Mark is a young man, currently at the Colorado RR Museum, who has a youtube channel under the name of "Hyce"

https://www.youtube.com/@Hyce777

Mark is steam qualified, has Class I experience, video game development experience, drives a vintage GTO, and RR signaling system experience. His channel has 37, 000 subscribers and his series of "101" videos routinely pull 100k+ views. He does some fun stuff, most recently smoking ribs in the smokebox of RGS 20:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWApyI-AFAQ

and some interesting technical bits like using gopros to watch how the wheels of D&RGW 491 interact with the museum loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXf5MZa6Qx0

Mark might be reaching more young people and introducing them to railroad technology, steam technology and culture then anyone else right now.

Bob

Yep.

The hobby is not dying.

But many of the legacy ways of interacting with it are.

I was recently watching a video of 2102 at Mahanoy Junction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxVmoJfTVF8&t=23s

Look at the people videoing it. They're all "kids".

What happened to that footage? Did it end up on Instagram? Tiktok? Youtube? Someone's private Discord?

Youtube would be my guess. When I was down at the R&N in November, practically every car chasing had a Youtube channel name emblazoned on the back window of it. And, yes, most of the people chasing were younger than I am, and I'm only 30.

yea, most of it ends up on youtube. A lot of those guys are from the Pennsylvania area and they go around together or separate usually following steam ops. Given the consistently great steam show at the Reading & Northern, that's a popular place for them to go. It just goes to show that steam has lost none of its appeal for the new generation. You just have to let them see it. It does the rest.

This is also a generation that appears to be embracing vinyl records. Could this be part of a trend to old tech as some type of return to basics? If so, how can active preservationists get more of these highly motivated enthusiasts from behind the camera to the hands on work? And by hands on, I do not just mean shop and ops. Preservation requires many of the skills already being shown here - promotional, technical still and video recording, documenting, and research as well as other skills such as engineering and technical drawing. For those under 18, the local school district STEM program is a great way to on board the next stewards of our industrial past.

I've chased 2102 several times with my 19-year zoomer. Here what he says (via Discord): "Yeah almost every younger person i’ve talked to at 2102 stops or train shows while you socialize with boomers is posting to Instagram"

Bob

Some of them are getting involved. Volunteer one day at local tourist pike, go out and chase trains the next day. The key--as always--is providing a welcome environment for those that want to get involved. "Good ole boys club" that gives a cold shoulder to new volunteers will chase them away. Same thing with the group that treats new volunteers with "tough love" and screams at them to try and "toughen them up". The likely result is that the younger generation will decide they are not wanted and will go somewhere else....or worse, they will decide that they just shouldn't get involved at all if that's the way it's going to be. That's a problem.

The question we have to ask ourselves as an industry is what do we need to do to make a welcoming environment for young blood and new volunteers. Put yourself in their shoes, and look at how your group treats new volunteers. Would you as a new member want to be a part of your organization? If the answer isn't a "yes", your organization will fade away unless changes are made.

I'm on the reading and northern Fb group. They are giving folks the experience some of us older folks got from ross's trips in the late 70s early 80s. Most of them are in 20s-30, and not "foamers". The hobby isn't dying, it's just changing. That said, the "retired folks with a hodgepodge of equipment" operations are.

Cheers Bob - thanks for sharing. I had been wondering if and when I'd get mentioned either here or at the Narrow Gauge discussion forum, and honestly expected the latter first but either way, glad you enjoy the content and think highly of it.

If you asked me a year ago if I would be doing what I do now, I'd have laughed at you. It's been an interesting ride on YouTube so far, and I have a ton of fun with it.

The thing that has caught me off guard is that it has driven more volunteers and visitors to the CRRM itself. About once a week on average someone will pop by and want to say hello. It's still surprising each time. I had no idea making a few silly videos and trying to share the limited knowledge of railroading I have would have the impact that it has had - here's hoping I can continue to do so and help aid the general preservation effort the best I can.

Mark

Mark - Welcome to the Interchange. I’m happy to see that your vids are having an impact. I’ve occasionally thought about doing a YouTube channel on some of the stuff we do but when I’m there, it’s to work and not shoot video. You made me think about it again.

BTW, nice bluesy pickin’ on that Novo.

Thanks Jayrod! It is definitely a fair bit of work to film on top of everything else, and one of those things that's hard to have time for when you're trying to actually do your job. It's a fine balance. Thankfully, the GoPro cameras tend to be a quick "slap it there and press the button" type endeavor, leaving the work for later.

Glad you enjoy the pickin'.

It is most important that you are having fun... both with your work and in making the videos. Clearly CRRM management and (most?) of your co-workers are supportive of your efforts and perhaps see the value to the organization they provide.

While my 19-year son has appeared to listen to me, with my even more limited knowledge, for years on how railroads and steam work, it's clear he pays more attention and is more interested in learning from a younger person other than his old man!

Nice GTO, BTW.

Cheers,

Bob

I discovered Hyce's (Mark's) videos recently when his reaction of 2102 video popped up. I checked out some of his other videos from the CO Railroad Museum and I was quite impressed. Excellent videography, technical yet understandable and entertaining. I've long said we need a Jay Leno's Garage type series for historic railroading and these videos are about as close to that as I've seen so far. This is the type of content that will foster active preservationists in the future as it introduces the typical railfan accustomed to runby videos to a whole new level of the hobby.

I've got an agreement with the CRRM to film and they do see the benefits. At least we joke about it every other staff meeting, lol. I have been surprised how young most of my audience is.

Thanks on the GTO - it comes across a lot nicer on camera than it actually is, but it's been a fun project so far. Had it for about 3 years. Front suspension rebuild was quite the learning process...


Thanks for the kind words, BM765.

Mark