Under Twenty Crowd

[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....

[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

[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 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

[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.

[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]

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]

[Anonymous]

I'm 13 and I model HO.

[dano99a]

under 20?? uhh.. that was a blurr... At least now that I'm 31 I have a lot more money to put into this hobby, back then I didn't .

[Anonymous]

If I still want to remember being under twenty I have to be quick, because within five month I'll be a member of the above 20 club

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tip Norboy

[Anonymous]

JC, Very good. Don't forget about N for the FarOff look as well. Use N scale higher in the line of sight and you will find that it works very well for the forced perspective. If even just a trolley running by. Just remember that the farther the distance the slower they run.

[Anonymous]

Under Twenty Crowd
RULZE!..heheh...PHEAR ME...sorry.

I'm 14! A grown man too small for my britches...or maybe the other way around or inside-out. I've heard it said so many ways too many time.

I've been in the hobby two years if Nov '03 to Mar '04 can count as two years.

I started small and now have a 8x5 layout with removeable tops for my multiple layouts

1: S gauge layout under construction

2: HO gauge layout half way finished

3: mix HO, S layout (forced perspective idea) planning stage

[Anonymous]

Wow, What a very good response to this one. I like all of them. Puffie40, I think yours is close to the best, Legos and Model Trains!! What a hoot.

Thanks for all of the replys, I get a good feeling that this hobby is far from turning into an 'OLD MANS' hobby.

[Eriediamond]

Can I remember being under twenty, under twenty what?[(-D][(-D][(-D] Oh, got it now, under the "age" of tewnty!! Yes, I remember, just barely, spending hours watching Noah build this big boat. Think I was eight at the time.

[Anonymous]

As a 16 year old, am a proud member of the UNDER TWENTY CLUB!! [:D][:D][:D]

It's tough to have a hobby in both Lego and Model trains. While Lego is cheaper than model trains, My parent don't like the idea of my blowing money at both hobbys. (roughly 30 cars, 6 locomotives and no spot to run them!)

That might change in a little bit. We got rid of our old chickens, and got a nice, insulated shed we are going to change into a model train shed! i happy as a clam in high-tide! [:D][:D][:D][:D][8D][8D][8D]

[CBQ_Guy]

I've got one daughter left under twenty. Does that count?!

[Anonymous]

I'm 17 now, so I can remember my younger years very well! It's really good to see that there's so many other people my age on here. We're the future of this hobby. I was at the Calgary model train show this weekend and there were some members of the under-20 crowd there exhibiting, so young people in the hobby aren't quite as rare as some may think.

[Jetrock]

I was a teenager after they raised the drinking age to 21 and we were constantly worried that Ronnie McReagan would reinstate the draft...It was mostly horrible but stuff like D&D, model railroads and loud music kept me sane!

[jeep35]

A funny thing happened when I was 17. They abolished the draft, gave 18 year olds the right to vote, and then lowered the drinking age to 18. I don't remember much after that!

[Anonymous]

im 16 and been in with model trains for about fiveish years, but before that i could take the hours of the day up with Brio. Remember those? Oddly enough the wheels of brio will straddle HO track. I still have my brio and a to of Ertl Thomas the Tank engine stuff. i realy want to get the HO Thomas the tank train. its kinda depressing me that for us kids in highschool how much of a closet hobby model railroading is. infact, i dont know any other kids my age in town that have trains. i wish i did. if anyone on the board is under 20 and lives near New Haven, give a shout - it might be fun to check out eachothers layouts

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: booze lasts a night, trains last a life time.

AMEN!

I'm only 19, but I can say that Ive been involved with the hobby for over a decade (wow). Many people have found it odd that I'm interested in trains, but also many people consider my interest "cool." Since Ive entered college, Ive been more open about my involvement in model railroading, I even gave a speeh on it last semester for my speech class. I just wish I had more time for modeling, (need time for classes, homework, friends, etc). I usually work on something once every week or two, but Im glad that I am remaining active on the hobby.

Josh Ziegler
Spokane, WA

[Hawks05]

thats what my mom said today. i spent $47 at the hobby shop. she was like that is what enough to buy 2 cases of beer. i was like if i'm lucky i can squeez in a 3rd. i've only touched alcohol once. she was like you can be doing a lot worse than spending it on trains. i was like ya, booze lasts a night, trains last a life time.

my school isn't to ghetto. i mean we have our thugs or street kids. but the people that know are pretty close. one is the son of the guy who got me started, one is a friend that i accidently told. she doesn't mind it, i don't think. one found out by over hearing a conversation i had, come to find out his dad is into it. then there are few that have an idea but just won't say or ask anything.

[Anonymous]

WELCOME UNDER TWENTY CROWD!- High school hard, been out 15 yrs. I just returned to this hobby in the past two years and my friends in their 30's look at me like I'm a lepper or something?

Under Twenty advice for the day- If I had all the money I blew on booze and girls I'd COULDBE RETIRED and playing with trains all day!

[AggroJones]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Hawks05

not to many of my friends know about my hobby. i don't want them to know either. there are probably 4-5 people that know i'm into MRR.

the person that got me started said that back when he was in school he got picked on so bad that he just boxed everything up because he got picked on so bad.

i have 2 years left of HS and i hope nobody finds out unless i tell them.

Thats right. Don't tell anyone. And I hope the people who do know you're a railroader are close friends you can trust.

The more ghetto your high school is, the worse it is to be a model railroader. [B)][B)][B)][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]

[Hawks05]

not to many of my friends know about my hobby. i don't want them to know either. there are probably 4-5 people that know i'm into MRR.

the person that got me started said that back when he was in school he got picked on so bad that he just boxed everything up because he got picked on so bad.

i have 2 years left of HS and i hope nobody finds out unless i tell them.

[AggroJones]

I was under 20 not too long ago. I took alot of crap during high school, but its gotten a little better.

[areibel]

Under 20? I remember it well! My wife will tell you I still think I am...
I could go to the gas station and fill it up for less than $10 and spend the day chasing trains. When I was younger than that, I can remember going down by the tracks to watch trains (no fear of being kidnapped or whatever). Might run into some of the guys from the Erie Lackawanna section gang and talk trains with them. They'd give you an apple and you could eat it (didn't have to worry if they poisoned it, stick a needle in it, etc). Then if I was really lucky, I'd be there when the local freight was switching cars into the different sidings. That was a treat- A great bunch of guys, those train crews.
I laugh every time there I think about the time there were three of us looking for date nails to pull out of ties- I collected them, they were helping me! Wonder what the bosses would have thought about that? And once I got to ride in the cab of a U25 for about 5 minutes, but I remember it like it was yesterday!
It's too bad railroading isn't still like that- now it's a "Transportation System", looks the same but operates totally different.

[Hawks05]

geez. does every single thread on the boards have to have something about someone leaving. just confine it to one thread so the rest of the page can be filled with valuable information.

i can remember being under twenty as well, i'm only 17.

i wish i could stay this age for ever, well at least be 18, get to do a few more things.