I'm gonna play a little @#$%&'s advocate here in hopes that others will respond.

As a young railroader, I take offense to some of the comments here. This myth of all teenagers being “unmotivated” – exclusively preoccupied with iPods, MySpace, etc.- is a most unfortunate stereotype we must live with, and perpetuating it is doing nobody good. In fact, it’s closed-minded attitudes like these which ultimately will (and do) deter fresh blood from flowing into railroading, both on a professional and leisure basis.

Sure, the average teenager’s idea of a fun Saturday isn’t slopping in the pit or cleaning a smokebox. But there are more “young guns” in steam than you may think, though you probably don’t hear about as much as we keep a low profile. As mentioned by one poster, networking sites such as Facebook (yes, so a little bit of the stereotype is true; we do like that kind of stuff) have bridged a strong connection among our “kind” and allowed a great means for the exchange of knowledge and regaling of experience (young coal firemen @#$%& at us young oil firemen about how our job is “a piece of cake” compared to hand bombing). All in good fun, of course. Taking advantage of today's technology of today to better promote and preserve yesterday's, modern steam heads are an integration of the times in which we live and the era we strive to preserve.

Brains “fried” from school? To be honest, today’s educational system offers little intellectual fulfillment and those that seek it find themselves unchallenged and apathetic, turning to external activities such as building computers, fixing cars, and – you got it – railroading. We don’t do it to “play choo-choo” – that is, the glory of tugging the throttle and blowing the whistle - we do it to whet our mechanical appetites and are driven by a genuine, altruistic interest in preservation. And for that reason, it is rewarding.

So the next time some wide-eyed kid shows up wanting to help, give him or her (yes, her) the benefit of the doubt. I sure as hell know that if my mentors or that of my peers didn’t give us the time of day, we wouldn’t be doing this today. Take advantage of young, enthusiastic interest; we’re willing, able labor and, usually, pretty fast learners. Go out of your way – do whatever means necessary - to accommodate and draw in a youth membership. What good is the work you do to preserve something if, a generation later, there’s nobody to continue it – or care? We’re a commodity; by turning us away, you're cutting your own throats. The mall is sure a lot cleaner and cooler (both in the popularity and temperature sense!)

And all of us, in continuing the steam legacy, carry the responsibility of someday indoctrinating another generation into the “ways of steam” which hasn’t even been born yet. We recognize the importance of what we have to do and gosh darnit we’ll do it. Too bad it’s something so many of our elders have yet to learn.

Just some food for thought; don't choke on it.