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Post by runamuckchuck on Aug 31, 2024 22:14:46 GMT
As I exercised self confessed avoidance behavior from the work around the house/yard that I should be doing, I happened upon the live feed of a freight train on the famous Horseshoe Curve in PA.
Freight car after freight car of black or battleship grey cars mostly hoppers, gondolas, and tank cars some visibly rusted others just dirty rolling past empty visitor benches on a dreary rain shower day.
The only hint of color other than the green of the hillside trees and the earth tones of the rock formations was the graffiti on many of the cars.
That got me wondering, to younger eyes not accustomed to seeing real trains on anything close on a regular basis is it any surprise that these younger folks are attracted to more vibrant color schemes of the what if/fantasy/custom run offerings from various importers? Let alone the attraction to rolling stock with graffiti on them to catch their eyes and confirm what they see on highway overpasses and anything that is real and stationary in their surroundings?
I am not here to criticize that, however in my prejudice as an aged adult, I have just about come to terms to weathering, but graffiti is to date a bridge too far for me in my little model railroad.
My preference lends itself more to the pristine, where in my imagination everything is kept neat and tidy. Blame it on severe toilet training , or too many Brussel Sprouts as a youngster. It is what it is.
Perhaps as there is obviously a changing of the guard in so many aspects of our culture and country the not so prototypical will be what broadens our hobby to a larger audience.
Wouldn't that be ironic?
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Aug 31, 2024 23:17:34 GMT
Fair enough, but sometimes it's better IMHO to just go with the flow, and use that interest to involve the younger crowd in the hobby. At my request, my artistic son crafted several graffiti panels for the retaining wall on my layout, and he incorporated his sons'/my grandsons' names into the artwork:  |
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Post by david1 on Aug 31, 2024 23:19:22 GMT
You were forced to eat Brussels sprouts too!!!!
I can't even stand the smell of it cooking. Never ate it again once I became an adult!
Speaking of Trains, freight trains years ago were much more interesting I think because they were kept clean and no graffiti. No graffiti allowed on my layout.
I lived thru the era when the railroads were going bankrupt and then the merging began. I saw Penn central trains every day and not once did I see anything clean or not needing repair. The Pennsylvania RR was not far behind.it seemed everything was in shambles thru the late 70's and eighties in the NE anyway.
Once the mergers were mostly done things calmed down though not mergers were still ahead in the late 80's and 90's mostly in the midwest and West.
Maybe that's why I don't like graffiti, I saw enough dirt and grime as I was growing up.
Anybody remember the old reading blue commuter cars? In the late 60's and early 70's I rode them to downtown Philla. to work. They were the worst cars ever, they shook and sounded like they were coming apart as they were moving. Also the interior seats were coming apart. I think everyone celebrated when they were removed from service.
And just think I got into Lionel trains in 1970, at least they were clean!!
Dave
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Post by Adam on Aug 31, 2024 23:48:51 GMT
I love brussel sprouts!
Graffiti not so much but I get why others do.
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Post by runamuckchuck on Aug 31, 2024 23:55:55 GMT
Fair enough, but sometimes it's better IMHO to just go with the flow, and use that interest to involve the younger crowd in the hobby. At my request, my artistic son crafted several graffiti panels for the retaining wall on my layout, and he incorporated his sons'/my grandsons' names into the artwork: Agree completely if it wasn't clear from my OP.
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Sept 1, 2024 0:10:50 GMT
Agree completely if it wasn't clear from my OP. No, I was just providing evidence of your thesis! 
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Post by af3020 on Sept 1, 2024 0:16:50 GMT
...and let's not forget - even Lionel got in on the action.  |
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Post by cornerfieldrailfan on Sept 1, 2024 14:12:21 GMT
Fair enough, but sometimes it's better IMHO to just go with the flow, and use that interest to involve the younger crowd in the hobby. At my request, my artistic son crafted several graffiti panels for the retaining wall on my layout, and he incorporated his sons'/my grandsons' names into the artwork:
WOW, that's IMPRESSIVE!!
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Post by josef on Sept 1, 2024 15:04:53 GMT
I grew up in an era were peoples property was respected and that's the era I model. So no graffiti allowed on my layout.
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Sept 1, 2024 15:57:04 GMT
Fair enough, but sometimes it's better IMHO to just go with the flow, and use that interest to involve the younger crowd in the hobby. At my request, my artistic son crafted several graffiti panels for the retaining wall on my layout, and he incorporated his sons'/my grandsons' names into the artwork:
WOW, that's IMPRESSIVE!! Thanks! That's humbling, especially given your family's magnificent museum layout This pic was taken when my son's third son was still in utero (hence the "Baby" tag), so when Brooks was born a few months later, I had to pry off the one panel and have my son make a suitable replacement. He's also talked about adding a panel for his niece (about the same age), but I've been too busy with other projects to follow up. [Hmm, that might be a good excuse for enlarging the layout, right? "It's just to honor our grandchildren, dear, and you can always wash the clothes in the sink!" ]
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Post by dennym57 on Sept 2, 2024 14:55:20 GMT
Being a city boy from the Southside of Chicago I'm use to graffiti.
There are certain walls that the city has allowed them to paint, but then there is street gang graffiti that tells you what they did or marks their turf if you know how to read it.
I don't like it when they spray someone's garage.
As far as Brussel sprouts, I like them cooked with bacon.
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Post by curtis on Sept 3, 2024 0:56:21 GMT
My splash of color is the older boxcars that were rolling Billboards
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Post by atsda on Sept 4, 2024 15:49:15 GMT
Post by runamuckchuck on Aug 31, 2024 at 6:14pm
As I exercised self confessed avoidance behavior from the work around the house/yard that I should be doing, I happened upon the live feed of a freight train on the famous Horseshoe Curve in PA.
Freight car after freight car of black or battleship grey cars mostly hoppers, gondolas, and tank cars some visibly rusted others just dirty rolling past empty visitor benches on a dreary rain shower day.
The only hint of color other than the green of the hillside trees and the earth tones of the rock formations was the graffiti on many of the cars.
That got me wondering, to younger eyes not accustomed to seeing real trains on anything close on a regular basis is it any surprise that these younger folks are attracted to more vibrant color schemes of the what if/fantasy/custom run offerings from various importers? Let alone the attraction to rolling stock with graffiti on them to catch their eyes and confirm what they see on highway overpasses and anything that is real and stationary in their surroundings?
I am not here to criticize that, however in my prejudice as an aged adult, I have just about come to terms to weathering, but graffiti is to date a bridge too far for me in my little model railroad.
My preference lends itself more to the pristine, where in my imagination everything is kept neat and tidy. Blame it on severe toilet training , or too many Brussel Sprouts as a youngster. It is what it is.
Chuck, interesting post and viewpoint. If I recall, at some point in NYC, there was an age restriction for buying a can of spray paint - you had to show an ID - that was when there was an outburst of graffiti in the city, when anything that stopped moving for more than an hour was getting painted. I have not been back for a while, and don't know the situation. You don't have to worry about graffiti on your layout, spray cans are not made that small. I don't even like weathering - my equipment is naturally aging. Alfred
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