I listened to this on Monday morning and it's an earworm for me now

Indeed and this very Forum is an embodiment of that.

Would I have access to the huge network of N Gauge modellers I do without it?

Answer - not a chance...

Quote from: Roy L S on June 11, 2026, 09:58:48 AMVery true not a new phenomenon at all, and just to add, in my younger modelling years very few of my friends be it from school or elsewhere had model railways (or admitted to it  ) and only a couple of others modelled in N Gauge. That I was a railway modeller wasn't something I volunteered in conversations often as it pretty much guaranteed the proverbial p*ss being taken.

In fact I would go as far as to say that model railways were probably less "cool" back then than they are today, and certainly have a higher profile thanks to celebrity "endorsement" (Pete Waterman, Rod Stewart and Jools Holland for starters) and TV programmes like "The Great Model Railway Challenge" and "Hornby A Model world".

Roy

As someone at the, ahem, more junior end of the scale, I agree with your last point. I think the Internet, for all it has eroded the existence of the local model shop, makes it easier to find like-minded individuals to indulge the hobby. My social media feed is frequently sprinkled with model railway content from creators and even a few shops making some entertaining stuff! It's certainly a niche hobby, but plenty are happy to embrace and even flaunt the 'weirdness' of having trains as a hobby. It's great to see.

Quote from: Bealman on June 11, 2026, 09:21:30 AMYes, and I've said it before, I think it's a non-issue. Railway modelling has always been a minority hobby and viewed by many as a bit strange. When I think about it, it's probably more popular now than it's ever been.

Just saying, like.

Very true not a new phenomenon at all, and just to add, in my younger modelling years very few of my friends be it from school or elsewhere had model railways (or admitted to it  ) and only a couple of others modelled in N Gauge. That I was a railway modeller wasn't something I volunteered in conversations often as it pretty much guaranteed the proverbial p*ss being taken.

In fact I would go as far as to say that model railways were probably less "cool" back then than they are today, and certainly have a higher profile thanks to celebrity "endorsement" (Pete Waterman, Rod Stewart and Jools Holland for starters) and TV programmes like "The Great Model Railway Challenge" and "Hornby A Model world".

Roy

Quote from: njee20 on June 10, 2026, 11:11:20 PMToy trains just aren't cool. They've not been a hobby of choice for children for 50 years, and I genuinely don't believe that price is the barrier. My son is 9, we live in an affluent part of the country. Many of his friends have games consoles, many have other expensive hobbies; the latest football kits, expensive bikes, whatever. None have trains. Halving the price of models would not see a huge influx of modellers. I'm not sure there's a single other railway modeller in his primary school of ~200 children.

I tried getting my 6 year old grandson into model trains, I have 2 metres of double line test track with turnouts and some lineside buildings. He did enjoy playing with class 27 minitrix and rolling stock, even got to grips with the Minitrix Britannia. But like his dad football is the main passion in their house, he also plays for a local team and for his age he's a talented player. Sadly even though I offered to build him a small layout, but seems he's no longer interested! 

Yes, and I've said it before, I think it's a non-issue. Railway modelling has always been a minority hobby and viewed by many as a bit strange. When I think about it, it's probably more popular now than it's ever been.

Just saying, like.

I recently sold some N on eBay and nothing reached silly prices, I am sad to say.

That said, I was more than satisfied with the results, which went towards some more O Gauge! 

Younger people have always had other hobby choices, be it Scalextric or Subbuteo, it is nothing new.

It has always been the case that most younger people have less to spend on their model railway hobby than those older more established modellers, and that is nothing new either.

I can recall when I started out in N as a teenager that the little money I had was carefully spent on various things to add to my layout, some very small and inexpensive but chosen with thought and still contributed importantly to it. Peco wagons were something I could more often afford, being at pocket money prices as they still are today relatively speaking.

Locos however were something that for the most part waited for birthdays and Christmas, unlike today I never had that many and each and every one was therefore treasured. A Bank of England inflation calculator will confirm that relatively speaking, especially taking into account the amazing quality of modern models, they are in real terms not that much more expensive today than they were back in those early days of N.


Roy

The last thing we need is another thread denouncing the death of the hobby due to a lack of younger participants! Cyril Freezer wrote about that in the 1960s.

Toy trains just aren't cool. They've not been a hobby of choice for children for 50 years, and I genuinely don't believe that price is the barrier. My son is 9, we live in an affluent part of the country. Many of his friends have games consoles, many have other expensive hobbies; the latest football kits, expensive bikes, whatever. None have trains. Halving the price of models would not see a huge influx of modellers. I'm not sure there's a single other railway modeller in his primary school of ~200 children.

Quote from: Newportnobby on June 09, 2026, 09:46:10 PMSadly, the ages of the folk who have the stock and run shows/exhibit at them means a decline in the numbers of layouts appearing. Take James Street as an ideal example - age has caught up with those who set it up/run it/break it down  
The best show in the NW i.e. Wigan show ceased because the club members admitted they were too old to face doing it any more.
There's no denying model railways are generally run and manned by the elder statesmen of the hobby, and their numbers are decreasing due to age/health

Quote from: njee20 on June 09, 2026, 11:33:00 PMBut younger people are getting older all of the time to take their place!

But here's the thing - younger people are choosing other hobbies.

There being no model or model railway shops on most high streets, I often pop in to Games Workshops (found in most large towns) to pick up paints, brushes, glues etc. In Shrewsbury on Saturday morning, their shop had over a dozen young modellers assembling and painting trolls, goblins and whatnots, all available at pocket money prices.

New N gauge models seem now to be produced to exquisite standards in small batches for demanding, deep pocketed elder statesmen. eBay is the principal source for pocket-money priced railway models. Let's hope that youngsters are still allowed to buy online, or they'll be locked out of our hobby...

Mike