richhotrain I think it was General Douglas MacArthur who once remarked, "Old hobbies never die, they just fade away". Too many of us worry about whether the hobby is dying and/or whether there is any interest among the younger crowd. Why do we care except for the fact that, if the hobby actually dies, we won't be able to find what we need to sustain our little niche in the hobby? It is surely altruistic to want to encourage younger people to join the hobby. If not a single younger person were to join the hobby, then it certainly would die. But, there will always be some new entrants into the hobby, just fewer and fewer as time goes on and hobby interests change. This hobby will simply fade away. Rich
I think it was General Douglas MacArthur who once remarked, "Old hobbies never die, they just fade away".
Too many of us worry about whether the hobby is dying and/or whether there is any interest among the younger crowd.
Why do we care except for the fact that, if the hobby actually dies, we won't be able to find what we need to sustain our little niche in the hobby?
It is surely altruistic to want to encourage younger people to join the hobby. If not a single younger person were to join the hobby, then it certainly would die. But, there will always be some new entrants into the hobby, just fewer and fewer as time goes on and hobby interests change.
This hobby will simply fade away.
Rich
Alton Junction
wjstixYa if you weren't around in the sixties, it's hard to imagine now how popular slot cars were
Around 2004-2008 I was racing 1/25 slot cars with my girls.
There were probably a dozen world class 1/25 scale road racing eight lane slot car tracks in Florida back then.
Now I do not know of a single one.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I can only speak about the Greenburg train show in VA's demographics. There is a sizeable mix of folks there. If a reflection of the hobby, it's changing far more than dying.
rrebell One hobby that has cut back alot is slot car racing which at one time was soposed to be the leading cause of the demise of model railroading.
One hobby that has cut back alot is slot car racing which at one time was soposed to be the leading cause of the demise of model railroading.
It was actually a slot car racing track that kicked off my model railroading. My dad used to take us boys to this indoor slot car parlor. We were heavy into the 1/32 slot cars. I carried mine in an aluminum briefcase with tools and spare parts. In the far rear corner was a highly detailed HO layout that was so much better than the Lionel setup we had at home. I was soon selling or trading Lionel for HO scale equipment. My dad was supportive but my mom was another story.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Pete.
Even though I had my trains (Lionel and N-scale) packed away for many years (work & stuff & moving & life) and just recently unpacked them a few years ago it seems like the hobby is doing ok. Last weekend at the Raleigh NRVMR train show the very large fairgrounds building was packed and the vendors seemed quite happy.
I spent most of my time looking at the various club layouts and talking to the operators, make that operators of all ages. I've considered joining one of the clubs but just haven't quite yet made that comfortable connection. Still the show was enjoyable and a lot of my questions found answers. I'm still thinking about another layout or perhaps new modules and one of the clubs.
As for demographics here is what I found interesting. The Sipping & Switching (HO) was mostly younger people similar to the LEGO group. The 3 railers were a mix but, N-scale was just really, really old guys. I'm 72 and these guys made me seem like a youngster. My old layout (and club) before moving 20+ years was N-scale and until recently I didn't think I could ever do much again in that scale. Then, cateract surgery and I no longer even use reading glasses,..
The Milwaukee Road Warrior Absolutely correct imo. It's all demographics. That's why it was so encouraging to me as a middle-aged guy to see teens scrounging thru bins to find good deals and pre-teens in awe of the layouts.
Absolutely correct imo. It's all demographics. That's why it was so encouraging to me as a middle-aged guy to see teens scrounging thru bins to find good deals and pre-teens in awe of the layouts.
Ya if you weren't around in the sixties, it's hard to imagine now how popular slot cars were - especially when they came out with "HO" slot cars (which were really closer to 1:64 scale as I recall). Some train companies fought back with HO train / slot car combination sets, some with grade crossing for the trains to cross the slotcar tracks.
Oddly enough, the slot car craze indirectly kept me a model railroader. I got very frustrated as a early teen with my HO trains (cheap engines, brass track etc.) and was about to give up when a friend sold me his old Lionel train set for $3. He didn't want it as he was 100% into HO slotcars. I spent 15 years in 3-rail, eventually transitioning to 'hi-rail' (now sometimes called 'scale three rail') using stuff like Atlas 1:48 scale freight cars, Weaver, etc. Eventually I went back to HO.
