It's time for the train museums and mainline steam groups to do a YUUUGE effort to attract kids into the world of railroading... Yeah... Thomas the PR Yank Engine is great for toddlers, but once yhey are over 8 years old they dont care anymore...

Joe Cullum in Exeter

Old Timer Wrote:
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> I can only offer my personal observations and
> empirical evidence. While watching the Picker show
> the other day, the pickers were at an old Train
> Hobby Store. The owner said no youth are
> interested in trains anymore, They just want
> phones or computers.
> I look around the Train store here, and I all I
> see are Walk Dead old men talking about the old
> days. I went to another hobby shop and I see boxes
> and boxes of new hard cover train books for $3
> each. No takers...Now this is not a universal
> condition, but Trains Magazine is getting
> smaller...Going back to the TV show, the Train
> store owner said there is no market for old
> American Flyer or Lionel..So all those boxes full
> of old magazines, trash...Cases full of mint
> condition, in the factory original packaging,
> junk...When your estate cleans out your stuff, all
> your treasures are going to the land fill...Me, I
> got rid of all magazines and trains years ago.
> trashed it and gave it away...In 20 years, who is
> going to remember KRK, or Doug Morgan or you for
> that matter and your collection of what ever...but
> if playing with trains makes you happy, go for
> it...