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(upbeat music)

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- [Voiceover] It
wasn't so long ago

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that trains were
part of everyday life

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in America and the
developed world.

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- [Voiceover] Here, there's
something for every taste.

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From Dad's favorite,
the electric trains,

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to the latest design
in space rockets.

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Still, even the comparatively
old-fashioned train sets

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have innovations that keep
them abreast of the times.

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For example, two trains
on the same track,

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yet individually controlled.

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- [Voiceover] And
then things changed.

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We thought we had to say
goodbye to childish things.

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But no one knows why.

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Of course, no one would
call this a childish thing.

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Maybe a little
explaining is in order.

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- I don't think the public
understands the distinction

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between model railroading
and toy trains.

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But I think they would
enjoy both of them

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if they did understand
that distinction.

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And I think the people who

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use one or the other as a hobby

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would also appreciate everybody

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understanding the distinction.

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It would actually make
their hobby more fun.

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- [Voiceover] This is
scale-model railroading.

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It's pretty serious business.

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(folksy music)

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This is scale-model railroading.

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And so is this.

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(train chugging)

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This too.

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This is not.

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Neither is this.

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Nor this.

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Scale.

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Not scale.

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- The advantage
of three railers,

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particularly with
younger children,

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is that they're virtually
indestructible toys.

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And I say that knowing that

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I have several locomotives
that have survived

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a four-foot drop off
the table and still run.

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- Notice the construction here.

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Very solid metal.
(metallic tapping)

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That's not plastic.

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So that's the way they
used to build them.

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I remember my Lionel set.

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These,

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you see a lot of
sparks and stuff.

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They had electrical pick
up for that middle rail.

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And,

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my brother and I, we
both had Lionel trains.

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What we used to do is,

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I'm ashamed to admit this,

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but we used to run the
trains into each other.

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Stage these elaborate
train wrecks.

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- Model railroading
isn't a toy, per se.

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It's cute, I admit that
it's cute, can be cute.

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It's more that it is

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somebody's
interpretation of life.

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In miniature.

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Sometimes a good interpretation,
sometimes not so good,

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sometimes abstract art.

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But it's somebody's
interpretation.

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And it moves and it runs.

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And if it's done right, it
can be a thing of beauty.

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There is a lot of
misperception about

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model railroading out there.
(laughs)

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And bless their hearts,
as they say in the south.

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Usually they say
that when they're

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about to say something
bad about somebody,

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but bless their hearts.

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That misperception
is based upon a

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misunderstanding of what
model railroading is.

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We look at model railroading,

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and the NMRA is primarily
what we call a scale

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model railroading
operation, which is what,

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scale means the
relationship between

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the real thing and a model.

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So if you have a 40-foot boxcar,

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and you have a scale of
one inch to the foot,

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well that boxcar's
gonna be so big.

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That's scale-model railroading.

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Toy trains, or tin plate,

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which most the public thinks
model railroading is, Lionel.

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Normally not scaled.

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In other words, that
40-foot boxcar may be

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actually shorter or
long, actually shorter.

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Because it's a toy and
they're trying to fit it

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within a packaging unit.

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Or they're trying to
make it a certain way.

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And they don't really care that

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it's not absolutely to scale.

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- [Voiceover] Okay.

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But there's room for
everyone in this hobby.

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(laughing)

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- Thank you.

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- [Voiceover] Describing
model railroading

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and the people who do
it can be contentious.

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It's not hard to
offend in a community

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with such loyalties
and passions.

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But there is one thing all
model railroaders can agree on,

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model railroading
is good for you.

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- I lose myself in this hobby.

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No matter what's
going on in my life,

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it's very relaxing
just to sit out there

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and work at the work bench.

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- For a lot of people, it's a,

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stress relief.

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To some people, it
would drive 'em nuts,

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but to a certain
group of people,

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working with that train,
working with your hands,

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it's something that
kinda calms you down.

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- There are two things that
are very important to me,

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one is the ability to calm down,

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chill out and soothe my head,

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by watching a train go around.

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I don't know why,
some psychologist can
explain that to me,

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but all I know is if I do,

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if I have a train on
the track that I like

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and it's running well, and
it goes around and around

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and around, I get calmer
and calmer with each lap.

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- A long time ago I had a
psychiatrist come in here

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and he explained to
me how he himself

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had built a model railroad,
in part for his own use,

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but it was a way him getting
away from his day-to-day life.

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- I think model railroading,

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I think a lot of
people could hide.

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Here in the northeast,
it's in the basement.

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And I know a lot of...

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Wives that probably
wish their husbands

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didn't spend quite so much
time in their basement.

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So I don't know if they're
hiding from their lives or

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hiding from the
pressures of life.

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They just go downstairs
and play with their trains.

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When I first roll into my
train room and look around...

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It's a feeling of calm,

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until I notice a spider web

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or a piece of dust.

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And then I notice another
one and then another one.

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And then I realize how much
work I have ahead of me.

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And I tape a little
paintbrush on my hand

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and I start dusting.

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It, I never thought dusting
could be so relaxing,

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but,

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I would say that...

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It could be a substitute for
an anti-depression medication.

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- The concentration
that comes in working on

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a model, doing the research,

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adding small details
parts to something,

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is a little like yoga
in its concentration.

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I mean you cannot

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worry about the
world outside when

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you're working with small
tools and a magnifier,

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trying to get
something just right.

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And with every small detail,

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again, you're evoking
something from that period.

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It is, in some ways,
I think, a protest

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against the world as
it is because you say

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I'm going to be God for a while,

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I'm gonna create a happy ending.

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I'm gonna create characters.

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It's a protest against
the world as it is.

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I don't accept the
world as it is.

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In some ways, with
a model railroader,

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you're creating a world.

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For a little bit of
time, there's power.

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- The whole concept of

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having a small
empire that you're

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in complete control of,
I think, appeals to some.

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- [Voiceover] Just
drives you crazy

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trying to keep the
world in shape.

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Come on up there, that's better.

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- What isn't compelling
about the idea

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of creating a world the
way you wanna see it?

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The way that you
wish the world was,

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or the way it was
at a time where

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you thought it was just
particularly great.

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- To me, the act of
creation that way is just,

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is just great.

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And model railroading
is the venue,

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it gives you
something to aim for,

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rather than just, I'm
gonna build a dollhouse,

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I'm gonna build a bicycle.

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Now I'm gonna build a train,
I'm gonna build a town,

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I'm gonna build a city,
I'm gonna build a layout.

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The creation part of it is
what's so cool about it.

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- John Allen, who was a
prolific modeler back in the

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early days of model railroading.

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He always had these little
whims built into his scenes.

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A stegosaurus pulling a boxcar?

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Come on, who does that?

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(laughing)

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What other hobby do you know
could do that and kind of say,

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it's my world, so what?
(laughing)

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- I might go to, let's say
I go to somebody's house,

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and I look at their
model railroad and

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let's say it has a
lot of toilet humor.

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It might have, say,

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a scene where
there's a prostitute,

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or things like that.

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And you wonder what
made him put that there

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because this person that has

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a prostitute and a John
modeled on his layout...

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It might be your
pastor at your church,

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and it kinda makes
you wonder, like,

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hmm, is he trying to
live a secret life there?

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Or something like that.

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But I have noticed that.

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You look at somebody's
layout and you'll

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have a scene on
there that I'm like,

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I wouldn't think of you

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planning a scene like
that in your head.

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00:10:49,333 --> 00:10:52,067
(stammering)

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I did meet a priest that had a,

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maybe not a priest, a pastor.

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I don't know if there's
a difference or not.

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That had a dirty
scene on his layout,

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I was very surprised.

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- It's just a toy
that we have fun with

222
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and it gives me pleasure

223
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and I get to,

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create, I get to create stuff.

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Just like a painter would
take a blank canvas,

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I take a car out of a
box, it's unpainted.

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Put it together the way
I want it put together.

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And I get to paint
it the way I want it

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and I get to weather
it the way I want it.

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When I'm happy
with it, then I...

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(laughs)

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Really, I put it
back in a box again,

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and store it until the next
time I wanna look at it.

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It seems kinda silly,
but that's my deal.

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- A lot of us see,

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incorrectly, I'm sure,

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we see model railroading
as an art form.

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And I think it really is.

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In other words,

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If you paint a
backdrop, that's art.

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If you paint a locomotive,

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or weather it to make it look
old and used, that's art.

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If you put a building
so that it looks

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00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,200
right in a scene, that's art.

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If you arrange several
buildings into a bigger scene,

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that's art.

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So when you start
getting into art,

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00:12:04,967 --> 00:12:08,200
you can offend sensibilities
pretty quickly.

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And so I think the line is
right there at some point.

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But I think if you've

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got everybody in a mellow
mood and discuss it,

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I think we could probably come

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00:12:17,667 --> 00:12:19,933
to some kind of understanding.

254
00:12:19,933 --> 00:12:21,400
- [Voiceover] Okay.

255
00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:24,333
So why should we care
about model railroading?

256
00:12:24,333 --> 00:12:27,000
(train humming)

257
00:12:29,367 --> 00:12:32,833
- What model railroading,
like any other

258
00:12:32,833 --> 00:12:34,433
creative pursuit...

259
00:12:38,300 --> 00:12:41,633
Is the participant gets
actively engaged in it.

260
00:12:41,633 --> 00:12:44,867
Model railroading, in
the end is going to

261
00:12:44,867 --> 00:12:47,000
train your brain by
requiring you to do

262
00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,100
lots of different
things to be multimodal.

263
00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:52,033
I honestly think that
the combination of

264
00:12:52,033 --> 00:12:54,900
thinking about engineering,
about fine-motor control,

265
00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:57,100
about the kind of
problem solving that

266
00:12:57,100 --> 00:12:58,933
operations involves.

267
00:12:58,933 --> 00:13:01,100
Or even designing a
layout and figuring out

268
00:13:01,100 --> 00:13:02,600
how you're gonna fit stuff in.

269
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:05,067
All that kind of flexibility
that's required to do it,

270
00:13:05,067 --> 00:13:08,200
I think tends to keep
people's brains pretty sharp.

271
00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,667
I think the worst thing
for brains is sort of

272
00:13:10,667 --> 00:13:12,733
the degree to which we end up

273
00:13:12,733 --> 00:13:14,867
doing the same thing
over and over again.

274
00:13:14,867 --> 00:13:16,267
The ways in which

275
00:13:17,667 --> 00:13:20,900
we end up becoming
passive not active.

276
00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:23,867
Obviously you could do
that as a model railroader,

277
00:13:23,867 --> 00:13:25,600
but if you're gonna take
it really seriously,

278
00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:27,900
you've gotta be active
and you've gotta really

279
00:13:27,900 --> 00:13:30,833
be working in many
different modes at once.

280
00:13:30,833 --> 00:13:33,433
(jaunty music)

281
00:13:35,167 --> 00:13:36,900
- I retired about,

282
00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:38,533
oh, 10 years ago.

283
00:13:38,533 --> 00:13:41,533
And I began kinda
searching around for

284
00:13:41,533 --> 00:13:44,733
a hobby or something and it
was a natural progression

285
00:13:44,733 --> 00:13:46,767
to get back into
model railroading.

286
00:13:46,767 --> 00:13:50,400
- The most important
thing is to have a hobby.

287
00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,000
I see too many people whose

288
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,300
entire lives are their jobs.

289
00:13:55,300 --> 00:13:57,667
And if your job's
really rewarding,

290
00:13:57,667 --> 00:14:00,433
let's say maybe
you're a trial lawyer

291
00:14:00,433 --> 00:14:01,433
or a doctor.

292
00:14:02,733 --> 00:14:05,367
And your life is
important to a lot

293
00:14:05,367 --> 00:14:07,667
of people and all that, great.

294
00:14:07,667 --> 00:14:12,000
But most lawyers and
doctors I know are retiring.

295
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:12,900
And one of,

296
00:14:13,767 --> 00:14:16,400
our kid's pediatrician, in fact,

297
00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:19,133
called me up and he says "Okay.

298
00:14:19,133 --> 00:14:20,800
"It was my turn to
take care of the kids,

299
00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,333
"now it's your turn to come
help me with model railroading."

300
00:14:24,333 --> 00:14:27,467
And I think that's very
smart of him because

301
00:14:27,467 --> 00:14:30,300
what are you gonna
do with your time?

302
00:14:30,300 --> 00:14:32,133
You don't want to idle.

303
00:14:32,133 --> 00:14:33,500
And there's too many people that

304
00:14:33,500 --> 00:14:35,667
just retire and literally die.

305
00:14:35,667 --> 00:14:37,300
And I think it's
almost out of boredom,

306
00:14:37,300 --> 00:14:39,667
I don't know what
the physiology is,

307
00:14:39,667 --> 00:14:43,067
but they just stagnate because
they got nothing to do.

308
00:14:43,067 --> 00:14:46,567
(slow instrumental music)

309
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,233
- I think anything in
which you have a passion

310
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:07,167
not only can keep you young,

311
00:15:07,167 --> 00:15:10,067
it can keep you alive
and keep you going.

312
00:15:10,067 --> 00:15:13,433
And I think model railroading
has that potential.

313
00:15:13,433 --> 00:15:14,900
So does golf.

314
00:15:14,900 --> 00:15:15,733
So does...

