kids and model trains.

[ShaunCN]

Teen model railroaders are lacking for the above reasons mentioned but also because the "older" guys don't want anything to do with teens or younger modelers wether it be joing a club or whatever.

[Leon Silverman]

As a small youngster, I liked to take things apart to see how they worked. As I grew older, I learned how to put them back together again. My first train layout (beyond the circle of track that came with the train sets, was built on top of a tennis table. This first effort taught me how to handle tools and soldering. I now do a lot of my own repairs and remodleling around not only my own house, but also the residences of my two daughters, one of whose husbands has difficulty distinguishing between calking and spackling. TV and computor games make todays youths good at handling the high-tech weapons used by our military, but they don't know how to repair them. My son-in-laws have difficulty using a screw driver, all because they never built anything when they were youngsters.

[Anonymous]

HI.
Me again, Too those of you 18 and under who are into trains, I admire you! Its a fun and cool hobby, and its somthing for a life time. I have been into trains from age2 and on, and at 32, I love the steam to diesel era. It's a challenge because I was not around in that era,. and that challenge makes it even more fun. When I research a ype of steam locomotive for the Western Pacific I always discover somthing intresting besides what I am researching. Its so fun to recreat history.
Jay

[Anonymous]

ICMR, Way go to bro! Always great to see tenns involved in model trains!

[trainboyH16-44]

It's true that mostly the cool kids will get jobs pumping gas and stuff like that, but in this school it's different. Well, in my classes it's diferent. You can be cool, and a nerd, and weird.
I just tell them that being a engineer pays well, and I'll be doing something that I enjoy. Touche!
Matthew

[dragenrider]

I wonder if exposure plays a part in a young one's life? I like trains because I received one for Christmas. How many children get that present today? I also was allowed to hang out at the Frisco train yard in town. I'd also sit behind my dad's shop and watch the KCS switching. My family would always point out trains during our travels.

All of these adventures shaped me into being me. I don't believe parents today take their kids on field trips anywhere. They don't sit and watch trains or planes with them, or give them the freedom to bicycle a mile to watch trains switching. There is a lack of encouragement for children to sample the world. Single parents are struggling with two jobs to make ends meet while the kids raise themselves. The path of least resistance is the couch and video game.

I have a young friend who's parents have encouraged him to follow his interests in the world around him. He's interested in planes, so they made arrangements for him to take a ride. He likes trains, so I took him train chasing. He also likes fire trucks and ambulances, so he's gotten to ride on those as well. He has a genuine interest in his environment and future now that he sees what's out there. He realizes that there is more to life than the TV and video games, even if he never becomes a railroad modeler.

I'll get off my soap box now. [soapbox]

[loathar]

Maybe if we can get the ignorant parents to stop buying their kids cell phones, video games,bling bling, and home entertainment centers for their rooms,kids would gravitate towards trains instead of prisons or cemetaries.

[Train 284]

I am 14 and absolutly love this hobby! I Know I will stick with it for the rest of my life!

You're righ though, we should get started on convincing other kids on how cool model railroading is. Actually I have recently gotten 2 of my friends into model railroading and I am going to help them build their layouts!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenMattern

MY 7 year old started with Thomas. When he saw my small N scale layout (at eye level) he was hooked. Now we each have a layout. He spends more time with his trains than watching TV. I kind of miss Sponge Bob!

I'm pretty sure that Jamie will stick with the hobby and even his mom is getting into it! It makes great family time. And with DCC we can all drive trains.

Ken

Sounds like my place Ken.

I have a 5 year old daughter. We went to a train store one day to look at Thomas stuff. She has always loved her little wooden trains - we started at about, oh, 12 months with a tiny little set from Ikea! Now she has a HUGE pile of the stuff, mainly bought on eBay for pennies. So if you want to be on her cool list when you come to play you better want to make a train layout.

So this all gets daddy interested in trains again after a LONG layoff. We go to the LHS and buy a few lengths of flex-track, and handful of other bits and some roadbed. A piece of 2x4 play was easy to carry home and a $15 eBay special loco got us going. By then end of day 2 we had a working little layout and she could easily help lay track. After about four days of running the traina around through the pretend dinosaur park made from hugely oversized plastic toys she asked if should have a tunnel!

Back to the LHS, so Woodland Scenics tunnel portals, some advice, a roll of plaster cloth and some strips of cardboard later we have a small mountain with a tunnel. We then went and got some more play and started a slightly more complex layout with some grades - cookie cutter style. So we recovered the track off the other layout and by now, with a little help, she can lay track almost as well as I can. Daddy has to back off on the secenery because that is Brenda and mummy territory!

