Jim Thomerson

I was in the Chicago area over Thanksgiving and looked in the phone book for hobby shops. What I saw was a fair number of places for model trains and a few places for model airplanes. I think this is not a unique situation. We talk about decline in interest in model aviation in part because airplanes don't have the glory they did in Lindberg's day. OK, with NASCAR and all you can understand the popularity of model cars. But why do model railroads do so well? What is their secret?

Jim

crownvic

Its gotta be the tunnels

MathmanAHS

Not entirely sure, but it could be a couple of things:

- The ability to completely manipulate and build a little "world" that you control

- it is entirely year round. No snow, wind, or rain stopping your train indoors

- Cost? I don't know how much it costs, thus the question mark

- Something you can do at home

There are more possibilities than this, I am sure.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Perhaps one factor is other than the building of the layout it requires no where near the skills that must be learned to operate one.

John

ben flyn

YOU DON"T CRASH'M!!!!!

Live Wire

[>:]

exeter_acres

My Feedback: (2)

didn't you ever watch the Munsters??


They crashed'm..... but good![>:]

ben flyn

That would be the Adam's Family.

MinnFlyer

My Feedback: (4)

The tunnels... Fellini... I get it!

Gringo Flyer

My Feedback: (18)

I think its the cool conductor hats they wear that attract all the modelers. Maybe us RCérs need some cool hats or helmets like the real pilots wear.

Throttle

I would like to do both but don't have the room or the money. So I stay with RC flying.

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

Trains have always interested me. They are such cool machines. It amazes me that they pull an enourmous number of tons of weight. I have had a few breif stints with model railroading. I have a little N scale setup in my basement that does nothing now. It's small, about 3' x 4' .When they run right they can be fun with the little nephew around. The funner part was using plaster of paris, styrofoam and newspapers to make a tunnel/mountain. I have never really been artistic. But making the little mountains then adding the landscape and making it look real was fun. I need to do stuff, I get bored quick watching a train go a circles. Thats why I fly RC.

Sean

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

It must be the adrenaline rush.

Bruno Stachel

My Feedback: (4)

You don't have to drive for miles to find a place to run your trains. You just go to the basement or a spare room. You don't have to join a club. You don't have to join the AMA. You don't have to clean fuel off your trains when done running them. You don't have to dismantle your trains and load them in your vehicle. Just turn off the power and a leave. When the trains crash, you just put them back on the track, and let them go.

I have a small collection of Marklin HO trains. I tried to give them up when I got into RC, but my son really likes them. So now I'm juggling both hobbies. Right now, any airplane building is on hold while we work on a layout. We're trying to get it done for Christmas. There's something about model trains that helps a father and son bond. Some of my best memories are of my dad and I playing with trains, and taking annual trips to downtown Cincinnati for CG&E's (Now Cinergy) Christmas train display. I'm sure there are many stories of dads and sons bonding over model planes. But for some of the above and other reasons, I believe there are a lot more fathers and sons that bonded over trains.

ben flyn

So now you go outside and fly your plane in circles?

ifixairplanes

My Feedback: (9)

The way I fly, is far from circles. [X(]

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

I was going to build a model R.R. before I started planes; my stepdad was a huge train buff and had a big Lionel collection long time ago. We started collecting N-scale stuff and had gotten to doing the framework of our table when he died. I kept the stuff for three years and never went anywhere with it, finally sold it all and bought my first planes and equipment with the money. It appealed to me as a builder, and the weather doesn't keep you from railroading, but the idea got kind of stale, unless you're like Gomez (Addam's Family,) crashing wasn't in the picture either, but neither was the excitement that flying provides. Costs? I had two locomotives that I gave over $400 each for (N-scale, 1:160, they were only 5 inches long) it's no different from airplanes. Quality stuff costs, but generally worth it

jettstarblue

Sniff.....alright guys this here thread has nuthin' ta do with R/C planes, so I'm shuttin' it down.....

Live Wire

[You must be swiging from the luck bucket!

[8D]

Hill202

My Feedback: (24)

uh-oh, the deputy is gonna get him

cwrr5

My Feedback: (32)

Obviously there is a lot of intrest though(look at the number of posts already!) Maybe the two are somehow connected... ? Maybe the love of creating and operating models?

rscarawa

Maybe the weather in Chicago is not condusive to flying? It is the windy city you know.

jettstarblue

I DO know a guy who operates his massive train outfit with Futaba R/C radio equipment.....

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

I've always thought of model trains as single channel RC.

Live Wire

Looks like we are in the wrong hobby! but they need one to back up. Maybe thats what is wrong ,wrong channel