So I am a rather young (24 years old) modeler and as I’ve read Model Railroader since I was a kid up till now, I see that this hobby is dominated by men and women who are many years my senior. I figure that the reason for this can be for a number of things such as the cost of the hobby (luckily I’m of Dutch heritage or I’d be a broke grad student), time requirements, and space requirements.
I was just wondering if there are any modelers around my age group on here and if anyone had any ideas as to why young men and women don’t seem to be interested in this hobby like I am? I mean, I openly tell people I know that I love modeling and have never found anyone near my age who is interested.
What are your thoughts and opinions on this? Is the hobby going to die off without anyone from my generation coming up to replace the elder generations?
First, this is a hobby that only attracts a small percentage of the population. While estimated numbers differ they are always well under a million in the U.S. which has a population of 300+ million. So as a percentage the hobby is small and pretty much always has been.
Second, a lot of people in their 20’s and 30’s are more focused on raising a family, getting a career started, etc. and just don’t have time for hobbies that aren’t quick and easy.
Third, younger people tend to have less disposable income and while there are ways to get into the hobby on the cheap, the hobby still requires some money to get started.
Fourth, there are many other leisure activities available these days to compete for time and money.
So I don’t think the hobby will go away, but I do think it will remain a niche and attract older folks who have the time and money to spend on the hobby.
Personally, between the birth of my first son in 1972 and my youngest finishing high school in 1995, I was pretty inactive in the hobby. But in the 90’s I started doing more and now in retirement I have started a layout that may well get to be 1000 sq ft. before I’m done.
What are your thoughts and opinions on this? Is the hobby going to die off without anyone from my generation coming up to replace the elder generations?
I been in the hobby for as long as I care to remember…
Now then and if I may.
The following cries have been heard throughout the decades:
The 60s-Slot cars is going to kill model railroading…
The 70s-The lack of advancement in the hobby is slowly killing the hobby.
The 80s-Video games is going to kill off the hobby
The 90s-Rail simulation games will kill the hobby/will replace layouts/computer games will kill the hobby.
The first decade of 2000 has been all over the place RTR is going to kill the hobby,high prices will doom the hobby,poor QC will doom the hobby,the lack of scratch building will doom the hobby and on it goes.
The fact is one needs to have a like/ love of trains before he/she can become a model railroader and that’s why we few,we happy few,we band of brothers pursue this hobby.
I feel as long as there is steel wheels running on steel rails the hobby will survive.
The LION has been building model railroads since grade school. (Think Eisenhower administration.)
When I was young, I had lots of money and no space.
Now I am older, and have all the space that I need. But no money. Still, I am on my third layout since moving to North Dakota in 1983.
What else us old timers have (since when is 63 old–that’s what I gnat to know) have more time to sit around and watch the forums. Yes, kids get a lot of 'puter time too, but all they to is play games and text.
I’m 67 and have been playing with trains since the mid '50s. Back then, and in the late '40s, trains were as common as computers are today, as gifts for youngsters - especially at Christmas time. Thus, a lot of us “old folk” continued on with that childhood hobby.
Unlike the BL, when I was young I had the space but no money. Now in my retirement years, I’ve got the money and the space (but sure wish I had more - of both).
I welcome you - and anyone else (for that matter) into the hobby! Whether you run tinplate or O or HO or N, or model the postwar era or the 70s or modern times, or whether you model mainline, shortline, narrow gauge mining or logging (and even subways too), it is a pleasure to have you in the fold.
My son(13) is a 3rd generation MR. But, he has become less enthusiastic since almost everyone is going RTR(better for the old folks I hear). Harder to be a model builder in this environment particularly for the youth who want to be able to purchase their own equipment(and build it–a lot of boys like to build things). But, DCC and the new sound decoders he has found to be a great attraction. He has a friend who comes over and runs trains every now and then. So, there are two boys younger than you.
I agree a lot with what Paul says and did not do much in the hobby until in my late 30s and more settled with a house.
Personaly.I think we tend to romanticise, im not saying its wrong. We have to research anything in the Transition period or before and parents and grandparents are fast fading, a source of first hand knowledge we all need.
Modeling the O&W in the 20s in upstate NY, I look for info on sports on the radio, what the roads were like, buildings etc.
Now i have the time and space but not the finances so i work around it, reading and planning. Building when i can.
So what I am taking from this is that there are modelers in my age bracket who have an interest but that there is a gap in the “family building” years if I may call it that. A lack of time, space and money all contribute to my seemingly false impression that the younger generation isn’t interested in model railroading.
I think living in Canada also has a bit to do with it. I don’t think the hobby is as popular per capita up here as in the States. We love our hockey too damn much eh?