Don't wait till they are thirteen, get em at three, or better yet, two or even one! Their is always the old Jesuit maxim, "give me the boy till eight and I will give you the man for life". If you haven't got them by 8, you probably aren't going to get them at all.

Kids today will only learn about instant gratification if we, their parents, teach it to them, or allow them to learn it. I hope I don't tread on too many toes when I say that if your kids are into instant gratification it is pprobably the parents that taught it to them. As for my daughter, well, my wife and I have sacrificed a lot to be at home with her (we both work from home). Instead of being asked "daddy can you buy me (insert latest craze toy here) ", the question is usually "daddy how do I make (insert thing here)?" She has had a computer of her own, but in the office with mummy and daddy, since 2 1/2. But right now she is in her room, stereo playing some nice calm music and she is making up adventure cartoons in her own fantasy world. In about an hour I imagine she will come in here and ask me to staple them into a book form!

Kids and their interests are very much totally shaped by their parents. But let me add that it isn't easy! When all the other little girls have Tamagotchi's(sic) it is hard to say no. But she decided that doing things for herself is far more fun than being a passive participant after one of her friends came over with hers.

Okay, back down off my soapbox again!
Good topic and lots of interesting comments.

John

[icmr]

My Grandpa got me started in the hobby when I was 7. I am now 17 and working on my first "permanent" layout. I am helping my mom babysit my neighbors boys, they are 4 and 1 years old. The 4 year old loves trains and the 1 year old is getting there. I'm getting ready to build a 4'x4' Thomas the Tank Engine layout for them for Christmas.




ICMR

Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]

[KenMattern]

MY 7 year old started with Thomas. When he saw my small N scale layout (at eye level) he was hooked. Now we each have a layout. He spends more time with his trains than watching TV. I kind of miss Sponge Bob!

I'm pretty sure that Jamie will stick with the hobby and even his mom is getting into it! It makes great family time. And with DCC we can all drive trains.

Ken

[Anonymous]

My boy is only approaching his 4th birthday, and right now he thinks its really cool to hangout with Dad and run trains. He lights up when he has his turn. He'd like to cra***hem more, but I'm trying to teach him to run them responsibly.

Chances are that lifes many distractions will take hold of him when he hits that age where his peers are more important than his Dad. His peers will think that trains aren't cool and he'll drift away from them.

But my hope is that one day in the future after he's gone through his teen angst, gotten married and has his own boy, he'll remember those days with Dad and the good times in the basement running trains and drift back to the hobby.

Trevor [:)]

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by MisterBeasley


And what's become of the kids who used to be cool? Well, like me, they are approaching retirement. Maybe they've made a step or two up from the pumping-gas job they got out of high school, and maybe not. So, my young friends, stick with the trains and the way you are. And while you're on your way to becoming the next Bill Gates, remember to be polite to your old classmates when they ask, "Do you want fries with that?"

Most of the 'cool' crowd from my high school days are either drunks, in prison, or dead. I have no use for the drunks, the ones in jail or that are dead I never have to look at again... Gas pumping jobs were long gone by then so they didn't even have that to start up on.. The nerds then, are the ones with all the cash, now [swg]..

So when somebody looks at you and your nerdy trains, just [:D] and say Thank you..

Things that make you say, "Hmmmmm"

Jeff
[8D]

[joeyegarner]

So, here is my story. My 2 sons both got to spend time with my trains and both strayed away one of them the oldest never got interested in any kind of hobbie but he did play a lot of video games. I tried all sorts of hobbies with them and thought anything I could get them into would help to keep them off drugs and give them a life long hobby. My youngest has stayed with it he's now 19 going to high school and working a full time job welding for a small operation in Tennessee. The oldest he has chosen a nother path less favorable. I do think it's very important to get them at an early age, my new nephew is 2 and he has seen them a couple times and should be no problem to reel in.

[MisterBeasley]

Back in the early 60's, when I was a teenager, it was us nerdy science and math types that were not cool. Now, of course, the Geeks have inherited the earth, and it is very cool to be able to configure your girlfriend's network, or whatever.

And what's become of the kids who used to be cool? Well, like me, they are approaching retirement. Maybe they've made a step or two up from the pumping-gas job they got out of high school, and maybe not. So, my young friends, stick with the trains and the way you are. And while you're on your way to becoming the next Bill Gates, remember to be polite to your old classmates when they ask, "Do you want fries with that?"

