What we have to remember about non hobbyists

Any train, RTR or otherwise and no matter how much less expensive it might be today, is worth nothing if it isn't running but is stored for long periods in an attic!  How do we change that behavior so that they can be a train hobbyist?

I figured the end of civilization as we know it was around the corner when shop class was cut from almost every middle and high school out there. That, to me, was the signal the "Toss it and buy a new one" cabal had taken control.

When I was in Jr. High School, we took both wood shop and metal shop--it was a requirement.  At that time, the shop classes had band saws, lathes, etc.--far too dangerous today insofar as liability issues are concerned.  I was in the academic program in school and so I never took any more shop classes thereafter, but I always felt that I learned a great deal, drafting plans, using hand and power tools, and the use of soldering irons and tempering metals.  I made all kinds of useful projects--magazine racks, cabinets, metal boxes, funnels, chisels, and so on.  This was in 7th and 8th grade.  Once I graduated from high school and went on to college, I, like many other so-called "educated" people, tended to dismiss involvement in industrial arts.  One day when I came home from classes, the car I was driving had a problem.  My father, who just had an 8th grade education (one day, in fact), tinkered with the car and got it running smoothly again.  Then he looked at me and said with a great deal of wisdom: "They don't teach you that in college, do they?  I was ashamed of myself.  From that point on, I had the utmost respect and admiration for those skills.  I tried to learn everything I could about fixing things myself and took adult evening classes in auto mechanics.  I became naturally curious about those things that others could do that I couldn't (plumbing, electrical work, landscaping, remodeling).  Now, I am far from being an auto technician or a master carpenter. But that experience has given me the confidence to try to fix any problem, even if I may not be successful.  Yes, it's true that early experiences in industrial arts can be valuable, even if one doesn't use those skills until later in life--at least it provides the confidence that one might need just to try.  So it is with trains.  People don't realize how much a child can learn just in setting up a layout.  Elemental electric principles, resolving mechanical issues, working with plaster of paris or other landscaping materials, painting, etc.  All of these things have transferable skills and can also build up the confidence of the child.   The effect on self-esteem is remarkable--just like when I was able to fix that old car without my Dad's help!  

As I recall, my daughter lost interest in the train after a year or two. I was traveling a lot for my job at the time (as I did for many years following) and it just got set aside. My daughter now having a son (and me a grandson) and my retirement is what got me interested again. I had a small 4'x8' layout as a kid and always wanted a bigger one.

I got re-interested in the hobby again around 2010 when shopping for a train set for my grandson's birthday. We got him a set and then I finally got some trains within a year or so of that. Probably would have been sooner for me, but there was so much new stuff available and command control and everything it took me a while to catch up before deciding which way to go. I am still overwhelmed by the selections, it's amazing.

It looks to me like the train manufacturers really are trying to keep folks interested more now days. There is just so many things to choose from now. If that doesn't keep one's interest high, I don't know what will. O gauge is still expensive, but it always has been. Things like Lion Chief seem to be making things easier for beginners as well as keeping costs down and interest up. I think they are going in the right direction.

Most things today are not made to be repaired.  This includes model trains.  Only the manufacturer or a qualified repair person can fix the electronics.  I can lubricate engines and solve simple issues but I don't have the skill or equipment to test circuit boards or make complex repairs.  

I don't have any kids but I do have two 6th graders who live across the street.  They both got an Xbox for Christmas.  I asked them if they played any games on it yet.  No they hadn't.  Their mother couldn't set it up and their father hadn't arrived to connect it yet.  (The parents are divorced.)  There was another problem.  The Microsoft Xbox site was down for a few days.

I know that if I had an Xbox I couldn't pull it apart and fix it if it didn't work.  I could probably set it up by reading the manual but I felt that the project was best left to their father.

When I was in the military 20 years ago we didn't repair electronic parts, we replaced them with something from stock.  We usually had the high failure rate parts for most equipment.

Most of us couldn't take apart a cell phone and repair it either.  

I suppose the point is that we are more and more dependent on others.  This is the way the world is going and we are along for the ride.

Joe

There is a reason for our inability or even inclination to repair things today--electronics!  In the past, most things were mechanical and not digital in operational systems.  The Maytag company which produced washing machines had the best transmission system for its simplicity and dependability.  Mechanical engineers designed a truly great machine.  This was stated to me by a relative who maintained the machines in a commercial laundromat.  Today, we are clueless how things seem to operate in a digital age.  For example, if my computer internet connection is lost, the first thing I have to do is unplug it and then re-plug it (computer geeks call this "refreshing.").  Now my mentality says why should you have to unplug something and re-plug it to have it operational?  The electricity flows in and out--it is either on or off.  But the circuitry defies this everyday logic because the unplugging and re-plugging performs an internal function to the system.  The initial inclination is to suspect something seriously wrong when there isn't.  It just requires "refreshing."  When such a phenomenon meets our older antiquated methodology in diagnosing a problem, we often get paranoid and have to rely on the new technological people because our old mindset from years of experience dealing with electronic problems is no longer valid.  We can certainly fix things just like the computer geeks, but we don't because our prior experience which is no longer relevant creates conflict in the ways we approach and view those complex systems.  This was brought about recently when I was told to open the gas tank just to eliminate a sensor warning light on my car.  After you have that happen to you, is it any wonder that you are no longer confident in fixing things that rely on those electronic gremlins? 

And here's  the real problem: 

They both got an Xbox for Christmas.  I asked them if they played any games on it yet.  No they hadn't.  Their mother couldn't set it up and their father hadn't arrived to connect it yet.  (The parents are divorced.)  There was another problem.  The Microsoft Xbox site was down for a few days.

Families without men present begetting more families without men present.  Take that a few generations down the road, and the world needs to produce "Plug 'N Play" for boys raised without fathers who also were raised without fathers.

Sad, but true.

One other thought:  back in the mid 70's Santa brought me a Lionel/MPC block signal.  It came with a 153C and some short wires.  I asked my Dad to hook it up for me.  He told me he could supply the wire and wire cutters, but that it was up to me to read the instructions and wire it up.  The schematic was pretty complex for a ten year old.

That sense of accomplishment when I got it to work was worth the effort. 

Jon

Same here -- my dad made me figure out the traditional Lionel crossing signal with the red lights (that I was disappointed didn't blink).  I was around the same age.

Around this same age I did a few summer day camps that involved basic woodworking / carpentry.  The stuff I made there -- I still have some of it.  But learning to use tools and what-not was very gratifying for a kid my age.

My parents also imparted the life lessons about dressing neatly/respectfully.  We appreciate our parents more as we get older and deal with our own kids.

Self Esteem is an earned trait. 

I just finished reading the in-depth article on Plug 'N Play in the LCCA's "The Lion Roars".  And while it seems overly simplified at first glimpse, the new Lionel system allows for much greater flexibility, along with the introduction of a combined Momentary/On-Off switch to replace the much-hated accessory mini-switches we've had lo, these last 40 years.

Jon

Shop classes are valuable and their loss is a real problem. I took a year of shop in high school back in the Sixties, one semester of wood shop and one semester of metal shop. I was a top academic-track student and a lot of people thought I was crazy to take shop. The shop teacher didn't want me there and I took some harassment from the other kids. It didn't do my GPA any good, but I picked up a lot of background that was useful in later life. 

I took wood, metal I, metal II, print, electric. The metal I class included automobile engine basics.
I didn't use any of what I learned for my profession, but the classes gave me a lot of basic information that I have found useful.