This was passed on to me.


Officially The Railroad Club of Chicago -- one of the oldest general interest railroad enthusiast organizations is suspending its activities. Our last regularly scheduled membership meeting is Friday, June 15th. While many have said we are "folding" or "going out of business" officially we are merely suspending our membership activities. A copy of our letter to the membership is attached.
Aside from the decrease in membership (and paid attendees), we are experiencing a shortage of talent to keep the organization running. Our program man has had the job for over 13 years! I have handling our publication (issued four-to-five times annually -- it was once a monthly) for 29 years. My wife, Rosemarie, has been handling duties as treasurer/business agent for nearly 20 years!
It is sad to say, but organizations such as ours have experienced declining interest in recent years. Many folks have found railroads not relevant in their lives (especially if there are no passenger trains operating nearby), or due to the mega-mergers find all the trains looking alike. (Fellows such as you and I may not feel that way -- but the much younger crowd certainly do.)
Additionally, with the internet, many feel that anything they might want to see can be instantly accessed by turning on their computer. (This, of course if not true -- but many feel that way.) Thus, the idea of driving or taking a bus or train to a central location just to see a program is foreign to a lot of people nowadays.
It is with deep regret that we take this action. It was felt that as long as we still have some financial resources that a hiatus of several years can be endured and that, conditions permitting, we can find the personnel resources to reopen the doors, so to speak.
Sincerely;
Wm Shapotkin
President
The Railroad Club of Chicago

Marty -

Thanks for posting the announcement. Beginning in my late teen years, the Railroad Club of Chicago ran fantrips out of Chicago and I was a passenger on a number of them. Also attended their meetings whenever I could. The were a good bunch of people and introduced me to railfanning.

Les

And yet another group pulls the old "young people today are to lazy to do all the work for the privalige of paying dues" excuse and closes up.

I'm sorry but I'm tired of hearing this B.S. about the younger generation of railfans being to lazy or uninterested in railroading. Are there a fewer number of younger railfans than older railfans? The answer is yes. However the 20 to 30 something railfan is by no means some mysterious super rare creature thats it's made out to be. There's quite a few of them out there, they're intelligent, and they do have a work ethic.

You want to know why clubs and volunteer numbers at museums are dying? Heres your reasons:

1. The retired generation seems to fail to recognize that the younger generation has this thing called "work" that unfortunately we have to go to 5 (and alot of times 6 or 7) days a week. We're sorry that we can't come work on Ole' 99 everyday of the week but theres this stuff called "food" and "shelter" that humans need to survive and unfortunately that stuff costs money. We don't get retirement checks.

2. Because of the above reason what little free time we have to ourselves we hold dear and wish to do something enjoyable with.

3. Spending $40 a year in membership dues to go watch a poorly done slideshow at a public library once a month about stuff we could look up on the internet is not an enjoyable experience.

4. Getting the "stinkeye" from a group of 60+ year old men while being the only 20 something in the room and no one makes an effort to make you feel welcome or part of the group DEFINATELY dosen't make it enjoyable.

5. (For operating museums) The younger generation is not interested in paying dues for the privilage of cutting your grass while YOU play with the equipment.

6. (Also for operating museums) The younger generation that does bother to make an effort to join your group does not enjoy being treated like they're stupid which unfortunately is what they meet constantly.

7. Younger people have grown up in an interactive world. Because of this they have an inherent desire to touch things and see them work for themselves. Unfortunately the older generation has this little habit of treating equipment like it's their own personal toy collection that no ones allowed to touch.

So there. I'm sorry to break it to you guys. But if you're groups dying because no new bloods coming in, it's not becuase the younger railfan is lazy. You're dying because YOU'RE DOING NOTHING TO INTEREST THEM!!!!

Agreed! boilerwash has hit it right on the head.



I am going to slightly disagree here, as I have friends in a museum in Northern New England where there is a manditory work time for all new volunteers (not just the younger people). Everyone puts in their time and earns their stripes before they get a chance to "play with the equipment". I know that they have quite a few younger people who are more than happy to "earn thier stripes". I guess the point that I am trying to make is I guess it really depends on the culture at the orginization. If it is only the young people who are treated this way because of the mentality that "young=stupid" (which unfortunatly is the way it is at some places....I have seen it first hand many a time as a younger railfan), then I will agree with you 100%. But in cases where earning your stripes is mandetory for everyone reguardless of age....I have witnessed that be very sucessful as well.

