Keeping the Hobby Going

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
21

Gentlemen,

Respectfully I will submit that I lack the qualifications and motivation to “save” the hobby. I did my share back in the 70’s and 80’s working in the train departments of several hobby shops.

Having raised three children and three step children with only limited success, and being convinced that my short comings in that area were the result of insurmountable cultural presures and the alternate defective half of said childrens gene pools, I fully understand my own limits regarding having such influience on the choices of others.

Additionally, knowing myself well enough to know that the social side of the hobby is an aspect I can take or leave at will with no real effect on my interests or modeling efforts, I thereby reconize that I am not suitably motivated to engage in any “recruiting drive”.

I dislike the trains shows more and more as years go on. And while I am an NMRA member, conventions and such don’t really attract me either.

Good luck in you efforts.

Sheldon

22

Are any of those 6 a MRR?

Richard

23

No, three girls, three boys, no model railroaders. One of the boys does have some interest in trains, and is in fact a licenced Railroad Engineer, even though he currently chooses to make a living as a Fire Fighter and Paramedic. He may come around to the hobby later, but beer, football and running into burning buldings seem to have his attention now at age 27. And he is my son. He surely got those traits from his mother as I hate beer and am bored by pro sports in general.

Sheldon

24

As a volunteer scout leader, I am very ticked off by the behavior of the scouts at a model railroading club. Not only would I have stopped it, but there would have been some community service to impress upon the young lads respect for other people’s property.

Let me see if I have this right: A Scout is trustworthy (not here), loyal, helpful (nope), friendly (maybe), courteous (doesn’t sound like it), kind (not to the layout owners), obedient (likely not, if anyone said anything), cheerful (sounds like they were cheerfully laying waste to the layout…) thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Yes, Boy Scouts are supposed to manage themselves, but this one called for a leaders intervention. These are teenage boys… they need guidance.

[quote user=“Aikidomaster”]

  • I understand that the Boy Scouts now have a merit badge for model railroading.
25

aaaahhhhhhh…now we are seeing shills now are

26

Well here’s my two cents worth…Just keep building as we go and if it’s any fun to the kids they will continue the hobby themselves. It might be just putting up a set under the tree at Christmas at first, you never know. I know that all of my three kids will always have trains under their tree every year.

“If you build it, they will come.”

Ray

27

I just posted a video in the Weekly video fun, here is the link if you can’t be bothered to go look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4rBOEvsmMQ

Anyway, aside from the subject matter, which is not exactly prototypical, just look at the number of kids running trains on this layout. The first Sunday of every month kids can run trains on this huge DCC layout and they have a blast. There is usually a line waiting to get a train to run. Many of these kids as they got older graduate to being helpers that act as dispatchers, trying to maintain some sense of order. I would bet that on any given Sunday the average age on this 4000 sq ft layout is under 20.

There are quite a few of us on the forum that frequent K-10 in Maryville Illinois, and I can’t think of a better way to promote the hobby.

28

Simon- That’s a great thing going on there. It’s nice to see the kids want to participate. Just proves that what attracted kids a hundred years ago still works today.

Ray

29

This is something that has interested (actually, bugged) me for over 50 years. In that time, I have been involved with model railroading, model airplanes, model rockets, and model ships. I only gave up on plastics and model cars.

I tried to get my son interested in all of these. He currently has a slight passing interest in trains because his 3 year old daughter likes them, and has a slightly lower interest in RC planes. His current passion nowadays, after his work and family, is shooting and hunting.

My experience with the three hobby groups over those years:

First, I’m a member of several model airplane clubs The largest MA club has put on numerous mall shows, taken part in many community events, both static display and flying demos. When enough space at one of the local the malls for a show was available, we not only invited other local model airplane clubs to join us, but we have included model railroad, model boat, model rocket, and model car clubs, both RC and static.

Model airplanes: Started about 1948. Usually the people I’ve run into have been very open and outgoing. It is not unusual to see flyers, in club context or individually, openly invite kids to join in. When I first got involved with control line flying, local club members would actually come to my house to give me rides across town to the flying site. I got huge amounts of help and instruction. LAter, I was invited to help other young people just starting out. In the club I am a member of, we’ve even put on shows at scouting and other community events, not only talking to the kids, but even giving the opportunity to fly, under guidance. Even planes that involve months of construction and over $1000.00 worth of materials and equipment. If something unexpected happens (nee crash), well that’s life. At our shows, both mall, community event, or our annual public flying demonstration, we not only have peop

30

I like it! This should be posted as the standard code of conduct for all participants in train shows. [(-D]

31

In that context, quite a number of years ago MR had an editorial that outlined peoples’ typical longevity in our hobby. As I recall, it indicated that at least 50% of newcomers drop out within the first few years. The fraction that do become essentially life-long participants was disappointingly small, amounting to 10%, or less, at the 20 year level of continuous participation.