315
00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:19,567
I had a very good friend who

316
00:15:19,567 --> 00:15:21,467
came down from the
state of Oregon

317
00:15:21,467 --> 00:15:25,000
to a great organization
in California.

318
00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,800
There was no commitment,
but it was sorta of okay,

319
00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:29,867
you know, when the current
Executive Director retires,

320
00:15:29,867 --> 00:15:32,133
you'll become
Executive Director.

321
00:15:32,133 --> 00:15:35,200
Well that didn't happen and
he was very disappointed.

322
00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:39,667
And all he could do was look
forward to his retirement.

323
00:15:39,667 --> 00:15:40,833
He retired.

324
00:15:40,833 --> 00:15:42,267
He was gonna write a book.

325
00:15:42,267 --> 00:15:43,733
He was gonna lecture.

326
00:15:43,733 --> 00:15:45,833
He moved out to
Rossmoor Leisure World

327
00:15:45,833 --> 00:15:48,533
and he was dead in three years.

328
00:15:48,533 --> 00:15:50,433
He didn't have anything to do.

329
00:15:50,433 --> 00:15:52,400
He didn't have anything
to keep him going.

330
00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,500
So, model railroading,

331
00:15:54,500 --> 00:15:56,400
can keep you alive.

332
00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:57,800
But so can a lot
of other things.

333
00:15:57,800 --> 00:15:59,333
You gotta have a passion.

334
00:15:59,333 --> 00:16:01,567
- When I retired from
the state of California,

335
00:16:01,567 --> 00:16:03,833
where I worked for 40 years,

336
00:16:03,833 --> 00:16:05,600
there were a couple
of people in my office

337
00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:07,367
who didn't retire
and they could've.

338
00:16:07,367 --> 00:16:09,867
I'd asked them, "Why
aren't you gonna retire?"

339
00:16:09,867 --> 00:16:12,167
And they said,"I'm
scared to retire,

340
00:16:12,167 --> 00:16:14,633
"because I don't
have anything to do."

341
00:16:14,633 --> 00:16:17,033
And I thought my
God, that's tragic.

342
00:16:17,033 --> 00:16:19,333
They were so lucky,

343
00:16:19,333 --> 00:16:20,600
happy, for me.

344
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:21,900
Because they said,
"You're so lucky,

345
00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:24,067
"you have something to
do, you have a hobby."

346
00:16:24,067 --> 00:16:27,400
Oh my gosh, it isn't like I'm
the only one with a hobby.

347
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,867
One thing that we're
looking at is trying

348
00:16:29,867 --> 00:16:31,767
to reach out to people
who are near retirement.

349
00:16:31,767 --> 00:16:33,767
The kids have grown up.

350
00:16:33,767 --> 00:16:36,400
They have maybe a little more
income that they can keep now,

351
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:38,633
instead of paying for
the kids' expenses.

352
00:16:38,633 --> 00:16:41,533
And they wanna do
something meaningful.

353
00:16:41,533 --> 00:16:43,067
Well, this is a
meaningful hobby,

354
00:16:43,067 --> 00:16:44,567
it's a constructive hobby.

355
00:16:44,567 --> 00:16:46,700
- One of the things that
I think distinguishes,

356
00:16:46,700 --> 00:16:49,067
not just model railroaders,
of course, but,

357
00:16:49,067 --> 00:16:50,833
model railroaders
among others is that

358
00:16:50,833 --> 00:16:52,400
they've never given up playing.

359
00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:54,667
That the play part of their life

360
00:16:54,667 --> 00:16:56,500
is maybe more important than

361
00:16:56,500 --> 00:16:58,900
the work part of their life.

362
00:16:58,900 --> 00:17:00,533
Which I think is
actually a healthy thing.

363
00:17:00,533 --> 00:17:03,767
- Everybody comes to
the hobby with their own

364
00:17:03,767 --> 00:17:07,767
viewpoint, with their own
motivation of why they

365
00:17:09,333 --> 00:17:11,067
play with trains or

366
00:17:11,067 --> 00:17:12,600
operate trains.

367
00:17:12,600 --> 00:17:14,333
I mean, you don't wanna say
they're playing with trains,

368
00:17:14,333 --> 00:17:16,300
because that would
be too childlike,

369
00:17:16,300 --> 00:17:18,700
so they say they
operate the trains.

370
00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:21,867
But it's still definitely
a form of play.

371
00:17:21,867 --> 00:17:24,033
- I think when people
say we're not playing,

372
00:17:24,033 --> 00:17:26,167
they're really, I understand
why they'd say that,

373
00:17:26,167 --> 00:17:28,833
they feel a little
defensive because

374
00:17:28,833 --> 00:17:32,033
in common usage,
play is a bad thing,

375
00:17:32,033 --> 00:17:33,800
it's something only kids do.

376
00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:34,633
I think

377
00:17:35,867 --> 00:17:37,833
those of us who
have looked at it,

378
00:17:37,833 --> 00:17:39,500
whether through the
fields of education,

379
00:17:39,500 --> 00:17:41,100
developmental
psychology, probably have

380
00:17:41,100 --> 00:17:43,233
a different meaning
of the word play.

381
00:17:43,233 --> 00:17:45,933
So when a model railroader
says he's not playing,

382
00:17:45,933 --> 00:17:47,867
I respect that what
he's really saying is,

383
00:17:47,867 --> 00:17:49,267
"I take this seriously,

384
00:17:49,267 --> 00:17:51,400
"I'm doing some really
serious, interesting things."

385
00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,733
I would argue that play
is much more complicated.

386
00:17:54,733 --> 00:17:57,633
Rembrandt and Da Vinci played.

387
00:17:57,633 --> 00:18:00,700
Einstein said, "Play is the
highest form of research."

388
00:18:00,700 --> 00:18:01,967
So, in a sense,

389
00:18:03,333 --> 00:18:06,800
you can be really serious,
working really hard,

390
00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:09,467
making really good stuff
and also be playing.

391
00:18:09,467 --> 00:18:12,300
And I think that's what
model railroaders are doing.

392
00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:14,800
- There's a difference
between playing with toys

393
00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:16,667
and scale-model
railroading, for sure.

394
00:18:16,667 --> 00:18:19,233
Or scale-model airplanes
or scale-model boats.

395
00:18:19,233 --> 00:18:23,800
But there's real joy and
it's not profit oriented,

396
00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:27,567
it's not work oriented,
it's leisure time oriented.

397
00:18:27,567 --> 00:18:29,133
And I think the minute you say

398
00:18:29,133 --> 00:18:32,867
leisure time, in some
way you're saying play.

399
00:18:32,867 --> 00:18:35,767
- I think you have to have a
little bit of a kid inside you.

400
00:18:35,767 --> 00:18:37,233
I really do.

401
00:18:37,233 --> 00:18:40,533
And a little kid gets to play.

402
00:18:40,533 --> 00:18:43,367
The adult gets to
learn new stuff.

403
00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,300
And that's one of the things
that's great about this hobby.

404
00:18:49,300 --> 00:18:53,900
And I don't we should ever
be afraid of being kids

405
00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:54,900
and playing.

406
00:18:56,067 --> 00:18:59,167
That's a real good
part of this hobby.

407
00:19:01,467 --> 00:19:04,067
- [Voiceover] Not all model
railroaders would agree.

408
00:19:04,067 --> 00:19:05,833
At least, not openly.

409
00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,200
Because model railroading
is serious business.

410
00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:12,867
- There are a lot of

411
00:19:13,733 --> 00:19:15,833
little niches in this hobby.

412
00:19:15,833 --> 00:19:18,467
You'll find people
who are attracted to

413
00:19:18,467 --> 00:19:22,033
full-size railroads
in their current form.

414
00:19:22,033 --> 00:19:25,533
You'll find people
who are attracted to

415
00:19:25,533 --> 00:19:28,200
full-size railroads in the past.

416
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,533
Modelling a certain
period of the past.

417
00:19:31,533 --> 00:19:33,100
Modelling the present.

418
00:19:33,100 --> 00:19:35,633
You'll find people whose
specialty is scenery.

419
00:19:35,633 --> 00:19:38,100
You'll find people who are
in love with freight cars.

420
00:19:38,100 --> 00:19:40,333
People who love
passenger trains.

421
00:19:40,333 --> 00:19:42,933
People who love
building track work.

422
00:19:42,933 --> 00:19:46,367
People who adore
the electronics.

423
00:19:46,367 --> 00:19:48,333
And the electronics
have come a long way

424
00:19:48,333 --> 00:19:51,933
in the hobby over the
past couple of years.

425
00:19:51,933 --> 00:19:54,133
I would say my specific niche,

426
00:19:54,133 --> 00:19:56,633
if I had any, is
probably freight cars.

427
00:19:56,633 --> 00:19:59,467
My interest in
full-size railroads,

428
00:19:59,467 --> 00:20:03,367
although I have some things
that are present day,

429
00:20:03,367 --> 00:20:04,600
probably ended,

430
00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:08,200
somewhere in the late 1950s,

431
00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:10,600
specifically for the
Santa Fe Railway.

432
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,333
So I don't do a lot of
what they call railfanning,

433
00:20:13,333 --> 00:20:14,900
which is going out
along the tracks

434
00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:17,667
and taking photographs of

435
00:20:17,667 --> 00:20:20,167
current prototype locomotives.

436
00:20:22,700 --> 00:20:25,000
I'm not interested, that's
not the period I model,

437
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:28,700
so most of my modelling
comes from research.

438
00:20:28,700 --> 00:20:31,267
Books, old photographs
and things like that.

439
00:20:31,267 --> 00:20:33,767
- Model railroading
is a niche hobby.

440
00:20:33,767 --> 00:20:35,633
Within that niche hobby there is

441
00:20:35,633 --> 00:20:37,600
an infinite amount of niches.

442
00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:39,367
You can break down on

443
00:20:40,700 --> 00:20:42,100
ideas of scale,

444
00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:43,333
of era.

445
00:20:43,333 --> 00:20:46,700
Whether you like
passenger trains or

446
00:20:46,700 --> 00:20:48,667
freight trains.

447
00:20:48,667 --> 00:20:52,733
Which particular railroad
line you like the best.

448
00:20:53,900 --> 00:20:57,433
How much you're gonna
be concerned about

449
00:20:57,433 --> 00:20:59,067
getting the details
absolutely right,

450
00:20:59,067 --> 00:21:00,767
the fidelity to prototype,

451
00:21:00,767 --> 00:21:02,767
it's often described as.

452
00:21:03,900 --> 00:21:06,700
Your personal tolerance
for how much whimsy

453
00:21:06,700 --> 00:21:09,167
you're gonna have on your
layout, in your models.

454
00:21:09,167 --> 00:21:11,433
- You have people
who do scenery.

455
00:21:11,433 --> 00:21:13,900
You have people who
love doing buildings.

456
00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:16,667
So you have artists,
you have architects,

457
00:21:16,667 --> 00:21:17,500
you have

458
00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:21,400
people who love to

459
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:22,900
play conductor.

460
00:21:22,900 --> 00:21:27,133
- There's a whole side of
the hobby about operations.

461
00:21:27,133 --> 00:21:31,033
So instead of just running
the trains around the layout,

462
00:21:31,033 --> 00:21:34,033
you start running them the
way the railroad ran them.

463
00:21:34,033 --> 00:21:35,867
Which means that

464
00:21:35,867 --> 00:21:38,933
there were rules that
you had to comply with.

465
00:21:38,933 --> 00:21:40,900
There were train
orders that were issued

466
00:21:40,900 --> 00:21:44,167
that governed the
movement of trains.

467
00:21:44,167 --> 00:21:46,533
You had to wait
while the conductor

468
00:21:46,533 --> 00:21:48,867
walked back from
uncoupling the car

469
00:21:48,867 --> 00:21:50,767
before you could
move the locomotive.

470
00:21:50,767 --> 00:21:53,567
So there's a whole set of,

471
00:21:53,567 --> 00:21:55,400
aspect, to the
hobby, if you will,

472
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,467
that's focused on operations.

473
00:21:57,467 --> 00:22:00,467
And there's some people
who just love to do that,

474
00:22:00,467 --> 00:22:03,267
and that's all
they ever wanna do.

475
00:22:03,267 --> 00:22:05,200
- I enjoy operation.

476
00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,800
I'm one of these guys
that goes to these

477
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:11,500
half day or day-long
operating sessions.

478
00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,533
With the cards and the routing

479
00:22:13,533 --> 00:22:16,067
and the dispatchers,
I love that stuff.

480
00:22:16,067 --> 00:22:18,233
- There's a lot of
people that'll build

481
00:22:18,233 --> 00:22:19,533
switching layouts.

482
00:22:19,533 --> 00:22:21,633
Which are generally small

483
00:22:23,533 --> 00:22:26,033
shelf-type layouts that

484
00:22:26,033 --> 00:22:27,167
become puzzles.

485
00:22:27,167 --> 00:22:28,767
And you try to get,

486
00:22:29,667 --> 00:22:31,100
you try to create

487
00:22:32,567 --> 00:22:35,133
what actually happens
in the real world.

488
00:22:35,133 --> 00:22:37,533
You try to solve the
problem of getting

489
00:22:37,533 --> 00:22:39,867
cars from one place to another

490
00:22:39,867 --> 00:22:41,400
in the least amount of time.

491
00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,000
- I like trains
that are weathered.

