Who else received the Railroading merit badge?

I didn't earn the merit badge but for ten years I was a Railroading Merit Badge counselor.  John in Lansing, ILL

Got the badge 54 years ago. 

LittleTommy

I got the badge last year.

55 years  ago on the track to "Eagletown, BSA".

Kind of cool looking, isn’t it?

Scouting was a sore subject for me for a long time. You know how the younger sibling often gets to do stuff the older one didn’t? It worked the exact opposite for me, my older brother did all kinds of stuff my parents balked at when I got to be the same age. He did all kinds of stuff with boy scouts (even went into the Order of the Arrow), but cub scouts was as far as I ever got. By the time I got to be that age, my folks said, “Maybe next year” so many times that I stopped asking. Many years later when I brought it up, Mom said they expected me to ask the following year when she claims they’d have said yes, but I never asked again (but they never brought it up either). Frankly, I don’t believe that one bit and fully believe they never intended for me to get in the boy scouts. To this day, I have no idea why (my folks are still around, both 80 years old, and they can’t explain why this was). I was the youngest and while I wasn’t any more frail than any other kid my age and had no medical issues, I was always treated with kid gloves by the entire family until I went into the Army. I almost died as an infant from a non-repeating issue, and I’ve always thought that might have been the core reason.

Sorry to go ‘all woe is me’ here (I really don’t hold it against my parents anymore), just saying that I’d have loved to have been a scout to have earned this and other merit badges, but it was never going to happen.

I did not have the opportunity to join the scouts, boy scouts, cub scouts or girl scouts. South Philadelphia was not a good place to wear a scout uniform. 

When I got my Railroad merit badge I was living in Orange County, CA. There was no one in the area that did the merit badge so my mom had to find someone from Los Angeles come review my qualification? For the 2+ year I was involved this was my main accomplishment. 

First merit badge I ever got in 2007, my dad is a counselor for the merit badge as well.

I used to be a councilor for it, and yes I earned it as a scout.

Sometime in the early 60s

Tom

some

I always wanted to, but never was able to.  No councilors, and no money or items with which to meet the requirements.  My grandfather who would of helped me with everything I needed to get it had passed away just prior to my joining.  But I still got my Eagle, so alls well that ends well.

I got mine in 86 or 87.

Received mine in the early 60's, followed by my Eagle Scout Badge, when I was given my first rifle by my family, then learned to hunt.  Many years later at a dinner with my daughter-in-laws family, learned every man at the table were Eagle Scouts, my grandson is two steps away from his Eagle Badge, and so the tradition continues.

Jack

For those of us that never were in the Boy Scouts (I was in the Cub Scouts, however), would someone please explain what the Railroading Merit Badge was all about? After High School and College, I went directly to work for EMD, in the Customer Service Dept., and retired at the end of 1998. That may be a bit more involved than the Railroading Merit Badge.

Hot Water posted:

For those of us that never were in the Boy Scouts (I was in the Cub Scouts, however), would someone please explain what the Railroading Merit Badge was all about? After High School and College, I went directly to work for EMD, in the Customer Service Dept., and retired at the end of 1998. That may be a bit more involved than the Railroading Merit Badge.

Hot Water,

Here is the link to the BSA Requirements: Link

I have received the Railroading badge at the RR Musem of PA

I grew up in a small Kentucky town that had Troop 75. I doubt if any families were affluent. I never heard of anybody getting a merit badge. The scout master, a chain smoker, mailman, and WWII veteran, talked about German "bouncing Betty" anti-personnel mines. We made no Jamborees, but did quite a bit of camping, at a Scout reservation near Louisville, on a creek a few miles from my great aunt's farm where l got permission for use of the backyard cistern, and a Camporee on Ft. Knox army base.  There were rides in helicopters, but my ride was in an armored personnel carrier where my unhelmeted head hit the metal roof at every bump. Then there was a submachine gun demonstration where the soldier hosed down the hill behind the target but didn't touch it. Even so, l really got my little money's worth out of the scouts. I got camping experience l have used all over the US, Canadian Rockies, and western Europe.

I definitely recommend the Scouts. 

C&O Allie posted:

Hot Water posted:

For those of us that never were in the Boy Scouts (I was in the Cub Scouts, however), would someone please explain what the Railroading Merit Badge was all about? After High School and College, I went directly to work for EMD, in the Customer Service Dept., and retired at the end of 1998. That may be a bit more involved than the Railroading Merit Badge.

