I have found the best way to get young kids interested is to get their parents interested. I get the parents interested by allowing them to run my trains. I actually have had success getting 20 and 30 somethings “back” into the hobby when their kids are about 6 years old. Interest a kid in trains and he will hold that interest for a few years or till he notices computers and the opposite sex. Get a young adult interested and you have a new hobby person for life!
Jim H
One of the main challanges of promoting the hobby to kids is that their is to much compition. A lot would rather play video games or go on the computer then operate trains.
Get 'em while they’re young.
ChiefEagles, why dont you kindly look above my post and you will see that I wasn’t responding to the original post.
WHAT!!! The advice was not for you. Your name was mentioned as an advisor to him.
I have talked abouit this topic MANY times. I think of the two forums (CTT and OGR) I am without question the strongest promoter for seeing kids involved in the hobby and one of the most outspoken critics of the lopsided leanings of train products towards the scale-side and expensive end.
I’ve backed my words with action and for the better part of a decade had a portable display which I took to shows where kids were welcomed. No barrier, no rope, and no kid left without getting to run the trains… no command no less!
I will ARGUE with anyone and everyone if need be, because I have seen it myself… kids ARE STILL interested in trains and tradtional control IS NOT too boring! Command control IS NOT an issue for young families nor is it a concern. I have talked to thousands of parents so I KNOW THIS and unfortunatly for some, I am absolutely right if anyone cares to listen.
There are other circumstances at play here which I have also mentioned many times in the past. Laz brings up another good one of parental involvement. Most child development experts will tell you the kids don’t want mindless junk or more stuff… they want you (the parent).
I had a “nephew” who bugged me for video games. I said “nothing doing… you get enough of that stuff from your friends, and I take you to the arcade when we are out. But I will get you a train set.” He grumbled a little until I told him HE was building it… not me (I wanted him to have a sense of appreciation for what goes into a layout). And then he got REAL INTO IT. He like using power tools and liked playing a major part in the design of HIS layout. He took tremendous pride in it and shows it off to everyone, telling them about HIS ideas!!
The problem today (one of them) is that the layouts are build by dad, for dad. MOst of us had layouts as kids built by dad for US. Kids today (some kids, that is) have to ask to run the trains on dad’s layout. And those trains aren’t as durable as they once
every model railroader should donate a ready to run set to toys for tots to turn on a new generation of model railroaders, we should then have the manufacturers match half of the number of sets with there own products.
Train displays at public places always bring out kids. I am always suprized at how many kids come to the museum to see and run our trians. Many times they spend hours there.
Here are some pics from our last openhouse which had over 1,000 visitors.
Note that the young man on the left has a DCC controler in his hand and is running one of the trains.
and sometimes it’s just too much for them
Alex, first of all welcome to the forum. Toys for Tots is a program that provides under privileged kids with toys because they cannot afford them. I don’t know if this is politically correct, but they can’t afford what we have, or even a small amont of what we are lucky to have. Trains might not be a good idea because of the cost.
I’m not aiming to be rude, this is just my perspective.
I think the best way is to have parents/friends and others provide a means for young (and old) to get into the hobby. It’s strange, but I’m 40 now and remember my dad having HO scale. My brother then built a HO layout. We both dropped out for quite a few years. My auncle got into O gauge which peaked my interest just 3 years ago. The interest must be cultivated somehow - at least for me it was others helping me get into it.
Later,
Dan
If we get them trains it dosent mean they need to buy more, I think theyed apprecate if they got a set. If they cant affored more at least they have somthing.
In my opinion and personal experience (admitting this is a broad generalization) children love toy trains when they are ages where they also love Thomas the Tank engine and Brio-like wooden trains. They love the spectacle - so visits to a layout or open house are special. They may still love playing with dad or G’pa when older - or helping to build a layout. But unless their elders are into toy trains, they’ll lose touch as they enter pre-teen years. And we can’t really reach them - their leisure activities of choice - computer and video games, the Internet, DVDs and CDs, even watching TV are far more compelling. Then they’re lost. And the only way to get them back is as adults in relatively stable cycles of life - with job, family, home, etc. when they have the time or inclination for a hobby…
Well, if the family is having trouble with support, such as food and other life sustaining supplies, how would they support a train. They couldn’t do it.
I know they would appreciate it, but I think the cost is still too large.
Well, I did my part over Christmas. My older brother Andrew was never much into trains (I inherited my oldest brother’s original set - Andrew never even used them), so this year I decided to send a starter set and an expansion pack to my two nephews, age 6 and 8. I had a call from Andrew’s wife the Friday night before Christmas as they were having trouble setting it up (I almost put a call out for help on the board for anyone in Lincoln Nebraska, where they live, 'cause I had to diagnose a problem with a CW-80 transformer over the phone) - I walked her through it, seemed they had a truck shorting out the track. (That’s why the green light on the CW-80 was blinking.) Anyway, got it running - apparently my 6 year old nephew is nuts about it. My parents and I now can give them track and cars for their birthdays to expand their set.
I gave them the NYC Flyer set (30016) and the Passenger Expansion Pack (30008). They were supposed to get the Operating Freight Expansion Pack (30038), but I guess the guy at the train store wrote the number down incorrectly. No biggie - I can give them that next year.
Although I am new to the forum/hobby, like many of the people here, I think the key is getting children interested while they are young and having parents keep the interest. Advertising by the companies is of course a help, and what we’ve seen recently by Lionel is a great start. But it still comes down to the parents who will be purchasing the trains themselves.
CNW1995 hit on exactly what I was thinking as a starting point, Thomas and Friends, and other wooden trains. I think my situation is a perfect example for this, because it got my daughter as well as me into the hobby.
My daughter first played with a Thomas wooden set at my aunts, with her cousins when she was only 2. She really had fun with it, despite my aunt thinking it was more of a “boys” toy, which is clearly untrue. So my wife and I decided to get her a Thomas set that Christmas, and some extra cars. She loves it to this day. Since then we’ve added several cars and buildings, and a table to play on. Every holiday, she gets more cars by either us or relatives.
This is what fueled my interest as well, because I enjoyed playing with her. It began by my thinking how I always thought Lionel trains were cool but never thought much else about it when I was growing up. Fast forward some years to my daughter getting her THomas set. Next thing you know I am taking her to Toys R Us or Barnes and Noble to play with their displays. That leads to taking her to see Thomas himself and go for a ride. Then I just took her on other local steam train rides, lastly of which was the North Pole Express. Lately Ive taken her to a couple of hobby stores and train shows to see the displays. Both of us enjoy it.
So then my wife bought me the Lionel Christmas set, and I have no problem letting my daughter run it, or add/remove cars to the track. I love letting her play with it with me. I’m confident this interest will continue for years.
All of this just proves to me that parental invo