An increasing number of railroad enthusiast organizations and historical groups in my area have already given up on having member meetings during the summer, they quit in May or June and start up again in September. They were not getting the member turnout during the summer, and given the high price of gasoline, the heavy traffic, and the highly publicized summertime problems of crime and vandalism, many of their members seem to have reached the conclusion that it is not worth the risk of driving around large and dangerous cities on summer nights to attend monthly meetings.

PC

Boilerwash has some very good points but there are also 2 sides of the coin with this whole issue of why RR museums,organizations and others are having declining memberships and folding up.Yes you can blame the 60+ year old men giving you the "stinkeye" but you can also blame the younger generation with the attitude that they can climb right into the engineer seat the first day and play choo choo. It doesn't work that way.

I'm going on 53 and the organizations i have joined or belonged to during my lifetime so far i can't really say i've seen the younger generation beating down the door to join or volunteer with help. I can remember in my late teens going to a RR organizations meetings, listening to the older guy's talk about their dream of buying a old abandoned RR line close by and moving some old RR equipment they owned to run it on,after the business part of the meeting it was punch and cookies and watching train movies or slide show's. Being 17 at the time i thought it was great so i got involved.After a few years other things more important in life like a job, marrige, children came along and i didn't have the time for that stuff like i did before.

After things settled down i got invloved again.The group bought 8 miles of RR and got a old steam loco from a park with dreams of running that on the line. That is what got me fired up wanting to see that steam locomotive run and maybe just someday get to maybe shovel some coal into the fire or get a short cab ride! I spent a good 15 years volunteering,some of the older guy's took a few of us younger guy's under their wing and taught us things.I made some good friends while there.I then got a real RR job with NS wich gave me little time to volunteer.The steam loco never turned a wheel and sits rusting away and i still havn't rode in the cab of a steam loco.

One thing i've found with anyhing in life you have to gain respect with those you work with,prove and be able to show others you can do the job and it sure doesn't come over night even on a class 1 RR !!! You have to pay your dues, get the "stinkeye" from the older men be it fellow workers or those in a train club.I hired out with NS when i was 32 and back then there were still plenty of old codgers on the RR that would give you a hard way to go.I almost quit one night the first year because at times some people could be a real pain to work with.

I was litterly thrown into the engineer seat 1 1/2 years after i hired out,not because i wanted to.The next 10 years were not easy as i was on the extra board,if and when i could hold something it was alway's short term and i would get bumped by a older guy just because he had a 30 day move he could make to displace me. You think RR museums and organizations are tough on the younger generation? Try a class 1 RR! Anyhow, now i'm getting closer to that 60 year mark, i've got good seniority and the RR has hired alot of younger people in the 20-30 yr. age range. Can they do the job? yes, but they can't do it like the old heads did and they are 1/2 as energetic, you can't hardly get them out of the conductor seat once they settle into it then if something does go wrong and they have to walk the train it's like the end of the world.

Have things changed over the years? yes, the whole world has and everything is deteriorating!

As a 30 year old that's part of a couple of organizations, boilerwash is absolutely correct.

I'm currently the president of an organization but am getting ready to step down next year. The most important thing I can do this year is try to prepare the group, and especially the next president to take over. For a clean transition it's the responsibility of the leadership to make sure there are people waiting in the wings. From the sound of the letter above ("I've been doing this for 29 years!") it sounds like they failed to find replacements.

This is a lesson I learned at the 2005 NRHS convention in Portland, Oregon. The host chapter has been around a long time and if the original leaders don't step down and let younger people take over, the organization will not continue to exist.

Note that this lesson is not limited to rail preservation organizations !

Bob H

"Can they do the job? yes, but they can't do it like the old heads did and they are 1/2 as energetic, you can't hardly get them out of the conductor seat once they settle into it then if something does go wrong and they have to walk the train it's like the end of the world."

This reminds me of a exchange between a UP dispatcher friend of mine and a train crew (and knowing my friend, I have no doubt this is exactly what was said).

Conductor: Dispatcher, our train went into emergency and we can't the air to come back up. Do we need to walk the train?

Dispatcher: Yep, that's what you get paid the big bucks for.

Conductor: But Dispatcher, it's raining cats and dogs out there!

Dispatcher: Well, for your sake, I hope they've all had their rabies shots!

