Hi all - apologies if this has been discussed before.
As the son of a train driver (who's about to retire after nearly 50 years service), I've always had an interest in the hobby and started modelling N when I was about 10, having played with Dad's Triang fleet until then. Now aged 29, I've been through the whole getting girls, getting married and finding a house lark and am still as enthusiastic about trains as I was when I was 10, with my 4th N layout now in the planning stages.
I have to say though, I've always thought of our hobby as being, generally, a bit of an old man's hobby, and myself as a bit of an exception. When I was at school, the whole thought of trainspotting and playing with model trains was mocked as geeky etc, etc... A lot of the exhibitions I went to when I was younger were dominated by middle-aged and retired men, with very few young modellers around. My local club, until recently was also dominated by the same.
However, in the past 4 to 5 years, I've seen an noticable increase in the amount of young modellers around, both at exhibitions and at my local club where we have a very active young membership. We have at least 6 members who attend regularly, sometimes twice a week, who are all of high school age, and our chairman and treasurer are both under 30.
Is it just me or are we seeing a bit of a renaissance with young modellers/trainspotters ??
Quote from: Only Me on November 06, 2014, 03:23:11 PM
Just you ;) ... the average age of our club must be 70+, only three of us are under 50 !!
Ha, maybe its a case of young people attract other young people!
Quote from: On
first finish the move house project and than you have 4 under 50's
I think its nice that someone has noticed more youngsters getting involved in trains and the hobby, I have several mates that are involved in a local club and to be honest even though I have been asked to join I wont, the way they talk they have no room for young people at their club and all they do is moan about each other, I tell them that they would all be better suited to the Country Womens Association :smiley-laughing:
A friend of mine has two girls, aged 5 and 7. Every birthday and Christmas, they only want rail related presents. The have played with a Brio set since very young, and to aid reading I bought the "Jack the Station Cat" books, which they loved for the trains - not the cat! They always want to see my layout, and have a play with it (old rolling stock, no problem), and want their own. I am sure, when they are a bit older, the usual alternative interests will take them away from modelling, but perhaps they will come back when they have their own children.
I think that for many a "train set" years ago was just that, and with all that dangerous electricity around it was more of a "Dad Toy" - much like "slot cars".
Modern model railways offer far and with the ever increasing tech changes young-uns (under 50s) are finding the hobby more appealing. Add that to the fact people now travel outside their local town far easier than they used to following the advent of "cheap motoring" and so can get to many more exhibitions and local clubs. When growing up we had no car, so my railway treat was going to see the Hamley's layout at Christmas and maybe a trip to Beconscott, Don't remember all these exhibitions every weekend.
Forums and the internet mean knowledge and advice can be much easier obtained with a wealth of experience being handed down.
Yes there will still be GOMs (grumpy old men) stuck in their old ways, much as there are "rivet counters", and "train spotters", but it appears the young element in the hobby is growing and that can't be bad.
:thumb:
Thanks for kicking off such a positive thread, Ensign Elliott. I don't attend exhibitions very often here in Australia (there's nowhere near the number of the events that the UK has, for starters), and I haven't been a club member for many years.
However, your observations are very encouraging.
This is a topic that regularly crops up on various forums...
We at Hull MRS have a decent number of members in their teens/20s but then there are fewer between 30 and 50 with at least 1/3 of the total being in the 50-65 range...
Most new joiners seem to fit in either the Late Teens or Early 50s ranges. I think it it mostly to do with working life and other commitments getting in the way...
For us it's not something we really worry about. Members do come and go but the overall total membership stays fairly constant and the age profile hasn't really changed in the 20+ years I've been a member...
It is pleasing when younger members do join and we do our best to keeep them! We have a weekly workshop session where we encourage new members (of all ages) to get creative and learn from the more established (not necessarily older) members and it is really pleasing to see the results.
As said above, I think we're just finding each other a bit more easily online, as well as the Internet offering us the chance to read about locos/trains, see layouts/get advice from Youtube and forums and make rash. late-night purchases from online retailers...
Model railways are very much a luxury but are nowhere near as expensive as cars, motorbikes, golf or the like can be.
Where are you based Elliott?
QuoteNow aged 29, I've been through the whole getting girls, getting married and finding a house lark and am still as enthusiastic about trains as I was when I was 10, with my 4th N layout now in the planning stages.
Hey Ensign Elliot.
The above quote is similar to me, expect I have the house and partner but not the married bit just yet and I am only on my second layout. The number of layouts is merely down to lethargy though I suspect :doh:
I too have started to see the number of younger people in the hobby increase, but seeing as (like you) I was into N gauge from the age of 10, exhibitions are a regular for me and have been since the days when the odd old bloke was surprised when I knew what a 47/7 was 8)
Skyline2uk
well i wouldnt class my self as a young modeler, (very early 20s) & ive been in to model railways since i was 6, with 00 gauge (which i still have my first trains, a Hornby 142 pacer & intercity 125), & got in to N gauge a few years back,
But I attend only local two shows, & have noticed there is a few younger modelers now getting involed, & ive attended two shows & its suprising how many youngen's visist to watch the trains
Mark
Maybe it is an N gauge thing, esp the modern scene. the average age at the forum meets and at tings seem to be lower than the ages of the modellers in the larger scales, especially O gauge which does seem to be the scale of the older modeller.
We were operating at the Thornecombe show yesterday and there did seem to be a good proportion of families and youngers visitors so maybe the era of computers only has passsed and people are looking for otehr play things as well? Who knows but I think that our hobby is very strong for the future!!