Without that $3 set, I may have not been a model railroader anymore. Course in the 50 years or so since, I probably spent enough on trains to buy a new SUV now....
It has been quite a while since the last "hobby is dying" topic. So thank you for not letting it go longer without one.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
BATMANgood thing I am surrounded by wizards
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
I attended the Boeing Employees' Model Railroad Club's swap meet this past weekend. At one table was a very young couple -- she was selling repaired rolling stock and he had set up a repair service. He had goggles on and his head down, working on a locomotive. A kid about 17 years old came over to collect his locomotive, a brass Great Northern Consolidation, beautifully detailed and weathered, that he had bought for $200 just an hour earlier at the other end of the room. The young smith had repaired some aspect of it, and after the kid paid the small repair fee they put it on the test track and it ran beautifully. I was a bit surprised that a kid not even out of high school could afford two bills for a locomotive that wasn't even working completely. I was also surprised that there was such a young craftsman entrepreneur making a business out of a love of repairing model train equipment. It was startling and hopeful all at once.
-Matt
wrench567 Just as I was getting started filling that room. One moved back in with a couple little ones. My stuff went in storage. Now I can get it out again.
You're a good man.
Watching Rapido trains grow, including expansion into the British MRR market, money talks. If the MRR market was dying it would be the upstarts that fail first. I think Rapido is doing quite well.
All the young people I see at train shows has me convinced we have nothing to worry about at this point in time. What's old is new again, I see the generation that grew up on video games starting to find creating something other than an electron universe appealing. Maybe it is they are reaching an age where reward in electron creation is diminishing as it is short-lived.
Where the electron universe meets the MRR world I am in constant catch-up mode, good thing I am surrounded by wizards.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
I'm sure one can find threads that go back to the beginning of the forum about the hobby dying off and the younger generation can't be bothered. The hobby isn't dying, just the old timers. Gladly they are being replaced by more that have finally found the time, space, funds, and supportive partner. Our kids grown up and moved out giving me a lot of room. Just as I was getting started filling that room. One moved back in with a couple little ones. My stuff went in storage. Now I can get it out again.
Life happens.
Always loved trains, and had two layouts previuosly, with modeling interupted by marriage and five kids and 11 grand children and great grandchildren. Now retired, getting back into trains, in n scale. I gave two of my sons some good working old rolling stock, engines and power packs, and they are both readying their basements for their own layouts. (n scale for them too)
One way to ensure the hobby lasts is to pass it on as well as possible.
wjstixI think MR and RMC have had articles recently from guys who didn't start modelling until they had retired and felt the need for a hobby to fill the time.
That's me!
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
wjstix The argument has been made that the number of modellers isn't dwindling so much as the demographics have changed. Model railroading used to be something people did for their whole lives. It seems like now many people don't take it up until later in life. I think MR and RMC have had articles recently from guys who didn't start modelling until they had retired and felt the need for a hobby to fill the time.
The argument has been made that the number of modellers isn't dwindling so much as the demographics have changed. Model railroading used to be something people did for their whole lives. It seems like now many people don't take it up until later in life. I think MR and RMC have had articles recently from guys who didn't start modelling until they had retired and felt the need for a hobby to fill the time.
Andy
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Milwaukee native modeling the Milwaukee Road in 1950's Milwaukee.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/196857529@N03/
The Milwaukee Road WarriorI will plan to sort and upload some photo and video to my Flickr account for others to enjoy.
Please also share in Weekend Photo Fun next weekend!
As a percentage of the population, model railroading is fading but the population contines to go up and so the accual number of model railroaders is gradualy increasing in this country and elsewhere.
...are pretty exaggerated (in my opinion) if what I saw at TrainFest 2022 in Milwaukee this past weekend was any indicator.
Multiple thousands of people each day - hard core modelers (both older and younger), the curious, families with wide-eyed kids... It was packed. Especially Saturday. My father, who tagged along with my youngest and I, described it affectionately as a "madhouse". We all loved it and had a great time.
I made a huge jump forward in my layout in terms of items I was looking for (crossed off TONS of items from my list) and the icing on the cake is that my better half didn't even bat an eye about the cost.
I will plan to sort and upload some photo and video to my Flickr account for others to enjoy.
Finally, it was great to meet Dave Nelson in person near the CNWHS booth and have a brief chat. He was correct when he commented in my previous TrainFest thread from a few weeks ago: I had no trouble AT ALL finding him.