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An Observation on Public Interest

16K views 72 replies 37 participants last post by  Jim Overland  
What Dr Rivet says is correct, of course, and represents the line of thinking of many of the traditionalists in the live steam community. And let's face it, without them, live steam and the comraderie around it would not be what it is.

However, at the very start of this thread, Dwight observed on the very low attendance at the steam track at a recent large show. A number of people have put forward ideas on how this might be improved on and some, Dr Rivet perhaps most vociferously, have stated that they really don't care about or even want the general (large scale modeling) public. Some may think that the setups at public shows are for the public to view but to at least a core group of live steamers, it is a way to have a private steamup in a public venue.

I am one of the new breed of live steamers. I enjoy steam propulsion and am fascinated with the machinery - and enjoyed the numerous steamups that I have attended in the northeast. But I also enjoy many other aspects of the large scale hobby including gardening and especially prototypical operation. Although traditional live steamers usually do not care a wit about anything beyond their locomotive, many newcomers have entered the live steam fraternity as I have - with a more holistic view of what live steam can do and its place in the scheme of things.

We have been aided and abetted by Aristo's almost rtr Mike but especially by Accucraft, who has made relatively low cost highly detailed but easy to operate locos. In short we can enjoy live steam without being either wealthy or machinists first.

This growth in the live steam segment has not always been easy for either the traditionalists or the newcomers. i have felt the "scorn" (thats a bit too strong a word) of the traditionalists when I have been unable to reset the timing properly on my 3 cyl shay and have been looked at as if I am crazy when I express a desire for a somewhat more scenic backdrop than bare 2x4 raised decking. I also like to run my shays in formal operations a la Jack verducci (though like Dr Rivet I prefer an elevated track) but the electric loco runners at times are less than enthusiastic about locos that need water stops and time to build steam or who sometimes leave some oily waste on the track.

In any case, the original question seemed to revolve around better attendance at steam tracks at shows. As a nontraditional live steamer, I think that the steam tracks at shows serve the same purpose as the electric layouts do. They are there to entice newcomers by demonstrating the capability of the equipment. That is how I came to see live steam and become involoved in this aspect of the hobby.

Even in the 6 years I have been involved in live steam, I have seen it change - it has become less elite and more mainstream, much more closely related to garden railroading. That has annoyed some traditionalists but from my perspective, it is a welcome evolution.

The steam tracks at large shows simply need to reflect that change - that would draw larger attendance, more newcomers to the fold though it may perhaps further annoy the traditional crowd of live steamers.

Regards ... Doug