Indeed…Now throw in the various skill levels,hobby budget,allotted hobby time,desires and one’s own goal and we have quite the cast of characters enjoying the hobby their way as model railroaders…
If the state of the hobby is declining and will completely disappear really soon, I have to ask this question.
Why are there new companies opening up in this industry? If someone was going to start a business and knew the hobby was truly dying, they would start a new business in a different industry. They wouldn’t risk trying to start a business in a dying industry.
Have you seen anyone offering a brand new car lately with a starter crank? Have you seen a company start up lately only offering hand powered washing machines?
Just my observation.
When was the last time you even saw a kid with a paper route??
I see lots of new modelers, including myself! Now, I’m not master craftsman, but I’m learning. You can’t get to Carneige Hall without practice (or proper spelling [:D]). Instead of just observing what you appear to be your dying hobby, embrace a new generation of modelers and train lovers. I tell everyone I can find about my club, and our hobby. Things change, including hobbies. I like my trains digital just like my television and computers. [4:-)]
I too have noticed changes in the content of MR, but then I have also seen content changes in other mags that I subscribe to as well. Indeed it may be a sign of the times but I don’t think it is a way of judging the health of the hobby. We are living in a totally different world than what we had even 10 years ago and this has driven changes in manufacturers, publications, retailers and other businesses. As consumers, we have the option of embracing the changes to whatever extent matches our comfort level, or we can chose to attempt to ignor what is happening and try to get along as we before.
As for me, I welcome the change to the hobby. Products are more accessible, for the most part better quality, and there is more competition which ultimately affects the price point. I think we are enjoying a hobby that is healthy , has managed to change with the times and offer the modeling world greater services than we had before,
I hardly ever see kids in the hobby stores just old guys like me.Not good for the future of the hobby I would say !
[sigh]
Must be the time of year for these threads-
Look. If it is all the same to you i’d be willing to bet none of us actually sit at a LHS all freaking day counting how many young people come to them anyhow. we have the internet to contend with and, yes believe it or not, there is some mail order still out there so----?
The other thing is that even going by subscriptions to e-mags, regular magazines and such is being not seen as ‘real’ either–IIRC anytime a certain fellow would show up here he would get bounced on for bringing that up. After all, magazines do not even know their subscription amounts anymore[:-^]
I’m just saying----[:-^][(-D][:-,]
It doesn’t matter how old the participants as long as there are participants. There are plenty of “old” people, when you start doesn’t matter. I “armchaired” and didn’t have a real layout until I was 57. The idea that young people are needed is a “myth”. Young people are probably there at the same number as when I was growing up.
Harold
EDIT: Young people are probably buying on the internet instead of being overpriced at the LHS.
Harold, I would hasten to point out that the hobby itself has not changed to any real degree in decades. What has, in fact, changed largely is the sort of individual the hobby has attracted in recent years. Many of the newcomers are far less interested in the pursuit of building things and more about running RTR trains and their associated ready-made products as soon as possible.
MR attempted to take it upon themselves to be the leaders in this trend by aligning the magazine’s content with the RTR movement under the direction of the previous editor. This shift in direction was not welcomed by the existing hobbyist community and this fact can be said to have been reflected, at least in part, by the huge hit MR took in its circulation during the period. However, if you compare content in issues from the early 2000’s with those from the past couple of years under Neil’s editorship, you’ll note a striking and steady realignment from everything RTR back toward the traditional do-it-yourself approach to the hobby.
At the same time, RMC, which stuck with the traditional concept of what model railroading is, suffered only a fractional decline in readership. And if you compare the content of the two magazines even today, you will note a significant difference in the audience and level of modeling skills each is aimed at. The same is true of the remaining second tier model railroading ma
Funny - when I was a ‘kid’ (Boy Scout, then high school student) I always noticed that the hobby store patrons were all, “Old guys.” Now that I’m an, “Old guy,” I usually notice that most of the people in the LHS are younger than I am. Of course it’s a general-interest shop, not exclusively trains, but still…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Just the other day I went looking thru my magazine hoard for ideas about detailing a freight house. The old MR’s had lots of ideas and photos. After about 1990, very few MR’s had anything useful. Lot’s a fine layout photography, but little information on building anything at all. Got to the point that I would just move the new MR’s out of the storage box onto the “read” pile without opening them.
Whereas RMC back issues are useful from the distant past right up to today.
Got to say that I agree in a lot of ways with how the content floundered for several years. I really do like the way the new content has been heading with more “how-to” rather than “what to buy” articles. There is one other thing I’ll note. Back then MR published 12 issues a year. BIG issues. Now they publish 12 issues a year. Plus a GMR issue of photo layouts. Plus a MRP planning issue (which BTW seems to be morphing into more photo layouts instead of planning articles). Plus some form of How To issue. That adds up to between 14-15 issues each year. So the total annual page count is probably about the same, just spread over more issues. Yes, we pay for those extra issues, but the content could just as easily be in the basic 12.
In woodworking, there is a growing trend toward more craftsman, hand tool work, instead of plywood and nails. Perhaps model railroading will start to grow more craftsmen again as people learn that RTR is expensive in terms of play hours per dollar.
Seems to me more of MR’s content is articles on layouts with pretty much all having very similar content. Perhaps this is due to past reader surveys asking for more, or it is because such articles are easier to produce and edit than an involved “how to” project. Kalmbach even has a whole magazine produced annually where layout visits are the entire content. It’s too much. I’m getting bored with the saturation. (I expect many/most would disagree with me.)
On the other hand, many of the very short “how to” articles are useful. Perhaps if the layout-tour articles included a short “how to” concerning an interesting feature of each layout …
Mark
[quote user=“CNJ831”]
HaroldA:
Indeed it may be a sign of the times but I don’t think it is a way of judging the health of the hobby. We are living in a totally different world than what we had even 10 years ago and this has driven changes in manufacturers, publications, retailers and other businesses. As consumers, we have the option of embracing the changes to whatever extent matches our comfort level, or we can chose to attempt to ignor what is happening and try to get along as we before.
Harold, I would hasten to point out that the hobby itself has not changed to any real degree in decades. What has, in fact, changed largely is the sort of individual the hobby has attracted in recent years. Many of the newcomers are far less interested in the pursuit of building things and more about running RTR trains and their associated ready-made products as soon as possible.
MR attempted to take it upon themselves to be the leaders in this trend by aligning the magazine’s content with the RTR movement under the direction of the previous editor. This shift in direction was not welcomed by the existing hobbyist community and this fact can be said to have been reflected, at least in part, by the huge hit MR took in its circulation during the period. However, if you compare content in issues from the early 2000’s with those from the past couple of years under Neil’s editorship, you’ll note a striking and steady realignment from everything RTR back toward the traditional do-it-yourself approach to the hobby.
At the same time, RMC, which stuck with the traditional concept of what model railroading is, suffered only a fractional decline in readership. And if you compare the content of the two magazines even today, you will note a significan
Some random observations. 1) Convert the fresh online content that is added new each month to print (new products, Cody’s office, new postings on these forums, and the online extras) and the combined package - the paper magazine and the contents of this website – would dwarf those sizable older issues.
Cost of postage for magazine rate mailings has played a role that might not be generally appreciated.
What with GMR and RMP and other special issues, it is hard to compare the total offerings if you limit yourself to thinking of a 12 issues a year magazine.
Dave Nelson