492
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,700
And that means trains that,

493
00:22:46,700 --> 00:22:48,233
rolling stock and locomotives,

494
00:22:48,233 --> 00:22:51,800
that look as if they've
been through the elements.

495
00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:54,500
They have dust on them,

496
00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:57,533
they're not perfectly washed

497
00:22:57,533 --> 00:22:59,067
and gorgeous.

498
00:22:59,067 --> 00:23:00,667
They don't look like they
come right out of the box.

499
00:23:00,667 --> 00:23:03,567
I like to add a certain
level of detail.

500
00:23:03,567 --> 00:23:06,033
- Extreme weathering is
cars have been out there

501
00:23:06,033 --> 00:23:08,033
for years, on the rails.

502
00:23:09,133 --> 00:23:10,167
Rusted,

503
00:23:10,167 --> 00:23:11,400
beat up, faded.

504
00:23:12,733 --> 00:23:15,300
And then a lot of
us have taken it

505
00:23:15,300 --> 00:23:19,033
to that level, you
weather the cars,

506
00:23:19,033 --> 00:23:21,900
to make it look exactly
like the prototype.

507
00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:24,533
- There's a whole tribe, I
like to call them tribes,

508
00:23:24,533 --> 00:23:27,967
of model railroaders
that do subways.

509
00:23:27,967 --> 00:23:30,367
And mass-transit type things.

510
00:23:32,533 --> 00:23:35,033
- Most of the thing for me,
is making accurate models.

511
00:23:35,033 --> 00:23:38,733
Whether I get to actually
run the trains or not, eh.

512
00:23:38,733 --> 00:23:40,833
I do once in a while,
a couple times a year.

513
00:23:40,833 --> 00:23:43,567
- I'm fascinated by the

514
00:23:43,567 --> 00:23:45,300
passenger train industry.

515
00:23:45,300 --> 00:23:47,267
And of course, that's why we,

516
00:23:47,267 --> 00:23:51,100
the Coachyard specializes in
nothing but passenger trains,

517
00:23:51,100 --> 00:23:55,167
famous passenger trains
of the United States.

518
00:23:55,167 --> 00:23:56,933
That's my fascination.

519
00:23:56,933 --> 00:23:59,533
It was an era of travel that was

520
00:24:01,267 --> 00:24:03,433
a very unique, very stylish,

521
00:24:03,433 --> 00:24:04,500
very elegant.

522
00:24:05,933 --> 00:24:09,033
You had the various first
class versus tourist class,

523
00:24:09,033 --> 00:24:12,367
but yet the dining
experience was fantastic.

524
00:24:12,367 --> 00:24:14,200
The lounge experience.

525
00:24:15,367 --> 00:24:17,700
It was just a great
way of travelling.

526
00:24:17,700 --> 00:24:21,500
It was a much slower pace
than how we travel today.

527
00:24:21,500 --> 00:24:22,733
- [Voiceover] The
comfort has increased.

528
00:24:22,733 --> 00:24:25,133
They're trying the
Pullman appeal.

529
00:24:25,133 --> 00:24:28,467
- [Voiceover] Many
model railroaders
remember the old days.

530
00:24:28,467 --> 00:24:31,900
Even if they didn't
actually experience them.

531
00:24:31,900 --> 00:24:35,367
History is such a big
part of the hobby.

532
00:24:35,367 --> 00:24:37,400
- My grandfather,

533
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:38,800
whom I never met,

534
00:24:41,267 --> 00:24:43,600
because he died when
I was six months old.

535
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,133
He worked on the railroad.

536
00:24:46,133 --> 00:24:47,133
So I grew up

537
00:24:48,300 --> 00:24:50,267
and have grown up
with this image,

538
00:24:50,267 --> 00:24:51,800
this sort of lore...

539
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,500
- Actually it has got
all Pullman fittings,

540
00:24:54,500 --> 00:24:57,500
but it was actually
built in Canada.

541
00:24:58,700 --> 00:25:02,267
- There was an old
Pullman car parked in

542
00:25:02,267 --> 00:25:04,433
that area where the tracks were.

543
00:25:04,433 --> 00:25:07,267
And I just would
have all of these

544
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,633
images of being in the
Pullman car, riding the train,

545
00:25:12,633 --> 00:25:16,400
through the night somewhere
to some distant place.

546
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,233
A couple of times
we met some people

547
00:25:19,233 --> 00:25:22,367
who I believe lived in
the car at the time.

548
00:25:22,367 --> 00:25:24,833
And they took me and
my brother through

549
00:25:24,833 --> 00:25:27,333
and they showed us
how everything worked.

550
00:25:27,333 --> 00:25:29,300
They pulled down
the fold-out beds

551
00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:31,867
and they showed where the...

552
00:25:31,867 --> 00:25:33,667
How the sinks all worked.

553
00:25:33,667 --> 00:25:35,133
And then they showed
where you sat.

554
00:25:35,133 --> 00:25:37,367
And it was just,
for a kid who was,

555
00:25:37,367 --> 00:25:39,700
maybe, seven, eight
or nine years old,

556
00:25:39,700 --> 00:25:42,200
it was just fascinating.

557
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,467
- I got into railroading,

558
00:25:44,467 --> 00:25:45,567
I think,

559
00:25:45,567 --> 00:25:47,400
because of my brother.

560
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,133
My brother always loved trains.

561
00:25:50,133 --> 00:25:51,700
He was in the Navy.

562
00:25:52,933 --> 00:25:55,133
And this is in the late 50s.

563
00:25:55,133 --> 00:25:57,567
He came home on a 30-day leave.

564
00:25:57,567 --> 00:26:02,267
And he brought home a number
of HO gauge brass locomotives

565
00:26:02,267 --> 00:26:06,000
that the Japanese had
begun manufacturing.

566
00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:07,167
The Navy would

567
00:26:08,767 --> 00:26:10,367
shell Korea.

568
00:26:10,367 --> 00:26:13,033
(intense music)

569
00:26:14,267 --> 00:26:16,900
- [Voiceover] Spring is
a bloody time in Korea.

570
00:26:16,900 --> 00:26:19,133
- And the battleships
and the large cruisers

571
00:26:19,133 --> 00:26:20,967
would come back to port.

572
00:26:20,967 --> 00:26:24,533
And they literally would shove
the brass gun shell casings

573
00:26:24,533 --> 00:26:26,400
over the side in the harbor.

574
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:28,833
And the Japanese sent
out their pearl divers.

575
00:26:28,833 --> 00:26:32,900
And they dove down and retrieved
the brass gun shell casings

576
00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:35,467
and took them back and
melted the brass down

577
00:26:35,467 --> 00:26:37,033
and made them into
things that they

578
00:26:37,033 --> 00:26:39,167
could sell back to the sailors.

579
00:26:39,167 --> 00:26:40,833
Brass models of ships,

580
00:26:40,833 --> 00:26:42,800
and brass models of trains.

581
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:44,667
So my brother came
home with a whole bunch

582
00:26:44,667 --> 00:26:47,333
of these beautiful brass models.

583
00:26:48,467 --> 00:26:51,367
Which, at the time,
were the latest and best

584
00:26:51,367 --> 00:26:55,267
that was available in
HO scale railroading.

585
00:26:55,267 --> 00:26:57,200
And we decided to
build a layout.

586
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:59,067
- I have been a model railroader

587
00:26:59,067 --> 00:27:01,200
since I was a small child.

588
00:27:02,900 --> 00:27:04,800
Starting with a wind-up train,

589
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:07,800
and then a first
simple electric train,

590
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:09,367
which I still have,

591
00:27:10,533 --> 00:27:13,133
at home, and it's
still operable.

592
00:27:13,133 --> 00:27:15,733
And then I went to
finer and finer scales,

593
00:27:15,733 --> 00:27:17,567
finer level of details

594
00:27:18,667 --> 00:27:20,200
in my trains.

595
00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:24,367
And now I am what I'd call
a scale-model railroader.

596
00:27:26,700 --> 00:27:29,800
I come by this honestly,
my grandfather was,

597
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,367
worked for 56 years for
the Santa Fe Railway.

598
00:27:33,367 --> 00:27:36,167
And his father before him

599
00:27:36,167 --> 00:27:38,733
and even I worked
for the railroad

600
00:27:38,733 --> 00:27:41,133
in the 1960s, out of Chicago,

601
00:27:42,133 --> 00:27:43,633
working my way through college.

602
00:27:43,633 --> 00:27:46,567
So I did a little
railroading myself.

603
00:27:46,567 --> 00:27:49,367
And it's just always
been a part of my life,

604
00:27:49,367 --> 00:27:54,300
and my family's life, as I say,
for a couple of generations.

605
00:27:54,300 --> 00:27:55,800
So I guess there
was no way for me

606
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:57,433
to really escape from trains.

607
00:27:57,433 --> 00:27:59,433
Had I live, grown
up, somewhere else

608
00:27:59,433 --> 00:28:01,667
other than Chicago,

609
00:28:01,667 --> 00:28:04,400
the railroad capital
of the nation.

610
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,833
Let's say had I grown up
in Boston, or Nantucket,

611
00:28:06,833 --> 00:28:09,967
I'd probably be modelling ships.

612
00:28:09,967 --> 00:28:11,433
But I model trains.

613
00:28:11,433 --> 00:28:13,300
I picked 1954.

614
00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:16,533
The railroads were
all at their heights.

615
00:28:16,533 --> 00:28:19,100
There were many
different railroads.

616
00:28:19,100 --> 00:28:20,767
There's something
going by right now,

617
00:28:20,767 --> 00:28:22,167
in the background.

618
00:28:22,167 --> 00:28:24,167
And that is music to my ears.

619
00:28:24,167 --> 00:28:26,500
- You've gotta have
that drive in you,

620
00:28:26,500 --> 00:28:29,167
that bug that keeps
saying, "A train!

621
00:28:29,167 --> 00:28:31,067
"I hear a whistle, I
hear one, where is it?

622
00:28:31,067 --> 00:28:32,467
"I gotta go see it."

623
00:28:32,467 --> 00:28:34,467
- The Strasburg's coming in.
(train bell tolling)

624
00:28:34,467 --> 00:28:37,367
The locomotive will cut off

625
00:28:37,367 --> 00:28:38,833
and move ahead to a switch

626
00:28:38,833 --> 00:28:40,400
and then back down the track

627
00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:42,833
and couple up on the
other end of the train

628
00:28:42,833 --> 00:28:45,067
for the trip to Paradise.

629
00:28:45,067 --> 00:28:46,500
It's a four and a half mile run,

630
00:28:46,500 --> 00:28:48,733
it's called the
Railroad to Paradise,

631
00:28:48,733 --> 00:28:51,300
or you can call it the...
(train whistle blowing)

632
00:28:51,300 --> 00:28:55,467
You can call it the P and
B for Paradise and Back.

633
00:28:56,633 --> 00:28:57,867
- [Voiceover] It
goes to Paradise?

634
00:28:57,867 --> 00:28:59,333
- There's a little
town in Pennsylvania

635
00:28:59,333 --> 00:29:01,933
called Paradise, Pennsylvania
and that's where it goes.

636
00:29:01,933 --> 00:29:04,433
Paradise, Pennsylvania
is usually joined with

637
00:29:04,433 --> 00:29:07,433
two other towns, or
sometimes three other towns,

638
00:29:07,433 --> 00:29:09,400
to make a sexual joke.

639
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,200
There's a town
called Virginville,

640
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:12,567
there's a town called Blue Ball

641
00:29:12,567 --> 00:29:14,367
and there's a town
called Intercourse.

642
00:29:14,367 --> 00:29:16,367
So if you do from
Virginville to Blue Ball

643
00:29:16,367 --> 00:29:18,033
to Intercourse to Paradise,

644
00:29:18,033 --> 00:29:21,533
it makes a certain
kind of warped sense.

645
00:29:21,533 --> 00:29:23,000
- Well it's hard
not to be interested

646
00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:24,333
when a steam engine goes by.

647
00:29:24,333 --> 00:29:26,567
I mean those things are alive.

648
00:29:26,567 --> 00:29:29,000
They pant and they
moan and they whistle

649
00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:31,700
and they chug and they
chuff and they creak.

650
00:29:31,700 --> 00:29:35,867
And you just can't ignore a
steam engine when it goes by.

651
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,333
And I think
Americans in general,

652
00:29:39,333 --> 00:29:41,800
because we're a
product of history,

653
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:45,267
we weren't born here,
except for Native Americans,

654
00:29:45,267 --> 00:29:47,800
we all showed up from somewhere.

655
00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:51,233
And so we have a sense
of where we were before

656
00:29:51,233 --> 00:29:53,067
and we have a destiny.

657
00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:55,700
And that's Europe,
that's Africa,

658
00:29:55,700 --> 00:29:57,300
that's China and that's Japan,

659
00:29:57,300 --> 00:29:58,533
and that's everywhere.

660
00:29:58,533 --> 00:30:00,400
That's the beauty of America.

661
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:03,733
(train whistle blowing)

662
00:30:04,667 --> 00:30:07,833
(awe-inspiring music)

663
00:30:52,767 --> 00:30:54,033
- [Voiceover] For most people,

664
00:30:54,033 --> 00:30:56,600
trains tap into something deep.

665
00:31:01,167 --> 00:31:04,533
- I think if you scratch a
lot of model railroaders,

666
00:31:04,533 --> 00:31:07,667
what you will find,
right under the surface,

667
00:31:07,667 --> 00:31:11,233
is, in many cases, we're
trying to re-create

668
00:31:11,233 --> 00:31:13,600
a special time and
place in our own lives.

