by Idiot Railfan
Joe G. raises an interesting point about the numbers of younger railfans seeming to be in decline. I hadn't thought of that, but now that he mentions it, I think he is right.
I think there could be several reasons for this, the biggest being that railroads simply aren't as accessible as they once were.
When I was a kid inn the early 1970s, there were still six or seven major railroads within a few miles of my house. Each of them had one or more major through frieght routes, plus countless local freights. Most of those locals had crews of four or more and had cabooses. They usually ran on regular schedules and stopped for lunch in the same place where kids such as myself could get to know the crews and often be invited aboard the trains (even getting a ride from time to time!)
Most train stations had agents, most of whom were happy to chat with kids about trains. I rarely left a train station without an armload of souvenirs. (timetables, rubber stamps, calendars, etc.)
Going back before my time, most travel was by train. It was rare to find anybody who grew up before the 1960s who had not travelled extensively by train. Railroads in those days of intense competition for the passenger dollar deliberately had character ("The Route of Phoebe Snow," "The Standard Railroad of the World," even "The Suzy Q."). Railroad presidents were as well-known as sports stars. Railroads seemed to be much friendlier and approachable.
Contrast that with today. Many of the railroads I knew as a kid are abandoned or removed. The few consolidated routes are plastered with "no trespassing" signs. Instead of many railroads with rich histories, there are only four major railroads across the entire country. Most local freights ceased to exist, and those that remain often run at night and are under much stricter time rules. ("No time to talk, kid.") Even rolling stock no longer has colorful logos and company slogans. Most new cars simply have reporting marks and numbers.
Station agents are a thing of the past, replaced by robotic vending machines. On many transit systems, even conductors are becoming a relic, replaced by machine-validated tickets checked only occassionally.
Aside from commuters, many adults and most kids I know have never been on a train. Most travel by car and plane. With no passengers to attract, and most freight customers having only one railroad to choose from, image-making is rarely a component of rail marketing today.
Conrail to me still seems to be a relatively recent event. I have to remind myself that even a 28-year-old railfan never saw the Erie Lackawanna or the Lehigh Valley in person. No wonder the Reading and Lehigh & Hudson resonate with a 15-year-old about the same as The BeeGees or the Eagles.
With consolidation, high-tech operations, and fewer human faces, the corporate behemoths these days more resemble public utilties rather than elegant transportation. And they elicit about the same level of excitement. That's not to say it's right or wrong; railroads have always been in business to make a profit. But the days of "The Friendly Service Route" are probably behind us, and few 12-year-olds know the name of a train engineer or their local station agent.
I think there could be several reasons for this, the biggest being that railroads simply aren't as accessible as they once were.
When I was a kid inn the early 1970s, there were still six or seven major railroads within a few miles of my house. Each of them had one or more major through frieght routes, plus countless local freights. Most of those locals had crews of four or more and had cabooses. They usually ran on regular schedules and stopped for lunch in the same place where kids such as myself could get to know the crews and often be invited aboard the trains (even getting a ride from time to time!)
Most train stations had agents, most of whom were happy to chat with kids about trains. I rarely left a train station without an armload of souvenirs. (timetables, rubber stamps, calendars, etc.)
Going back before my time, most travel was by train. It was rare to find anybody who grew up before the 1960s who had not travelled extensively by train. Railroads in those days of intense competition for the passenger dollar deliberately had character ("The Route of Phoebe Snow," "The Standard Railroad of the World," even "The Suzy Q."). Railroad presidents were as well-known as sports stars. Railroads seemed to be much friendlier and approachable.
Contrast that with today. Many of the railroads I knew as a kid are abandoned or removed. The few consolidated routes are plastered with "no trespassing" signs. Instead of many railroads with rich histories, there are only four major railroads across the entire country. Most local freights ceased to exist, and those that remain often run at night and are under much stricter time rules. ("No time to talk, kid.") Even rolling stock no longer has colorful logos and company slogans. Most new cars simply have reporting marks and numbers.
Station agents are a thing of the past, replaced by robotic vending machines. On many transit systems, even conductors are becoming a relic, replaced by machine-validated tickets checked only occassionally.
Aside from commuters, many adults and most kids I know have never been on a train. Most travel by car and plane. With no passengers to attract, and most freight customers having only one railroad to choose from, image-making is rarely a component of rail marketing today.
Conrail to me still seems to be a relatively recent event. I have to remind myself that even a 28-year-old railfan never saw the Erie Lackawanna or the Lehigh Valley in person. No wonder the Reading and Lehigh & Hudson resonate with a 15-year-old about the same as The BeeGees or the Eagles.
With consolidation, high-tech operations, and fewer human faces, the corporate behemoths these days more resemble public utilties rather than elegant transportation. And they elicit about the same level of excitement. That's not to say it's right or wrong; railroads have always been in business to make a profit. But the days of "The Friendly Service Route" are probably behind us, and few 12-year-olds know the name of a train engineer or their local station agent.
"But Dad. It's Smokey!"
