When are all the separate. disparate branches of the traction - trolley - tram -- transit [ what I like to call the T-to-the-Fourth-Power] groups going to realize how much more could be accomplished if they all presented a united face to the hobby public, in one location at one major exhibition in a venue that's


1. pleasant --- nice surroundings, decent accommodations, no Beverly Hills prices

2. attractive (an entirely different matter) Some of us attended a recent miniatures program --- not too far afield from rail models and held at what we felt was normally a nice family place --- that featured an outlaw motorcycle group get-together that went on in the hallways and courtyards until well after 2:00 a.m. There really do exist many travel destinations that specifically market to and monitor for family groups.

3. easy to get to, unlike the often obscure locations chosen because they're cheap or free or, as in the following case, exotic. We were once invited to attend a major international event in Kuala Lumpur (!!), after being advised that our suggestion of Orlando, Florida was an inconvenient destination. P.S. They had to cancel the program, presumably because of lack of attendance .

4. that provides other visitor attractions for the rest of the family while participants and enthusiasts are attending the show

5. in a climate that does not require heroic efforts to prove how manly we are to fight our way through meteorological obstacles. Why is it, when model exhibitions are held, the organizers seem to choose precisely the season that predictably or statistically is most likely to feature tropical storms, OR blizzards, OR ice, OR impossible passenger transportation schedules and seasons like those annual predictable peak flight times around major family holidays ?

6. that doesn't require hand drawn campus maps OR, as I was once asked in all seriousness, "What's the latitude and longitude of this place?" --- and this was well before GPS technology.

7. or finally, and last only because it continues to cause major restrictions on attendance and the growth of less popular aspects of the model hobby, in places that are NOT private, unmarked, not advertised, and require finding and driving over often unpaved private roads . I've been told that attendance is restricted because of insurance restrictions , which reminds us of the faux restrictions that auto dealerships impose to keep us away from seeing what horrors they are doing to the family car.

This is not to criticize any of the separate groups --- East Penn Traction, CERA, the Los Angeles group, the European tram enthusiasts, and on and on, each of which is made up of many first-rate modelers and organizers, --- but the resultant "Balkanization" has held our very special model interest back from its rightful place in the hobby spectrum. Our local radio control model airplane group has opted for a very large public park, with County approval, on an active county road, accompanied by much advance newspaper publicity, and photo and press coverage . When we arrived, without an appointment, there were volunteer members, who took turns to show us to free parking; other volunteers ascertained that we were unfamiliar with the hobby and self-appointed themselves to show us around, unlocked the building that housed their displays, and set up the computers containing video simulators; Other volunteers staffed a large outdoor booth serving inexpensive hamburgers made to order, with all the fixin's, as they say in the South, and a reasonable choice of beverages. A safety area, not subject to crashes of errant model airplanes, and provided with comfortable seating under covered shelters in a sort of pavilion, made for a very pleasant day for a total of $2.00 parking fee as a (very modest) fundraiser. Now, compare that to the last Trolley - tram - Traction - transit show you attended, and ask yourself which hobby presented itself better to the public .

Picture a national T4 program on that order presented by an amalgamation of regional groups acting as a unified body, as a public introduction to the hobby ! Wouldn't that arouse more interest, recruit new members, and create more great memories for families ?

This ultra-regionalism has splintered us and divided our efforts in so many ways, into so many directions, that it almost seems as though we're trying to keep people away... and that has generally kept our branch of the model railroading hobby small, insular, and divided. When it was suggested that we could all meet in one grand venue and present a united face to the public, we encounter a host of objections (it's too hot, it's too cold, it's too far, etc.), and the result is a face that we present to the public that's as exclusive, in the original sense of the word --- tending to exclude people --- as some vast esoteric international political conspiracy.