The Kids are here;

[Anonymous]

For some time now, I have read in various publications columnists asking how we can attract young people to our hobby. Since I have been visiting these forums, I am suprised how many young people are actually on, reading and asking questions. When I first joined, I though it would be probably be old "fogies" like me. It is not. So they must be reading the railroad literature. Model Railroader, I hope you are paying attention and spread more words about these forums.

[ShaunCN]

hey i am 15 and i only now of 0ne other guy who is in my area who likes trains. Not only is there more kids (teens) into model railroading, but the manufactuers ae making it hard for young people with low budgets to get started!!! Prices are too high

[Hawks05]

i agree the prices for railroading stuff is to high. well i think this because i only make like $250 a month and i have to make $100 car payments and put like $50 worth of gas in. then i have other expenses like lunches and what not. i also only get paid twice a month so that kind of sucks to. i'm 17 and i'm just getting into the hobby. i was at a friends and saw his layout. mind you he has been doing this for like 20 years or so i think. but i saw that and was in awe when i walked it. i said to myself i have to come home find my train and set up the little track i have. i know of maybe 2 kids that are my age that are into the hobby. but i know my neighbor is into it and he is probably 65 or so. i can tell because he has a bridge in his upstairs window that i can see.

[eastcoast]

I , by no means , am a kid. I am 30yrs. old and started at 13. Yes, the prices sometimes can be outragious, but think about inflation and manufacturing costs. Then again, I do not want to go off on a tangent.Anyway, I live out in the boonies and KNOW that some of my neighbors are not into the hobby. I am in a club so I do get good feedback from all kinds of folks,men and women, of all skill levels and ages. But,overall, I feel the market out there is aimed at 20 somethings and middleclass workers.

[Jetrock]

Limited income means more dependence on creativity and ingenuity.

Looking for bargains at hobby shop clearance-item tables, model railroad shows, garage sales, or eBay can stretch your hobby dollar. There are some brands of relatively low-cost but not so detailed models out there--but with a little paint and some detail work, you can make them look nice enough to pass muster.

Look for everyday junk you can pick up for free or cheap that can be converted to railroad use--whether it's scrap lumber left over from a friend's home-improvement project (ask first if you can grab some scrap lumber from their leftovers, say, in exchange for helping them clean up after their project) or scrap cardboard or styrofoam for scenery or buildings, or something as mundane as an out-of-ink pen (the main barrel can be painted to be a pipe for a flatcar load or cut up into barrels, the "clicker" device can be painted black and makes a nice pot-belly stove in HO, etcetera) and so on. Look for "convertable" things at toy shops, garage sales, even party-supply stores.

It will mean a little work, but you'll get invaluable skills in scratchbuilding from doing this sort of thing. Keep in mind that early model railroaders made many of their models out of stuff like old cigar boxes and cardboard because they didn't have the huge variety of stuff we can buy today--but, especially with a few cheap off-the-shelf pieces from the hobby shop, scrap-built projects can look pretty nice, and you'll have something unique and original to boot.

If you're curious about your neighbor's layout, ask him about it--most model rails are as eager to meet other enthusiasts as you are, and you might make a new friend who can share his skills and experiences with you. One of the neat things about model railroading is that it breaks down age barriers--it's actually pretty neat to make friends with someone much older (or younger) and model railroading is a way to be able to do that. Spend enough time in the hobby and you'll find people your own age, too.

[Anonymous]

I'm 17 right now and have loved trains all my life. I got my first HO set when I was 5. I'm still into HO now and also collect vintage O and S gauge toy trains. I agree that the prices are very high and that it can make it very difficult for young people or those with a budget to get into the hobby. The thing I've found is to buy used. I actually buy very few new items at all. I am constantly searching antique sotres, pawn shops, garage sales, flea markets and ebay for trains and it's certainly paid off. For example, I once found a box full of better quality HO items consisting of 10 engines and 30-40 cars at an antique store for $50 Canadian. I've found complete HO sets at garage sales for as little as $2. Right now my basement is packed with model trains and I know that if I had bought them all new my family would be out on the street. There are many great deals out there and if you look in the right places you'll be amazed at what you can get for next to nothing. The only down side to buying used is that before you know it, you'll have a huge amount of extra track that you don't know what to do with that keeps on growing.

[Jetrock]

Indeed, buying used is a wonderful thing--which is why I like model train shows--lots of neat used stuff! I buy almost all of my books, music and clothes used, so why not my trains?

And if you end up with too much stuff, there's a simple solution--have a garage sale! Some other thrifty-minded model railroader out there will thank you for it!

[grantha]

Well, I started model railroading when I was around 10 years of age. I've been in the hobby for over 25 years now.