669
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,033
- I was born and raised
in the Kensington

670
00:31:16,033 --> 00:31:18,033
section of north Philadelphia.

671
00:31:18,033 --> 00:31:20,867
And I was within walking
distance, north of me,

672
00:31:20,867 --> 00:31:24,333
of the main line
of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, which ran,

673
00:31:24,333 --> 00:31:26,567
the passengers ran from
Washington DC to New York

674
00:31:26,567 --> 00:31:29,267
and all the western
freight trains.

675
00:31:29,267 --> 00:31:31,200
And if I would go the other
direction from my home,

676
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,333
I was close, within
walking distance,

677
00:31:33,333 --> 00:31:36,033
of the Reading Railroad,
which was a big coal hauler.

678
00:31:36,033 --> 00:31:38,333
They brought the anthracite
coal from the coal fields

679
00:31:38,333 --> 00:31:40,867
in Pennsylvania down
to the Delaware River,

680
00:31:40,867 --> 00:31:42,467
where they were
loaded onto steamers

681
00:31:42,467 --> 00:31:44,867
and plied up and down
the eastern seaboard,

682
00:31:44,867 --> 00:31:46,700
the Gulf Coast and
even South America.

683
00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:48,667
- I grew up in
northern New Jersey,

684
00:31:48,667 --> 00:31:51,267
in a town called Phillipsburg.

685
00:31:51,267 --> 00:31:53,200
Phillipsburg was a
big railroad town.

686
00:31:53,200 --> 00:31:55,600
In its heyday, I
think there was like,

687
00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:58,700
five or six railroads
that all converged

688
00:31:58,700 --> 00:32:00,533
into that town.

689
00:32:00,533 --> 00:32:02,233
It's actually right
across the river,

690
00:32:02,233 --> 00:32:04,400
the Delaware River,
from Pennsylvania.

691
00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,400
So we're really
close to the border.

692
00:32:08,867 --> 00:32:10,433
Bethlehem Steel was close by.

693
00:32:10,433 --> 00:32:14,000
And Phillipsburg was a big
industrial town as well, so,

694
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:15,233
hence the railroads.

695
00:32:15,233 --> 00:32:17,133
- Well Sacramento, of
course, is the launchpad

696
00:32:17,133 --> 00:32:19,867
for the Transcontinental
Railroad

697
00:32:19,867 --> 00:32:21,767
from the West to the East.

698
00:32:21,767 --> 00:32:24,167
But even before that,

699
00:32:24,167 --> 00:32:28,333
before the Central Pacific
Railroad got started here,

700
00:32:28,333 --> 00:32:30,733
pretty much right
where we're standing,

701
00:32:30,733 --> 00:32:32,600
the Sacramento Valley Railroad

702
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:34,800
got its start here as well.

703
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:37,100
Just a few years before the
Central Pacific started.

704
00:32:37,100 --> 00:32:39,800
- Railroading is what
linked the country,

705
00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,967
the golden spike at
Promontory Summit.

706
00:32:43,933 --> 00:32:46,167
That magic hasn't gone away,

707
00:32:46,167 --> 00:32:48,167
it is still pretty cool to see

708
00:32:48,167 --> 00:32:51,867
a mile-long train zipping
along at 60 miles an hour.

709
00:32:51,867 --> 00:32:54,600
Less cool at 10 miles
an hour over the road

710
00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:55,833
that you're trying
to get across,

711
00:32:55,833 --> 00:32:57,333
but, it's pretty neat.

712
00:32:57,333 --> 00:32:59,500
- Now, when I grew up,

713
00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:02,767
back in the late 50s
and the early 60s,

714
00:33:02,767 --> 00:33:04,967
we didn't have the
security we have today.

715
00:33:04,967 --> 00:33:07,100
So I used to get on my bicycle

716
00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:10,500
and I would ride down
to the local yard,

717
00:33:10,500 --> 00:33:12,667
which was probably about
10 miles from my house,

718
00:33:12,667 --> 00:33:14,667
and you could just
walk into the yard.

719
00:33:14,667 --> 00:33:17,600
Watch the engineers
switch the cars.

720
00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:21,567
Go to the engine terminal,
watch them on the turntable.

721
00:33:21,567 --> 00:33:23,067
Always fascinated with this.

722
00:33:23,067 --> 00:33:24,900
- I actually grew
up along the lines,

723
00:33:24,900 --> 00:33:27,333
a main line for Conrail.

724
00:33:27,333 --> 00:33:30,800
That was the first step that
brought me into the Conrail.

725
00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,800
But it wasn't until much later,

726
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:35,633
like around the
mid-90s, early 2000s,

727
00:33:35,633 --> 00:33:37,700
that it really took off.

728
00:33:37,700 --> 00:33:39,933
In fact, there's
actually a funny story.

729
00:33:39,933 --> 00:33:41,467
When I was younger,

730
00:33:41,467 --> 00:33:43,333
my parents were
restaurant owners,

731
00:33:43,333 --> 00:33:46,167
but two blocks behind
the restaurants,

732
00:33:46,167 --> 00:33:48,600
is the main line, is
the same main line,

733
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:50,267
from where my parent's,

734
00:33:50,267 --> 00:33:52,133
you could see from my
parents' apartment.

735
00:33:52,133 --> 00:33:55,400
So I was about,
maybe five or six.

736
00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:58,167
I kinda snuck out and the
weather was nice, it was warm,

737
00:33:58,167 --> 00:34:00,733
because I kinda snuck out and
went down a couple blocks,

738
00:34:00,733 --> 00:34:02,833
just plopped myself
on the park bench

739
00:34:02,833 --> 00:34:05,100
to wait for the
trains to come by.

740
00:34:05,100 --> 00:34:06,967
Of course, when my dad found me,

741
00:34:06,967 --> 00:34:10,467
it wasn't the greatest
thing in the world.

742
00:34:10,467 --> 00:34:12,000
At least it was fun
to be able to kinda

743
00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:13,700
run away for a little bit,

744
00:34:13,700 --> 00:34:16,067
to be in my own little world.

745
00:34:16,067 --> 00:34:19,300
- [Voiceover] All of us are
born into a world of rules.

746
00:34:19,300 --> 00:34:21,233
It takes most of us
a long time to learn

747
00:34:21,233 --> 00:34:24,067
how to live in the
world of grown-up rules.

748
00:34:24,067 --> 00:34:26,200
That's what childhood
is all about.

749
00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,467
- [Voiceover] Washing up of
the more conventional kind.

750
00:34:28,467 --> 00:34:30,933
A chore that comes
'round about once a week.

751
00:34:30,933 --> 00:34:34,667
Obviously excellent training
for future husbands.

752
00:34:34,667 --> 00:34:37,233
- [Voiceover] Then one
day, when we're grown up,

753
00:34:37,233 --> 00:34:39,767
the rules we follow are our own.

754
00:34:39,767 --> 00:34:42,333
(jaunty music)

755
00:34:46,700 --> 00:34:49,933
For some, the rules
are pretty intense.

756
00:34:51,533 --> 00:34:53,533
- Some people want every

757
00:34:55,300 --> 00:34:56,133
specific

758
00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,033
detail down to the last

759
00:35:00,433 --> 00:35:01,700
bolt and rivet.

760
00:35:03,667 --> 00:35:06,567
Those purists are
very often called

761
00:35:07,733 --> 00:35:09,200
rivet counters.

762
00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:12,000
- My primary focus
is really a lot,

763
00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,100
the super detailing,

764
00:35:13,100 --> 00:35:15,633
the rivet counting.
(laughs)

765
00:35:15,633 --> 00:35:17,200
- I'm one of what
the people call

766
00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:21,400
a prototype guy, I'm the
guy that counts rivets.

767
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:25,567
I know that a specific boxcar
has a specific door with

768
00:35:27,167 --> 00:35:29,233
a certain amount of ribs,

769
00:35:29,233 --> 00:35:30,767
certain amount of ribs,

770
00:35:30,767 --> 00:35:32,567
and certain amount of ribs,
separated by a rivet panel.

771
00:35:32,567 --> 00:35:34,100
I know this.

772
00:35:34,100 --> 00:35:38,200
Yeah, prototype modelers,
what you call us dorks.

773
00:35:40,267 --> 00:35:43,300
It's, I don't know, some people,

774
00:35:43,300 --> 00:35:46,333
it bears with it a kind
of respect to some.

775
00:35:46,333 --> 00:35:47,167
And,

776
00:35:49,033 --> 00:35:51,267
an eye roll from others
that we're worried

777
00:35:51,267 --> 00:35:53,800
about silly things that
don't really matter.

778
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,033
And if you put it
into perspective,

779
00:35:56,033 --> 00:35:57,967
none of this stuff matters.

780
00:35:57,967 --> 00:36:00,200
- Over the years I've become

781
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:01,400
more and more,

782
00:36:03,167 --> 00:36:06,133
I suppose obsessive is
the only word for it,

783
00:36:06,133 --> 00:36:08,933
in getting a finer
level of detail.

784
00:36:08,933 --> 00:36:10,467
One of the things is,

785
00:36:10,467 --> 00:36:13,467
I like taking photographs
at close quarters,

786
00:36:13,467 --> 00:36:15,100
of models.

787
00:36:15,100 --> 00:36:18,533
And so I like
photo-realism, if you will.

788
00:36:19,767 --> 00:36:22,567
I like getting in
close with a camera.

789
00:36:22,567 --> 00:36:23,833
And so I think,

790
00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:26,667
it's not true with
every model railroader,

791
00:36:26,667 --> 00:36:28,933
but there's a
certain group of us,

792
00:36:28,933 --> 00:36:32,433
who really could use a little
more prozac in our diets.

793
00:36:32,433 --> 00:36:36,300
Because we are
obsessive-compulsive about

794
00:36:36,300 --> 00:36:38,133
a certain level of detail.

795
00:36:38,133 --> 00:36:39,467
That would be me on some days.

796
00:36:39,467 --> 00:36:40,700
Not everything,

797
00:36:40,700 --> 00:36:44,400
but with specific
models, absolutely.

798
00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,267
- I would say every hobby
gets a different portion,

799
00:36:46,267 --> 00:36:49,667
share of obsessives who become
obsessive about that hobby.

800
00:36:49,667 --> 00:36:51,167
And so we certainly have ours,

801
00:36:51,167 --> 00:36:52,733
but I don't believe
that you have to be

802
00:36:52,733 --> 00:36:55,067
an obsessive to be good at it,

803
00:36:55,067 --> 00:36:56,600
or to be interested in it.

804
00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:58,600
- [Voiceover] One Mecca for
obsessive model railroaders

805
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,267
and rail fans alike,

806
00:37:00,267 --> 00:37:02,500
is the the Tehachapi Loop.

807
00:37:02,500 --> 00:37:05,200
(energetic music)

808
00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:08,767
The Tehachapi Loop,
connecting southern California

809
00:37:08,767 --> 00:37:10,333
with the San Joaquin Valley,

810
00:37:10,333 --> 00:37:12,533
is a helix, or spiral,

811
00:37:12,533 --> 00:37:16,967
on the Union Pacific Line
through Tehachapi Pass.

812
00:37:16,967 --> 00:37:19,300
The Southern Pacific
Railroad built the loop

813
00:37:19,300 --> 00:37:23,400
in the 1870s to allow
trains to climb and descend

814
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:27,633
in less space than would be
needed without the helix.

815
00:37:27,633 --> 00:37:29,833
The Tehachapi Loop
is represented

816
00:37:29,833 --> 00:37:31,933
on layouts around the world.

817
00:37:31,933 --> 00:37:34,367
It's a real unique section of

818
00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,067
rail that's out there
and we were able to

819
00:37:38,067 --> 00:37:39,667
put it in here in N scale.

820
00:37:39,667 --> 00:37:41,867
This is a pretty close
representation of

821
00:37:41,867 --> 00:37:44,800
what the Tehachapi
Loop looks like.

822
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,967
And it's awfully
cool to see a train

823
00:37:46,967 --> 00:37:49,133
snake over itself on that.

824
00:37:50,567 --> 00:37:52,767
- [Voiceover] There may be
no more famous depiction

825
00:37:52,767 --> 00:37:56,433
than that on the La Mesa
Club layout in San Diego.

826
00:37:56,433 --> 00:37:58,600
- [Bill] We find ourselves at

827
00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:02,367
the Tehachapi Pass area.
(serene music)

828
00:38:02,367 --> 00:38:05,967
- [Voiceover]
Cablevision by Elders.

829
00:38:05,967 --> 00:38:09,467
- With me I have two
distinguished guests.

830
00:38:09,467 --> 00:38:11,867
Here we have John Rotsart,

831
00:38:11,867 --> 00:38:15,100
who is the Director Executive,

832
00:38:15,100 --> 00:38:16,867
or the Executive Director,

833
00:38:16,867 --> 00:38:18,700
however you wanna look at it,

834
00:38:18,700 --> 00:38:20,667
of the Model Railroad Museum.

835
00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:24,667
- [Voiceover] The famous San
Diego Model Railroad Museum

836
00:38:24,667 --> 00:38:27,400
can trace its origins
to the early 60s,

837
00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,300
when a bunch of young
guys who loved trains

838
00:38:30,300 --> 00:38:32,867
decided to start a club.

