Is Interest In Model Railroading Dwindling?


There is no question that the hobby, along with everything else is being affected by the economy and the product availability problems. While the dollar has lost almost 90 percent of its purchasing power since the early 1960's and even before, there is no question that the lack of product availability is a major factor in the decline of model railroading. Retailers cannot sell what they don't have to sell. This same problem obtains for the materials I use in my custom leather manufacturing business, where the quality of tanned leather has declined dramatically over the years. The suppliers can't sell me what they can't get from the tanneries. In my case, the result has been to increase the waste on a side of leather, which increases my costs. My business also depends on people with disposible income, rather than being a necessity.

The costs of model railroad items is just out of control, compared with what it was even 10 to 20 years ago. If I had to replace my rolling stock today, I just couldn't do it! Yes, we've had wonderful improvements in such things as sound and DCC, but at what price points?

It would be wonderful if we could bring the manufacture of model railroad equipment to this country, but I doubt it would do much more than drive up prices even more. I wish I had an answer, but supposedly smarter people than I can't even come to an agreement that will keep America from going over the "cliff". :( Hopefully, things will improve...

Regardless of all this, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, and hopefully a Prosperous New Year.

I will have to agree with you about the cost. My layout started about 20 years ago. A lot of planning went into it and thanks to the planning, I was able to stockpile quite a lot of what I needed to build it. Now that I am getting down to the finer details, it seems to be getting a lot more expensive than I remember. Most of my locomotive we bought in the $60 range back then (Atlas). I do still operate DC as I am a lone operator. If I were starting aver today I might consider DCC as lcomotives now are coming out as DCC models or DCC ready. I wouldn't even want to think of what it would cost in todays prices for what I have already done. My track is handlaid for the most part which is an enormous savings money wise. Trying to find commercial track and turnouts (I use code 70) has put me into sticker shock if I can even find it. Sure don't get as much bang for the buck as we used to.
 
I will have to agree with you about the cost. My layout started about 20 years ago. A lot of planning went into it and thanks to the planning, I was able to stockpile quite a lot of what I needed to build it. Now that I am getting down to the finer details, it seems to be getting a lot more expensive than I remember. Most of my locomotive we bought in the $60 range back then (Atlas). I do still operate DC as I am a lone operator. If I were starting aver today I might consider DCC as lcomotives now are coming out as DCC models or DCC ready. I wouldn't even want to think of what it would cost in todays prices for what I have already done. My track is handlaid for the most part which is an enormous savings money wise. Trying to find commercial track and turnouts (I use code 70) has put me into sticker shock if I can even find it. Sure don't get as much bang for the buck as we used to.

I have to agree as well. I to was able to stockpile a lot of things that I felt I needed. Most I have ever paid for any of my locos was $300, and it was a brass articulated. Since I got it over 20 years ago, the most I've paid for any brass is $150. Now it seems that $150 is an average price for plastic, decked out with a myriad of lights and sounds, that I have no interest in.

My track is mostly hand laid as well. I have also built my own turnouts, freehand, no jigs, and that has saved me a lot. I also do my own DCC installs into brass steamers, (basic 2 function decoders, don't need anything else,) and that too saves money. I don't do sound, so that is another savings.

But the point is, if I was trying to start into model railroading today, I really couldn't afford it.
 
I have to agree as well. I to was able to stockpile a lot of things that I felt I needed. Most I have ever paid for any of my locos was $300, and it was a brass articulated. Since I got it over 20 years ago, the most I've paid for any brass is $150. Now it seems that $150 is an average price for plastic, decked out with a myriad of lights and sounds, that I have no interest in.

My track is mostly hand laid as well. I have also built my own turnouts, freehand, no jigs, and that has saved me a lot. I also do my own DCC installs into brass steamers, (basic 2 function decoders, don't need anything else,) and that too saves money. I don't do sound, so that is another savings.

But the point is, if I was trying to start into model railroading today, I really couldn't afford it.

