Under Twenty Crowd

[Anonymous]

I'm 14 and model HO. I'v been in the hobby since the summer of 2002, when I found an old book at my local library about model railroading. Soon after a hobby shop named the Green Caboose opened in a town 40 miles away from where I live. It's kind of a long drive to go to the LHS, but it's better than having to mail-order everything. I also see a lot of kids my age at train shows, although at the Green Caboose in Alton, IL I haven't seen anyone under 20 there yet. Although I don't have a layout yet, I might have room for one by summer. I'd like to have a small N scale layout of the BNSF, too. The one problem I have is that every other M-RR in Carrollton that I know of has passed away, one which I knew well. To describe the area I live in, it's a big Model Railroadless hole where there isn't a hobby shop around for at least 40 miles. [sigh]

[tomnoy3]

yeah, im 16 right now. i take a bit of crap from my friends for the hobby. and apparently, trains dont much impress the ladies, good thing i still have my boyish good looks lol.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, this is kind of weird.....I never really thought about it, but I always assumed that model railroading was more of a thing done by younger people.... Now that I think about it, I suppose it's done just as much (if not more) by older people.

I always had a G scale train (mostly LGB) that I would set up when I was in elementary school, have the friends over and they would bring over their playmobile (anyone remember that stuff??) and we would set up a big city and just play with it all weekend, then tear it down and start again the next weekend at someone else's place.

I must say the nice thing about having a full time job AND model railroading is I get to play with my own money (I model in N now - G scale stuff is out in the shed).

No more begging mom and dad to take me to the hobby shop on the weekend, and then when we get there begging even more for a new box car or caboose (I only ever had two small loco's they were just to expensive, so I never bothered asking).

I suppose it also works against me, playing with my own money, because whenever I walk into the hobby store the owner always gets a big smile on his face.

[Anonymous]

Well boys at the age of 46 I can definetly tell you that as I have aged and enjoyed the income advances, I can get the kits that I really want and have the time to devote to building them. When I was 15 I jsut had to wish I could get a kit for the $7 it cost.

Macguy, I seem to have that same affliction!!LOL

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

Hmm, this is kind of weird.....I never really thought about it, but I always assumed that model railroading was more of a thing done by younger people.... Now that I think about it, I suppose it's done just as much (if not more) by older people.

Ha! The age of the "average" model railroader is something like late fifties!

Nice to know you'll have something to enjoy your whole life, though.

[Anonymous]

Well I'm twenty one so I'm just out of this age range. Though as mosts have posted that they get madde fun of for modeling. I find this quite disturbing. I was raised to respect what other people liked and was pleased to find my classmates agreed. When I started back up this year my 18 year old brother and his friend started poking jokes at me. I took it with a grain of salt (good thing to do because everything is relative.) After about a month of working my brother came down with his friend carrying a box of train supplies the friend had found in his basement and proceeded to help me build. So on the first glance they thought what I was doing was not cool they later matured and changed their mind. Just remember a lot of kids had trains as a kid and it never is uncool to do hat makes you happy.

Don't give up and I applaud you for doing what you want instead of conforming.
Andy

[cwclark]

Under twenty?....I don't remember my 20's! and very little of my 30's!...then the ausheimers sets in and it all becomes a blur....i'ts good to see all the youngsters in this hobby...maybe there is hope for the world after all....