I started small and worked up. You generally won't have a layout the size of those commonly seen in the magazines but you can work towards that over a period or thirty years or so. (BTW: I still don't but I have had the opportunity of holding an open house.) Buy half a dozen or so items each year and after a number of years you will have a sizable collection.

Another way to get more for your modelling doaar is get involved in a club. This way you can work on a huge railroad for a small amount. Generally dues are less than $100 per year. Yet another approach is to get involved in a modular rail society like NTrak. This way you can work on your own module and literally link up with hundreds of other modellers.

[Anonymous]

I'm 16, and and on a really limited budget, hence a (highly) limited roster, a small layout, some scratchbuilt structures, and lots of natural materials on the scenery. unfortunately there aren't any model railroad clubs where I live.

[Anonymous]

Scottydog your right, I found more young folks with an interest in railroading than I expected when I got back into model railroading and started this latest HO layout.

For those of us a low budget read Jetrock's reply, you'll find some good suggestions. I use drinking straws for pipes, culverts etc. The flex part of a flex straw makes great looking culverts and different fast food places have different diameter straws (pipes). I don't buy Styrene when Styrofoam boxes for taking leftover's home from resturants and egg carton tops make good material for scratch building structures. Finely ground eggshell can be used for gravel parking lots or dirt/gravel roads. Garbage bag twist-ties are good to start people and animal figures. You can fini***he figures using a flour, egg white and water mixture rather than "buying" plaster-of-paris or hydocal. I used a plastic pop bottle, the card stock from the back of a notepad and some electrical wire (I used the wire for the stairway handrail) to create an oil tank for my steamers (all these items would have been thrown in the garbage). Find someone that smokes and ask for the foil inside the pack, using a toothpick and straight edge to score it, you can make corregated roofing material. Speaking of toothpicks, cutting the round ones to length makes great fence posts. Their are a lot of other things around the house that can be used.

Look around your house, use your imagination and let your creative side take over, you'll find that most of your modeling can be done at nearly zero cost. The only real cost for most of your modeling is glue and paint.

[Anonymous]

When I was 16, I was forging the model railroad that I am still at work on today, now that I am twice that age. Back then, I could only afford the cheapest, and yet my vision was big; this led to me investing a lot of time (if not money) into something that would not last, would not operate reliably, and just simply exhibited a lot of compromise. Looking back, I really wish I would have scaled back my intentions, and let the standards be high; I'm still using a Kato-made N-scale RS-3 that I acquired twenty years ago, whereas my 150-square-foot layout is junk. I wish I had known how much more satisfaction I'd get from a reliable 4-inch locomotive than from a frustrating room-sized pike.

I have had a thought, too, that might pique some interest. What about apprenticeships for model railroaders? I recall my high school days as a time when I had unlimited energy and drive, compared to my current sloth and distraction. Frequently I lament that my layout is not getting rebuilt at the pace I had hoped, because I only have a few evening hours each night and it is so much easier to kitbash a locomotive than it is to saw lumber. I'm wondering if there might be a younger modeler out there for whom the benchwork (and the electrical, and anything else I'm not "expert" in) is not such a chore, and who would like to have the big around-the-room layout to run his stuff on. I would foot the bill and provide the train room, and own the layout ultimately, but it would be like a very small club, and end up being a chance to pass along whatever modeling skills I have while offering a chance at "big-time" layout building to someone who cannot otherwise afford it. I know that it isn't always money that keeps a young person from modeling; our hobby also requires space, time, and skill. A master-apprentice relationship could offer all of these to someone in need.

[vw-bug]

25 and I started when I was 3 (that is when my old man gave me an HO loop with a SF-warbonnet) The really nice stuff is expensive, I must admit. That is why I try to bash models togther from just about anything; ply, cardboard, paper towels and raw plaster, anything. Chipboard models are great and when sealed and painted right they look pretty darn good. Rolling stock gets detailed over time. Also my parents seen to help me encourage my hobby as they knew I enjoyed it and it was safe (other than the electrical part...ZAP!) I'am always giving my nephew's and even my niece's train stuff for x-mas, b-days, etc. That way I know I'll have some to help when my eyes don't work so well and some one to put in my will.

[Hawks05]

tomorrow i'm going shopping for my first ever model railroad magazine and books. hopefully i'll bring home some layout plans and get cracking next weekend. there is a train swap meet in woodbury minnesota next weekend i plan on going to some how. hopefully my friend and his dad will take me but i don't know. i really want to purchase a locomotive and 1-2 freight cars. as of right now i have no clue what i'm going to model. either CSX, CN, or UP. i like CSX since they run a few trains through town along with the UP but i don't know which to start with. also CN bought out Wisconsin Central so i kind of want to start with them.

we'll have to see what i come up with this and next weekends.