The only problem I have now is trying to remember where I rat holed things away at. Getting old(er) is fun !
 
i dont know if i replied in this thread somewhere but , i dont think its dwindling as much as the manufacturers are trying to choke the life out of it will "chinese factory"
issues. my son has been in it all his life & he just turned 18,the net has given a huge boost to the hobby with being able to talk to people on a daily basis about "the lone wolf hobby " lol we compare notes & get advice quicker then in the pre internet days
 
Father/Son train posters, and Thomas-the-Train

....But for model railroading, it is a dying art. I tell kids at school that I built a model railroad and they're just like "huh?" It is a dying tradition, but my dad is doing his best to make my bothers and I appreciate this great hobby so that one day we can pass it onto our children.

And especially at Christmastime, we always have a Christmas yard set up with TMCC Lionel trains. We use Hot Wheels cars and small plaster buildings my mom paints with colored C7 Christmas lights. It's not real realistic, but it's tradition and it's a tradition I'll follow until the day I die.
Dad's are really a driving force in getting their kids interested in manmy things,...and particularly trains. My dad certainly was even though we were on the move every 2-3 years from army career. Just a little taste of the hobby in our youth was enough to bring back those memories later in life.

Besides I always like scale-things. I remember liking my American Flyer trains better than the first set of Lionel....because they were more truly scale-like at the time.

And I always had fond memories of those train posters :
View attachment 34069

View attachment 34070

...google "Lionel Train Posters" images
Perhaps we need to see more of these in print media, in advertisements, ..or however young people get there info these days.

One other thing I did NOT see mentioned as I read thru this subject thread....no mention of Thomas the Train ??
I have a friend with a hobby shop, and when ever I am over visiting and he has a fair number of customers (not as often now) I'm always surprised at the young adults with kids that talk about Thomas the Train.

And when I attend the big train show at Timonium MD 3-4 times a year, MANY parents bring their young kids to see the trains....and most all these youngsters have been exposed to Thomas the Train
....Great sales tool
 
as a complete newbie, cost is a major factor. Any decent line is gonna cost at least $250, DCC to start is $200, Locos are $60 up not counting encoders. But that has been covered.

To me, one of the most discouraging things is the "Taking reservations".

"Sold Out" and freight being turned out with 1 or 2 numbers.

I would buy coal car sets, but either they are "sold out" or "taking reservations"

Don't have the money to put into a six month to whenever wait.

I know it's a sign of the times.

I've been putting buying some stuff off, hoping things might change.

Guess I just wasn't cut out for this hobby.
 
I would definitely say there is hope for this hobby, and Im doing my part to foster it. My boys have been constantly exposed to trains from almost day1, thanks to dad (me) with alot of understanding from mom (wife) that there is still a boy inside this man. From wooden toy trains to Thomas to their first HO locomotives, they are getting the itch; esp my 6 year old. And it started from my dad and his dad. Alot of great memories from then and alot of new memories being made now. Ones that will last a lifetime for all involved. I feel we have the desire to foster this hobby across many generations, now we need the product support in terms of supply and quality from manufacturers.

Brad
 
To me, one of the most discouraging things is the "Taking reservations".

"Sold Out" and freight being turned out with 1 or 2 numbers.

I would buy coal car sets, but either they are "sold out" or "taking reservations"

Don't have the money to put into a six month to whenever wait.

I know it's a sign of the times.

I've been putting buying some stuff off, hoping things might change.

Guess I just wasn't cut out for this hobby.

Been in and out of the hobby since 1961, when I could buy an Athearn yellow box kit for $1.99, about once a month. Brass snap track was about a quarter, per section. Considerably cheaper than the $5.95 for a Lionel 6464 series box car:). The purchase was funded from my $2.00/ week allowance. I think my dad made $125/week back then.

There was always a problem of availability, especially in the '80s when the "Collectors" jumped in with both feet, and offered to pay more than full cost to insure they got their "First Run" locomotive or rolling stock.

The difference then was you could always find the staples, track and switches, rail joiners, wire, freight car kits, structures and scenery products.

Today, we no longer have access to these staples, - waiting three years for nickel silver rail joiners is ridiculous. I believe that certain suppliers view "staples" as high cost - low return items, and choose not to run them. I believe they were spoiled by the collectors, who in many cases never open the packaging lest they might reduce future value.

I don't think the hobby is dying, shrinking yes, but not dying. However, it will never grow if there is nothing available to buy.

