This was posted over at Atlas, but it is mostly Z scale. http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/comments_microtrains Looks like Joe snooping around in the background...
It always amazes me that the most common excuse for not going into or even giving Z a try is "my eyesight". Please fellows, you saw who won almost ALL the awards at the NTS2008. I don't think it is your eyesight as much as your lazy you know what's. The biggest percentage of new Z scalers are people who are finally realizing Z scale is alive and more than well, and that you can do so much more in the same space many of us have to live with. Troglodites by their very nature will always be happy in the dark, never knowing what they're missing because in their caves the light bulb just won't/can't come on. Enjoying Z with 20/800 eyesight, Jim CCRR http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/500/IMG_4376.JPG
Jim, it reminds me of the Friends episode where the tall girl keep saying," MY EYES, MY EYES, MY EYES"
I really like the "bad eyes" excuse that many people use. I started Z Scale at age 68 and truly do have "bad eyes" but somehow managed to built nearly 50 structures for my Prairie Village module. --Steve from the other Phoenix
At 46 years of age my eye site is finally starting to give me grief. I have to hold things much further away that ever before and it is quite annoying. Even installing a kadee coupler on an HO frieght car is difficult these days. However, I am selling all of my HO, most of my N to reinvest in Z because I can "see" (visualize) things in Z so much clearer than in any other scale. When I look at my available space I can actually see what it will look like in Z. If I have to wear a magnifying lenses to see what I need to then so be it! Z is my future. I am a Zeek! LOL
At NTS, wasn't anyone under 40, most over 50. As you can tell from the postsan either way too long timers with really no reason to change at this point in life. The quite ones are the thinkers and creative ones, like the one poster that picked up a GP and a flat. Wait 'til he gets a GP7 or a bit more detailed car than the flat and he's heading for the boat. I've passed on some various cars to newbies at the shows (come on, you know you have many dozens of cars and can easily give up that one to the new guy as a seed). I got into only in the last 3 years and can really see the almost timely blossoming of Z. You long timers should be really aware of the more explosive recent years of Z. .
Come on Steve, fess up. You had those three Swedish Cheerleaders you have locked up in the bunker under your trailer do the work. ) Joe MTL
They were not Swedish, they were Danish and there were only two. That's all an old man can handle. And besides, you know they don't work for free.
Wait a minute! I have something to ADD to the Reasons "Z" is growing!!! First I want to say this, I have probably seen two or three "F" series Locos on the tracks in operation, ever, in my lifetime. Most of my visual relations with Trains starts from the GP's/SD's I saw from the early 70's (SP/SSW line behind my house, WOW!) to the monsters on the rails today. When ever you hear me say the word "Modern" it is from what I relate back to my childhood watching those Southern Pacific and Cotton Belt locos. Modern! Modern is my reason for getting into Z scale. I have nothing against steam or transition era except I was not there. I have no idea, other than thru photos, what it all looked like or how it was. Stories and photos can only go so far. The movies the Great Locomotive Chase, Emporer of the North, the Train, Von Ryan's Express and a select few others have lots of older Train footages that are awesome. I want to re-create the Civil War chase of the 4-4-0 "General" in Z scale. I want to make a module for "A Number 1" to ride on the 19 in Z scale too! But, the real reason I think people are getting into Z scale is; The production of Big diesel monsters and modern rollingstock. It's a visual recognition thing. I see it on the rails today and want to model it!!! Hobo Tim
I think MT is one of the biggest reasons for the surge in popularity. When I first saw Marklin Z I thought it was cool but couldn't get past the grappling hooks that were used for couplers. Since MT started producing more prototypically correct couplers and highly detailed rolling stock I think more people saw the scale as viable.
I think I agree with Tim and also the comment about MT. I was an N scale guy since 1988 (I was 8 at that time ) Whenever the GP35 was released that was the first modern locomotive that I wanted and that was affordable for me at the time (I wanted Rouge and AZL loco's, just couldn't afford them since I was in college at the time). In the last three years I've gone from 1 Marklin trainset to selling almost all my N scale and going Z. My cabinets are now full of Z (each cabinet holds 88-102 Z scale loco's / rolling stock). I now have to buy another cabinet to display all my Z stuff! I'm still in my 20's so hopefully my eyesight will still be good for a couple more decades
I think this thread is interesting because it points out the difficulty in achieving anything approaching balance in your product choices. One of the things that drive my selections are the basic business matrix that calls for stuff that had a lot of roads and lots of numbers. While I see the value of doing something like the Sd70-80-90...etc, because of the consolodation of the railroad industry, they don't offer much variety and we would quickly run out of road names. Same goes for ultra moder rolling stock, a good amount of it is built for one specific railroad or one specific industry, you don't get too many PS1 type cars today. I suspect if you could have two passenger car sets, the same price, one being the modern bi-level billboard stuff and the other being the SP Daylight or a famous East Coast consist, the older set would win hands down. I think a lot of this has to do with the average age of the modeler these days, most want things they remember, now what's shaking the windows today. If there were more younger modelers in the mix, then I think things might be more balanced because you would be playing to their frame of reference. Tim, given his tender age of 41 ) represents the lower end of geezer-dom so I can understand his flurting with big huge trains. Most of us I think have a specific time frame we are attracted to for what ever reason...wether it's because of a paint scheme or a time in our lives. Hopefully as we march through the prototypes we can offer something more modern, more often. Cheers Joe
Joe, what I really don't understand is why we don't have a Switcher (except Lajos SW-1). It would be so cool for a switching Layout or a Timesaver and "hundreds" of Road Names would be possible. Everybody would need more then one too!
yes, churn, you heard correctly (from what i know), the F7 is history. Get 'em while you can! i think joe d's point proves tim's and joes point: i have a theory that we focus our modeling on what we remembered at a SPECIFIC age or time that was "good" for us. bear with me here: if the age of average male "happiness" is 27, let's say, then is the era we will focus on. all us baby boomers, therefore, will want 2nd generation power and the circumstances of railroading in our experience when we were at that age. we will have seen steam and it will be of some interest to us, but what was MODERN THEN (SP, D&RGW, MKT, Pennsy, etc) will be what we focus on now. if the newer people (younger) who are coming into Z are around the 27 age range, they NOW see big power and modern 60'-80' cars, so that is what they want to model as they enter into Z railraoding. of course this is a generalization and people being people there will be always be exceptions to this. quality locomotives and products are attracting people to Z, plus working couplers and the super-fine details (which made Kadee/Micro-trains the leader -- especially in N scale growth). train shows with modules connected provide a "view" similar to the view people SEE when they WATCH railroads today. it's a little different for me: when i build/run trains i put myself in the cab of those engines as my means of RE-EXPERIENCING those days. Z's advantage is large scenery with quality trains. it's NOT railroading HISTORY that attracts people today (as it is with many of us with long memories), it's what they SEE today and that is what they want to copy. no doubt it's a combination of things, but i contend that we gravitate to modeling what we want from a specific time and place and i think that is age related. Z is a new scale for new (contemporary) roadroad modelers. Z's effectiveness at train shows comes from giving people proof that quality modeling is available to them. i, too, believe that "modern" is (and will be) the driving force behind Z growth. dave f.
Uhhhhh.... --->>> Robert Allbritton <<<---- --->>> 39 Years Old <<<--- Duuuude!! Your, like, totally prematurely aging me!!! Uncool!!! <grin>
