I’m pretty sure this topic hasn’t been covered before, so I’ll give it a shot…
With my 19th birhtday in a week, I’m wondering if it’s common for model railroaders to participate in the hobby all through their “fun years”, or if it’s unusual…I’ve been in this hobby nearly my whole life, even longer than cars, and don’t really want to change that. I’m asking because I want my fellow hobbyist’s perspective (non-mrr folk, including my girl, actually think the hobby is pretty cool)…
Dave
I got out of the hobby when I was about 19 or so. Just simply lost interest. Came back in my late 30’s. I think quite a few people do this.
Eric
there’s a pattern of sorts where you have 5 year olds in the hobby (started in by fathers, grandfathers, uncles) up to about maybe 15-16, and then not coming back til they have an ankle-bit… er kid… of their own, and they want him to have the same Christmas tree memories that the (now-dad) had with his father when he was a kid.
Also it seems that people who stay in the hobby through the teen years go to teh sidelines in their early 20’s as they get their feet under them, with the new wife, house, and life in general (but then come back when they have a kid, or if no kids when there’s money and time to build)
Personally I was in the hobby until about 16 or 17, stopped modelling because I couldn’t afford ANYTHING, and then just got back into the hobby this past october (I’m 20 now) when I had about $40 burning a hole in my pocket at a trainshow.
I didn’t have a layout or really do anything from age 20-30. I’d still read a MR or go to a LHS on occasion. I think it’s pretty normal to take a break around that age.
I took a 20+ year break. That counts counts as a hiatus, doesn’t it? [;)]
I had trains before I was in Kindergarten, through high school and into college. My parents made me box them up in my college years, because I was away from home anyway. I picked up the boxes when the house was sold a few years later and carted them around with me for over 30 years. In all that time, I only opened the boxes up once, and then I carefully re-packed them.
Finally, I got them out again two years ago at the age of 58. When I put my first decoder in and ran my first DCC train (a subway, of all things) I was that same little kid again.
Like so many others, I had trains from as early as I can remember. I can say I never really took a hiatus, but trains moved to the back burner. However, I kept collecting thru those “simmer” years and kept reading MRR magazines. Even being in the military this past 25+ years, I’ve been able to enjoy MR thru local clubs that I find when I get stationed in new places.
The one thing I would like to caution or advise is not everything you see today in the real world of railroading will be here when you get older. You have a car and means to capture current railroading and I would do it or you may look back and kick yourself for not checking it out when you had the chance.
When I was 17, I had the car and a camera, but didn’t realize what was within 30-45 minutes of me that I should have went and gotten pictures of. The N&W (former Wabash) just north of me, I watched them take out the tracks, PC, Chessie (thru my home town), Monon, former Nickel Plate, and others. Plus many of the structures and industries along those lines.
Take care and good luck at whatever you do.
Rick
I think it is somewhat inevitable that there be a hiatus. It is not a hobby that lends itself well to that great life transition of leaving home and heading to college or a first apartment. Those late teen, early twenties are the transient years when a person is moving a lot, finding their way. Aside from the practical issues of having a layout there are so many other things going on in life during that period that it is not surprising that MRR ends up on the back burner.
I’m 31, married with kids. I have yet to have a hiatus from the hobby. Some slow years. During High school and college MRRing took a back seat to girls and parties. But it was always there to some extent. Also, each year that a child was born, the RR progress went slower because of the responsibilies with newborns (did you know their diapers need to be changed every day?) But there was never a time when I was out of the hobby.
Mine is a similar story. I was into model trains until my late teens. Then everything was packed up and forgotten for over 15 years. Then one day my oldest son discovered the boxes and became curious. I had a layout under construction a short time later.
Now it’s an issue of not having enough time or money because my kids soak up a majority of both. Sort of a forced (or semi) hiatus.
Many are concerned about the ‘graying’ of our hobby, but I’m starting to see that it may be more by design. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you’ll never really have the time or money for it until the kids are gone and/or you’re retired.
My story is similiar to many others here.
I got my first train set at age four. It was an American Flyer set that Santa brought that Christmas. My Dad nailed the track to a 1/4" plywood table that was painted green. That was my first MRR experiences.
Over the next few years I acquired another American Flyer set and and Lionel set. I played with them until my early teen years.
During my teen years I was into model cars so I let the trains sit.
