| The hobby of operating and collecting model trains | | | | postwar houses were smaller. A rift between the |
| is a growing business. There a so many | | | | scale model railroaders and toy train enthusiasts |
| manufactures out there, the likes include, Lionel, | | | | widened and eventually split. Scale model |
| Bachmann, LGB, Marklin, Marx, American Flyer, | | | | railroaders became their own distinct classification |
| Aristo-Craft and K-line just name a few. There | | | | of train people. |
| are also sizes to fit all types of hobby rooms | | | | The third group are called hi-railers. The term was |
| such as, HO Scale, O Scale, OO Scale, S Scale, N | | | | coined in the 1940s for those operators who built |
| Scale, Z Scale and G Scale. Lets not forget the | | | | layouts that combined elements of both scale and |
| tracks, scenery and transformers that go along | | | | toy railroading. By this time, the trains had a more |
| with building a layout. | | | | realistic appearance, with better detail and |
| If you are a model train hobbyist then you likely | | | | proportion. They were appealing to those |
| fall into one of five basic types of train people. | | | | hobbyists who didn't have the time or skills |
| Although the general public tends to lump them all | | | | needed to build the trains yet wanted to enjoy |
| into one category, it's best to keep the types | | | | having a model railroad. |
| separated and sharply defined. There may be | | | | The fourth and fifth group are the collectors and |
| some who bridge and others who cross over, but | | | | investors. By the time the 1950s rolled around |
| the types remain essentially different. | | | | companies like Lionel and Gilbert/American Flyers |
| The first group are the Railfans. These are the | | | | were producing products with new road names |
| people who love trains, I'm talking the big ones. | | | | and paint schemes each year in hopes of getting |
| The trains that run through your town, hauling | | | | repeat business. The practice worked, what they |
| passengers and goods. These are the people who | | | | didn't realize at the time was that they were |
| ride the trains, or spend hours at the yards talking | | | | creating future collectibles and opening up a new |
| up the conductors, asking questions or sharing | | | | dimension to the train hobby. However the full |
| their stories with the railroad employees. They | | | | impact would not be felt for another 15 to 20 |
| know the ins and outs of every engine that's | | | | years. By the 1960s the toy train industry went |
| come through their town, know what the term | | | | down the drain. Kids wanted other kinds of toys |
| "High Iron," means and have patches for every | | | | and by the end of the decade, several |
| line insignia. Being a railfan is a basic prerequisite | | | | manufacturers had gone out of business. |
| for entry into the other four train people | | | | During the 1970s and '80s interest in the toy |
| categories. Without this experience it would be | | | | trains came back strong due to superior |
| difficult to maintain an interest in creating, building, | | | | advertising and a nationwide nostalgia craze. The |
| operating, controlling or even owning a collection | | | | emphasis on toy trains was different. The trains |
| of miniature trains. | | | | were viewed as nostalgic adult collectables and |
| Scale model railroaders is the second group. Their | | | | investments. Two new groups of train people |
| hobby requires a great amount of patience, skill, | | | | emerged; toy train collectors and toy train |
| and time. Many scale model railroads become life | | | | investors. Both were categorized as affluent |
| long projects. They are mostly hand-crafted, | | | | adults who lacked the time or skills to become |
| exact-scale, highly detailed miniaturizations of the | | | | hi-railers or scale model railroaders. Some |
| real world, with a railroading as a central focus. | | | | collectors built operating layouts, but most just |
| Some are patterned after real railroads and | | | | set up pleasing displays of their trains and |
| locales. Others are period pieces that recreate | | | | accessories, using track plans from old catalogs or |
| scenes and environments in railroad history. Toy | | | | magazines. Many built shelves or cases to show |
| train manufacturers produced items targeted to | | | | off their collectables. |
| the scale modelers in the years right before | | | | Now days toy trains have come of age. They are |
| World War II and by the end of the 1930s, scale | | | | a respected part of American culture and many |
| model railroaders had many choices. | | | | books and magazines have been published about |
| By the time World War II ended a shift towards | | | | them. The trains now days are better, more |
| smaller trains was emphasized. HO became the | | | | scale-like with state of the art technology and |
| reigning scale, not only because of advances in | | | | attention to detail. |
| technology, but for the practical reason that | | | | So, what group do you fail into? |