839
00:38:32,867 --> 00:38:34,700
We had some issues on,

840
00:38:37,367 --> 00:38:39,533
just growing up.

841
00:38:39,533 --> 00:38:40,367
And not

842
00:38:43,033 --> 00:38:44,367
creating mayhem.

843
00:38:45,667 --> 00:38:46,600
Because the

844
00:38:47,467 --> 00:38:48,700
city of La Mesa

845
00:38:52,100 --> 00:38:55,367
had an abandoned
firehouse building

846
00:38:55,367 --> 00:38:56,367
in downtown.

847
00:38:57,500 --> 00:38:59,500
Nebo Hall, on Nebo Drive.

848
00:39:01,933 --> 00:39:03,267
And we requested

849
00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:06,533
the city to give

850
00:39:07,700 --> 00:39:08,800
the firehouse

851
00:39:09,800 --> 00:39:10,900
to us

852
00:39:10,900 --> 00:39:12,967
as a model railroad area.

853
00:39:14,900 --> 00:39:17,667
So we were basically
street legal

854
00:39:18,767 --> 00:39:20,033
to that extent.

855
00:39:21,700 --> 00:39:23,100
By the late 1961.

856
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:28,500
- [Voiceover] Eventually,
the La Mesa Club,

857
00:39:28,500 --> 00:39:30,833
learned to play by the rules.

858
00:39:30,833 --> 00:39:34,333
(slow instrumental music)

859
00:39:36,033 --> 00:39:38,000
With a half century of history,

860
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,567
they can do whatever they want.

861
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,967
There are a million ways to
be a model railroader today.

862
00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:52,833
You don't even have to
declare your loyalties.

863
00:39:52,833 --> 00:39:54,100
Though many do.

864
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:04,467
- There are some people who,

865
00:40:04,467 --> 00:40:07,667
like the kid we
all knew in school

866
00:40:07,667 --> 00:40:09,267
who memorized every

867
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:15,000
statistic of every
baseball player out there.

868
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,500
And there were some who only
dealt with a single team.

869
00:40:18,500 --> 00:40:21,233
I'm interested in
the Santa Fe Railway,

870
00:40:21,233 --> 00:40:26,167
and in a certain part of the
Santa Fe Railway in 1954.

871
00:40:26,167 --> 00:40:29,900
So you might say I'm
only interested in those,

872
00:40:29,900 --> 00:40:32,700
to use the comparison, I'm only,

873
00:40:32,700 --> 00:40:35,367
used to the home
games the Chicago

874
00:40:35,367 --> 00:40:37,367
White Sox played in July

875
00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:39,133
of 1954.

876
00:40:40,233 --> 00:40:42,033
So that's how
specific I've gotten.

877
00:40:42,033 --> 00:40:45,500
And that means I only have
to have a certain focus

878
00:40:45,500 --> 00:40:48,800
and I only have to have a
certain amount of knowledge.

879
00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:51,467
I can't identify
half the locomotives,

880
00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:53,200
most of the locomotives
that are running

881
00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:55,500
out there on the tracks today.

882
00:40:55,500 --> 00:40:56,333
In 2013.

883
00:40:57,533 --> 00:40:59,833
I don't know what they
are, I don't care.

884
00:40:59,833 --> 00:41:01,700
I have some passing
interest in it,

885
00:41:01,700 --> 00:41:04,133
but I'm interested
in what ran in 1954.

886
00:41:04,133 --> 00:41:07,567
And that's the extent of my
knowledge and all I need to know

887
00:41:07,567 --> 00:41:09,967
and all that really
interests me.

888
00:41:09,967 --> 00:41:14,133
I've narrowed my focus and my
knowledge in that respect too.

889
00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:17,400
Which is great,
because my little brain

890
00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:19,200
has only enough room.

891
00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:22,267
- The funny thing about
prototype modelers

892
00:41:22,267 --> 00:41:25,433
is that we're just
like football fans.

893
00:41:27,100 --> 00:41:28,700
If you're a prototype guy,

894
00:41:28,700 --> 00:41:30,433
you like your
Burlington Northern.

895
00:41:30,433 --> 00:41:33,233
Or I like my Burlington,
the 1971, that's what I do.

896
00:41:33,233 --> 00:41:35,200
And anything in 1972,

897
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:37,200
I don't do it because it

898
00:41:38,133 --> 00:41:39,500
didn't happen with this stuff,

899
00:41:39,500 --> 00:41:40,733
it's too new.

900
00:41:40,733 --> 00:41:42,367
Anything before that,
yeah, it could be.

901
00:41:42,367 --> 00:41:43,333
But the stuff after it,

902
00:41:43,333 --> 00:41:44,933
1975 Burlington Northern?

903
00:41:44,933 --> 00:41:46,167
Nah.

904
00:41:46,167 --> 00:41:47,767
It doesn't work with this.

905
00:41:47,767 --> 00:41:51,067
But it's like a
football fan in that

906
00:41:51,067 --> 00:41:53,567
a Kansas City
Chiefs fan is never,

907
00:41:53,567 --> 00:41:55,567
on his worst possible day,

908
00:41:55,567 --> 00:41:57,633
gonna be wearing
a Raiders shirt.

909
00:41:57,633 --> 00:42:00,367
Or he's never gonna be wearing
a Cleveland Browns shirt.

910
00:42:00,367 --> 00:42:02,600
He may wash his car with
the Cleveland Browns shirt,

911
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:04,000
but he's not gonna wear it.

912
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,133
And the same thing
with train guys,

913
00:42:07,133 --> 00:42:10,000
is they're loyal
to their railroad.

914
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:13,733
I probably wouldn't be wearing
a New York Central shirt,

915
00:42:13,733 --> 00:42:15,100
ever.

916
00:42:15,100 --> 00:42:16,300
I would wear a Burlington
Northern shirt,

917
00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:18,300
I might wear a Great
Northern shirt.

918
00:42:18,300 --> 00:42:19,800
SPNS shirt, maybe.

919
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:25,133
- I want my stuff to run
and look very realistic.

920
00:42:25,133 --> 00:42:28,667
But I also want it to run
in a realistic setting.

921
00:42:28,667 --> 00:42:30,233
So I've done my homework

922
00:42:30,233 --> 00:42:31,900
and I know what this railroad

923
00:42:31,900 --> 00:42:33,400
that I'm modelling looked like.

924
00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:35,833
I grew up in one of the
towns that I'm modelling.

925
00:42:35,833 --> 00:42:37,867
I did not grow up
in most of the towns

926
00:42:37,867 --> 00:42:40,567
that I'm modelling so
I went back to Indiana

927
00:42:40,567 --> 00:42:42,967
and Illinois and I
went to the libraries

928
00:42:42,967 --> 00:42:44,800
and I went to the
Historical Societies

929
00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:46,467
and I knocked on doors.

930
00:42:46,467 --> 00:42:48,567
And I met a lot of
big German shepherds

931
00:42:48,567 --> 00:42:51,267
when people didn't
want me there.

932
00:42:51,267 --> 00:42:52,833
It's all part of the fun.

933
00:42:52,833 --> 00:42:54,800
- Because I model
a certain period,

934
00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:56,567
and in a certain area,

935
00:42:56,567 --> 00:42:59,167
I will try to evoke that
area as much as possible.

936
00:42:59,167 --> 00:43:03,500
With the vegetation,
the color of the earth,

937
00:43:03,500 --> 00:43:06,033
what crops may be grown
in the nearby fields,

938
00:43:06,033 --> 00:43:07,533
all that sort of thing.

939
00:43:07,533 --> 00:43:10,767
It's all part of the research
and all part of the fun.

940
00:43:10,767 --> 00:43:12,600
- [Voiceover]
Photographer Steve Crist

941
00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:16,300
is a well-known rail
fan, and researcher.

942
00:43:16,300 --> 00:43:19,633
Crist is as committed to
preserving railroading's past

943
00:43:19,633 --> 00:43:22,700
as he is to documenting
its present.

944
00:43:22,700 --> 00:43:24,900
And he's sometimes
surprised by what he finds

945
00:43:24,900 --> 00:43:28,300
in the images he scans
for historical archives.

946
00:43:28,300 --> 00:43:31,267
- I recognized it
as being from the

947
00:43:31,267 --> 00:43:34,200
1989 celebration
of Union Station.

948
00:43:34,200 --> 00:43:36,533
And I recognized it
because I'm in the photo,

949
00:43:36,533 --> 00:43:38,267
right there.

950
00:43:38,267 --> 00:43:42,133
This is also under
consideration for our book.

951
00:43:42,133 --> 00:43:44,600
Fortunately we have
the original negative

952
00:43:44,600 --> 00:43:47,000
also from that same collection.

953
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:48,500
- [Voiceover] Like Steve Crist,

954
00:43:48,500 --> 00:43:51,767
Jack Burgess, a retired
civil engineer for the city

955
00:43:51,767 --> 00:43:55,067
of Newark California, is
a committed researcher.

956
00:43:55,067 --> 00:43:58,400
But unlike Crist, he
works in three dimensions.

957
00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:00,100
Everything on his layout,

958
00:44:00,100 --> 00:44:02,267
even down to the
paint and wiring,

959
00:44:02,267 --> 00:44:06,000
accurately represents the
Yosemite Valley Railway,

960
00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:08,167
as it was in August, 1939.

961
00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:11,867
- 25 years ago I had a couple,

962
00:44:11,867 --> 00:44:13,733
a brother and a
sister, visit me,

963
00:44:13,733 --> 00:44:17,467
that lived upstairs in
this building in 1939.

964
00:44:18,633 --> 00:44:20,533
Their father was
a section foreman.

965
00:44:20,533 --> 00:44:21,967
There was no agent at the time,

966
00:44:21,967 --> 00:44:23,900
normally an agent
would live up there.

967
00:44:23,900 --> 00:44:26,933
And they told me what
was in here and so forth,

968
00:44:26,933 --> 00:44:29,167
and told me about the
buildings along here.

969
00:44:29,167 --> 00:44:30,833
They also told me
that they had a radio,

970
00:44:30,833 --> 00:44:32,733
they remembered having a radio.

971
00:44:32,733 --> 00:44:33,967
And I had thought about,

972
00:44:33,967 --> 00:44:35,900
when I was gonna
detail this building,

973
00:44:35,900 --> 00:44:37,700
putting the radio in there.

974
00:44:37,700 --> 00:44:39,433
But I thought man,

975
00:44:39,433 --> 00:44:41,067
you're in the middle
of this steep canyon,

976
00:44:41,067 --> 00:44:43,167
it's probably a 2,000
foot deep canyon.

977
00:44:43,167 --> 00:44:44,433
Very steep walls.

978
00:44:44,433 --> 00:44:46,567
The road goes back and
forth back and forth,

979
00:44:46,567 --> 00:44:48,667
climbing all the way
down, even today,

980
00:44:48,667 --> 00:44:50,567
and then climbs
up the other side.

981
00:44:50,567 --> 00:44:53,867
And so I didn't put it in there.

982
00:44:53,867 --> 00:44:56,467
But then later they told
me that they did have it.

983
00:44:56,467 --> 00:44:58,267
And then many years later,

984
00:44:58,267 --> 00:45:00,800
I come across another photo.

985
00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:04,367
And this photo, which
was taken about 1942,

986
00:45:06,767 --> 00:45:09,900
I got a print of the
original negative,

987
00:45:09,900 --> 00:45:12,067
which was only about the
size of an index card,

988
00:45:12,067 --> 00:45:13,833
scanned it, blew it up.

989
00:45:13,833 --> 00:45:15,167
But look real carefully.

990
00:45:15,167 --> 00:45:18,000
Here you can see
their radio antenna.

991
00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:20,667
So they were absolutely correct.

992
00:45:22,067 --> 00:45:24,800
If I was modelling 1942,

993
00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:26,800
I would also add these.

994
00:45:26,800 --> 00:45:28,667
These are service stars.

995
00:45:28,667 --> 00:45:30,300
And that would show
that whoever lived,

996
00:45:30,300 --> 00:45:32,200
was living here at that time,

997
00:45:32,200 --> 00:45:33,200
had two boys

998
00:45:34,667 --> 00:45:39,433
serving in the armed services
overseas during World War II.

999
00:45:39,433 --> 00:45:41,433
- I want my trains
to sound realistic,

1000
00:45:41,433 --> 00:45:43,633
I want them to
run realistically.

1001
00:45:43,633 --> 00:45:45,833
I want them to be
a simulator of what

1002
00:45:45,833 --> 00:45:48,967
really happened at
some point in time.

1003
00:45:48,967 --> 00:45:52,933
Some people define the
time as August 1939,

1004
00:45:52,933 --> 00:45:56,000
one of my friends has got
it that narrowly defined.

1005
00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:57,867
One of them is actually
modelling a day

1006
00:45:57,867 --> 00:45:59,767
that he has a lot
of records for.

1007
00:45:59,767 --> 00:46:02,033
Some people model a year,

1008
00:46:02,033 --> 00:46:04,600
I'm modelling the fall of 1954.

1009
00:46:05,533 --> 00:46:07,933
Others model, let's say 1955.

1010
00:46:09,233 --> 00:46:12,333
Others model the
1950s, or the 1970s.

1011
00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:16,733
You can be picky about that or

1012
00:46:16,733 --> 00:46:19,333
you can ignore it completely.

