I saw this article this morning and thought that I would share the link. Here's the link to the article:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/end-of-the-line-for-model-trains-aging-hobbyists-trundle-on-1455157546?mod=e2twhttp://www.wsj.com/articles/end-of-the-line-for-model-trains-aging-hobbyists-trundle-on-1455157546?mod=e2tw
Modeling the B&M Railroad during the transition era in Lowell, MA
If they had interviewed my gransdson instead of some half dead old guys, it would have been all about this new and growing hobby among young people.
Paul
Bummer. You need to be a subscriber to read the article.
Rich
Alton Junction
The king is dead - long live the king!
Well, the video is nice - now I can put a face to Howard Zane´s name!
True, manufacturers/importers have a hard time these days enlarging their customer base, but the hobby of model railroading has been said to die for quite a few decades now and is still around. In Europe, we even see new businesses opening up, businesses like Minitrains who are doing quite well.
It´s one of those topics which pop up frequently. IMHO, it´s a waste of time to discuss the non-existent demise of our hobby!
Oh, btw, Rich - I am not a subscriber to the WSJ and I could see the article and view the video. There must be something in your browser setting preventing you to get access!
I had the same problem as Rich, you get a few lines of story, and it fades away, and then tells you to log in or subscribe in order to read the full story. Nothing at all about a video. Nothing to do with browser.
Mike.
My You Tube
I have no problem viewing the entire article, and I'm not a subscriber of the WSJ. That's odd that some can see it and some cannot.
richhotrain Bummer. You need to be a subscriber to read the article. Rich
That was my lament.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
I spoke to a couple of model railroad hobby shop owners, one of whom actually went out of business. Their complaint was they have enough orders, but the manufacturers have not been delivering.
I just went from Fire Fox to IE, and no difference, still says I need to log in or subscribe. Although, I have features using IE in this forum that I cannot do in Fire Fox.
Hi guys
Lets see railway modellers hide in attics wearing anoracs
Or in the US hide in basements wearing some equaly unfashionable garment
well there is two other common myths that are a load of cobblers.
The hobby is dying Ha rubish the true hobby died years and years ago with the advent of mass market scale model trains equaly rubbish.
The hobby is changing and evolving as it always has.
The only bit that seemed remotely true was the bit about technology and the young.
But it is fun watching them walk into lamp posts because they are to dumb to look where they are going.
And I wish I was allowed to shoot them when I am in the cinima and they just don't have the manners to turn the mobile off.
The hobby always has been for the young and the old with not much of the middle involved.
The off button seems to get hit around about the time girl's and cars seem to become a lot more interesting then the On button gets hit again later in life
Sometimes the oldest excuse there is kicks in when the son reaches the right age.
Thats how it has always been and probably will remain so.
To the rest of the world we are just a bunch of wierdo's because suposedly we have no interest in the national football code and don't want to beat the opposition fans to death.
So I say long live the wierdo's.
regards John
Mike
It's probbly your add blocker. I get a pop up that overlays the site. I have to click that off and then everything is fine.
Have a good one.
Lee
I don't have any problem viewing the whole site in it's entirety....what I don't like is the term they use in reporting about it.
Howard Zane spent 30yrs. working on His ''train set''...what ever happened to ''pike'', ''layout'',even model Railroad empire, wouldn't be bad.
I guess I'll go back and continue working on My train set.
73 year old kid, playing with His train set.....LOL
Take Care!
Frank
Ho, boy! Yet another "The hobby is dying" thread. This ought to get some mileage...and waaaaay too much of it. I'll amuse myself by ignoring it from this point on and predict that it will garner a min. of 90-100 responses by Monday morning.
Start the clock...tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I deliberately call my layout a train set and I don´t operate my pike, I play with my trains. What´s wrong with that?
Just don´t forget, that the "unarmed" reader/viewer of the WSJ or any other media outside of our hobby wouldn´t know our lingo.
The hobby is dying blah blah blah.That must be the reason that my home town has four thriving hobbyshops and four model railroad clubs.
I was told the same load of BS back in 1978 when I got back in the hobby.Well folks my free lanced model railroad is still here 38 years after I started it (officially named Grande Valley Railway in 1980) and if I have any say in the matter will still be here in another 10 years.
One man's opinion doesn't make a dead hobby.. Slot cars "died" years ago but,today's 1/24th and 1/32 newer slot cars are highly detail.
That old worn out cry "There's no young people entering the hobby" is a myth. Like video gamers they buy their hobby needs on line by using their cell phones since its fast and convenient. Even I no longer need a hobby shop since I can buy what I need on line with my monthly order.
One more thing. This hobby has never been a open hobby other then few club open houses,train shows(if there is a show in a given area) or the public seeing MR or RMC on the magazine rack. How many unknown thousands of modelers of all ages are there?
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
At the risk of raining on this parade, I do think the hobby may be dying out. Sure there are some youngsters getting into it, but the expense alone and the room necessary to build a layout can be prohibitive. I just joined a club and there are ten of us and I am the second youngest and I'm 61.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
All my kids and grandkids love papas trains. They call it art. My son says he would lke to build one himself, but a lack of time ( 3 kids under 6 ) and lack of money say no. We have quite a few 20 and 30 something guys in our club as well.