Best wishes
Simon
Ive seen that aswell Simon, It seems that each scale has a select age group
Younger modelers up to mid 20s, model in n gauge or 00
Mid age folk around 30s-40s model in 00 gauge
Then the older generation model in O gauge
Mark
Quote from: mark37/4 on November 10, 2014, 11:09:38 AM
Ive seen that aswell Simon, It seems that each scale has a select age group
Younger modelers up to mid 20s, model in n gauge or 00
Mid age folk around 30s-40s model in 00 gauge
Then the older generation model in O gauge
At 20 you can read the fine print on the side of an N gauge wagon, at 40 you can see the wagon, at 70 I'm not sure I'd be able to see the wagon 8)
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 10, 2014, 11:53:28 AM
Quote from: mark37/4 on November 10, 2014, 11:09:38 AM
Ive seen that aswell Simon, It seems that each scale has a select age group
Younger modelers up to mid 20s, model in n gauge or 00
Mid age folk around 30s-40s model in 00 gauge
Then the older generation model in O gauge
At 20 you can read the fine print on the side of an N gauge wagon, at 40 you can see the wagon, at 70 I'm not sure I'd be able to see the wagon 8)
Not with those sunglasses on you won't.
Quote from: EtchedPixels on November 10, 2014, 11:53:28 AM
Quote from: mark37/4 on November 10, 2014, 11:09:38 AM
Ive seen that aswell Simon, It seems that each scale has a select age group
Younger modelers up to mid 20s, model in n gauge or 00
Mid age folk around 30s-40s model in 00 gauge
Then the older generation model in O gauge
At 20 you can read the fine print on the side of an N gauge wagon, at 40 you can see the wagon, at 70 I'm not sure I'd be able to see the wagon 8)
Cripes!
At this rate I'd better crack on or I won't be able to see the layout if I finish it :goggleeyes:
At 67 it now takes me all night to do what I used to do all night,
No not what you were thinking I ment repair Locos .
Bob
Got house, got girlfriend (Laura/Monty), got girlfriend who is interested in games workshop, pc gaming and allowing me to have trains as long as she can be involved in all of it. We are 26 (Monty) & im 28. I must admit, it is good to see younger people into the scene. I mean this is a friendly forum to begin with which is a winner but it makes it having its younger generation adds to it as well, a wide covering of the spectrum!
Quote from: Si599 on November 11, 2014, 10:18:27 PM
Got house, got girlfriend (Laura/Monty), got girlfriend who is interested in games workshop, pc gaming and allowing me to have trains as long as she can be involved in all of it.
YOU FOOL!Girlfriend? ???
Get something legally binding on that woman pronto; ring, licence, whatever. ;)
CFJ
Yes get a legal document signed quick make sure it states that she will be interested in railways for life , My wife helped to detail my first layout when we got married Now she has NO interest at all her excuse for not coming down the shed is she is terrified of spiders ,must admit I've got a few big ones at the moment. It Would be nice if she came down sometimes but then I would have to go to watch her and the family indoor skiing BORING.
Bob
Im lucky not have a girlfriend, but i do have a friend whos mad on buses & shes got me in to buses, so im gonna slowly get her in to railways
Mark
I'm lucky enough not only to have a wife who is carrying a future young modeller, but one who worries that I don't have any catenary masts on my layout-in-progress. Even better, she seems to suffer from some form of complete and utter rolling stock blindness - she'll pick up every minor building which wasn't there before, but the other day recently failed to notice that all my Japanese stock had been mysteriously replaced by British and European stuff :D
Glad to see that its not just my club which has younger modellers and that others have noticed the increased number of young people at exhibitions and the like. I think one of the main things stopping young people is the very high prices of locos and stock these days.
Quote from: d-a-n on November 09, 2014, 04:05:26 PM
As said above, I think we're just finding each other a bit more easily online, as well as the Internet offering us the chance to read about locos/trains, see layouts/get advice from Youtube and forums and make rash. late-night purchases from online retailers...
Model railways are very much a luxury but are nowhere near as expensive as cars, motorbikes, golf or the like can be.
Where are you based Elliott?
I'm in Lichfield, Staffordshire.
Quote from: Si599 on November 11, 2014, 10:18:27 PM
Got house, got girlfriend (Laura/Monty), got girlfriend who is interested in games workshop, pc gaming and allowing me to have trains as long as she can be involved in all of it. We are 26 (Monty) & im 28.
Excellent! Mine also re-enacts with me, and sometimes wargames too (historical - I've not managed to get her into GW yet!!!) She's quite happy to let me have my own railway room as long as she can come in and sew when we're are at home together.
Quote from: Si599 on November 11, 2014, 10:18:27 PM
Got house, got girlfriend (Laura/Monty), got girlfriend who is interested in games workshop, pc gaming and allowing me to have trains as long as she can be involved in all of it. We are 26 (Monty) & im 28.
Excellent! Mine also re-enacts with me, and sometimes wargames too (historical - I've not managed to get her into GW yet!!!) She's quite happy to let me have my own railway room as long as she can come in and sew when we're are at home together.
[/quote]
Odd, that is the same with me. So long as she can come home and sew whilst i geek out she is more than happy.... Tis bliss!
i think there is a noticeable trend in how younger people develop their interest in the hobby and it will be interesting to see if clubs adapt, lots of exhibitions seem to have and are much more younger people / family friendly although there is a greater than average number of people with poor personal hygiene and huge rucksacks blocking the view.... stereotype off
I like to develop my interest in modelling through the internet, joining a society or a group just doesn't interest me, set rules, meeting times, talking to people isn't what I model for , before i sound too sociopathic i organise group mountain bike rides and mates race events , trains is my quite me/son time activity to lose myself in