio, it seemed that all of my friends had a train layout in the basement!  

All of the above factors certainly apply especially since all of the big cities east of the Mississippi were virtually surrounded by train traffic and a huge portion of our population resided in those cities.  Also, I think we must take into consideration that almost all of the toy train manufacturers were headquartered in the east especially in the New York and New Jersey areas.  Chief among these would be, of course, Lionel in New York and American Flyer in New Haven, Connecticut.  I think American Flyer was in Chicago up to WW ll but after the war Gilbert moved it to New Haven.  The presence of these toy train icons close to the great advertising firms and media outlets in the northeast had a huge impact on toy train interest, in my opinion.

I agree with all of the above as well. You have brought up some good points. You guys back East do have a lot of Hobby shops that I wish I could visit frequently!

To me, the PRR and NYC seem to be the most popular with the train manufacturers, and maybe the model railroaders as well. Sure is a lot of stuff available for these road names, at least in the few years I have been back in the hobby. Kind of feel sorry for you folks back East on that one, way too many things to take one's money!

I also find it fascinating that those railroads were so big at one time and now they are gone. The recent PBS show on the Pennsylvania Station was a real eye opener for me. What a massive project for the railroad to successfully complete and then 50 years or so later it's torn down because they are going broke. That's really kind of sad.

Now the two biggest railroads are in the West, UP and BNSF. But there is probably a lot more trains in the East still. The Western railroads seem to be doing well today, hopefully they will be able to keep it up. Not as much available in those road names compared to the ones back East either, and fewer model railroaders in the West as well. Wonder if this will ever change, or the Eastern roads will always be the dominate ones and the most model railroaders will always be in the East too?

When did the modern basement come about?  At one time they were stacked stones and dirt floors. After WW2 cinder blocks and poured concrete floors. Then pored concrete walls and tons of water proofing with insulation.

Remember pre-war it was trains from your grandfathers attic. 

Jim C,

You're right on the money there. The era of the, large "modern" basement came about well after WWII.

Granted the larger concentration of model train operators is in the eastern U.S. Some of this was brought about by the terrible winter weather for the most part. As you travel west the weather does improve. The winters are milder. More and more of the population can have more hobbies that can be enjoyed outdoors.

Then there's the west with weather that can be enjoyed almost all year. A comment was made about the large homes not having basements or rooms large enough for a good size layout. This may be true for the most part (re-read first sentence). I do live out west and I do have toy trains and a train room. Over the years I grew tired of the cramped smaller train room (10'X 12'). Years ago I build on an addition just for me & my toy trains. Now, if my wife does say something to me. She has to use telephone. 

BINGO!!!  Most trains were distributed on the East Coast!!!

Well, I have no idea when basements came into vogue, and I will certainly concede that the manufacturing of toy trains was, like almost everything else, concentrated on the right coast.  However, I am not sure how those two factors translate into the status as seen today.  Certainly folks not living on the right coast of the US, have an equal ability to acquire trains and fully participate in the hobby.  The fact remains - they don't, and neither the condition of basements prior to WWII or the place of manufacture would seem to apply now.

Perhaps, the train hobby has grown out of a "toy train culture" that evolved on the east coast?  I don't  know, but I do find it interesting!

YK

The eastern part of the US to Chicago has a rich tradition of railroading.  Consider that the western part of this country was mainly territories prior to the Civil War with the Transcontinental Railroad not being completed until 1869 when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific met in Utah.  All manufacturing from the time of the Civil War up to the 20th Century in which railroads were used to haul vast amounts of iron ore, coal, and other raw materials for iron and steel production centers was in the east.  The canals came first but once steam locomotives developed, there was no question that the most efficient use of that mode of transportation was to facilitate industrial development which was in the east.  Hence, there was extensive track building done in that region (See U.S. Historical Statistics for that period).  During the Civil War, railroads double-tracked lines in the North to make money transporting arms, food, munitions, and men. Railroads in the industrial north never made so much money during that war.  By the time of the 20th century, the network was established so much more so.  Large population centers were in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago and so passenger service developed there first and became a part of the eastern culture.  Therefore, there is an affinity for railroading in general in the east, more so than the west.  It's just like the professional baseball teams.  How many teams in either league were located in the west in the early days of baseball through the 1950's?  The Dodgers in LA came from Brooklyn, the Giants from New York, and other teams came into being afterward.  But it all started in the east.  Therefore, I think it's a cultural thing more than anything else insofar as why model railroading and toy trains have been more popular in the east.  It's a legacy from the old days.

Just being facetious but kids in Pennsylvania got trains for Christmas; those in California got surfboards!

Then there's the fact that Lionel was born in New York & New Jersey.....We had all those great train layouts in New York City....

The weather in the West and SouthWest is better than in the East, so there is a tendency to spend more time out of doors in the West. Trains are not the only activity impacted by this difference.  The western house is smaller with patios and car ports and more outdoor living space. When I was young I can remember only one Christmas that was not warm and sunny. I was not inside playing with my trains, I was outside riding my bike.  

I grew up in the Bronx.....my 1st memory is watching the #6 EL from my grandfather's shoulder.....any wonder why I'm hooked?

Peter

When Joshua Lionel Cowen started Lionel Manufacturing Corp. in 1900, He was based on the east coast as were his competitors. As trains began flying off the assymbly line, Lionel modeled trains from the east coast. It wasn't until years later that Lionel started to model trains from the west coast to capture the toy train market of west coast boys.

     The real railroads also started on the east coast. The east coast has dominated from the start.

I have some friends in the southern, sunny states that put their layouts in their garages. They will often open the doors and run trains to the openness of having built in the garage.

More outdoor hobbies in the Western US.

Lots of good points!  Like most things, there is rarely a single cause!  

Living in Jacksonville, and seeing my Brother-Laws "O" scale layout in his garage, and problems he had with the "salt" air, (its all around here, another reason you don't hang clothes out to dry,) and the Humidity, dust, etc. Believe me, it was not a pretty sight after countless hours of work on it, and the damage of heat and humidity.   A garage is not a good place to build a layout, unless you plan to humidify and cool it. I finally got permission to build a layout in a spare bedroom. Thank you wife.

But its one reason, besides lack of Hobby Dealers in area, that there is very little Model Railroading in area. Though there are a lot of collectors.