Simple question, what age are you? Please enter your vote into the poll.
Just curious since it appears that this particular forum generally consists of the older and more sophisticated modelers as opposed to other forums/media.
I chose to use an anonymous 3rd party poll in order to allow regular readers who dont necessarily have an account to vote as well.
EDIT: Please note if you want to go back and see the stats please re-enter your vote! Rest assured, the site will NOT count your second vote. ----------------
The votes are in! Here are the results after around 50 voters:
Its clear the 60+ range dominates the forum, followed by 20-30s. Its surprisingly how few people in the 30-60 range are, I expected more there.
Personally as someone in the 20-30 age range, I mostly spend my time posting and viewing my model railroading posts on newer sites like Instagram, Youtube, and etc. so personally Im not surprised at how few of us are on this forum site. Still, the results are pretty interesting. Thanks for everyone who voted!
Charles
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Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
I have to say I just voted (age 60 to 70) but my results did not show up correctly. It said that there was just one vote and that 100% of those responding were 20 to 30 if I read it right.
"Older and more sophisticated" is a nice phrase and I accept the compliment but age and sophistication don't necessarily go hand in hand. In fact sometimes almost the opposite, depending on how you define sophisticated (for example if DCC with sound is sophisticated and sticking with DC is unsophisticated, I think the geezers are the stubborn ones). Even income is no surrogate for sophistication, at least not in the hobby sense. Again if scale model railroading is sophisticated and collecting Lionel isn't sophisticated ...
I am relying totally on memory but older issues of MR used to have this kind of age data due to questionnaires and polling and back in the early 1950s the average age of a model railroader was under 30. In the 1980s I can recall then editor Russ Larson writing that the average age was north of 40. the trend was clear but it took decades to move up a full slot. My hunch is that the rate of aging is accelerating.
If youth is the age of acquiring stuff and old age or at least retirement age is beyond the acquisition stage, that would explain some changes in the hobby in terms of hobby shops staying in business, and what kind of articles appear in the magazines.
Dave Nelson
Same problem here. I'm in the 70+ " unlimited" category, but I don't show up at all.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
sorry about that, I made a new poll, try it now.
The one vote was from me haha, I guess strawpolls close after a few minutes. I used a different poll site.
What a fantastic idea! Worked for me. Odd!
Trainmain: can you pls make a poll about what reporting mark you replicate or part of the country you're modeling?
How a bout a Poll Cat?
Lets just say, when I was born Harry Truman was the President.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
BroadwayLion Lets just say, when I was born Harry Truman was the President.
Me too! Since this is a family site, give 'em heck, Harry.
I'm glad you started a poll. I wanted to do it for other issues, but didn't know how.
Unfortunately I am the same age as old people. Fortunately I am still here.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
MisterBeasley BroadwayLion Lets just say, when I was born Harry Truman was the President. Me too! Since this is a family site, give 'em heck, Harry.
I arrived during the Eisenhower administration. Baseball. Apple pie. Family entertainment: Ozzie and Harriet, Danny Thomas (and Angela Cartwright . . .)
LINK to SNSR Blog
I find it much more interesting to include what shape you are in. I remember back in my youth I had a back problem and even though I was in my begining 20's, I would have not been able to do anything much train wize.
My shape???
Round.... kinda in the middle...
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Your poll is not going to be particularly accurate without doing the math because "I just want to see the results" appears to be counted as an answer.
If 5 people say they are 20, 5 people say they are 30, and 10 people say they want to just see the results, the poll is going to show that 25% of the people are 20 and 25% are 30, whn the real results are 50% are 20 and 50% are 30.
You can get the correct results if you do the math, subtract out the lookers and recalculate all the percentages, but the casual viewer isn't going to do that.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
dehusman Your poll is not going to be particularly accurate without doing the math because "I just want to see the results" appears to be counted as an answer. If 5 people say they are 20, 5 people say they are 30, and 10 people say they want to just see the results, the poll is going to show that 25% of the people are 20 and 25% are 30, whn the real results are 50% are 20 and 50% are 30. You can get the correct results if you do the math, subtract out the lookers and recalculate all the percentages, but the casual viewer isn't going to do that.
The goal wasent accuracy. Im not trying to county how many people of which age is here. If you wanted accuracy, an optional poll would be a terrible way to go about. Viewers could also easily enter two results. Mystery people who dont even have an account can vote.
Obviously, you wouldnt want to use the EXACT percentages. Rather, look at the shaded bars, to see which bar is the most shaded to take general trends.
I placed the "I just want to see the results" there because otherwise, those who do just want to see the results might enter in a false number just to bypass the vote and see the results. And yes, some people WILL do that since theyre only there to see the results and the results arent exposed from the very start.
The doctor told me my body was a temple, only in my case, more of a rotunda. Never thought about it but I was also born under Truman.
Lyndon B. Johnson was president when I was born.
I am in pretty good, but not enviable shape.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Im starting to wonder about you guys! For being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth.
Personally, i debuted the same year EMD introduced the Second Generation.
Shame on yall!
PMR
PM Railfan For being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth.
Me and PENN CENTRAL came into the world together!
SeeYou190PM Railfan For being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth.
I was born on the wrong side of the tracks.
PM RailfanFor being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth.
On the day I was born:
"Columbia Geneva Steel" #35, the last major diesel locomotive constructed by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton at Eddystone, Pennsylvania, United States, is shipped to its purchaser.
You win some — you lose some.
Cheers, Ed
I came into the world at the same time and the same place as Sonny's Barbeque.
PM Railfan For being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth. Shame on yall! PMR
For being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth.
SeeYou190 I came into the world at the same time and the same place as Sonny's Barbeque. -Kevin
PM Railfan Im starting to wonder about you guys! For being a Railroad forum, not one so far has admitted to anything 'Railroad like' about their birth. Personally, i debuted the same year EMD introduced the Second Generation. Shame on yall! PMR
You're right. Okay, I was born in the year the last standard gauge steam locomotive was erected and stood on the rails in America. It was Norfolk & Western's Y6b #2200.
I just turned 50 last Fall (but my mental/physical age has been kind of stuck at late 30s since my late 30s, lol). I picked "40-50" instead of "50-60" because it looked like I had a choice. As far as "railroad-like," I was born into a world where Amtrak already existed, so I probably would identify with 40-somethings more than 50-somethings anyway.
rrebellI find it much more interesting to include what shape you are in
I was born on May 1. The day of Amtrak's birthday and Ronald Reagan being president of U.S.
Got half built 1st layout. It was going to desert theme than changing it into 1940s-late/mid 1930s. Until I get a bigger place I'll start NYC/Conrail.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
I was born when the R-10 subway car made its debut.
I was born the year that the EMD GP35 came out, and Kennedy was still President for a few more months. As far as shape goes, I do mountain biking with my 20 something year old sons once or twice a week, so I must be doing pretty good. Yes, I do still jump off the ramps...tons of fun.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
I am 65 and was born when Louise St. Laurent was Prime Minister.
I am in excellent shape and have snuck up into superior shape (better than excellent) in one category, my physical age being rated in the mid-40s. BP 105/60, resting heart rate 40ish, body fat between 10% and 15% depending on what a gluttonous pig I am or how much rum I drink. I never nap, am rarely sick and can go all day and all night.
The last CP Fairbanks Morse Trainmaster rolled off the assembly line in 1957. I have two on the layout.
Here they are a long time ago.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
FDR was in his second term when I showed up