Are exhibitions making our hobby elitist

[Graham Walters]

Quite a question, and one that has been turning over in my mind for a few days as our clubs model show gets closer.

It popped up in my mind after two conversations I had at our last club meeting, one concerned DCC, and how a layout was not being used to great effect.
A member at a recent show was looking at a fairly complicated DCC layout, a Dad came along with his young son also wanting to see what was going on, the point was, there was nothing going on, the operators had got all the engines in the sheds/fiddle yard, and couldn't move any of them because they didn't know the order of them going in there !
The layout itself looked great... spot on... but a lot of the time nothing was happening.

In another chat, a group are, making a Thomas layout for our show, one of the group is a teacher of 13 - 16 yr olds, and from his experience has also probably taught much younger ones too, he remarked that "most kids want to see trains going round as fast as they can" !

Point in fact most of the members in our club are over 50, I would guess that a lot of those are 60+, we only have one under 30 who turns up on a regular basis, and that person just wants to see his stock running.

I took some of this up with my son (20), he likes to see models, he likes to look at the detail in layouts and the efforts people go to, but, and this is big one, he thinks that he isn't capable to modeling to that standard, and that is what puts him off joining a club, or starting his own layout.

I asked him some questions, he admitted that he only knew my layout was  GWR because I had told him so many times, I held up a section of fence I was painting and even with that knowledge, he didn't recognise the colours as being prototypically GWR.

His retort was :

"Does it really matter?"
When I tried to explain to him that it does he said I was anal and why didn't I just paint the fence white or black.

This went on for a time, eventually we got round to "Exhibition Standard", my explaining to him that things had to be right.

That's fine he said, if you are holding an exhibition for people who want to see a perfect layout, but if you are holding an exhibition to attract members or just to joe public, they like me probably don't care if you have painted the fence the right colour, or have the right trains, yes I want to see detail, but I don't care if the grass is a little out of scale, or that train never ran to that station.
He also remarked that last year at our show, he asked one operator why there were no trains running on his layout, the operator replied that none were due in the station until XX time, the operator was running the layout to a real daily timetable, where trains would appear and disappear for long lengths of time.

Is this the way we should be putting our hobby across to prospective members ?

I would hazard a guess that most clubs struggle to maintain membership numbers, and I have noticed at our club that whilst some members get involved in running trains, and helping to construct/repair the club layouts, there are many who just sit around and chat, and not always about trains, and modelling.

[Jon898]

MRH had a thread earlier this year that touched on some of this: http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh-2015-03-mar/rr_end-of-youth-in-the-hobby/

It's obviously slanted towards the US view, but makes interesting reading nonetheless.

[mod]Note: when posting a url "http" etc just post the link and don't add any tags'[/mod]

[PostModN66]

Hi Graham,

Interesting post!

I don't think we have too much of a problem in the real world.  I know that this hobby attracts people who like to get things "right" as you describe, but in my experience exhibition managers don't exclusively look for this type of prototypical accuracy.

My layouts aren't strictly "correct" in the way you describe (exact serial numbers of locos with exactly the right mod standard hauling only stock they actually hauled etc.) although I do strive to run "feasible" stock. I seem however to get plenty of further exhibition invitations when I exhibit - I imagine because the workmanship is fairly good, the scenery looks reasonably realistic, there are trains running and it is tolerably well presented.  I have never had a direct criticism about liveries or model of loco (although people maybe just mutter it to each other and move on.....!)

In fact, sometimes I have been occasionally disappointed that the balance of layouts on display at some exhibitions has been a little below par, in terms of workmanship, general realism of scenery, presentation and audience engagement.....if I compare this to a WI craft exhibition where my mum has entered work where the standard of work is eye-wateringly high.  For me, these basics would be a priority over correct fence colours etc.  I accept that in an exhibition you might have a few layouts by beginners or improvers, but balanced by some really professional ones.

...please don't kill me!!!

Cheers  Jon 

[Sprintex]

"Are exhibitions making our hobby elitist?"

No. Elitists are making our hobby elitist, the rest of the majority are just getting on with it, playing trains, having fun, and as Jon touched on above any exhibition worth attending will have enough of a variety to please everybody


Paul

[Graham Walters]

MRH had a thread earlier this year that touched on some of this: http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/magazine/mrh-2015-03-mar/rr_end-of-youth-in-the-hobby/

It's obviously slanted towards the US view, but makes interesting reading nonetheless.

Note: when posting a url "http" etc just post the link and don't add any tags'

Very interesting article, and one which we all ( as old codgers) should read, I believe we are in danger of killing the hobby, because we are becoming more and more elitist, we have our own language, train speak, as anyone without an interest in loco's if they know what a 4-6-0 is and you'll get a blank look !

If you want to attract the youth, you have to appeal to them, to do that you have to do things differently to how we did them in our day, our competition is not the PS4 or it's latest incarnation, it's the digital media, you need to be online to get noticed.

[bridgiesimon]

Having exhibited for a few years, nearly 40 shows now, I have noticed that there is an elitist element in both exhibitors and in the viewers at shows but for the majority this is not the case, we are all enjoying our hobby.

Having said that, I am not sure elitist is the right description, surely we are all looking to expand our knowledge, develop our skills and inprove the realism of our models. Just because an individual is further along the road than another shouldn't be reason to discount them as elitist. I think the time to question the higher standard segment would be when they begin to look down on the rest of us, then it becomes a negative factor for our hobby.
Are we really ruining our hobby? A higher standard of driver with higher spec, faster cars has not resulted in a drop in interest in the Le Mans 24 hours race!