1013
00:46:19,333 --> 00:46:20,167
- I model,

1014
00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:24,200
what's typically
southern California

1015
00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:27,167
into Phoenix, Arizona area.

1016
00:46:27,167 --> 00:46:29,833
So you've got the desert.

1017
00:46:29,833 --> 00:46:31,233
And it's Union Pacific,

1018
00:46:31,233 --> 00:46:34,600
it's a former Southern
Pacific Railroad line.

1019
00:46:34,600 --> 00:46:37,033
Now taken over by Union Pacific

1020
00:46:37,033 --> 00:46:40,367
and that's what I
have, strictly modern.

1021
00:46:41,533 --> 00:46:43,267
It's really modern,
so whatever's new,

1022
00:46:43,267 --> 00:46:44,600
I'm trying to get for my layout.

1023
00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:48,000
- I've been, in the
past 20 or so years,

1024
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:51,433
I've narrowed my focus
down to modelling

1025
00:46:51,433 --> 00:46:54,067
the Burlington Northern Railroad

1026
00:46:54,067 --> 00:46:55,300
in Western Oregon

1027
00:46:55,300 --> 00:46:56,133
in 1971.

1028
00:46:57,533 --> 00:47:00,667
- I'm working on Cajon
Pass during World War II,

1029
00:47:00,667 --> 00:47:04,000
which is kind of an unusual
area for most model railroaders.

1030
00:47:04,000 --> 00:47:07,833
Cajon Pass is the,
one of three gateways,

1031
00:47:07,833 --> 00:47:10,800
into the Los Angeles basin
in southern California.

1032
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:14,633
It's located just northwest
of San Bernardino.

1033
00:47:17,467 --> 00:47:19,067
Two railroads come
through the pass,

1034
00:47:19,067 --> 00:47:21,000
Santa Fe and Union
Pacific come through.

1035
00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:23,600
Burlington Northern
Santa Fe today.

1036
00:47:23,600 --> 00:47:26,033
Southern Pacific is
nearby at Colton,

1037
00:47:26,033 --> 00:47:30,100
and Pacific Electric ran
through that area as well.

1038
00:47:30,100 --> 00:47:33,200
- There's guys like
Jack Burgess who model

1039
00:47:33,200 --> 00:47:36,433
the Yosemite Valley
in September of 1939.

1040
00:47:36,433 --> 00:47:37,867
And he doesn't add
anything unless

1041
00:47:37,867 --> 00:47:39,500
he can find a picture of it.

1042
00:47:39,500 --> 00:47:42,033
- You might say, well that
is crazy and over the top.

1043
00:47:42,033 --> 00:47:44,067
But one of the
great things about

1044
00:47:44,067 --> 00:47:45,833
narrowing into a specific period

1045
00:47:45,833 --> 00:47:48,600
and specific
railroad is you don't

1046
00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,267
have to buy everything
that's out there.

1047
00:47:51,267 --> 00:47:54,667
So it really focuses your hobby

1048
00:47:54,667 --> 00:47:56,600
and focuses your collection

1049
00:47:56,600 --> 00:47:58,700
on things that are
appropriate for your period

1050
00:47:58,700 --> 00:47:59,833
and for your railroad.

1051
00:47:59,833 --> 00:48:01,200
I run a branch line railroading.

1052
00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:04,600
This is a smaller
scale railroading with,

1053
00:48:06,033 --> 00:48:08,867
based mainly on freight
and what you might call

1054
00:48:08,867 --> 00:48:13,333
mixed trains, trains that
knit small communities

1055
00:48:13,333 --> 00:48:16,400
in America together
once upon a time,

1056
00:48:17,533 --> 00:48:19,467
before the interstates.

1057
00:48:20,633 --> 00:48:22,233
And so,

1058
00:48:22,233 --> 00:48:23,633
it's a very specific
sort of thing,

1059
00:48:23,633 --> 00:48:26,000
but it really makes for, to me,

1060
00:48:26,000 --> 00:48:28,200
more interesting
modelling because

1061
00:48:28,200 --> 00:48:30,833
I can say no to a lot of things.

1062
00:48:30,833 --> 00:48:32,867
Being able to say
no to a lot of what

1063
00:48:32,867 --> 00:48:35,500
is out there is a
very good thing.

1064
00:48:35,500 --> 00:48:36,333
- This is,

1065
00:48:37,633 --> 00:48:40,467
maybe typical of
model railroader.

1066
00:48:42,300 --> 00:48:43,800
Some will say not.

1067
00:48:45,267 --> 00:48:47,933
We have traveled
around the world

1068
00:48:47,933 --> 00:48:51,433
and visited many model
railroaders homes

1069
00:48:51,433 --> 00:48:54,633
and some have much
more than this.

1070
00:48:54,633 --> 00:48:57,967
And, of course, some
have a lot less.

1071
00:48:57,967 --> 00:49:02,133
So this is typical of a model
railroad collection, I think.

1072
00:49:05,133 --> 00:49:07,800
- I have a lot of
equipment that I've

1073
00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:09,267
collected over the years.

1074
00:49:09,267 --> 00:49:12,200
I also have a lot of kits
that need to be built.

1075
00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:15,500
So there's more than
a lifetime worth,

1076
00:49:15,500 --> 00:49:18,433
and I obviously don't
have a lifetime left.

1077
00:49:18,433 --> 00:49:20,633
But there's plenty
to keep me busy.

1078
00:49:20,633 --> 00:49:21,967
(mumbles)

1079
00:49:21,967 --> 00:49:22,800
But to me,

1080
00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:26,367
it's sort of like the journey is

1081
00:49:26,367 --> 00:49:28,733
more important than
the destination.

1082
00:49:28,733 --> 00:49:32,367
The doing of it,
the creating of it,

1083
00:49:32,367 --> 00:49:34,733
the modelling of it
is more important

1084
00:49:34,733 --> 00:49:38,500
than finishing it, getting
it done, if you will.

1085
00:49:38,500 --> 00:49:40,633
And just enjoying the journey.

1086
00:49:40,633 --> 00:49:43,567
Is kinda what it's
all about for me.

1087
00:49:43,567 --> 00:49:45,533
- [Voiceover] Creatives,
control freaks,

1088
00:49:45,533 --> 00:49:47,633
and obsessive world historians,

1089
00:49:47,633 --> 00:49:49,133
you are not alone.

1090
00:49:50,267 --> 00:49:53,100
Of course, some of
you would like to be.

1091
00:49:53,100 --> 00:49:55,267
- Some of us are joiners

1092
00:49:55,267 --> 00:49:56,867
and some of us are not joiners.

1093
00:49:56,867 --> 00:49:58,900
- I don't even know
an N-scale guy,

1094
00:49:58,900 --> 00:50:01,033
I don't have any friends
that are N-scale guys,

1095
00:50:01,033 --> 00:50:02,367
not because I don't like them,

1096
00:50:02,367 --> 00:50:04,533
we just don't have
anything in common.

1097
00:50:04,533 --> 00:50:06,867
It's like five or six
different factions

1098
00:50:06,867 --> 00:50:09,433
and we're not rivals in any way,

1099
00:50:09,433 --> 00:50:11,767
we don't dislike
each other, but,

1100
00:50:11,767 --> 00:50:13,700
we just probably
wouldn't hang out

1101
00:50:13,700 --> 00:50:15,600
with each other because

1102
00:50:15,600 --> 00:50:16,833
he's a Lionel guy,

1103
00:50:16,833 --> 00:50:20,300
he's an N-scale guy
and I'm an HO guy.

1104
00:50:20,300 --> 00:50:23,267
And even some of the HO guys...

1105
00:50:23,267 --> 00:50:27,133
Kinda fit themselves in a
little box and don't come out.

1106
00:50:27,133 --> 00:50:29,167
Or I'm a prototype
guy so I don't even

1107
00:50:29,167 --> 00:50:31,333
talk to those ready-to-run guys.

1108
00:50:31,333 --> 00:50:33,467
We're all the same guy.

1109
00:50:33,467 --> 00:50:37,867
- There are two different
kind of model railroaders.

1110
00:50:37,867 --> 00:50:40,200
There's the people that
get involved in the

1111
00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:43,000
NMRA and they join these clubs

1112
00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:45,267
and they get together,
the camaraderie.

1113
00:50:45,267 --> 00:50:47,233
And then there's
the lone wolves,

1114
00:50:47,233 --> 00:50:49,967
and a lot of them are,
what I call, the lone wolf.

1115
00:50:49,967 --> 00:50:51,367
There's a lot of
people that are,

1116
00:50:51,367 --> 00:50:53,467
I'm not gonna use
the term nobodies,

1117
00:50:53,467 --> 00:50:55,200
because everybody is somebody,

1118
00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:56,700
but they're individuals.

1119
00:50:56,700 --> 00:50:59,367
And they have, I know people
right here in Pasadena,

1120
00:50:59,367 --> 00:51:01,767
they've got beautiful layouts

1121
00:51:01,767 --> 00:51:03,267
that no one even knows about.

1122
00:51:03,267 --> 00:51:05,900
They don't open up to the
public, it's just for them,

1123
00:51:05,900 --> 00:51:07,800
and their own
personal enjoyment.

1124
00:51:07,800 --> 00:51:10,533
- I'm a real lone
wolf kinda guy.

1125
00:51:12,033 --> 00:51:13,367
I'm not part of a club.

1126
00:51:13,367 --> 00:51:15,167
I don't have a group
of friends who I

1127
00:51:15,167 --> 00:51:16,433
operate with and
that sort of stuff.

1128
00:51:16,433 --> 00:51:19,067
I just enjoy doing it myself.

1129
00:51:19,067 --> 00:51:21,667
It forces you to get
out of that comfort zone

1130
00:51:21,667 --> 00:51:23,133
and meet some other people

1131
00:51:23,133 --> 00:51:24,267
and talk to some other people.

1132
00:51:24,267 --> 00:51:25,967
Have some people
do some articles

1133
00:51:25,967 --> 00:51:27,700
and that sort of stuff.

1134
00:51:27,700 --> 00:51:31,033
And now it's to the point where

1135
00:51:31,033 --> 00:51:32,667
the social aspect of the hobby

1136
00:51:32,667 --> 00:51:34,833
is really enjoyable to me.

1137
00:51:36,167 --> 00:51:38,100
And that's something,
12 years ago,

1138
00:51:38,100 --> 00:51:40,333
I would have never thought.

1139
00:51:41,567 --> 00:51:42,733
- I've tried to do
this all by myself

1140
00:51:42,733 --> 00:51:44,900
and not tell anybody.

1141
00:51:44,900 --> 00:51:47,400
So I said, this
time I'm going to,

1142
00:51:47,400 --> 00:51:51,400
find some good modelers
and have them advise me.

1143
00:51:53,133 --> 00:51:55,100
That's when I discovered
that there were

1144
00:51:55,100 --> 00:51:59,167
about five or six that live
very, very close to here.

1145
00:51:59,167 --> 00:52:01,967
And they could not
have been nicer.

1146
00:52:01,967 --> 00:52:04,033
- Being part of a club,

1147
00:52:04,033 --> 00:52:07,500
you have many, many
members with many skills.

1148
00:52:07,500 --> 00:52:10,433
If you have a problem,
you can consult with them.

1149
00:52:10,433 --> 00:52:12,267
- I went to get
a drink of water,

1150
00:52:12,267 --> 00:52:14,000
and I left the bell on.

1151
00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:16,467
Nobody could figure out
how to turn the bell off.

1152
00:52:16,467 --> 00:52:18,267
So it was driving
everybody crazy,

1153
00:52:18,267 --> 00:52:19,933
just sitting there going
ding ding ding ding.

1154
00:52:19,933 --> 00:52:21,433
(laughing)

1155
00:52:21,433 --> 00:52:23,433
- I mean, you can easily
get lost as a little,

1156
00:52:23,433 --> 00:52:26,833
individual island if you're
a modeler all by yourself.

1157
00:52:26,833 --> 00:52:28,167
Being in a club,

1158
00:52:29,333 --> 00:52:31,767
you have access
to people who have

1159
00:52:31,767 --> 00:52:35,067
kind of specialized sometimes,
in a particular skill.

1160
00:52:35,067 --> 00:52:37,533
So we have, in our club,

1161
00:52:37,533 --> 00:52:40,633
a guy who's very, very
knowledgeable about DCCs,

1162
00:52:40,633 --> 00:52:42,400
or a DCC guru.

1163
00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:43,867
We have somebody who's
really good at wiring.

1164
00:52:43,867 --> 00:52:45,967
So any kind of problem you have,

1165
00:52:45,967 --> 00:52:47,833
you can go to,
somebody in the club

1166
00:52:47,833 --> 00:52:49,533
will have a good answer for it.

1167
00:52:49,533 --> 00:52:51,533
- But generally speaking,

1168
00:52:51,533 --> 00:52:54,433
you have groups focused
around railroading.

1169
00:52:54,433 --> 00:52:56,567
You have groups
focused around specific

1170
00:52:56,567 --> 00:52:58,667
aspects of model railroading.

1171
00:52:58,667 --> 00:53:00,067
And you have groups
focused around

1172
00:53:00,067 --> 00:53:02,267
the history of the railroads.

1173
00:53:02,267 --> 00:53:05,367
- [Voiceover] Some clubs
have permanent layouts.

