REVERSE RUNNING: Remembering the ‘good old days’ of the hobby ... Stepping outside the box with a contrary view couplers and I prefer metal wheelsets. I’m also open to saving some money by purchasing some used cars. Can’t go to eBay – it doesn’t exist. In fact, I can’t go online period, because there is no internet. And I certainly can’t use Google to do a search.
— by Joe Fugate
I’m new to the area, so I’m not sure where the nearest hobby shop is. I can’t use Mapquest because it doesn’t exist – there’s no internet, remember? I can’t just text my friends and ask them because cell phones don’t exist.
T
So I check the Yellow Pages for model trains and find out there’s a hobby shop about an hour’s drive from me. (There’s also one across town, but they didn’t advertise in the Yellow Pages ...)
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hose on online forums who talk about the “highwater days” of the hobby typically refer to the late 1980s. It was then that mainstream model railroad publications like Railroad Model Craftsman and Model Railroader hit all-time-high circulation levels and page counts, Tortoise turnout switch machines were just being introduced and Athearn blue-box cars were under $5 each. Ah yes, the good old days. Let’s go back 25 years ... It’s 1986 and I’m interested in filling out my railcar fleet. I use Kadee
Off I go to pick up some magazines and see if there are any swap meets coming up. I get the magazines home and find out the next swap meet is in 3 months. Just great. I check out the ads and nobody seems to be selling metal wheelsets except Kadee. I find one of the mail order outfits in the magazine and call them long distance to ask about purchasing some Kadee
Page 115 • Issue 11-04 • Apr 2011 • Reverse Running Editorial
wheelsets – and in a few minutes there’s an order on its way to me. Later I learn there’s a hobby shop across town that stocks Kadee wheelsets. Oh well ... I’m also somewhat interested in checking out HOn3 modeling. I can’t go join a Yahoo group because there’s no internet, remember? I wonder if there’s a club nearby, but there’s nothing in the magazines and with the nearest hobby shop over an hour away, I haven’t got a clue if there are any local clubs or modular groups. Three months later I get to that swap meet and find out about the hobby shop across town. Wow, if I’d only known! It would be nice if I could find some maps of the area I’m interested in modeling to see where the rail lines went. I can’t go to Google Map satellite images because there’s no internet – remember? So I go to the Yellow Pages to see who I need to contact to order some US Geological Survey maps of my area. After much digging and making phone calls I finally am able to order a map index. Once I get the map index in a couple weeks, I can study it to determine which maps I need to buy, and order them.
By that time, at least a month will have passed. Now, what was it I was wanting to do with those maps? Would be nice if I could find some photos of my prototype from the time period I’m interested in. I can’t just go online to search for digital images because digital cameras don’t exist – and there’s no internet, remember? I also need some detail parts for a modeling project. No internet or forums so I scour the magazines and turn up nothing. Oh well, maybe someone will pick up my brain waves and decide to produce the part. Would be nice if I could somehow make people aware of my interest in such detail parts! Maybe I could write the magazines? Would they print my request? Well, there is a large convention coming about 500 miles from me in 3 years. Maybe I could talk to vendors at the convention and let them know of my interest. Yes sir, the good old days. It was so much easier to be a model railroader back then. Do you still want to go back?
Tell a friend ...
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