Hot Water,

Here is the link to the BSA Requirements: Link

Thanks!  That certainly answered my questions.  However, why do they show a Chinese 2-10-0 steam locomotive on the upper right of the opening page? Wouldn't you have thought that an AMERICAN steam locomotive would be more appropriate ESPECIALLY considering all the technical questions/requirements needed for completion?

I earned mine around 58-59 and later in life became a badge counselor.

I was a Camp Fire Girl.  I don't think we had railroading beads.  Unlike the scouts, CFGs had wooden colored beads (kinda lame in my mind).  They were really easy to earn, too. 

But by junior high or so, you could earn an actual patch for a very special project, sort of like an Eagle Scout, but without the community service component if I remember correctly.

My father taught me about model trains many years earlier but by the time I was in the CFGs, he was into airplanes.  So, under his supervision, I earned a special "aviation" patch.  I still have it somewhere.  Nothing says "girl geek" like an aviation patch.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

This Railroading merit badge guidebook was the one available when I got into Cub Scouts in 1968 (my parents were leaders, didn't have a choice...)
This 1961 edition had 75 pages, with the last 15 devoted to the hobby of model railroading.
Each merit badge had its own guidebook, generally well-researched and illustrated.
The newly updated 1972 Official Scout Handbook had a slightly different set of requirements for the RRing merit badge, I do not know when the guidebook itself was updated.
Although my Scouting experience did not include much personal achievement, 40+ years later I appreciate the Scouts for teaching self-sufficiency, an appreciation of nature, and an awareness of the past.

Got mine in 1991, two years before my Eagle.

My son is transitioning into Boy Scouts this week, from Cub Scouts. I have plans to submit to be a counselor for this badge, and a couple others. 

Never made it that far! LOL

Somehow I made it to Eagle without ever working on that badge.  Maybe someday I'll work on being a counselor for it, but currently I don't even have the time to help out as an adult leader in the troop as I had hoped to do upon finishing high school.  Such is life

  Received mine back in the 70's .  Both sons active in scouting today. I made sure they both have the Railroading merit badge.

Got mine like late 60's 

Got mine about 50 years ago. Seem to remember it wasn't easy to find a counselor.

Got 14 badges and was a Life rank......then never got any farther....no RR badge.

Loved being a Scout!

Peter

My older son earned his 2 years ago and my younger son will most likely earn his next March.
At the Rocky Mountain Train Show (March 4th and 5th) we had 50 Scouts earn their badges.

I got my RR merit badge in the early 1960's.   I'm a RR merit badge councilor in the WestArk council.  I was a Life Scout in 1966. I'm a assistant Scoutmaster in my grandson's troop. 

Made it to LIFE scout. (could not swim) Never earned the RRing merit badge. As an adult I have offered to be a counselor.

Michael Hokkanen posted:

Made it to LIFE scout. (could not swim)

Funny thing about that.  Most scout groups push swimming so hard that there are lots of boys that end up in this state.  Luckily my baby brother had leaders that knew better.  You can progress without swimming, but it takes a lot more work.  You can swap the swimming merit badge for a couple others, one of which is hiking.  So I knew a gentleman that knows most of AZ like the back of his hand, and arranged for him to help my brother out with the hiking.  I think I went on most of the hikes with them, and can I say, wow, there are some beautiful places out there.

Well this a timely topic.  I never got the RR merit badge (don't recall hearing about it, either).  I did make it to Eagle Scout in 1969.

My hometown parish, All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Weirton, WV is holding its 100th anniversary in May.  There will be a reunion breakfast for all the Boy Scouts of Troop 131.  Much to my amazement, I found my old Boy Scout uniform and I can get into it (don't ask how).

I don't believe it myself.  Who is that grumpy old man in the photo? 

George

Never earned it but as Scoutmaster of BSA Troop 801 for 16+ years, I was Merit Badge Councilor for at least a couple of dozen Scouts.

Lee, I can relate to having parents disinterested in Scouting. My mother agreed to let me join, provided there was "no impact on my grades". The day in the 7th grade when I brought home a "D" in Math, I had already been to my very last Scout meeting. Even now looking back on it, I don't see the correlation.  After my younger son earned his Eagle, I remained with the Troop for another 8 years. Great memories of some outstanding young men.

Received mine in 1966, troop 447, life scout , order of the arrow.  Some of the best memories comes from scouting.

Pete Slater

Hot Water posted:

For those of us that never were in the Boy Scouts (I was in the Cub Scouts, however), would someone please explain what the Railroading Merit Badge was all about? ... may be a bit more involved than the Railroading Merit Badge.

Yeah, I'd say that you more than covered the requirements. I'll have to check my stash of merit badges. If I've got an extra, I'd be happy to send one to you.

Mid 70s.

Bob