Frank talk about society

Clearly the blobs are not to scale!

I'm going to start this post with the usual Vince-and-I-were-chatting line because it's true :-) We were talking about the famous Sociology of Model Railroading article and how it might relate to this model-railroading-as-a-medium business I've been going on about.

It's tough for me to comment on the sociology story because I'm not a very social hobbyist. Being a nerd I summarized my social status with that Venn diagram up there :-) Mainstreamers would classify me as a lone wolf interested in a niche aspect of the hobby. I don't belong* to clubs, groups, or organizations**, and only a couple of my friends are into the hobby. I do attend nearby swap meets. I went to the annual Ottawa train show until it disappeared, and I've been to some far-flung train shows over the years. I read the magazines now and then***, but I'm mainly interested in old printed material. I read some blogs and websites on a regular basis. Forum participation is one or two posts a year if that, and I sometimes read threads of interest. My primary hobby-related social outlet is this blog. 

Given my weak bona fides in this area, my only thoughts are that I think the sociology story applies mainly to a large swath of the 'Mainstream Model Railroad Hobby' blob over in the Venn diagram. Given the 2012 date on the story it likely needs updating regarding digital life, and for changes in the coming post-corona virus world. A subject I might add to the story is one dealing with camaraderie and fellowship. 

L to R: Capt. Dalton, the General, Lt. Merriweather; MR Mar '43

When it comes to the social I'm somewhat stuck in the fantasy mindset exemplified by Model Railroader's 6-part serial that appeared in the 1943 March to August issues called My Adventures in Model Land. It's a fictional story about how three friends, Captain Jack Dalton, Lt. Frank Merriweather, and The General, got into model railroading and built layouts after retiring from the service. The story's quite low-key, pleasant and filled with gentle humour, although there are parts that indulge in casual racism. The byline is given to Frank Merriweather****, so it's not clear who actually wrote it. There are line drawings throughout that are attributed to G.R.H. - I don't know who that might be. It's a social story, not a technical one, and camaraderie plays a big role. Viewed 77 years later it seems amazing that this serial was printed at all. Even a modernized version wouldn't be published today. Maybe it was thought it could be a morale booster during the war about happier times ahead for model railroaders when it was over.

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*I follow the teachings of Marx - Groucho Marx that is - and wouldn't belong to any group that would have me as a member :-)

**Hmm, now that I think about it, I am a member of Friends of the Pendon. They do have me as a member and I'm very glad I am. Apparently there's an exception to *.

***Ok, to be clearer, I subscribe to the quarterly Voie Libre, and only buy other magazines from a newsstand if they contain a compelling article.

****When I saw the name Frank Merriweather I immediately wondered if this was a reference to Frank Merriwell and his brother Dick who were protagonists in many popular stories that ran in Tip Top Weekly magazine from the late 1890s into the 1910s. After Tip Top Weekly, Frank Merriwell continued to appear in other media well into the 1930s. Even E. L. Moore noted he had read Frank Merriwell stories as a boy. I suspect many writers in the 1940s would be well aware of the Merriwell brothers, so maybe this retirement memoir of 'Frank Merriweather' is some veiled Frank Merriwell fan-fiction about what he got up to after he hung up adventuring.