1174
00:53:05,367 --> 00:53:08,433
Others have portable,
or modular, layouts.

1175
00:53:08,433 --> 00:53:10,867
- [Voiceover] A
modular layout is

1176
00:53:10,867 --> 00:53:13,533
a series of four-foot tables

1177
00:53:13,533 --> 00:53:16,200
that are stretched around a room

1178
00:53:17,833 --> 00:53:21,000
with curves and everything
that you can imagine

1179
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:24,100
and with some
accessories on the top.

1180
00:53:25,267 --> 00:53:27,833
(upbeat music)

1181
00:53:37,733 --> 00:53:39,967
- Some groups seek to model

1182
00:53:42,700 --> 00:53:45,467
a certain area as a group.

1183
00:53:45,467 --> 00:53:47,667
Let's say the southwest,

1184
00:53:47,667 --> 00:53:48,667
the midwest.

1185
00:53:50,033 --> 00:53:53,667
And so they try to maintain
a kind of consistency

1186
00:53:53,667 --> 00:53:55,033
in what they model.

1187
00:53:55,033 --> 00:53:57,633
Here, it was working
on Apache Canyon.

1188
00:53:57,633 --> 00:53:59,633
I belong to a group called

1189
00:53:59,633 --> 00:54:01,633
Southern California.

1190
00:54:01,633 --> 00:54:03,133
It's a southern California group

1191
00:54:03,133 --> 00:54:05,567
and most of our topography is

1192
00:54:06,833 --> 00:54:08,333
the same.

1193
00:54:08,333 --> 00:54:12,233
That is it models central
or southern California.

1194
00:54:12,233 --> 00:54:14,033
And so there's a
kind of consistency

1195
00:54:14,033 --> 00:54:16,300
from one module to another.

1196
00:54:17,733 --> 00:54:21,800
That bothers some people,
other people it doesn't.

1197
00:54:23,433 --> 00:54:25,367
We wanna give free
rein to people

1198
00:54:25,367 --> 00:54:28,200
in modelling what they want.

1199
00:54:28,200 --> 00:54:29,867
I mean, we don't
want necessarily

1200
00:54:29,867 --> 00:54:33,500
abrupt changes
from urban to rural

1201
00:54:33,500 --> 00:54:35,167
right next to each other,
that sort of thing.

1202
00:54:35,167 --> 00:54:38,000
We don't want a
farm right next to

1203
00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:42,500
oh, let's say a steel mill,

1204
00:54:42,500 --> 00:54:43,667
that kind of thing.

1205
00:54:43,667 --> 00:54:45,167
So we avoid that sort of thing

1206
00:54:45,167 --> 00:54:46,967
and within our own group,

1207
00:54:46,967 --> 00:54:49,067
we vet our choices.

1208
00:54:49,067 --> 00:54:50,667
We'll say to each other,

1209
00:54:50,667 --> 00:54:53,333
"Look, what we really need is,

1210
00:54:53,333 --> 00:54:55,500
"a 90 degree curve.

1211
00:54:55,500 --> 00:54:58,200
"And we wanna keep
it within this

1212
00:54:59,267 --> 00:55:01,533
same geographical location.

1213
00:55:03,100 --> 00:55:04,700
And so we talk to each
other and make sure

1214
00:55:04,700 --> 00:55:06,133
we're communicating
with each other.

1215
00:55:06,133 --> 00:55:08,833
As opposed to merely
building anything we want.

1216
00:55:08,833 --> 00:55:10,267
That's within our own group.

1217
00:55:10,267 --> 00:55:12,333
I think of our
layout in particular

1218
00:55:12,333 --> 00:55:15,300
as kind of a Whitman's
Sampler of layouts,

1219
00:55:15,300 --> 00:55:17,967
because we don't have such a

1220
00:55:17,967 --> 00:55:20,933
tight tolerance in terms of what

1221
00:55:20,933 --> 00:55:22,700
the modules can portray.

1222
00:55:22,700 --> 00:55:25,833
So you can go from one four
foot or six foot section

1223
00:55:25,833 --> 00:55:27,333
to the next and kind of be in

1224
00:55:27,333 --> 00:55:29,600
a different kind of layout.

1225
00:55:29,600 --> 00:55:31,533
So if you don't like the layout
that you're on right now,

1226
00:55:31,533 --> 00:55:33,733
just wait a few
moments and you might,

1227
00:55:33,733 --> 00:55:35,533
things might improve.

1228
00:55:35,533 --> 00:55:37,533
- One of the things
that's interesting to me

1229
00:55:37,533 --> 00:55:40,400
is to see that, in
model railroading,

1230
00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:42,433
people still have a
sense of community

1231
00:55:42,433 --> 00:55:43,667
at a time when,

1232
00:55:43,667 --> 00:55:46,267
as Robert Putnam pointed
out in Bowling Alone,

1233
00:55:46,267 --> 00:55:49,467
people are more
and more of their

1234
00:55:49,467 --> 00:55:50,900
personal time is
spent privately,

1235
00:55:50,900 --> 00:55:52,567
is spent in small...

1236
00:55:54,033 --> 00:55:54,967
Or spent in

1237
00:55:56,933 --> 00:55:59,600
pursuit, isolated pursuits.

1238
00:55:59,600 --> 00:56:01,600
This is a hobby that tends to

1239
00:56:01,600 --> 00:56:03,567
bring people together
in the community.

1240
00:56:03,567 --> 00:56:05,167
Many of us, through the hobby,

1241
00:56:05,167 --> 00:56:06,700
end up meeting people
who we would not meet

1242
00:56:06,700 --> 00:56:08,867
through our work life or
through our social lives.

1243
00:56:08,867 --> 00:56:11,167
So, in effect, I end
up having contact

1244
00:56:11,167 --> 00:56:13,200
with a much broader
spectrum of people

1245
00:56:13,200 --> 00:56:15,600
than I would through my work.

1246
00:56:17,133 --> 00:56:20,667
Form some fairly
deep and long-lasting

1247
00:56:20,667 --> 00:56:22,133
connections with people.

1248
00:56:22,133 --> 00:56:26,067
So because I belong to a
club that meets every week,

1249
00:56:26,067 --> 00:56:28,233
there really is a whole
community of people

1250
00:56:28,233 --> 00:56:31,567
with shared interests,
that I'm part of.

1251
00:56:32,433 --> 00:56:34,467
My sense is that I talk to a lot

1252
00:56:34,467 --> 00:56:36,667
of my colleagues and friends,

1253
00:56:36,667 --> 00:56:38,667
they don't have communities
like that in their lives,

1254
00:56:38,667 --> 00:56:40,600
they don't have those
kinds of connections

1255
00:56:40,600 --> 00:56:43,700
to some ongoing
community of interests,

1256
00:56:43,700 --> 00:56:45,233
outside of their work.

1257
00:56:45,233 --> 00:56:47,433
- [Voiceover] So what is the
future of model railroading?

1258
00:56:47,433 --> 00:56:50,267
(quizzical music)

1259
00:56:56,200 --> 00:56:57,367
- This is going
to sound callous,

1260
00:56:57,367 --> 00:57:00,033
but I'm not sure I care.

1261
00:57:00,033 --> 00:57:01,700
It's a hobby.

1262
00:57:01,700 --> 00:57:04,300
And it's not something
for everybody.

1263
00:57:04,300 --> 00:57:06,200
It's not like a religious cause

1264
00:57:06,200 --> 00:57:07,633
that we're trying
to convert people

1265
00:57:07,633 --> 00:57:08,967
to become model railroaders.

1266
00:57:08,967 --> 00:57:11,167
- There's a lot of
doomsday predictions

1267
00:57:11,167 --> 00:57:13,433
that it's going to end.

1268
00:57:13,433 --> 00:57:16,433
And with the higher amount
of prices and everything,

1269
00:57:16,433 --> 00:57:18,667
I think yeah, it does
look a little grim.

1270
00:57:18,667 --> 00:57:20,233
It's hard for someone
like me to tell

1271
00:57:20,233 --> 00:57:22,133
a 14-year-old kid, "Hey!

1272
00:57:22,133 --> 00:57:23,633
"Why don't you go out
and buy that locomotive."

1273
00:57:23,633 --> 00:57:25,167
And the locomotive's 300 bucks.

1274
00:57:25,167 --> 00:57:26,567
That's a hard pill to swallow.

1275
00:57:26,567 --> 00:57:28,000
I know when I was 14,

1276
00:57:28,000 --> 00:57:29,867
you couldn't get me to
buy a $300 locomotive.

1277
00:57:29,867 --> 00:57:32,100
I know of a million things
I could've bought then

1278
00:57:32,100 --> 00:57:34,700
for 300 bucks, and
it wasn't trains.

1279
00:57:34,700 --> 00:57:37,967
- It's kind of
expensive, it can be.

1280
00:57:37,967 --> 00:57:38,800
I spend,

1281
00:57:40,200 --> 00:57:43,400
I think I spend maybe about
$2,000 a year on trains.

1282
00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:47,367
Two to three thousand
a year on trains.

1283
00:57:47,367 --> 00:57:48,733
Three on the high side.

1284
00:57:48,733 --> 00:57:50,500
- Everybody's been predicting
the end of the hobby

1285
00:57:50,500 --> 00:57:51,767
for years now and I just see

1286
00:57:51,767 --> 00:57:53,267
more and more stuff coming out,

1287
00:57:53,267 --> 00:57:55,267
so somebody's buying it.

1288
00:57:56,667 --> 00:57:59,833
- I'm not so sure that
it's as dire as all that.

1289
00:57:59,833 --> 00:58:00,667
I do think

1290
00:58:02,233 --> 00:58:05,000
there are, we have a couple
of junior members in our club,

1291
00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:09,433
for instance, that do have
a huge interest in trains.

1292
00:58:09,433 --> 00:58:14,167
And are the standard-bearers
for the next generation.

1293
00:58:14,167 --> 00:58:16,700
It may not be as big
as it is right now,

1294
00:58:16,700 --> 00:58:19,800
but there are certainly
a lot of interesting

1295
00:58:19,800 --> 00:58:21,533
new technical aspects

1296
00:58:21,533 --> 00:58:25,167
that make it less
of an old fashioned,

1297
00:58:25,167 --> 00:58:28,333
sort of fuddy duddy hobby that
you may think it might be.

1298
00:58:28,333 --> 00:58:29,867
- [Voiceover] A tyke
trying his hands

1299
00:58:29,867 --> 00:58:31,733
with David's electric trains.

1300
00:58:31,733 --> 00:58:33,533
Next year, the
Eisenhowers will spend

1301
00:58:33,533 --> 00:58:36,267
Christmas day in
the White House.

1302
00:58:36,267 --> 00:58:38,333
- [Voiceover] Technology
has received a lot of blame

1303
00:58:38,333 --> 00:58:41,067
for breaking down
society and making people

1304
00:58:41,067 --> 00:58:43,433
islands unto themselves.

1305
00:58:43,433 --> 00:58:46,067
We probably won't give
up our smartphones

1306
00:58:46,067 --> 00:58:47,833
and tablets anytime soon.

1307
00:58:47,833 --> 00:58:49,800
- [Voiceover] Down here
are the function controls.

1308
00:58:49,800 --> 00:58:51,033
- [Voiceover] But
we can adapt them

1309
00:58:51,033 --> 00:58:53,067
to our own created worlds.

1310
00:58:53,067 --> 00:58:55,400
- [Voiceover] I can turn the
headlight on the front him

1311
00:58:55,400 --> 00:58:58,467
off, and then I can
turn it back on again.

1312
00:58:58,467 --> 00:58:59,800
- We're now starting
seeing things

1313
00:58:59,800 --> 00:59:01,667
where more and more
interface between

1314
00:59:01,667 --> 00:59:04,000
mobile devices, smart
phones and computers,

1315
00:59:04,000 --> 00:59:05,633
and I think that's gonna help it

1316
00:59:05,633 --> 00:59:07,900
with a generation that
grows up with those.

1317
00:59:07,900 --> 00:59:09,233
- I think the future's bright.

1318
00:59:09,233 --> 00:59:12,033
We are getting more and
more into the technology

1319
00:59:12,033 --> 00:59:13,433
of the area in which I live,

1320
00:59:13,433 --> 00:59:14,967
Silicon Valley.

1321
00:59:14,967 --> 00:59:17,700
And so we have now a digital
world in model railroading,

1322
00:59:17,700 --> 00:59:19,700
basically in our
control systems,

1323
00:59:19,700 --> 00:59:21,700
which is extremely interesting.

1324
00:59:21,700 --> 00:59:24,033
We've integrated
computers into it.

1325
00:59:24,033 --> 00:59:25,633
We now have, you can
take your iPhone,

1326
00:59:25,633 --> 00:59:27,267
and run your train
using your iPhone,

1327
00:59:27,267 --> 00:59:28,933
for example, or Android.

1328
00:59:28,933 --> 00:59:30,333
- One of our junior
members a few months ago

1329
00:59:30,333 --> 00:59:33,067
had a tablet out and
was putting together

1330
00:59:33,067 --> 00:59:36,633
trains in the yard like
a pro with his tablet.

1331
00:59:36,633 --> 00:59:38,600
- The first computer
game was invented

1332
00:59:38,600 --> 00:59:40,700
at the MIT Model Railroad Club.