To quote Mark Twain "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Interesting article and a great video. Howard Zane's basement empire puts mine to shame.
I always feel that we, as model railroaders, are much too defensive about the media's critique of our hobby. They are correct, but they are just not sure why.
Guys, the hobby is dying, and it gains momentum in its downward spiral as each one of us passes on to that model railroad in the sky.
I have no problem with the younger generations caught up in other pursuits. Today's hobbies, video games and other electronic pursuits are as much fun for our grandchildren as model railroad layouts are to us.
The current generation did not grow up when railroads dominated our landscape. There are no steam engines today. There are no colorful passenger trains. Rail yards are off limits for security reasons. So, where is the appeal to an 8 year old, an 18 year old, even a 28 year old?
My only gripe is when someone makes fun of the hobby or questions our sanity in pursuing the hobby. To each, his own. Just let us be.
Although I'm not about to subcribe or sign in to read the article on that link I did read it somewhere else and viewed the layout through trackside scenery youtube link, absolutely incredible layout.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
I suspect the end of the line for me will come before the end of the line for model railroading so I'm not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it.
How many threads proclaiming the "death of our hobby" has there been now?
As long as no one starts flaming each other I'll let this stand....for now.
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
richhotrainGuys, the hobby is dying, and it gains momentum in its downward spiral as each one of us passes on to that model railroad in the sky.
I strongly disagree to your opinion. It´s not dying, it´s changing. What´s missing is good quality entry level stuff at a moderate price level to be able to attract the younger generation once more. I don´t mean the rubbish Marklin and others are marketing for kids and I don´t mean the cheapish trainset stuff sold by the other big brands. Trains will play much more of a role in our society in the future and so will model trains!
Catt The hobby is dying blah blah blah.That must be the reason that my home town has four thriving hobbyshops and four model railroad clubs. I was told the same load of BS back in 1978 when I got back in the hobby.Well folks my free lanced model railroad is still here 38 years after I started it (officially named Grande Valley Railway in 1980) and if I have any say in the matter will still be here in another 10 years.
On the northside of Columbus, OH there are three hobby shops within walking distance of one another, one of which deals exclusively in trains. I've heard there is another nearby that specializes in Lionel but I'm not sure exactly where it is.
Well, we are all acquainted with MSM "journalism" as it is practiced these days- poorly researched, poorly sourced and all too often biased from the get go.
An enterprising reporter would do well to consider the incredible increase in product variety, sophistication, availability and the technological changes that keep model railroading fresh and innovative. Perhaps it would be better to consider that model railroading has evolved from merely a duplicate toy status to an authentic miniature art form, which incorporates a broad spectrum of skills and artistic focus, much as has become the case with the intersection between digital photography and sophisticated, yet easily learned image editing software, where the hobby is about more than just "taking pictures".
In the real world, urban light rail and technology driven improvements to traditional freight rail provide a whole new frontier for modeling, and as for this being a dying hobby, I have observed an increasing number of 20 and 30 something adults at the flea markets and swap meets I attend regularly, along with their kids!
Cedarwoodron
No problem for me reading the article or watching the video.
I hear the same thing about other hobbies that I pursue. I also restore classic Pontiac musclecars. Go to a classic car show and you will find most owners are in their late 50's and up, and they are saying the same thing. "Nobody works on their own cars anymore and develops the skills needed, etc."
No doubt part of it is the expense- hobbies are expensive and financing a real model railroad with the space it requires isn't in the cards for most younger folks. Same for classic cars.
And part of it is just the changing times. Young people don't relate the world the same way we do, and don't have the same feeling of nostalgia for days gone by.
But I like to think that there will always be "builders" who will want to create and operate something. It may take on a different form, but that's OK.
Huntington Junction - Freelance based on the B&O and C&O in coal country before the merger... doing it my way. Now working on phase 3. - Walt
For photos and more: http://www.wkhobbies.com/model-railroad/
I don't think the hobby is dying , I think it just tends to get weeded out . I went to my first big train show at toronto convention centre back in 2002 and joined this forum straight away , wore my hand out mousing around looking for the perfect trackplan , got lots of great advice from guys here and oh I don't know it must be 4-5 layouts later I'm still at it. We have a hobby shop here that carries very little in train stuff and even with the WS line of scenic stuff he tends not to reorder so its not easy and I've came to the realization that I have all kinds of supplies already and much that can be had that the elder modelers use to use and probably still do. This hobby isn't for everyone.
They should have done some research and talked to the 10,000 people at the train show in West Springfield a couple of weeks ago.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Although I'm not a suscriber to the "sky is falling" regarding the future of the hobby, If the NMRA is to be believed and the average age of folks in the hobby has risen from 39 in the '70's to 64 today, that is not a positive trend.
Remove the phrase"model trains or train sets" and insert "newspapers and print media"