Been to a couple train shows this past winter just getting started in the hobby and in my early 40's I figure I was one of the youngest there who wasn't with grandpa (meaning I pretty much saw people my parents age and older, and young kids.) Just wondering what that means for the hobby over the next 10-20 years? The fact that I don't really seem to have any peers in the hobby has been a real downer to me and I wonder what happens when the crowds who seemed to be average a good 30 years older than me are 10 years older?
Who here is under 50?
- Thread starter mattm
- Start date
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
Let me start off by saying that I am glad to have younger people in the hobby. I am one of the old farts you are probably thinking about. I am in HO scale and unfortunately there are no other people in my area in that scale. There is a group of N scale modelers in the area who have a modular layout they put on display in the area and at least half of them are under 40. I manage to do a bit of traveling and have some good model railroad friends in the mid west who I visit and run at a couple of clubs that they belong to. Again, I would guess that perhaps again, half are under 40.
One thing I will say is that probably a lot of us old farts have had a little more real life experience with the railroads. When I grew up, there were no interstate highways and air travel was for the "well off" while the common folk used the railroads. I know that my family did travel a lot by rail from Montana to Chicago and points east on the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacific. Now it seems to be a world of "gotta get there now" whereas back then the trip on the train was part of the experience. I know that this was a major factor for me to get into the hobby.
One thing I will say is that probably a lot of us old farts have had a little more real life experience with the railroads. When I grew up, there were no interstate highways and air travel was for the "well off" while the common folk used the railroads. I know that my family did travel a lot by rail from Montana to Chicago and points east on the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacific. Now it seems to be a world of "gotta get there now" whereas back then the trip on the train was part of the experience. I know that this was a major factor for me to get into the hobby.
Last edited by a moderator:
Sorry if it came across as something against "old farts", not what I meant.
Definitely a different experience. I flew my first time when I was less than a year old and I couldn't even begin to count how many times since. I bet I could count train rides, excluding subways and other light rail, on one hand and that would include excursions.
Definitely a different experience. I flew my first time when I was less than a year old and I couldn't even begin to count how many times since. I bet I could count train rides, excluding subways and other light rail, on one hand and that would include excursions.
Last edited by a moderator:
montanan
Whiskey Merchant
It doesn' bother me being called an old fart. I earned it. Things were a lot different for the boomers growing up. I'm glad I had the opportunity to have ridden on the passenger trains of the time back then.
I also had relatives working for the railroad and was lucky enough to have had many ride alongs with them. I was hooked on trains at an early age.
I also had relatives working for the railroad and was lucky enough to have had many ride alongs with them. I was hooked on trains at an early age.
N-gager
Member
So at what age does one become an 'old fart?' LOL. 64?
Better I don't know : )
I'm a 'boomer' and I road on trains (mostly while in college). I think the service quit around 1972. Took a bus to the airport and after than I bought a car.
Dad took me to the train station as a kid to see the steamers. Still remember seeing them. As a kid I had (and still have it in boxes) an original American Flyer (50's era). Never had a place to unpack it and run.
This past Dec, I decided to buy an N gauge for the grand-kids to play with at Xmas. Decided in January to expand the set in the basement. Working on a 'small 4 x 7.6 layout now.
Tried to give an HO set to the grand-kids but they're not interested.
It's good that you're into the hobby. Don't worry about peers. It's what you enjoy that counts the most. I probably would have started at your age but just didn't have space (wife says I still don't : )
Have fun!
Last edited by a moderator:
dmirguy
Member
The legal definition of 'old fart' is: being one year older than "dmirguy", regardless of an actual number.
To the OP: yea, IMO it really doesn't bode well for the hobby in general. With a decreasing marketplace, there will be less manufactured for it; what is will be more expensive. There continues to be more entertainment options competing for fewer corresponding dollars. (sorry, I must be having grouchy day...)
But for those who do get it, it is a fun and satisfying hobby. Building and operating a layout (any layout) is a sense of accomplishment that is hard to match. So, enjoy !!