I got married and bought a used 68 Pontiac GTO when I was 19. The car became my obsession for the next 30 years. During the early part of that timeframe I gave my trains to my nephews.
During the 2005 Christmas Season while shopping for toys for my grandkids I found a HO train set that brought back memories from years ago. Since then I’ve been working on my new layout. So I’ve been away from trains for about 40 years and returned.
I guess that can rank as a hiatus.
Bill
Well, I had to take a hiatus against my will. It’s a long story, I was in college… I don’t want to bore you with all that.
But the thing I have learned in my years to date is that on something like this is: If possible you should do what you want. There is no saying you can’t chase girls, spend time with your friends, install that 650cc Holly carb on your latest hot rod… you get the idea.
Just try to employ good management or you may find yourself overbuget, timewise and $$$wise.
[#ditto] On alot of the reasons above, fooled with trains as a kid, then I went in the service, never really had a permanent station for 4 years I was in. When I got out I fooled around I was still only 21. Finally marriage and kids took up alot of time, But when I started working at GE, the interest came back big time. I was building the real thing and that got me into modeling what I was building for real. Once the kids were grown though I could really devote my time to it. I don’t work directly on the locos anymore I moved into the IT dept. But I can walk over to the assembly building and get a prototype fix when I need it.[8D]
Thanks for the replies[tup]. It’s always nice to get fellow modeler’s input on things like this.
Dave
I got a huge Lionel train set back in the early 60s and set it up in the basement. I then switched to HO in the late 60s and expected it to operate as well as the Lionel did. It didn’t so I took a hiatus from modeling for several years. I started again this time with N scale and was VERY disappointed (this was the mid 70s) so I went back to HO but used higher quality items (no brass flextrack on fiber ties or Tyco trains). I knew then that HO, despite it’s popularity, was too small for me. I again took a hiatus and traveled around the country. When I again took up model railroading, I tried HO again but eventually drifted into O scale narrow gauge. I stuck with that until I discovered Large Scale narrow gauge (indoors) which is what I currently model along with a little of On30. The only thing I wish for are those big basements we had back East (basements are very rare and space is VERY expensive in San Francisco.
hiatus? Whats that? I have never taken a hiatus from the hobby even when I was in the Army.
Who says you can’t have fun and still enjoy the hobby? I race slot cars should I quit the hobby? I use to fish and hunt and I didn’t quit the hobby…I help raised 2 kids and didn’t quit the hobby…I been laid off and never quit the hobby.Had a major heart attack and never quit.Get the picture?
On the other hand I seen modelers quit over the years with the lamest excuses from wifey dearest having a rug rat to being laid off…
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With my 19th birhtday in a week, I’m wondering if it’s common for model railroaders to participate in the hobby all through their “fun years”, or if it’s unusual…I’ve been in this hobby nearly my whole life, even longer than cars, and don’t really want to change that. I’m asking because I want my fellow hobbyist’s perspective (non-mrr folk, including my girl, actually think the hobby is pretty cool)…
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If that is the excuse you are going to use to quit then use it and join the crowd that came before you.
Well, im 15, have had a train set and engines since i was 5. Im an avid railfan, modeler, and photographer. I find myself NEVER letting things get in the way of something i love, and If its a daily part of your life (like myspace is to some people) it will stick with you until you dont want it to. No hiatus so far, and Im pretty sure I wont have one.
Alec
When I moved cross-country to Southern California at age 20, I brought all my train stuff with me and even started building a new, bigger layout in my apartment. However my interest began to wane as my career got going. A few years layer I sold off EVERYTHING. I still visited a railroad museum here and there but did no modeling.
When I bought my first home in '94 I set up one room for my home office. I decided the decor would be TRAINS. In addition to pictures, signs and other railroadiana I built 2 HO track platforms (one above the other) running around the walls and above the doors. That got me back into the hobby again after about a 12-year hiatus.
I have a layout design in the works but I seem to have gotten “on hiatus” again… too busy with other things lately. Hopefully I’ll get back on track again soon…
Vamp,Use some of your TV time for hobby time…It will be much better and maybe healthier for you.
When I was a kid I was into trains but once I turned about 14 years old and discovered cars and girls well I was no longer interested in them anymore. It wasn’t until I was in my late 30’s that I became interested in trains again.