Railway Modeller: "From our (NGF) correspondent"!

steve836 · August 15, 2015, 05:29:03 PM

Ageism works two ways, I well remember, on another forum, telling a young person that I was interested in early BR and he replied "oh steam" and discontinued the dialogue.

Cooper · August 16, 2015, 09:28:20 PM

My son who is currently 13 helps out with our layout and Jon Dean's (PostModN66) layouts Deansmoor and Lofthole Oil Terminal when we go to exhibitions.

Sorry, can't spin the image. It must be an age/technology thing!

He says he mostly experiences happy surprise at his signalling trains on Jon's layouts. (They're set up to shunt on the front, as a deliberate bait to lure young and old alike into 'having a go'. Our layout just has the point controls on the front but for the same reason).

On Deansmoor this involves accepting trains and signalling them through including dropping the level crossing barriers and shunting the cement sidings. They do sometimes ask how he learnt to do it though. His polite explanation is that Jon is a good teacher, but the fact they ask implies to him he shouldn't know!

[mod]Image turned, downloaded into my image editing program, turned 90 degrees and re-uploaded - Caz[/mod]

Ollie3440 · August 17, 2015, 09:04:23 PM

Evening all!

Glad people enjoyed my article, was a pleasure to be asked to write a comment piece. I've got a couple more articles up my sleeve to submit for future editions too

Cheers,

Ollie

Newportnobby · August 18, 2015, 10:00:19 AM

Quote from: Ollie3440 on August 17, 2015, 09:04:23 PM
Evening all!

You are Dixon of Dock Green and I claim my £5

Geoff · August 18, 2015, 10:05:32 AM

There he is I thought he had gone to ground lol.

steve836 · August 18, 2015, 10:08:58 AM

I thought he was dead!

Newportnobby · August 18, 2015, 10:24:57 AM

Quote from: steve836 on August 18, 2015, 10:08:58 AM
I thought he was dead!

Yeah, but Ollie is very young so might not know that.

Ageism

MikeDunn · August 18, 2015, 10:26:47 AM

I thought Steve was on about you !!!

Amazing how they managed to bring old Dixon back to life for the series ...

njee20 · August 18, 2015, 04:23:57 PM

Quote from: steve836 on August 15, 2015, 05:29:03 PM
Ageism works two ways, I well remember, on another forum, telling a young person that I was interested in early BR and he replied "oh steam" and discontinued the dialogue.

Is age not an irrelevance in that? He just had an interest in a different era and was perhaps a bit rude about conveying that...

I certainly commend Ollie for writing such an article, I have to say I've noticed at exhibitions how punters tend to either be <10, or >50. Not a problem per se, but it's sad in a hobby as niche as ours that there is any sort of baseless 'in fighting'.

Newportnobby · August 18, 2015, 04:39:30 PM

Quote from: njee20 on August 18, 2015, 04:23:57 PM
I've noticed at exhibitions how punters tend to either be <10, or >50.

I'm sure that's because other things get priority such as education, the opposite sex, getting a job, seeking property, getting wed etc etc*

* Not necessarily in that order

njee20 · August 18, 2015, 05:34:13 PM

I just suspect it's not 'cool' for most people. They drift away in their teenage years, then return in later life.

I don't think you can really combat this though.

Yet_Another · August 18, 2015, 11:24:18 PM

Agreed. There are many hobbies that people carry on throughout their lives, new houses, children & careers notwithstanding.

railsquid · August 19, 2015, 03:39:49 AM

It is a hobby which requires a certain amount of stability, space, time and to some extent capital. Having been a poor-ish student, then working various time-intensive jobs, moved multiple times in multiple countries and lived mainly in rental apartments, it was just never practical to think about actively doing anything with model railways. Happily I now find myself, 25 years after my previous 'Orribly Oversize stage of life, in a permanent home with a reasonable amount of space and time and means of finance.

Biggy · August 20, 2015, 07:29:40 AM

I agree that time money and space are factors. I can only just find time now that the kids are grown and there absence from the family hovel is what has given me the space. I have two friends with younger children who are interested in model railways but one can't afford to buy the much stuff. And neither have space for a Perminant layout.
As for the youngsters we see at shows I have noticed that many are brought by their twenty or thirty year old dads so perhaps they are the hobbies future just waiting their moment!

One experience I had recently at the South Devon Railway gives hope too I overheard a lad in his late teens explaining to his girlfriend (possibly now ex

) how angry he was at a model company for making a loco with the wrong tender shape for the BR black livery so young modellers are out there.

Irish Padre · August 20, 2015, 07:55:39 AM

I can identify with much of this. My lifestyle is itinerant in many ways and in addition to relatively frequent moves, I can be away from home for months on end. I don't have space to build a permanent layout, nor can I guarantee that such a layout would fit into the next home. Nor do I want my wife to have to live with some half-finished project dominating a room while I'm far away. The answer for me is Kato unitrack. Within literally a few minutes I can have s layout up and running on the dining table - and packed away as quickly. I use Kato Japanese stock and buildings, which are designed with such a scenario in mind. It's not Pendon by any means but it does get me running trains - and with electric points no less! So it's great fun and keeps me 'modelling'. My avatar is a photo from one such session. The Japanese stuff is also cheaper - a top quality flywheel driven 2-8-2 for £60, carriages for about £10 each, and the 3 car unit in the avatar cost about £40 IIRC.....