CNJ831

32

It´s not so hard actually to build an interest for Trains, as a parent/grandparent, it is your “duty” to see to it that the young minds are exposed for FUN train related activities.

A good set of BRIO wooden trains when they are small doesn´t hurt either!

As long as the interest isn´t being forced on the kids, there will grow a seed that may grow even into their 30:s before it blossoms!

I was myself taken to various technical museums and such as a kid, and look what happened to me! Not only am I interested in model trains, but also in WW2 warbirds and warships!

So I guess they must have done something right…

33

I think that we are missing a BIG “plus” about the hobby. It is real. I mean that a lot of activities (like this one) are based in the new technology. There are a lot of people who like the internet to play games, text, research ideas, and sometimes, create their own worlds. Well, if you or a group of friends are building a model railroad, well then you are creating your own world. The difference between cyberspace and the layout room are several. First, the layout actually exists! Second, one has to acquire a number of different skills to build a model railroad.[:D] Third, it can be shared with others (those who visit or operate or help build the layout). The folks in cyberspace develop only the skill of negotiating through the internet. Most have never met their “friends” from Facebook in person. That is sad.[8-|]

Well, I am one of the “lone wolves” out there who builds their own layout. My father-in-law helped with some of the ideas for electronics up until his recent death. But, he was about the only one in the family who was interested. Now, I have a 6 years old nephew who loves trains. I am helping him build a few simple plastic buildings to add to his layout.[Y] Once, my layout progresses a little farther, I will let him run some trains. He and I, along with his parents have gone to some of the local train shows. We all enjoy them.[tup]

34

I do agree that we should get manufactures to make more affordable products. Even a Walthers Proto 2000 DC only locomotive is out of my affordability range. After all, teenagers don’t have too much money for hobbies. For a young person, inexpensive yet quality stuff would help bring people in to the hobby.

The Lone Geep

35

One problem in determining the health of the hobby is we are no longer a nation of “joiners”, people more often do things alone. Someone pointed out in the book “Bowling Alone” a few years ago that more people bowl each year now than ever before, but far fewer people are in leagues compared to 20-30-40 years ago. People go bowl with friends, but don’t want a rigid schedule. Groups like the Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Elks, Oddfellows etc. undoubtedly all show similar problems attracting and keeping new members.

I suspect it’s like that with trains, there are probably many people (and familys) out there who have garden railroads, three-rail layouts, On30 layouts etc. who are in it “just for fun” and aren’t interested in joining the NMRA or subscribing to Model Railroader so aren’t counted as being model railroaders.

36

Kids today are more into console games , facebook games ( sad ) and cell phones then hobbies.Almost no attention span. A local shop around here has a huge DCC ( lower part is DC ) and they are not doing 2 public runs a month ( adults ) and 1 child night run ( kids get to run trains ). I’ll be taking my 6 yr old there to let her run my MKT GP40 i just got. She loves trains so I would rather her have a hobby like trains then spend a vast majority of her free time on console games or buried in facebook or texting non stop!

37

That would be K-10 as referenced earlier in the thread and shown in the associated video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4rBOEvsmMQ

38

My son is 18 now loves to work on the are layout with me in fact he does most of the work . I think what might kill the hobby is the price of products for the hobby . We are on a tight budget and love the hobby but I don’t know about the thing in over scales for ho scale prices keep going up . So I buy less and less each year . That what I think that might stop youth geting in the hobby.

39

Looking forward to getting to run my 2 new engines in DCC on there next run day… Running them on a temp DC track I goof around on.

40

I’ve seen this from the perspective of a younger man who is very into model RRing. One of the problems is alot of model RRers are cranky old farts who are set in their ways and arent very good (or care to) at sharing there knowledge with young people. I’m into R/C ship building also and I stopped going to our Club meetings because it was a bunch of old farts that did nothing but complain about EVERYTHING. Now, before everyone jumps all over me, its not everyone thats like this, Ive made many great friends in my hobbies, there are alot of great people in it. Now, Im not such a young man as I used to be(44) but Im still young compared to the average model RRer.