What are the characteristics of the "average" Model Railroader

[howmus]

Steam or Deisel ................. Steam
Gauge modeled ................ Horribly Oversized
Age at nearest BD ............ 58 (just feels like 90 some days)
Student , Working, Retired ........... Retired!!!!!!
Country............................................ like classical better oops! US
Male or Female ........................... Male
Number of years in hobby ......... a lot (off and on since I was a little kid)
DC or DCC, or Both .................... Converting to DCC now
Track Code used ....................... 83 and handlaid 70
RTR , Kit, or Bash...................... RTR, Kit and Scratchbuilt
Size of layout ............................ 12' x 14' basement room
Shelf or Table Layout ............. Table
Number of locomotives .......... 10 total (5 with DCC) other 5 probably not worth converting
Number of rolling stock........... 70 or so cars
Foam or other ( scenery)......... most scenery is hardshell, starting to use foam
Sub base material ................... 1/4" to 5/16" plywood and Spline lattice
Table top construction ........... L girder

DCC is sooooo fantastic. To see all my running locos lined up next to each other on the same track is awsome. Now if I can stop doing some stupid programing thing like I did last night and then spent an hour trying to figure out why nothing ran tonight and have to reset the decoder to the default settings and start over..... (sorry, run on sentence; Engli***eachers, no need to flame).[banghead]

[Ibflattop]

QUOTE: Originally posted by grayfox1119

If you were to guess, what would you say are the defining characteristics of the "average" model railroader? Lets see if we can get enough info to determine. I tried to list as many things as I could that seemed the most important, it I have not listed something, please feel free to add.

Steam or Deisel .................
Gauge modeled ................
Age at nearest BD ............
Student , Working, Retired ........... ( S, W, or R )
Country............................................
Male or Female ...........................
Number of years in hobby .........
DC or DCC, or Both ....................
Track Code used .......................
RTR , Kit, or Bash......................
Size of layout ............................
Shelf or Table Layout .............
Number of locomotives ..........
Number of rolling stock...........
Foam or other ( scenery).........
Sub base material ...................
Table top construction ...........

Ok here is my stats to keep up with my fello Hobbiers.............
Steam or Deisel : Deisel with a little Steam
Guage : H.O. scale
Age : 43
Student, Working, Retired : Working
Country : U.S.A
Male or Female : Male
Number of Years in Hobby : 38
DC or DCC or Both : DC right now but when my Laout is completed it will be DCC
Track Code in use : Code 83 mainline
RTR, Kit or Bash : Kits mostly with a couple of bashed MOW cars.
Size of Layout : 13 x 25 ft . 3 levels ( lowest level: Hidden staging yards Middle level : Main line, Main yard, Upper level : Branchline
Shelf or Table : Shelf around the room with islands
Number of Locos : 130 N&W, NKP, Wab, Ann Arbor, DT&I, D&TSL and the Modern day LE&W
Number of Rolling Stock : 650
Foam or other ( scenery) : 2 "Foam with plaster cloth
Subbase : foam
Table top constuction : L girder
Number of pet squrrels to power : 6 with one hamster named Skittels that he thinks he is a Squrrel.
Number of times that I was in the Doghouse after coming home from the LHS :
Lost count , But always got out !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoooooooo Woooooooooo [:D]
Belong to a local Model club: Yes and also the NMRA
Thanks for being here guys!!!!!!!!!!!! Kevin

[jlcjrbal]

Steam or Deisel ................. Steam for now but I am about to get a BLI switcher
Gauge modeled ................HO
Age at nearest BD ............36
Student , Working, Retired ........... ( S, W, or R )Working Pastry Chef
Country............................................USA
Male or Female ........................... Male
Number of years in hobby .........6 Months
DC or DCC, or Both .................... DCC
Track Code used .......................100
RTR , Kit, or Bash......................ALL
Size of layout ............................4 X 8 but getting ready for a 12 by 6
Shelf or Table Layout .............Planning on both
Number of locomotives ..........Just 1 USRA B&O Mikado
Number of rolling stock...........6 peices, all from when I was a kid
Foam or other ( scenery).........None
Sub base material ...................plywood
Table top construction Plywood

[BRAKIE]

Your poll may not show the true balance simply because a lot of the older modelers don't hang out on this forum.Some can be found on 1 forum.
No biggy though.Its still interesting.[:D]

[willy6]

K-2
HALF-0
51
retired (USN) and working
United States of America
Male
14 plus
DC
100
all
4x8
table
14
125 plus
foam
air
foam

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Biggie Smalls

The Characteristics of the average Model railroader is

Black Men
Under the age of 30 yrs old
above average IQs
Medium Build and in shape
A Badboy....

Oh that was just describing me sorry. No I am just playing. I am definitely not average I am a minority Modeler but its all good.

It's always refreshing to see someone buck the trends and stereotypes... I myself am much the same.
However, I'm no Badboy [:I]

btw, great home layout!

[Anonymous]

Me????
Transition,,mostly diesel
HO
44
Working
Male
40 years
DCC
code 100 to 75
kitbash & scratch
2x16
modular
75 engines
350 cars
foam
open grid
Luan plywood grid frames (waffles)

[Anonymous]

It's all about fun, trains & sometimes just the locomotives. There was a time when I
had more locomotives than freight. It's the total opposite now !