Long live model making (especially N gauge cos its better than anything else, bloody elitist here hehe)

Simon

[Graham Walters]

"Are exhibitions making our hobby elitist?"

No. Elitists are making our hobby elitist, the rest of the majority are just getting on with it, playing trains, having fun, and as Jon touched on above any exhibition worth attending will have enough of a variety to please everybody


Paul

Whilst this is true, it is exhibitions where Joe Public gets to see what "we" do, and thus forms an impression that we are all the same.

[Bangor Lad]

I shall be watching this topic with interest 

[acko22]

Having been to a few exhibitions recently I think Graham has a point, a lot of the layouts WE like to see are the ones that are all singing all dancing and conceivably correct as its our hobby and we have invested time in it.

Hence when exhibitions are organised clubs want the best of what is around to make their exhibition look good and attract US. But I think there could be a better balance and possibly show more layouts in progress or be willing to show a members first attempt, so joe blog that's walking in off the street can see that while the people who have been modelling for years can produce these master pieces in model form they would have had to start somewhere with a first attempt.

This can entice people to join the hobby and well also like on here in actual fact help that person with their first attempt with welcome tips and advice on their next attempt.

So are exhibitions making our hobby elitist not really as it us that do that either as clubs or individuals by not been as willing to entertains a fellow modellers first effort instead of some work of art by a seasoned veteran who can pull in the punters.

[Christina]

You do get the impression that too many of the layouts are super serious, one with just any old trains running would be fun, or even a little loop to let kids have a go, obviously with nothing expensive or fragile. Would be good to appeal to more people.

[Sprintex]

"Are exhibitions making our hobby elitist?"

No. Elitists are making our hobby elitist, the rest of the majority are just getting on with it, playing trains, having fun, and as Jon touched on above any exhibition worth attending will have enough of a variety to please everybody


Paul

Whilst this is true, it is exhibitions where Joe Public gets to see what "we" do, and thus forms an impression that we are all the same.

Not if, as I already said, an exhibition has a variety of different standard layouts. There's a place for the "collection of brightly coloured plastic train set items thrown randomly at a board" just as much as the super-detailed finescale layout run to a timetable - and I know which one I'd rather watch


Paul

[bridgiesimon]

I understand your point about including lower standard layouts etc but would that do the hobby a dis-service? I know that the odd occasion I have paid to go the cinema and saw a terrible film I was not impressed and frustrated. Exhibitions, not just model railway ones, are to showcase work/art etc at its best. I do not see anything wrong in n exhibition manager striving to collect together the best collection of work they can afford/organise to attend.
I also think that a major part of exhibiting is the talking to the public and through that, it gives us the opportunity to advise, support and encourage people to realise that despite thinking otherwise, a decent standard is possible and we should remember that we all started as beginners at some point int he recent or not so recent past. I know that I am always learning.

I was helping to operate a layout on Saturday on which we were running a specific era with correct rakes and stock etc, on the occasions when younger visitors arrived, Thomas and James appeared to delighted faces. I have to admit though, the really long trains seemed to be very popular with the kids as well!

best wishes
Simon

[NeMo]

I have often thought that a Kato starter set with a bullet train (or a Kato freight train) could be a winner on the shopping channels. It ticks the boxes on so many levels

I agree, and my heart sinks when people lay into Kato track as being unrealistic. In my opinion it's one of the few practical modern advances in the hobby for decades. Young people (anyone below the age of 50, really) expect things to work as a system. Plug and play, as the marketers would say.

For sure old school track is more attractive and worth working towards. But in terms of accessing the hobby, especially the smaller N scale, Kato have invented something that's easy to use, inexpensive, and doesn't require an electrician to wire.

Critics of Kato tend to be those who see themselves as purists, and purists, on the whole, make poor ambassadors. There are some fantastic Kato-based layouts out there, Lofthole Oil Terminal for example, and I'd like to see these being promoted more actively by the magazines.

But in practise, people don't seem to discover Kato until after they've started the hobby because it isn't marketed or promoted strongly by the retailers. I'm sure quite a few people start out in the hobby and then give up because they can't get the track to work properly, never realising there's this wonderful alternative to traditional Peco track out there.

Cheers, NeMo

[Graham Walters]

My point would be what are the reasons clubs run shows /  exhibitions ?

For our club it is primarily in the hope that it will raise funds for the club, surely a secondary consideration has to be to attract new members.

Given that the fee's from traders balance out the expenses paid to layouts, the only profit comes from the sale of show guides, and the people attending.

I would take a punt and a guess that the majority of people attending our small show would be Joe Public, and the majority of those would be local to the area, say a 20 - 30 mile radius, the same area you would be attempting to attract your membership from.

[acko22]

My last little bit before I fly off for work.

I don't think lower standard models would do the hobby a dis-service as long as it is the right time and place, say  TINGS is a good example that is to show case the best of the hobby where people are looking for the perfect rakes and the 100% accurate scenes and the like.

But if it is a local model club exhibition what is wrong with them showing a first effort or a "lower standard" (that phrase just sounds elitist) layout made by one of their members, we all take pride in our own work and want to show it off just because we enjoy the hobby and that's what it is all about at the end of the day!