To the OP: yea, IMO it really doesn't bode well for the hobby in general. With a decreasing marketplace, there will be less manufactured for it; what is will be more expensive. There continues to be more entertainment options competing for fewer corresponding dollars. (sorry, I must be having grouchy day...)
But for those who do get it, it is a fun and satisfying hobby. Building and operating a layout (any layout) is a sense of accomplishment that is hard to match. So, enjoy !!
trailrider
Well-Known Member
Having ridden the original Pioneer Zephyr as a young child mainly with my mother (Dad was overseas at various times during WWII), I definitely qualify as an "alta cocker" (old fart)! My first plane ride was in 1950, when we flew from Chicago to Florida. Otherwise, we took trains or cars (just as the Interstate Highway was being constructed, so mostly it was on 2-lane roads). I rode the Northwestern 400 from Chicago to Wisconsin during holidays from a boarding high school, until 1960. I started in S-scale (American Flyer) from 8 years old to 12, when I switched (no pun intended) to HO, and finally gave my Flyer stuff to a children's hospital! The interesting thing is that other than getting a ride in a Katy steam switch engine when I was about 2, most of my memories are of Zephyrs pulled by shovel-noses or E-7's. Yes, I trod the aisles of 9900 that is now in the Museum of Science and Industry, in Chicago! Watched the conductor (or brakeman) back us out of Burlington, Iowa, on the way down to Southern Illinois to see my grandparents! Still, I have quite a few steam locomotives on my layout, primarily of Burlington hogs. Although I never saw the steamer on the head end, I do remember riding on a heavyweight Pullman pulled by a "choo-choo" with my Mom, either during the War or during a holiday rush when a "motor" (diesel) wasn't available. None of my three grandchildren are into model railroading. Two live too far away, and the third is into other things. 
With the cost of models and associated equipment these days, I don't know what will happen to the hobby.
With the cost of models and associated equipment these days, I don't know what will happen to the hobby.bklynman01
Active Member
I'm 30 years old, and have been into trains since I was a little kid. No one else in my family is though. There was a thread recently about everyone's "first time" with model railroading. I grew up in Brooklyn, NY where subways and railroads are still a major mode of transportation - at least in the immediate area. The Metro North, LIRR, PATH, AmTrak, they all go there. Instead of taking a school bus to school, I rode the subway - I know, not the railroad. But in Coney Island Brooklyn is one of the largest passenger overhaul shops in the country. I had a distant uncle that worked there and he was nice enough to take me for Bring Your Child To Work Day. I seriously thought I was the coolest kid around. This past Thanksgiving, I was able to talk my wife into taking a 2.5 hr drive to Cleveland so we can catch the AmTrak to NYC to visit my parents for the holiday. I'm so glad I did. It was an adventure that made us both decide that any distant vacation we take as a family will be on the train, because like it has been said by others, the ride is half the adventure of the vacation.
I think that there is a lot to be said for those "old farts" that can remember trains being the major mode of transportation. However, I think one reason too many young people are not into the hobby is because of time, funds, and space available. "Old farts" can much easier get away with having a layout in a house with no kids and a few empty rooms. When the kids move out (or if there were none to begin with) the funds are available to build a layout. And I typically have trouble finding time to work on my layout for various reasons that I feel (old farts, correct me if I'm wrong) the older guys just don't run into.
They hobby may slow down, and not be as popular. But I don't think it will ever completely die out. Maybe it will come close in the USA, but there are a lot of countries where railroads are still the major mode of transportation.
I think that there is a lot to be said for those "old farts" that can remember trains being the major mode of transportation. However, I think one reason too many young people are not into the hobby is because of time, funds, and space available. "Old farts" can much easier get away with having a layout in a house with no kids and a few empty rooms. When the kids move out (or if there were none to begin with) the funds are available to build a layout. And I typically have trouble finding time to work on my layout for various reasons that I feel (old farts, correct me if I'm wrong) the older guys just don't run into.
They hobby may slow down, and not be as popular. But I don't think it will ever completely die out. Maybe it will come close in the USA, but there are a lot of countries where railroads are still the major mode of transportation.
KB02
Well-Known Member
Same here (just a year older).
