This article from a British website is too important to just toss into "flimsies" in hopes that four people glance at it.

Read and discuss. There will be numerous exams over the coming decades.

http://www.citymetric.com/transport/bri ... looms-1801



More at the link. MUCH more.

Discuss.

Amen.

More than one project of late has been described as a "now or never" for the folks involved.

If our brothers in model railroading are a barometer, what once was worth significant dollars and time is now just a passing bid in an auction of the remains.

Rob

This affects preservation of first hand knowledge as well. The time "window" where it is possible to locate people and get an accurate and well stated overview of an event or project is about thirty years. When you get to forty years after the event, it is increasingly more difficult to find the people who made the history, and by the fifty year mark, if you can find them at all, they might not be able to help you due to memory loss and impaired ability to communicate.

PC

The issue the demographic bomb phenomenon is discussed in a broader sense in the book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000). Putnam is the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. In his book he discusses the transition in society over 100 years ago that created the social structures we now see collapsing: people engaged in group activities such as railway museum volunteers, bowling, fraternal organizations like the Masons, churches, etc. Putnam describes this scenario as the loss of "social capital." A prominent United Methodist pastor calls it the "death tsunami." I recommend the book for further understanding of what is happening to the tradition of organized groups like railway museums and historical societies.

With this in mind, I think groups and individuals need to be wary of the "theology of scarcity" wherein the reality of change in resources (people and dollars) becomes overwhelming and self-defeating. Take a look around at the organization and thank about "what can we do with what we have?" Is it time to rationalize the collection or trim the mission? In another area, is it time to realize that the much beloved volunteer corps is just not able to do it all, and thus admit it is ok and necessary to pay someone to fix the track or paint a passenger coach? How can the organization build on the strengths that exist (or remain)? This thinking may represent a shift for an organization. Here is where the need for strategic planning comes in play. Look at the planning and subsequent accomplishments in the traction museum community at IRM, PTM, Western Railway Museum, Shore Line, Orange Empire and others.

Wesley

Thomas the Tank Engine might not be old age but seems to have inspired a lot of youngsters, and things like the T1 trust and some college studying steam using a Santa Fe engine and the many existing operating museums so far I don't think its going to dissappear anytime soon.I agree most of the steam era folks wont be around in future years but we have all kinds of technology to remind us of it and some off beat fashion like Steam Punk tweaking the old technology fashion with new thoughtage, we don't know what the direction may end up.

Six days a week, my local PBS station broadcasts an animated Thomas and Friends episode. Each program has two animated Thomas stories and a live-action segment that is filmed at two British heritage railways. The live-action segments are usually introduced by Mr. Percy, an "engine driver on the island of Sodor" who happens to be on visiting the mainland for the day. Many of the workers who are in those live-action segments appear to be well under 50-years old.

In recent seasons, many foreign (non-British) engines have arrived on Sodor -- Thomas has many new friends, including an 0-6-0 Porter, a Class C Climax, a Japanese DS1 and even a streamlined New York Central hudson....

One of the reasons there are so many older volunteers at railway museums and similar organizations is that we are living longer, healthier lives. That's a good thing, but it shouldn't discourage us from welcoming and encouraging younger folks who share our passion.

I'm a long-time member and currently membership chair at the Wilmington & Western RR in Delaware. It is my goal to increase our ranks across the board and I'm making up a playbook as I go along. I'm making a special effort to bring our young people into the ranks. We have a number volunteers under the age of 30 and their ranks are slowly growing.

Some points from my playbook:

Make everyone feel appreciated
Teach young people (often pairing them with expert craftsmen)
Organize fun events (one was watching Emperor of the North in the locomotive shop).
Using social media
Communicate regularly
Buy pizza every week for our work sessions
Keep encouraging them

I wonder how important, or how heavily in rank, is the pizza!!

More important and significant than most realize!

Don't forget the Pennsy K-4 as well! "Hank" was there for at least one episode that I can recall. And "Sam", a big Virginian steam engine, was introduced into the toy line (but not the show itself).

P.S. it's "Mr. Percival" that introduces the skits. I have a two-year-old daughter that watches Thomas occasionally (and is nuts about trains like me), so Daddy has to watch with her (oh the horror, lol).

I found this out first hand as I research for the book about the Carroll Park and Western Railroad I am working on and can't agree more. I'm always glad to share what knowledge I have with others in a hope that it will be of use and be passed on to others. God knows according to my wife I have a hard time remembering things form yesterday, let alone a few years ago.

The article is very interesting. I am only 17 years old and have worked at two railroad museums, one in Germany and one here in the US. At the museum in Germany there were three people of my age and a few in the 20s and 30s. So a "lot" of young folks. Beeing very passionate about historic trains I was usually fairly self motivated to go to the museum and volunteer. However I have seen/heard off cases where long time folks were not very encouraging and (young) folks "bounced off", never came back. We need to try to avoid this. I was always very lucky that that never happend to me.

So for the future I agree that we need to be open and welcoming to the young/new generations that will (hopefully) contiue to preserve and operate the railroads that we save/restore/operate.

Josh R.

P.s.: I got interested in trains via Thomas & Friends

Also a source of volunteer workers is seniors who have retired and are looking for something to do with their time. Most senior living communities have guest speakers at regular resident meetings. Some railway museums send speakers to these meetings where they are able to recruit volunteers. Social clubs with breakfast meetings frequently invite guest speakers. They provide good recruiting grounds.

With just a quick count of Wilmington & Western RR volunteers, we have at least 14 volunteers who are under the age of 25. Young people are indeed coming into the ranks.