For the record, the Railroad Club of Chicago (the original subject of this thread) never owned any railroad equipment that I know of. They were strictly a meeting type organization that ran fantrips behind steam. I remember that Jim Neubauer was heavily involved with the club at that time. Dick Jensen was quite often in attendance at the meetings, although I don't recall if he was a member. I remember when someone told me that Jensen had purchased the 5629 and I thought it was Burlington 4-8-4 #5629, rather than GTW 4-6-2 #5629 (fortunately CB&Q 5629 was later saved and now resides in Golden, Colorado).

Les

Boilerwash,

I have posted several threads and replied to many concerning the exact same thing. I have been employed by and volunteered for several respected organizations in rail preservation. I was grateful to have the opportunity to see my childhood dreams come true.

Fast-forward to the real world...I agree...we the 20's & 30's...often have to work more hours, making less money, and still being held responsible for the lives of our families/friends...just like our parents.

The real world also is a much more accepting place now. I have come across many rail enthusiasts that want to have little too nothing to do with you if you aren't a W.A.S.P. (For those who may not know W.A.S.P. = White, Anglo, Saxon, Protestant. Rail historical groups do not seem to have room for diversity; whether based on religion, race, color, orientation, etc. It is a shame since many other volunteer/museum/history/art organizations have already figured out how to draw a diverse crowd and benefit from their dollars/education.

I imagine a railroad museum where charity benefits are held...many local groups hold benefits for cancer, heart disease, children, animals, etc...on their grounds. People dress nice, listen to great music, eat amazing meals, have silent auctions, and in general have an eclectic evening.

Young professionals are much different now then say 1960/1970/1980. We are focused much differently on the social aspects of life. We work out at gyms, worry about our appearance (probably too much), worry about our kids playing sports (probably too much) and are interactive with society in a unique way. We are less judgmental about who each other are and what we are doing within our personal lives.

Thomas the Tank Engine can not be the sole reason for us coming to your museum property or riding your train. It doesn't offer us enough. Figure out a way to fund raise that is different and exciting. I remember going to Atlanta several years ago and going to the IMAX theater at The Fernbank Museum. Each Friday night they held an event called "Martini's at IMAX" Food was catered in, people dressed well, a live jazz band played, and then when you were treated to a wonderful IMAX production. Piedmont Park also hosts summer movies in the park. You payed to get into the park and could bring quilts, blankets, chairs, and enjoy your cooler full of drinks and food watching "Singing in the Rain" "The Sound of Music" and many others.

Museums could raise money and benefit from a marketing perspective if they tried to engage the young adult set.

Hope this has given some food for thought...again.

Can anyone explain the distinction they're making there?

For those of you who seem convinced that the only ones who get to do anything at railroad museums are old white guys, I offer this shot of the Mt Rainier Scenic's operations in Tacoma on 6/2. Brian operated the F9 all day on Sunday. Close observation of the photo may confirm that he's not exactly old or white.

(And the only reason any of that that matters is to show that, at least on this operation, the only criteria that matters is whether you show up and put in your time.)

The simple fact is that railroad-oriented clubs and tourist operations need to come to terms with the fact that the dynamic among all groups in general is changing rapidly. I find it funny that other types of similar organizations (for example, historic airplane groups and museums) seem to have adapted quite well to this for the most part and are doing much better than train groups.
IC382 said it already and quite well; museums have to offer more than rusting trains in a dusty shed, Thomas the blue moneymaker once a year and old codgers who feel the equipment is their own private Lionel layout.
If you look to the more popular railroad museums/operations that are doing well, you can see that all of them offer more than just the chance to walk through someone's 'rusting train collection'.
Grumpy old men griping about how things have changed (and of course, how that is always a bad thing) will always plot a course for stagnation. You'll be seeing more messages like the Chicago group in the future, I'm sad to say, as I know more than a few groups who want to hold onto the old, "slide night" format that has long since gone the way of daily mainline steam.

Let's be honest here guys, groups like THIS ONE and other online forums are one of the main reasons for the death of railroad clubs.

No dues, no meetings, no need to travel to the library or community college, and most importantly you can "attend" at a time that suits you.

I belong to a local model railroad club, and really enjoy it. However, I usually get to about 2 or 3 operating sessions per year. Is it because I don't like the club? No, not at all. It's because they meet on the first Saturday of the month, which often competes with work, other events, family time, etc etc.

This is the battle that all clubs face.