Thank God for Thomas the Tank Engine and the Chuggington gang. They're doing their best to help bring a younger generation into the fold. My son is 4 1/2 and loves his wooden train set, but his interest in that is waning as I build more and more on my layout. He wants a train like Daddy's.
Skipjacks
Member
My daughter is 4 and loves trains. I painted her a purple loco (her favorite color) and it makes her so happy. She loves driving the model trains.
I took her to the B&O Museum and she had a great time. We go ride on those big model trains that have the 1 foot wide track. She adores it. I also take her on the local Light Rail train just for a ride once in a while. She loves it all.
So I don't think trains are going to completely die out anytime soon
I took her to the B&O Museum and she had a great time. We go ride on those big model trains that have the 1 foot wide track. She adores it. I also take her on the local Light Rail train just for a ride once in a while. She loves it all.
So I don't think trains are going to completely die out anytime soon
MikeOwnby
Active Member
I'm not as much under 50 as I'd like, but yeah. I played with trains as a kid, then came cars, girls and parties, which I foolishly thought were more deserving of my time ;-)
I think there will probably always be quite a few folks just like myself, who were indeed fascinated by trains as a kid, got dazzled by other things for a while, then come back to it. I don't know if this is one of the things that decides whether that happens or not, but I'm interested all around in how things work and how they're built. Tinkering with and building model trains is just a natural fit for that mindset.
Unfortunately, though, without the real-life experience of having actually ridden the trains in a more robust and romantic railroad era and living with them day to day as the previous generation did, I do have a feeling that the number of people who do return to the hobby will always be smaller than the numbers from the generations of nationwide train riders. I don't really think it will continue to decrease all that much after a certain point, honestly, because I think there will always be people like myself who once they enter their 40's and start settling down a bit decide they'd really like a hands-on hobby and have that interest in mechanical/electric/artistic hands-on things. And have purchased or built property where they can actually house such things ;-) However, the older generation is still here and still much more robust in numbers than whatever numbers the future will generate. Whether those numbers will ultimately still be enough to support the hobby and industry? Guess we'll just have to see.
I think there will probably always be quite a few folks just like myself, who were indeed fascinated by trains as a kid, got dazzled by other things for a while, then come back to it. I don't know if this is one of the things that decides whether that happens or not, but I'm interested all around in how things work and how they're built. Tinkering with and building model trains is just a natural fit for that mindset.
Unfortunately, though, without the real-life experience of having actually ridden the trains in a more robust and romantic railroad era and living with them day to day as the previous generation did, I do have a feeling that the number of people who do return to the hobby will always be smaller than the numbers from the generations of nationwide train riders. I don't really think it will continue to decrease all that much after a certain point, honestly, because I think there will always be people like myself who once they enter their 40's and start settling down a bit decide they'd really like a hands-on hobby and have that interest in mechanical/electric/artistic hands-on things. And have purchased or built property where they can actually house such things ;-) However, the older generation is still here and still much more robust in numbers than whatever numbers the future will generate. Whether those numbers will ultimately still be enough to support the hobby and industry? Guess we'll just have to see.
I'm in my 40s. I have fond memories of HO railroading with my dad when I was younger, and now that we've moved into a house with a sufficient basement, I've started on a layout to share with my son. (Who am I kidding, it's for me as well). He's only 4, but into trains in a major way. I suppose we have Thomas to thank for that, but he was using terms like "shunting", "ballast", "junctions", and "sidings" when he was 3, and was using them correctly. He gets a big kick out of riding real trains as well. My FIL is also into O-gauge trains, so model trains, train museums, and RL trains are big in our family all around.
I do think there's a natural age gap for many people. Many of us got into trains when we were young. But as you get older, your interests broaden, and once you are independent, there's often some time before you can re-engage. I think back to when I was in my 20s, in a tiny apartment of my own, and working hard to pay the rent. I didn't have anywhere near the time, nor the space, to engage in the hobby. Even now that I have the space, I still only have limited time, due to work and family commitments. I've been working on this layout since we moved over a year ago, and it's still very much an early work in progress. Some weeks I have maybe an hour or so to work on it, some weeks none at all. And when our 4-year old "helps" me, I get maybe 5-10 minutes of actual work done on the layout in that hour. But I'm patient, and it's enjoyable just to work on the layout. If it takes a few years to finish, that's fine by me. However, it's definitely made me appreciate that not being retired, and having young kids, places a hard cap on the amount of time I can spend on the hobby.