I’m 36. Been doing trians since I got a HO Pineville Junction foam over and under set for my 8th birthday. In my early twenties I switched to N scale due to space constraints. I was inactive for a few years then started back up the past few years.
Other than the expense of converting to DCC and a system, I have the money to spend on the hobby but no space. Which is why I have a 11 inch by 44 inch layout that splits in half to fit in a cupboard shelf for storage.
My son is 6 and loves trains and has gotten quite proficent at running “little trains” as he calls them on my layout.
I’m 30 years old. I’ve been interested in trains
and railroads since childhood, but have only
been a model railroader since I was 27y old.
It’s the same “problem” here in Norway too…
very few young people are getting into this
fantastic hobby! That’s why I’ve made myself
a personal homepage to share my hobby,
and maybe get more young people to start! =)
I don’t think that is the case, there are many Canadian modelers on this forum and others.
I think, as previously mentioned, most people your age are building families, careers, college etc and there is just no time/space/money for it all. The hobby will come in later years.
I tend to agree with the family / career / home building theory. I’m 48, and have been model railroading since the ripe old age of 12… except for the mostly 4 year long break I took while I was in college (only MR’d on breaks), then had two good years, then a 12 year abstinence while I was on active duty in the Navy. Then got back into it “for good” a dozen years ago.
But I married late (28) and had kids later (33 when my first was born), so I’m still very much limited by the demands of my home and family. So, my weeknights are mostly taken up with homework, Cub Scouts, sports, and other kid activities, and my weekends are often devoted to home improvement projects. And, truth to tell, I probably spend too much time here gabbing about model railroading and not enough actually doing it.
But I still consider myself active… something happens on my layout a couple times a week.
So you too are one of the Great White North Clan… If you get a chance to go to one of the bigger rr shows do it. You will see lots of people of all age groups there.
Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention my kids. My teenager could care less, my ten year old is kind of interested (he helps out from time to time), and my 8 year old is a train nut. It’s not really a generational thing or an age thing. It’s personal interest.
I’m younger than you at 21 and though I do not personally know any others my age that are into trains and model trains I do correspond with others my age that are into model railroading. Right now I don’t have the ability to do much modeling for several reasons. I’m finishing my undergraduate studies right now and am physically removed from my trains; I’m from California and attend college in Pennsylvania. When I am home I usually have other stuff going on, plus I am not about to put much money into a layout at my parent’s house when my time living there may soon be at an end. As far as I know only my friends that have been to my house and seen my layout know I am a model railroader, as trains never really come up in conversation.
I turn 53 on the last day of this month, and in my lifetime, there have been concerns that the hobby was going to die out because kids were becoming too interested in new things like:
Television
Slot cars
Video games
Computers
and many other things…yet the hobby keeps going. I think it’s just a normal thing,many guys are interested in trains as a kid and early teen, then during high school and college got interested in other things like cars, music, girls etc. and leave the hobby. Some never come back, some do. There are fewer kids now compared to the “baby boom” years so raw numbers have dropped, but I would guess about the same number of 20-year olds are interested in model trains now as 40 years ago.
FWIW I’m an alumni member of my university’s model railroad club, we didn’t have a club like that 30 years ago when I was a student, so there appears to be reasonable interest in the hobby in young folks.
I think that hits the nail on the head, for one thing. If there is no interest, or interests lie to other hobbies, there will not be any interest in trains.
I also think there could be an issue with a teen or younger person wanting something to “call their own”, different from “dad’s hobby”.
Then there is the “electronic generation” that seeks thrills and entertainment with electronic devices, and would not want anything that isn’t “virtual reality”.
The biggest gap DOES seem to be the college/career formative and family years that take away from the hooby as time, space and money go towards that. Then anyone who has an interest will return when familial obligations are over.
So, young fellow, don’t be disheartened, may you enjoy the hobby and continue to enjoy it!
Feel free to comment on my original question I posted but I would like to know something else. What if you older more experienced modellers took us young’uns under your wing and had a sort of mentoring relationship with us?
I don’t necessarily mean in person since personally I don’t know anyone older than myself who models, only you guys on the forum. What if you took a young guy and share your wealth of knowledge with him? Tell him what has worked for you, what hasn’t, tell him what to look for and any tricks you have learned.
Has anyone thought of taking this more personal 1 on 1 relationship approach? I now some of you will say that we can post in the forums and get 5-100 guys posting there ideas. It has more to do with trust and knowing that you can ask the dumbest question in the world and not be worried about what others might think about you in this forum community. I know I have some extremely dumb questions that I dare not ask on here and don’t want to waste peoples time with.