[Anonymous]

My stat is

S,D,or E: Mostly steam

Gender: Male

Age: 15

Other hobbies: photography, rail art, & train watching.

locomotives: 16

stock: 35

layout's : mostly temporary, I sometimes operate at the San Diego Model RR museum

Type Dc, Ho scale

RR: mostly UP

[Anonymous]

Steam or Deisel ............................Diesel, I run some steam as Exursions
Gauge modeled ............................HO and N
Age at nearest BD ........................15
Student , Working, Retired .........Student
Country...........................................Good Ole' USA
Male or Female ............................Male
Number of years in hobby ..........13
DC or DCC, or Both .....................DCC
Track Code used .........................Code 83
RTR , Kit, or Bash.........................Its a Mixed bag, i've got little bit of everything
Size of layout .................................Not big enough[:D]
Shelf or Table Layout ...................Shelf, with a penninsula that leaves the room when being used
Number of locomotives ...............20? I lost track after christmas
Number of rolling stock................???? Lost track along time ago
Foam or other ( scenery)..............What is this word "scenery" mean?
Sub base material ........................Plywood
Table top construction .................Yeah kinda, shelf style but its all plywood

[espeefoamer]

Mostly diesel,2steam,2electric
HO
53
W
USA
Male
Since I was a kid
Code 100
Table
Right now just a test track
About 30 locos
Never counted them!

[grayfox1119]

I would like to thank all the respondents to this Poll, and to give anyone who has not responded, and wishes to add their stats, a last chance before I add up the stats and present a total to this forum.

[egmurphy]

Okay, late to the party here, but these are the semi-vital stats:

Prefer steam with some early “diseasels”
N scale
58
Retired
Living in Mexico
Male
How long in the hobby? Hard to say. I started with Lionel as a kid, on and off through school and career, many years inactive, got back in seriously 2-3 years ago
DC
Code 80
Mostly rtr now, some kits, intend to do some bashing someday
3’ x 6’-8” (wood door)
Table style (portable)
15 engines +/-
100 cars +/-
Foam based scenery
Sub/base – foam on door?
Benchwork = hollow core wood door

Era modeled = 1945-1960 (very loosely)
Freelanced


I though it interesting that out of about 32 people who gave enough data for your study, 5 of us were either 58 or 59. Not to say that's the average, but funny (to me anyway) to have that many people within a two year spread.


Regards

Ed

[vsmith]

Steam or Deisel ................. both
Gauge modeled ................ 36" industrial Fn3
Age at nearest BD ............ none of yer beeswax! .....42
Student , Working, Retired .......W
Country.........................................(or Western?) USA
Male or Female ..........................M
Number of years in hobby ........off and one 10 years
DC or DCC, or Both ...................DC
Track Code used ....................... LGB code 225
RTR , Kit, or Bash...................... all
Size of layout ............................ 8' x 20'
Shelf or Table Layout ............. benchwork
Number of locomotives .......... 22
Number of rolling stock........... 30
Foam or other ( scenery)......... will be foam w/ hydrocal castings
Sub base material ................... see above
Table top construction ........... plywood

[JimRCGMO]

Steam or Deisel ................. Mixed, probably mostly diesel
Gauge modeled ................ HO
Age at nearest BD ............ 58
Student , Working, Retired ........... W
Country............................................ USA (or did you mean Garth, Clint, WInona, and George?)
Male or Female ........................... Male
Number of years in hobby ......... about 10 total (8-9 back when I was a kid, and about 1 recently)
DC or DCC, or Both .................... DC for now, DCC later
Track Code used ....................... I'd guess it's 83 (using some donated track to build the layout with)
RTR , Kit, or Bash...................... Yes - plus some detailing (but I'm not a rivetcounter)
Size of layout ............................ Couple or three 2'X4' modules for now (shelf type later)
Shelf or Table Layout ............. For now, freestanding (is that table, if I'm doing modules?)
Number of locomotives .......... two for now, plus 2 or 3 RDC's
Number of rolling stock........... less than 30
Foam or other ( scenery)......... shell (of glue or plaster and paper towels)
Sub base material ................... 1/2 inch plywood, plus some homosote & cork roadbed
Table top construction ........... Likely, cookie-cutter over grid

Jim

[camarokid]

Steam or Deisel ................. both
Gauge modeled ................HO
Age at nearest BD ............58
Student , Working, Retired ........... w
Country............................................USA
Male or Female ........................... M
Number of years in hobby .........34
DC or DCC, or Both .................... both
Track Code used .......................100
RTR , Kit, or Bash......................RTR, Kit
Size of layout ............................16' x 24'
Shelf or Table Layout .............Table
Number of locomotives ..........35
Number of rolling stock...........entirely too many to count
Foam or other ( scenery).........no scenery yet
Sub base material ...................3/4 particle board, painted on both sides and all edges
Table top construction ...........open grid

That about says it all.
Archie

[rexhea]

Steam or Deisel .................Both
Gauge modeled ................ Ho
Age at nearest BD ............ 59
Student , Working, Retired ........... ( R )
Country............................................USA
Male or Female ........................... M
Number of years in hobby ......... Return 1.5yrs
DC or DCC, or Both ....................DCC
Track Code used .......................83
RTR , Kit, or Bash......................RTR,KIT
Size of layout ............................18x26 + 2.5x12, 657 ft. Track down
Shelf or Table Layout .............Table
Number of locomotives ..........14
Number of rolling stock...........60
Foam or other ( scenery).........Plaster
Sub base material ...................Plywood
Table top construction ...........Open Grid

REX