1333
00:59:40,700 --> 00:59:43,200
MIT has a model railroad club,

1334
00:59:43,200 --> 00:59:45,700
and in 1961, while
they were playing

1335
00:59:45,700 --> 00:59:47,367
with some surplus
electronic equipment

1336
00:59:47,367 --> 00:59:48,700
that they'd scavenged,

1337
00:59:48,700 --> 00:59:51,567
they created the
first computer game,

1338
00:59:51,567 --> 00:59:53,000
video game, called Space Wars.

1339
00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:54,767
- I do know that the
kids who are interested

1340
00:59:54,767 --> 00:59:56,767
in model railroads,
and there are some,

1341
00:59:56,767 --> 00:59:59,567
are very quick to adopt all
the new technology around it.

1342
00:59:59,567 --> 01:00:01,433
I know there has been,

1343
01:00:01,433 --> 01:00:02,767
have been a couple of products

1344
01:00:02,767 --> 01:00:04,133
that were train simulators.

1345
01:00:04,133 --> 01:00:05,900
I don't know how
well they've done.

1346
01:00:05,900 --> 01:00:09,467
I think one of
the challenges is,

1347
01:00:09,467 --> 01:00:10,833
kids don't have
the same exposure

1348
01:00:10,833 --> 01:00:12,300
to railroads that they used to.

1349
01:00:12,300 --> 01:00:13,700
So while they may
be interested in

1350
01:00:13,700 --> 01:00:16,400
a car racing simulation,
a racing game,

1351
01:00:16,400 --> 01:00:19,533
they're less likely to be
drawn to a train simulator.

1352
01:00:19,533 --> 01:00:21,133
And the other thing is that

1353
01:00:21,133 --> 01:00:25,233
one of the things that
tend to be about conflict,

1354
01:00:25,233 --> 01:00:28,900
whether it's athletic
competition or combat.

1355
01:00:28,900 --> 01:00:30,933
No one's yet come
up with a train game

1356
01:00:30,933 --> 01:00:32,600
that sort of has
that piece of it,

1357
01:00:32,600 --> 01:00:35,133
which I think is big
part of kids' play.

1358
01:00:35,133 --> 01:00:36,200
It's not the only
part of kids' play,

1359
01:00:36,200 --> 01:00:37,500
but it's a big part.

1360
01:00:37,500 --> 01:00:38,567
- One of the things
I think we're gonna

1361
01:00:38,567 --> 01:00:40,767
do more and more
are simulations.

1362
01:00:40,767 --> 01:00:42,100
There's a company in,

1363
01:00:42,100 --> 01:00:43,433
I believe they're
based in Australia,

1364
01:00:43,433 --> 01:00:45,700
called Trains, T R A I N Z.

1365
01:00:47,267 --> 01:00:50,067
And they have a
simulation software

1366
01:00:50,067 --> 01:00:51,933
and you can get
into their library

1367
01:00:51,933 --> 01:00:54,133
and you can actually build

1368
01:00:54,133 --> 01:00:56,100
a mythical railroad.

1369
01:00:56,100 --> 01:00:58,333
You can have like a grid
and you can reach in

1370
01:00:58,333 --> 01:01:00,533
and pull up some of the
grid to make mountains.

1371
01:01:00,533 --> 01:01:02,667
You can grab a bridge
outta the library

1372
01:01:02,667 --> 01:01:04,833
and install it and grab
a steam engine or diesel,

1373
01:01:04,833 --> 01:01:06,733
put it on the tracks.

1374
01:01:06,733 --> 01:01:08,033
And you can run the train,

1375
01:01:08,033 --> 01:01:09,833
you can be in the cab
of the locomotive,

1376
01:01:09,833 --> 01:01:12,200
you can be flying along
beside it in a helicopter,

1377
01:01:12,200 --> 01:01:15,133
you can be standing up on
a mountain looking at it.

1378
01:01:15,133 --> 01:01:16,767
Even if you don't wanna do that

1379
01:01:16,767 --> 01:01:18,867
as a full-time simulation thing

1380
01:01:18,867 --> 01:01:22,800
like a pilot would do,
have a flight simulator,

1381
01:01:22,800 --> 01:01:26,867
you can use it to test
run your model railroad.

1382
01:01:26,867 --> 01:01:29,400
- The really cool
things you can do with

1383
01:01:29,400 --> 01:01:31,800
technology, for example,
using your cell phone

1384
01:01:31,800 --> 01:01:34,967
to control a train
from another place.

1385
01:01:36,067 --> 01:01:37,767
I've actually
heard a story where

1386
01:01:37,767 --> 01:01:40,800
this one guy has a layout
where the dispatcher

1387
01:01:40,800 --> 01:01:44,233
is in Alabama, but the layout is

1388
01:01:44,233 --> 01:01:46,300
somewhere in
Northern New England.

1389
01:01:46,300 --> 01:01:47,933
Like Maine or something.

1390
01:01:47,933 --> 01:01:50,400
- What we'll do
is, we'll log on,

1391
01:01:50,400 --> 01:01:53,567
and I'll mark up
to run engine 70,

1392
01:01:53,567 --> 01:01:56,600
and Perry will mark
up to run engine 55.

1393
01:01:56,600 --> 01:01:58,867
And somebody else
in Pittsburgh will

1394
01:01:58,867 --> 01:02:00,033
mark up for another engine.

1395
01:02:00,033 --> 01:02:02,000
And we'll have
maybe a dozen guys,

1396
01:02:02,000 --> 01:02:04,467
all of us online, networking,

1397
01:02:04,467 --> 01:02:05,700
running a railroad.

1398
01:02:05,700 --> 01:02:07,033
Now is that model
railroading or not?

1399
01:02:07,033 --> 01:02:08,267
Well,

1400
01:02:08,267 --> 01:02:11,600
you're using your hands
to build these things.

1401
01:02:11,600 --> 01:02:13,767
So I would say, in a way,
it is model railroading.

1402
01:02:13,767 --> 01:02:15,200
But I don't think

1403
01:02:16,567 --> 01:02:19,333
the hands-on type model
railroading is gonna go away.

1404
01:02:19,333 --> 01:02:22,433
(jaunty music)

1405
01:02:22,433 --> 01:02:23,800
- Model railroading, supposedly,

1406
01:02:23,800 --> 01:02:27,133
is a kind of old-fashioned
hobby, it's not.

1407
01:02:27,133 --> 01:02:30,567
- Some of us lament
about the fact

1408
01:02:30,567 --> 01:02:33,400
that it's not taken seriously.

1409
01:02:33,400 --> 01:02:35,300
- The cliche, I
guess you could say,

1410
01:02:35,300 --> 01:02:39,100
is that model railroaders
are usually white, old men.

1411
01:02:39,100 --> 01:02:42,700
- Today I was talking
to a gentleman

1412
01:02:42,700 --> 01:02:44,833
who was showing a module,

1413
01:02:44,833 --> 01:02:45,933
and I asked if he'd built it.

1414
01:02:45,933 --> 01:02:47,267
He said no, my husband built it.

1415
01:02:47,267 --> 01:02:48,733
And I thought that
was great because

1416
01:02:48,733 --> 01:02:52,100
that's not something you
would've heard five years ago.

1417
01:02:52,100 --> 01:02:54,367
Granted, they're both
still white males, but,

1418
01:02:54,367 --> 01:02:55,433
it's still an improvement.

1419
01:02:55,433 --> 01:02:56,967
- When you think
of model trains,

1420
01:02:56,967 --> 01:02:58,200
we all have this vision.

1421
01:02:58,200 --> 01:03:00,367
And you know everyone
does, it's not a secret,

1422
01:03:00,367 --> 01:03:01,600
we have this vision,

1423
01:03:01,600 --> 01:03:03,533
it's this older white
guy with glasses

1424
01:03:03,533 --> 01:03:06,200
and his train hat
in his basement.

1425
01:03:06,200 --> 01:03:07,967
Little weirdo doing the trains.

1426
01:03:07,967 --> 01:03:09,533
And that's what's
portrayed in the media,

1427
01:03:09,533 --> 01:03:10,967
that's what portrayed
in the movies

1428
01:03:10,967 --> 01:03:12,567
and TV shows.

1429
01:03:12,567 --> 01:03:14,767
= I think what a lot of people
think about model railroading

1430
01:03:14,767 --> 01:03:17,300
is that it's only
about the trains.

1431
01:03:17,300 --> 01:03:18,533
In some ways,

1432
01:03:18,533 --> 01:03:21,267
I think the trains
are no more or less

1433
01:03:21,267 --> 01:03:24,267
than a delivery
system for emotions.

1434
01:03:25,533 --> 01:03:27,067
For me,

1435
01:03:27,067 --> 01:03:28,300
it's a feeling.

1436
01:03:29,167 --> 01:03:31,433
A time when I was a young boy

1437
01:03:31,433 --> 01:03:33,833
and everything was possible.

1438
01:03:33,833 --> 01:03:37,067
I model a time in post
World War II America,

1439
01:03:37,067 --> 01:03:42,000
when we were the greatest
power on Earth at that time.

1440
01:03:42,000 --> 01:03:43,300
When nobody bought a car that

1441
01:03:43,300 --> 01:03:46,100
wasn't made by General Motors.

1442
01:03:46,100 --> 01:03:49,767
When trains were made by
General Motors as well

1443
01:03:49,767 --> 01:03:53,167
and the American
Locomotive Company

1444
01:03:53,167 --> 01:03:55,733
in Schenectady, New York, ALCO.

1445
01:03:58,200 --> 01:04:01,967
A time when my
grandfather, a railroader,

1446
01:04:01,967 --> 01:04:04,767
a person to whom
I was very close,

1447
01:04:04,767 --> 01:04:07,700
was still in the
prime of his life.

1448
01:04:10,200 --> 01:04:12,200
What I'm evoking
through my trains,

1449
01:04:12,200 --> 01:04:14,167
is a kind of feeling.

1450
01:04:14,167 --> 01:04:15,400
And a kind of emotion

1451
01:04:15,400 --> 01:04:17,800
and a time of my life
that I loved very much.

1452
01:04:17,800 --> 01:04:20,667
And I think at the heart
of every model railroader,

1453
01:04:20,667 --> 01:04:23,333
you will find
something like that.

1454
01:04:23,333 --> 01:04:26,333
It's more than just
the trains, believe me.

1455
01:04:26,333 --> 01:04:29,167
- Model railroading is
really more than just trains.

1456
01:04:29,167 --> 01:04:32,633
- You know, you just
have to open up.

1457
01:04:32,633 --> 01:04:36,200
And be aware that there's a
lot of new stuff around you.

1458
01:04:36,200 --> 01:04:37,833
- Find your passion,

1459
01:04:37,833 --> 01:04:39,267
and just follow that passion,

1460
01:04:39,267 --> 01:04:41,600
whatever it is that
really interests you.

1461
01:04:41,600 --> 01:04:44,133
- Model railroaders, by and
large, are a bunch of nerds.

1462
01:04:44,133 --> 01:04:46,433
We're a bunch of
geek type of guys,

1463
01:04:46,433 --> 01:04:49,667
but no more so than
the computer guys.

1464
01:04:49,667 --> 01:04:51,933
We just like making
stuff and watching trains

1465
01:04:51,933 --> 01:04:54,667
roll around a layout and,

1466
01:04:54,667 --> 01:04:57,800
again, being able to create
stuff with your hands.

1467
01:04:57,800 --> 01:04:59,667
- Us geeks, we're
not afraid to just

1468
01:04:59,667 --> 01:05:01,267
go have fun doing this stuff.

1469
01:05:01,267 --> 01:05:02,200
- A dork's a dork.

1470
01:05:02,200 --> 01:05:03,767
I mean, we all have interests

1471
01:05:03,767 --> 01:05:06,633
and we're all a little that way.

1472
01:05:06,633 --> 01:05:08,700
I pity the guy that isn't.

1473
01:05:08,700 --> 01:05:11,267
Doesn't have interests
that would push him

1474
01:05:11,267 --> 01:05:14,867
over into the semi-dork
category, you know?

1475
01:05:18,067 --> 01:05:19,567
I'm a dork.

1476
01:05:19,567 --> 01:05:22,533
- You're kinda born with it.
(chuckles)

1477
01:05:22,533 --> 01:05:25,367
- As I say, it's never too
late to have a happy childhood.

1478
01:05:25,367 --> 01:05:26,867
(chuckles)

1479
01:05:26,867 --> 01:05:29,667
- That's how warped
model railroading is,

1480
01:05:29,667 --> 01:05:31,767
we're okay folks, really.

1481
01:05:33,200 --> 01:05:35,167
- [Voiceover] Whatever the
future of model railroading,

1482
01:05:35,167 --> 01:05:38,600
it may not be the world
as you want it to be,

1483
01:05:38,600 --> 01:05:41,667
but that's okay, you
can make your own.

1484
01:05:41,667 --> 01:05:44,833
(awe-inspiring music)

1485
01:07:42,800 --> 01:07:46,300
(slow instrumental music)

1486
01:08:30,467 --> 01:08:33,033
(robust music)

1487
01:08:52,200 --> 01:08:55,533
(train whistle blowing)

1488
01:09:00,500 --> 01:09:03,667
(conductor murmuring)

1489
01:09:15,467 --> 01:09:18,533
(train horn wailing)

1490
01:09:22,433 --> 01:09:23,433
Be yourself.

1491
01:09:24,700 --> 01:09:25,933
Do your thing.