Average Model Railroader?

[davekelly]

I think we've all been bombarded with various statistics talking about the "average" this or the "average" that. Is there such a thing as an "average model railroader."

Based on the authors in Model Railroader over the past several years the people I"ve met at shows and hobby shops and the people that post here, I don't think there is. Ages vary from young folks still in school to those that are retired. There are some folks that can be considered wealthy and those that are barely making it. Men. Women. Folks from different races, different nationalites, different political views and I assume all different religions.

I think this is what makes this hobby great. Pretty neat in today's world.

[Anonymous]

Average means half the modelers are above the criteria that you've mentioned, and the other half is below. If the average age is 40, then half are older and half are younger, etc. It all works out in the end.

I would guess though that women form a very small part of our hobby.

Bob Boudreau

[AntonioFP45]

Hello Dave.

Interesting topic.

I could recall from memory and statistics that in the late 1970s, the "average" O, HO, and N modeler here in the southeastern U.S.A would typically be a white male over 21.

I did visit various model railroad shops back then and that was typcially what I saw. There would be teens and people from other cultures, but that would be, IMHO, not as often. I very well remember the shocked looked I would see on a shop owner's face when I would say I was a modeler, then I started talking the lingo (U-Boats, Hudsons, etc). Except for one occassion, I can't recall ever being mistreated.

Today, it has changed and people from a wide background are modelers.

I think that inspite of the wide cultural and ethnic backgrounds, the typical "HO" and "N" modeler is a person that:

[1] Wants "Models" not toys, such as the Life Like and Bachmann standard lines.
[2] Wants realistic detailing on cars and locomotives.
[3] Is interested in realistic or protoype style operation to a degree. Wants to go
beyond "Trains running in a circle".
[4] Stays informed about changes or advances in the hobby. (like joining a forum!)

IMHO, these are traits of today's "Typical Model Railroader" in the U.S

Peace out!

[davekelly]

Fundy,

Thanks for the reply (actually what you defined is the mean - but that's a minor point). I guess what I was trying to say is that this hobby is made up of a vast diversity of folks all brought together by the love of machines that operate on two rails. I'm sure we could get the "average" but can you imagine the deviation present? Perhaps this is why there is such lively discussion here on so many threads, but no matter how much difference there is on an opinion (RTR vs kits vs scratchbuilding, sectional track vs flex, Digitrax vs Lenz, HO vs O) we can all agree that this is a way cool hobby and all agree that it is way cool that they can get help just by asking and are more than willing to help another regardless of where that person stands on the demographic spectrum.

[jrbernier]

One of the problems with a 'poll' that look at the 'average' age on a group is how the survey is done. MR has dome surveys about every 10 years and their data tends to show a 'greying' of the average model railroader. IIRC, it was something like 40+ back in the 60's, and is currently in the high 50's.
The problem with their reader survey is that they are only getting info from 'dyed in the wool' modelers who read MR on a regular basis. That narrows down the 'pool' of folks who have model trains for a hobby. I suspect that there are a lot more modelers out there who read maybe 1 issue of a hobby magazine per year.

Jim Bernier

[CNJ831]

While the diversity of ethnicity and cultural background, perhaps even income, of persons in our hobby may have widened somewhat over the years, it is still very easy to define the "typical" model railroader if you have ever examined the statistics that have been published from time to time, or even by just attending train shows or visiting hobby shops and asking around.

This "typical" model railroader is a white male in his 50's with a middle-class income, is married with several children, and likely a home owner. He will have a modest-sized but incomplete (somewhere between track on plywood and 75% scenicked) layout and is more interested in running trains than doing any serious "operations". He had Lionel, Flyer, or Marx O-gauge trains as a boy but the odds are about 70% in favor of his now modeling in HO, with an equally good chance that his layout runs on DC. He, alone, operates his layout. He does not belong to any club or model railroad organization but he does subscribe to MR!

If you doubt any of the above, just look into what has been written up about our hobby and hobbyists down through the years in the leading model railroading magazines.

CNJ831

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FundyNorthern

Average means half the modelers are above the criteria that you've mentioned, and the other half is below. If the average age is 40, then half are older and half are younger, etc. It all works out in the end.

I would guess though that women form a very small part of our hobby.

Bob Boudreau

Bob, you have given the definition of MEDIAN not the definition of AVERAGE. Median income, median age, etc. mean half are above and half are below. Average age means add up all the individual ages and divide by the number of individuals. The results are VERY different. I would guess that there is no such thing as a MEDIAN model railroader.
Perhaps, instead of average, we should say something like, "a high percentage of...." or "more than 75% of....." etc.

Cheers

[dwRavenstar]

Let's see....... A "greying" of the average model railroader with an accepted average age of 40 ish in the 60's and late 50ish early in the fresh millenium. I'd say rather than a "greying" we're experiencing a transfussion of railfans as time passes. If no new folks had joined the ranks since the 60's the average age would have naturally progressed from 40+ to 80+ over the considered timespan (without consideration of the attrition rate of our more mature membership during that period).

Personally, I'd joined the hobby when faced with the choices of building a scale model of static scenery; representing over the road racing through the countryside (very annoying to the residents and prototypically sporadic in nature) or laying some rails and creating a working freight system that serves the needs of the population.

Turning 50 in May, I'm working toward skewing the "average" by using my currently under construction pike as a stay out of trouble option for my neice's kids (8 and 14).

Dave (dwRavenstar)

[tatans]

Average Model Railroader : 52 years old, Makes $150,000 a year, buys every "new" thing out there, has between 125 to 400 brass locomotives still in boxes, and only knows three model train terms---Kaydee---Big Boy----DCC. can this be true????

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tatans

Average Model Railroader : 52 years old, Makes $150,000 a year, buys every "new" thing out there, has between 125 to 400 brass locomotives still in boxes, and only knows three model train terms---Kaydee---Big Boy----DCC. can this be true????

Hey! have you been spying on me? [:D]

How I wish!

Bob Boudreau

[davekelly]

tatans,

Still laughing!! You forgot 1200 feet of mainline track.

[Anonymous]

Gee, and I thought the average model railroader was an HO scale figure 3/4 of an inch tall made out of plastic

[tatans]

This is a tough question, I have nothing to compare to, I don't know one other of the people I know that model train to come up with an average. None of my friends know anything about the hobby( I believe they think they are toys-so never ask me) The only people I converse about the hobby with are at the hobby shop (strangers) or at a train show (even stranger strangers) so it is really hard to come up with an average. This forum is a godsend for superb information about the hobby. It's pretty hard to get a feel for the "average" model railroader from this forum as members are so diversified, which is probably good. I guess we should not worry about "average'' I don't think we will find the answer and probably it's not too important, keep on trainin'. by the way I can't remember talking to strangers and ever mentioning the hobby, when I did I would get a strange look and no response.

[Anonymous]

Well from my observation, that is what I see at show and who's at the local hobby shops, the "average" modeler is a married white male, in his 40s or 50s usually with glasses. With likely a few offspring. And most of them own a house and car.

I am no where near this at all.

[fec153]

Well now, we have a couple of ten year olds that have written in, I'm 68 and there are a couple right behind me in age. Lets use 68 minus 10 -58 . Half is 29 . Nah, I think thats to young Wait, did it wrong. 68 plus 10 , 78. Half is 39. Yep, thats closer to it I'll bet.

tatans- It should only happen to me. [ still looking to share the lotto here in Fla.]
Flip