Weekend Update 7/24/16

[craigolio1]

BTW Craig, those paint jobs on the diesels are awesome!

Dave

Thanks very much.

[rickb773]

Any Other Ideas on Getting MR Magazines into the Hands of Kids?

Those who followed my valiant effort to be able to get a car into my garage for the first time in the six years since we moved here know I ended up with 52 issues of MR I deemed worthy to potentially inspire kids to enter the hobby. The plan was to get the library to put them into the young adult section as giveaways or hobby inspirational material. Well the powers to be at the library do NOT accept magazine donations in any condition! (Not impressed with their thinking. They also have an almost non-existent hobby section and it is a large library.)

Any other ideas on getting them into the hands of impressionable kids?

P.S. The car now fits! What a unique use for a garage!

[peteski]

Any Other Ideas on Getting MR Magazines into the Hands of Kids?

Those who followed my valiant effort to be able to get a car into my garage for the first time in the six years since we moved here know I ended up with 52 issues of MR I deemed worthy to potentially inspire kids to enter the hobby. The plan was to get the library to put them into the young adult section as giveaways or hobby inspirational material. Well the powers to be at the library do NOT accept magazine donations in any condition! (Not impressed with their thinking. They also have an almost non-existent hobby section and it is a large library.)

Any other ideas on getting them into the hands of impressionable kids?

P.S. The car now fits! What a unique use for a garage!

o kids even still go to the local libraries (for anything except to use a computer to get online)?  Times have changed.    Morel RR clubs used to set up display layouts at shopping malls around Christmas time, but that disappeared years ago (probably liability and insurance issues).  The NTRAK club I belong to still sets up for a weekend at a Museum of National Heritage, That exposes non-model-railroaders to the hobby, but it als seems that lots of parents attending that event with young kids don't exercise any control over them and let them do anything they want (like grabbing models from the layout.  That makes it a stressful weekend for the members whose modules or models get wrecked.  We of course also set up at many local model RR shows (where there are many kids), but those have more or less a captive audience.

I don't know what else to suggest, but like I said - times have changed. We might just have let the kids seek out and find the hobby themselves.

[conrail98]

Any other ideas on getting them into the hands of impressionable kids?

Doctor's office or dentists offices,

Phil

[rickb773]

Any Other Ideas on Getting MR Magazines into the Hands of Kids?

Question: Do the Cub Scouts still have a railroad merit badge (or did that also go the way of typewriters and the Dodo bird)?

[ChristianJDavis1]

o kids even still go to the local libraries (for anything except to use a computer to get online)?  Times have changed.    Morel RR clubs used to set up display layouts at shopping malls around Christmas time, but that disappeared years ago (probably liability and insurance issues).  The NTRAK club I belong to still sets up for a weekend at a Museum of National Heritage, That exposes non-model-railroaders to the hobby, but it als seems that lots of parents attending that event with young kids don't exercise any control over them and let them do anything they want (like grabbing models from the layout.  That makes it a stressful weekend for the members whose modules or models get wrecked.  We of course also set up at many local model RR shows (where there are many kids), but those have more or less a captive audience.

I don't know what else to suggest, but like I said - times have changed. We might just have let the kids seek out and find the hobby themselves.

Both the 4-H club and N-trak club I belong to used to do joint shows at the local shopping malls, but as you said, insurance and liability have gotten in the way of continuing displays. Even with the 4-H's insurance coverage, the owners of the mall wanted $1500 for insurance and a security deposit. Unfortunately, we cannot really pay that... The mall before that used to be a good place to set up, but when I contacted them about setting up for Christmas again, they responded with a "we are full at present," although I went there in person the day before and verified that at least five retail spaces where available, as well as alcoves in the corners of the malls (where we had set up before). Our best luck was with a mall where we had set up for many years prior which they decided to tear down to make a larger parking lot...

As far as magazines go, the doctors and dentists office ideas are a good idea. I know as a (younger) kid I would have very much enjoyed those during the long waits. Another idea is possibly donate them to a local club or youth organization to hand out to its members. We at the 4-H get donations all the time and they tend to move quickly as interest in trains builds. Hopefully you ( @rickb773 ) have luck in getting your magazines to those who want them.

[Dave V]

Question: Do the Cub Scouts still have a railroad merit badge (or did that also go the way of typewriters and the Dodo bird)?

The Cub Scouts don't do merit badges, but the Boy Scouts do.  There still is a Railroading merit badge.  As you might guess, both my sons have earned it.

http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Railroading

[nkalanaga]

Local grade school?  50 years ago ours had a reasonably good library.

[muktown128]

I first started reading MR in grade school with copies from the school library.

Scott

[VonRyan]

As @ChristianJDavis1 pointed out, the Atlantic County 4-H Model Railroad Club is always open to accepting magazines.

@rickb773 in the event you can't find anything/anyone in our area, I could always deliver them to the 4-H for you when I make one of my many trips down that way.