[ARTHILL]

It ws no different 60 years ago. I was the only kid with a layout, and all my friends thought I was weird. When I bought hot rod I was a lot more popular. When I sold the car and got back into trains I was lot more happy. Leave the mess to the masses and have fun. If a thousand people wanted to join some club next week it would just wreck everything.

[rolleiman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dragonriversteel

Folks,

I have a 13 year old son,that I can't get into trains to save my life. I'm not going to force him into it. Skateboards and girls are his life now, model trains maybe.......some day.

Patrick

I tried it with my (then) 13 year old nephew.. He was interested for a short while but didn't stick to it... He was a vidiot at a very early age and what little spark he had for the hobby is now gone. Maybe later... who knows..

QUOTE:
Well.....trains really aren't cool at all. I'd be a lot more popular if I didn't like trains, I can tell you that.
I do a lot to advertise my MRR club, like this one time I glued one of their posters to the wall of the school. If anyone was really interested, they would have stopped by, but noone came...
Matthew

Is it the trains that make you unpopular or is it the fact that you don't follow the herd? I would guess the latter. There is too much media and press out there telling people what is 'cool'.. Can't turn on the television without seeing some anorexic (sp?) looking bimbo staggering around. What is cool, and will eventually make you popular is saying to hell with the herd, I'm doing my own thing. There will be plenty of time to follow the crowd, when it's appropriate. I, for one, applaud you for not following the herd.

If I had kids, I would be doing everything possible (short of abuse) to get them interested. However, with todays sue happy society, I'm not going near one. Unescorted by a parent, I don't want them on my property and I dam sure don't want them in my house. I don't even want to deal with them in a public setting.

[2c]
Jeff

[dragonriversteel]

Folks,

I have a 13 year old son,that I can't get into trains to save my life. I'm not going to force him into it. Skateboards and girls are his life now, model trains maybe.......some day.

Patrick

[John Busby]

Hi all
With the Now generation you don't stand much of a chance of geting them into a hobby that takes time.
My other one is fantasy war gaming same there not many kids they dont want to take the time to paint the armies and make the terrain pieces and nothing looks worse on the table than an unpainted army.
RR translation any thing on the model RR that has not been properly painted.
Its wanted instantly so they just are not interested in spending the time on it
regards John

[trainboyH16-44]

If you start 'em young, I suppose that there's a chance that they will like trains later in life, so parents: Stock up on thomas the Tank engine! Another good one is "There goes a train" You'll like it too, lots of good footage.
Matthew

[trainboyH16-44]

Well.....trains really aren't cool at all. I'd be a lot more popular if I didn't like trains, I can tell you that.
I do a lot to advertise my MRR club, like this one time I glued one of their posters to the wall of the school. If anyone was really interested, they would have stopped by, but noone came...
Matthew

[Anonymous]

We need to show that this great hobby is cool. Whats cool to kids now it violent vedio games and other forms of ilk. You cant learn model building from a computer game.
Lets bring our hobby back to life! More resources are needed to share our hbby with the kids!

[Anonymous]

Well lets get out there! The pontenail is there, we need to use it

[trainboyH16-44]

There are plenty of us kids out there, and let me tell you that, at least in my experience, the kids who like trains don't ave to worry about sex....
Seriously though, there aren't enough of us out there because trains just aren't cool enough. If we showed them a few flaming GEs, though....maybe a train that shot flames would be something to model for Take a train to work day....
Matthew

[Anonymous]

A fellow model railroader and I got to talking about the hobby and how it relates to kids. What disturbs me is the kids of today want instant gratafaction. Like zapping people on a comouter game, or even worse sex! kids need somthing thas more meaningfull and can teach them usefull skills. I am very happy that I am in this great hobby. Haveing cebrayl paulsy made it hard for me with my thinking and cordnaion, but model railroading has realy helped me so much! When I was a teen I found it so much more fun than being a couch pato. Switching cars in a yard is awesome! And thers so much more in the hobby that I enjoy. We as model railroaders need to get out there and get these kids intrested. Weather its putting on a demo at a high school, or having youth night at a train club, the ideas are endless! Lets get creative here. I always say that there never to young to learn about trains and the hobby. Its a fun hobby and we need to make it knowen. Some people fear that the hobby is dying,. Lets not let that happen!