Joe
 
I do not think the hobby is shrinking or dying, it is just changing form. As a member of the younger generation I have been more along this line of thinking:
1. Model Railroad clubs are gay. They just consist of old people who claim to know everything, charge money, and the people just sit around and BS all day long. Instead I rather have my own layout at home where I can do what I want, and have all the fun I wish to at home.
2. LGB trains for the outdoors have become too expensive over the years, and the sales of those larger trains has decreased.
3. HO is nice, but there is not much snap together track for a person who does not wish to use flex track.
4. N scale becomes too small. Even with my vision ranging between 20/15 and 20/10 in the left eye alone, the parts are just too small to work with.
5. Hobby stores while still around but rare do not stock enough of a particular size train, and in general are more expensive than online sales.

Most of the fun and enjoyment is lost in model railroading because a lot of the information is contained in books which younger people do not wish to look at, and invest the time in. I rather be taught the foundations of building a great track layout, instead of seeing 100's of different designs that all end up not meeting up to what I would enjoy.

These have been some of the observations from my experiences and what I tend to think as well.
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again the problem comes down to marketing. What does this hobby do to market itself to kids or to well anybody? Sure we got the World's Greatest Hobby On Tour but the problem it's preaching to the choir. All the advertisements for it are in hobby magazines and where do they hold it? In convention centers where you have to pay to get in. So basically the only people who know about it or are willing to pay to see it are already model railroaders. It should be in a mall courtyard where people can readily see it and advertised in more places than just trainmagazines

Sure clubs do open houses but you hardly ever hear about them and once again they're often at the club's clubhouse which usually has barely adequate parking and is tucked in some corner of South Godknowswhere.

Now the manufacturers sure they still make trainsets but do we ever see them advertised? No. When I was a kid back in the 80s and early 90s I remember watching saturday morning cartoons and reading magazines we were bombarded with commercials for action figures, dolls, video games, shoes, clothes, and fast food yet model trains were never mentioned. As a result most kids never heard of them. And it still is that way. Sure there's Thomas and Chuggington but the problem is they're for babies and preschoolers. Past that age they're lame.

Another problem is perception. There's a reason young people think it's an old man's hobby. Look who you see in magazines building layouts, mostly older men. Young people want to do things they see other young people doing. They want to be around people closer to their own age group. I know it's harsh but it's the truth.

So until model railroading steps outside it's comfort zone and reaches out to the mainstream it's going to keep facing a declining group of participants.
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again the problem comes down to marketing. .............

So until model railroading steps outside it's comfort zone and reaches out to the mainstream it's going to keep facing a declining group of participants.

Interesting point! If you want to sell something, anything, you need to target your market and saturate it with advertising. Once you develop "awareness" and it becomes a household word...........

Years ago, as each season approached, dealers advertised Lionel's new season line-up. Kids (and Adults) flocked to the stores for the "Free" catalog. Yes, that's before catalogs were sold as a "Collectable", and were instead handed out like advertising flyers. And yes, they were targeted to kids, young adults and parents. Trains were part of the traditional decor for Christmas decoration. Most scale modelers got their start and developed their interest in model trains via Lionel and American Flyer Christmas displays.

Today, it is different. If you follow hi-rail, for instance, Mikie's Train House, advertises their latest quarterly catalog release, just like they advertise new train releases. Catalogs are themselves, profit centers, marketed to collectors like comic books.

Scale suppliers, often don't want to spend anything to market their product, notice the shrinking size of Model Railroader, for instance. They cite Kalmbach's "high" advertising rates, and the expense of marketing their - now often vapor-wear - "product". Of course, if you have nothing to sell.......

Again, a good post.
 
today its the new media they need saturate, have banners from the NMRA &ATLAS & HORIZON & other model railroad dealers , advertise on all forums & commericals when kids programming is on & a ton of downloadable apps ,like others have said staturate the market.
 
Hello, my name is Peter Lapierre. I'm happy to say I'm young and well into trains. My grandfather got me into them when I was about 3 or so. I'm now 24 and still holding strong. I have added to my round up of stock over all the years and my grandfather gave me all of his when he passed. I've done some detailing, painting, repairs, DCC installs, and many other things. Due to the way jobs are right now, both me and my wife do not have jobs. I live with in-laws in SC. I still have all my trains and waiting for the day to get a house and start again. Getting a house will also alow me to get a live steam locomotive that I always was interested in. I tell people I know about the hobby and how fun it is. I think it will come back once the job problem in these states fixes it self.
 



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