Painstakingly realistic trestles and landscape elements bring the Northlandz display to life.
Credit: Joanne M. Friedman | ©Joanne M. Friedman
A hot Sunday afternoon seemed a perfect time to follow a lead noted in our recently-acquired copy of New Jersey Curiosities (Globe Pequot Press, 2003) and head our truck on down the road to Northlandz, Raritan Township's premier roadside oddity. Northlandz, the book assured us, houses the "world's largest model railroad" with 50,000 feet of track and some 135 trains running simultaneously over 40-foot-long trestles requiring a one-mile walking tour for a full view. We were not disappointed.
The experience, however, did leave us wondering. Just how popular is model railroading in this age of electronic goodies and couch-potato kids? Has the classic HO-gauge Pennsylvania Railroad given way to Sony PlayStation? Does anyone still riding the trains still find them romantic and worthy of the honor of recreation? Reminiscing about the massive Lionel O-gauge set-up that eventually took over the basement of my childhood home, I hit the Internet with a multi-engine search for the current status of railroad hobbying.
"Just" a hobby?
The first search pulled up 73 sites related to model railroading. At first that seemed a paltry number. The Internet-savvy reader will know that it is not unusual for a multi-engine search to turn up results numbering in the thousands. As link lead to link, however, it became apparent that the number of sites devoted to model railroading (and its full-sized parent) are merely the tip of the iceberg.The first link followed piqued my interest. The site is home to the Pasadena (California) Model Railroad Club, which has been in existence since 1940 and is still drawing new members. The Club boasts its own massive HO-gauge model display, with 30,000 feet of track and 15 to 20 trains running. Links to other clubs and groups of aficionados connect to other sites where proud members display and discuss their own efforts to recreate the railroads. Requests for members with special skills in wiring, layout, mountain-building and design abound.
History lessons
The experience, however, did leave us wondering. Just how popular is model railroading in this age of electronic goodies and couch-potato kids? Has the classic HO-gauge Pennsylvania Railroad given way to Sony PlayStation? Does anyone still riding the trains still find them romantic and worthy of the honor of recreation? Reminiscing about the massive Lionel O-gauge set-up that eventually took over the basement of my childhood home, I hit the Internet with a multi-engine search for the current status of railroad hobbying.
"Just" a hobby?
The first search pulled up 73 sites related to model railroading. At first that seemed a paltry number. The Internet-savvy reader will know that it is not unusual for a multi-engine search to turn up results numbering in the thousands. As link lead to link, however, it became apparent that the number of sites devoted to model railroading (and its full-sized parent) are merely the tip of the iceberg.The first link followed piqued my interest. The site is home to the Pasadena (California) Model Railroad Club, which has been in existence since 1940 and is still drawing new members. The Club boasts its own massive HO-gauge model display, with 30,000 feet of track and 15 to 20 trains running. Links to other clubs and groups of aficionados connect to other sites where proud members display and discuss their own efforts to recreate the railroads. Requests for members with special skills in wiring, layout, mountain-building and design abound.
History lessons
- Railroad History Books railroadtreasures.com/catalog/s_319589_products.htm Comprehensive Guide to Model Railroadingwww.recreation-guide.com/Models/Railroad/ Digital Camera Controlled Trainswww.raillinks.com/modelrr/pages/DCC_and_Electronics/ Track-powered color camera systemwww.choochoocam.com/ Gamespy Review of Trainz Simulationarchive.gamespy.com/reviews/february02/trainz/ Pasadena Model RR Club www.pmrrc.org/
Comments
Nope, not "just" a hobby! No more than any other hobby is to its insiders anyways!
Comment 1 (of 1)
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