In short, not having a huge number of 20-30 year olds in the hobby may not be a reflection of waning interest, but simply reflecting where people are in life at that time.
I do think there's a natural age gap for many people. Many of us got into trains when we were young. But as you get older, your interests broaden, and once you are independent, there's often some time before you can re-engage. I think back to when I was in my 20s, in a tiny apartment of my own, and working hard to pay the rent. I didn't have anywhere near the time, nor the space, to engage in the hobby. Even now that I have the space, I still only have limited time, due to work and family commitments. I've been working on this layout since we moved over a year ago, and it's still very much an early work in progress. Some weeks I have maybe an hour or so to work on it, some weeks none at all. And when our 4-year old "helps" me, I get maybe 5-10 minutes of actual work done on the layout in that hour.
But I'm patient, and it's enjoyable just to work on the layout. If it takes a few years to finish, that's fine by me. However, it's definitely made me appreciate that not being retired, and having young kids, places a hard cap on the amount of time I can spend on the hobby.In short, not having a huge number of 20-30 year olds in the hobby may not be a reflection of waning interest, but simply reflecting where people are in life at that time.
I am 32. I have had models of some scale since I was 8. Certain things never really happened though( I skipped the whole finding a woman thing) I bought a house and had a high paying job. I was bored and built what was probably my 'dream layout' in the spare bedroom. Now I am a lot poorer and still have the house. I don't see my life totally without trains even if I would get married. I would still need something to tinker with. It's a part of my personality. Its like telling the artistic personalitys in my family to stop drawing or painting things, they would go nuts. I understand the possible need to scale back to adjust to changed circumstances. I have always built the layout so as to have a main section that could be reused if I ever need to use the room as a bedroom.
So long as I'm not under 6'. Although I am only 5'10".
BN8002
Did someone say B-unit?
I'm 32 and have been into trains since I was little. My dad is a modeler so that's how I got started with it. I used to belong to a club and was one of the younger members. And most of my modeling friends are anywhere from 2 years older than me to 10 years. I think the hobby will always be here because there will always be fathers and grandfathers showing the younger kids their trains and some will catch the bug. I'm not too worried. My dad and I are giving our best effort at getting my nephew to catch the bug. He's only 4 but loves trains. If I can keep his interest over the next 10-15 years than I might be able to bring another new guy in
Space is definitely a thing. We only have one kid and have been lucky enough to be able to buy nice size (not huge, but not tiny) houses. We still need an extra room because I work out of the house and need a dedicated office space. When we were house hunting last summer I was a bit shocked to see how little space the average house really has. Some "big" houses even are even tight because of dramatic public spaces. As well, time is a big constraint for many because of kids activities. Even with one, that can take a couple evenings a week and a solid portion of the weekend out of play. And of course money is a factor for many, many families.
N-gager
Member
Agreed. Space, time and $$. I'm retired and 'should in theory' have time to devote to hobbies BUT: it doesn't always work out like you think it will or should.
Life sometimes 'gets in the way' of fun, but you still need to have a little 'off' time.
Good to see younger guys enjoying a hobby. Since I'm over 50, I'm won't be commenting in the future : )
Last edited by a moderator:
marriedshades
Member
I'm 44 and my wife's cousin wants me to get him started and he's in his 30. The man reason for that is 4 year old son who crazy about trains. So your not alone in your age but thei so the young gen is around the big issue I see is the prices it is probitive to younger people plus the younger Have families have less room to set a layout up.
Manitobamodeler24
Member
I'm 14 and model n scale modern day but I'm a fan of f units I've been modeling since I was 6 first In o scale then ho now n I have a 5x5 layout
Last edited by a moderator:
