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 Posted - November 07 2017 : 3:54:57 PM
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I'm curious about whether anyone else finds themselves living in a "model train desert"...
I currently live in the area where I was born (back in the 1950s), a region in Central Appalachia where 99.9% of the towns that stand today owe their very existence to the advent of the railroads during the last half of the 19th century.
The subject of local railroad _history_ is very popular in the area, but my nearest hobby shop is about 120 miles (round trip) away, and the 2nd nearest one about 200 miles from here. Local train shows are scarce as hen's teeth and local train shows where you can actually find any kind of selection of model trains for sale just doesn't exist near me.
Several attempts have been made in my area during recent decades to establish local railroad historical societies and/or model railroad clubs or "community layouts", but there is a sizeable group of locals that always have come forth to openly voice their opposition to any project that involves "grown men playing with trains." Unfortunately, many of those who think that way are local city council members, mayors, and other local government leaders that can "put the whammy" on such plans.
So, while I've come to accept that fact that I'm living in a dystopian Hootersville, I'm wondering if this is just a local phenomenon, or if this sort of thing happens elsewhere...
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Posted - November 07 2017 : 4:58:43 PM
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General Sherman, of Civil War fame, once said, "If I owned Hell and El Paso, I'd live in Hell and lease out El Paso." Trains came to this berg in 1881,
and we've enjoyed a model train club since about 1950.
You might try going onto Craigslist and promote a modular train club,
and have each member contribute a 2 x 6 foot section. This might
be tough to get going, but it is the direction a lot of clubs have gone,
as owning a building is often quite a hat trick. Do quarterly shows at the
mall and such.
Edited by - Chops124 on November 07 2017 5:00:02 PM
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Posted - November 07 2017 : 7:43:40 PM
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@Chops124,
A modular train club is a good idea. Thanks, I hadn't thought about that, and if I can get a little healthier over the winter months, I may try to pitch that idea locally come springtime.
I just think it weird that locals love to embrace local railroad history (to the point of they'll even make up history at times) while at the same time being so opposed to model railroading or anything connected with it. I'm pretty sure if they were forced to choose, the local powers that be would pick supporting a local witches coven vs. allowing a model railroad gathering.
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Posted - November 07 2017 : 10:19:15 PM
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Localoid,
Sorry to hear that there is opposition to something so simple and fun as a railroad club in the middle of an area that exists due to the railroads.
Have you considered forming the club in a nearby town that would be more receptive to this idea?
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Posted - November 08 2017 : 10:13:38 AM
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We've seen similar opposition here. Union Station, built 1910 in El Paso is still used by Amtrak
and the rest of this cavernous space is leased out by the School of Architecture, UTEP and
our useless bus service, Sun Metro.
Very lovely old building, thousands of square feet of unused space. Amtrak likes us, but the other two
lease holders won't let us on the property, even for a day on National Train Day.
We got our own liability insurance, but they won't let us near the place. It appears to be some kind of
weird turf thing.
It is hard to believe that such petty behavior runs all this, but it it does. I shake my head in wonder. I cannot
wrap my brain around this concept, but there it is. We have tried for years to persuade these people otherwise.
Trying to get modelers to build their own modules is another trick. Most modelers shy away from the
carpentry. I got a guy out here who will build modules for Club members at cost of material only, and
he knows what he is doing, but no takers.
Population density has some advantage: cities like Dallas and San Antonio have thriving modular clubs,
but they have enormous populations, so the 0.1% aggregate.
As a back up plan, the current modules for the El Paso Model Train Club will become our next train club if
the current roof busts a major leak. I would put them up in a storage unit and divide the monthly rental
by the number of members, which could be as little as $5/month/member.
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Posted - November 08 2017 : 10:28:56 AM
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Another thought: become model train club of one. I did this for a while: create a portable layout
in the scale of your choice, and set up at Comic Con Festivals, collectible shows, craft fairs, anywhere
creative individuals are drawn to. Make it portable enough to get out to regional model train shows.
The nearest one to me is 200 miles away in Albuquerque, so it should be better for you, I
would think, health allowing.
I met people, made some good friends, and you can build up slowly from there. For my portable layout,
I used a 2 x 6 module with city scape and a trolley track. It doesn't have to be brilliant, just has to be.
Most people can't do brilliant, I can't, so that it looks a little home baked serves to encourage, not discourage, prospects.
Also, talk to the hobby store owner and see if they will let you set up in a corner of the store, or likely
on the sidewalk. Like a busy Saturday. It will likely stimulate sales, tell him. And it will.
Set up a "Round Robin" of the people you meet, or organize such on Craigslist Community Events. As a
group, you go see other's layouts, two or even three on a given Saturday. I've done this.
The basic trick to developing membership is to show an interest in the other guy's stuff. Age old Dale
Carnegie method. Hold off rattling on about your Spectrum Big Boy and ask him what roads, eras, etc.
he models.
Edited by - Chops124 on November 08 2017 10:47:47 AM
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Posted - November 11 2017 : 12:36:00 PM
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Wow, it's pretty sad when local politicians are AGAINST Model trains? really?! Time to vote them out! I live in a heavy suburban area near Washington, DC, plenty of shows around, but the hobby stores have dropped off, one by one, two left now out of the 5 there used to be. My club also has a layout in the VRE cummuter / Amtrak station on Base Qauntico in Quantico, VA, the mayor actually helped us get in, there were few takers of the floorspace, as the local commuter train only runs Monday-Friday, and Amtrak stops there, but you can't buy tickets there. We were extremely lucky to be able to get into the space, and the lease is about $100 a month, I think. Not bad for around here! Sorry your little area sucks to have such attitudes like that. I'd say a modular layout would be a reasonable alternative, and if you can get one guy to build the basic units , then that solves a lot of the problems with people not wanting to do the carpentry themselves. Might just have to start out slow, with a few members and a tiny layout, generate some interest first, and go from there. New concepts sometimes takes awhile to percolate with people.
Jerry in northern Virginia
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - November 11 2017 : 1:45:23 PM
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Yes, I hear this story often, where some bureaucrat takes ownership,
in a territorial fashion, of a public space and become mini-dictators.
Clearly, it is forgotten, if it was ever known, they are public servants,
not public masters.
I suspect the advantage of the heavy suburban area of DC is its
poplulation density. More people = more human capital.
El Paso's little train club teeters on because
of a fortuitous donation of a building by the Rotary Club and a great
deal of sweat equity dating to 1986. The building, not a very sturdy
affair, dates to about 1967 and is showing its age.
I don't know the details, but my general information is that
San Antonio maintains one train club in a fixed base in a mall,
a rather low end place that looks a bit vacant, and a number of
modular clubs that have fairly strict NMRA based regulations on
modular construction that have fairly large memberships and
quite frequent shows- this pertaining to Dallas. Of Houston I
know virtually nothing. Again, my information is third hand.
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