Looks like google predicts the end of model trains

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Anyone ever try google trends? It says nothing good about Model railroads or model trains. Interest spikes in december, but has been slowly draining. I guess we knew that already, but it is kinda deperessing. You would think things would remain "stable".

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[teejay]

It's something I've been noticing for a long time . When I was with the mrr club , and we put on open houses to get young people to comeout , invariably it would be the parents or grandparents that were most excited . There are a gazillion choices out there for kids , compared to what we had growing up . I just don't see kids wanting to build stuff like we do and did .

T

[Tyson Rayles]

Having worked at the Museum for 10 years I can tell you that the pre-teen kids love the trains. However there is a noticable drop off when they hit puberty but that's been true for as long as I can remember, I was the same way. When they get older and get married and have kids of their own then some of them will come back to the hobby. Having been stuck in hospitals and rehab centers for the past three months one of the things I get asked a lot is what kind of work do I do. When I tell them I'm retired but work part time playing with toy trains (remember it's a Lionel museum so scale is a moving target down there ) the questions and comments start coming. They tell me of (keep in mind these people are in their 20's thru 40's for the most part) how they always had a train set up at Christmas or how their Dad and them had a layout and how much they enjoyed it. Then they usually say something like "I sure would like to see some trains again!". I of course tell them "Give me a second to fire up the laptop and I can show show you where the hobby is at today". After showing them pics of us regular people (so to speak) and hearing all the ooh's and aah's, I then show them pics of the F&SM, G&D, V&O and watch their lower jaws bounce off the floor! :mrgreen: . Even more amazing is 75% of them are women (one of which drug her husband down here so I could try to help them get back into the hobby) and run the gamut from CNA's and RN's to doctors. Some have predicted the demise of the hobby before ( remember when slot cars were going to take over, then video games ) and yet the hobby keeps coming back. I predict these same conversations will be taking place 100 years from now.

[teejay]

I hope you're right Mike ....trouble is we have to get to the young kids or else there won't be anyone " putting the trains away " for a few years like many of us did ( me included ) . You're right about women , I've noticed a growing interest among them and I hear of them getting involved much more so than in the past .

T

[FiatFan]

I would tend to agree with Mike. I have a couple of grandchildren who are showing a definite interest in trains. We may not be the most popular hobby (much as I hate to admit it) but I think there will always be those who like tinker with something other than a joystick or game controller.

Just my .02¢.

Tom

[ezdays]

What's true is that many have thoughts of their childhood about the time they hit middle age, and have the cash to relive those days. This is true with most hobbies and just owning toys that they grew up with. I learned this by watching shows like, Antique Roadshow, Pawn Stars and Pickers. As Mike says, interest wanes around puberty, and picks back up in their 40's.

What bothers me with those Google charts is that under "Related Terms", missing is, "Train Forums"... Maybe I'm misunderstanding what kind of terms they're talking about.

[Sumpter250]

Garble ( :oops: ) Google ( :oops: ) No, I was right the first time GARBLE is just that, Internet trash.
The numbers of young people, kids through teens, that were at Trainfest, show me that the interest is still there. If there is any decline in the hobby it is probably more related to the ever spiraling price increases for hobby related goods, which, hopefully, will lead to more scratchbuilding.
When I first started in this hobby, I didn't have the luxury of large amounts of spendable cash. Scratchbuilding, using affordable materials, was how I got started, and to this day how I enjoy the hobby.
I see internet sites, like this board, keeping model trains popular, and in so many ways, "affordable". We all just have to be willing to teach the "new kids" how it's done .

[railohio]

I have to wonder, do people on classic car forums worry that the hobby is unobtainable for the younger crowd?

[teejay]

Yes they do worry about young people / cars on those forums ....I'm on them ! That demographic is changing too .

T

[ezdays]

Can we blame things like video games and text messaging for this decline of all that is old and sacred?

[teejay]

Don , I think that is only part of it .....I think we have bits and pieces of " reasons " !

I'm on about a half dozen old car forums ...some get very specialized . I'm as amazed at the craftsmanship of many of those guys like I am a lot of model railroaders . We've seen so many guys on this forum " get their hands dirty " , scratchbuilding , making scenery , structures ...you name it . Lots of personal pride that I admire .

On one car forum H.A.M.B. ( stands for Hokey Assed Message Board ! ) there are about 200,000 memebers . No that's not a misprint . Some of these guys drag old rusted junk ( in my eyes ) out of a barn or forest and fabricate up a street rod or cruiser ....some of these guys are in their 60's and 70's !! They show threads of the step by steps in buiding their creations ....their buddies are over helping out ( mostly white hairs ) ....you just don't seem to find a teenager hanging out watching/helping with the work . I'm in awe of these guys . I've worked on a lot of cars but certainly can't fabricate one . I used to watch my Dad tune up his '51 Monarch ( like a Mercury but Canadian ) getting my hands dirty ( getting in the way probably ) ....all hands on stuff . Oh well , it is what it is .

T

[ezdays]

Don , I think that is only part of it .....I think we have bits and pieces of " reasons " !

I'm on about a half dozen old car forums ...some get very specialized . I'm as amazed at the craftsmanship of many of those guys like I am a lot of model railroaders . We've seen so many guys on this forum " get their hands dirty " , scratchbuilding , making scenery , structures ...you name it . Lots of personal pride that I admire .

On one car forum H.A.M.B. ( stands for Hokey Assed Message Board ! ) there are about 200,000 memebers . No that's not a misprint . Some of these guys drag old rusted junk ( in my eyes ) out of a barn or forest and fabricate up a street rod or cruiser ....some of these guys are in their 60's and 70's !! They show threads of the step by steps in buiding their creations ....their buddies are over helping out ( mostly white hairs ) ....you just don't seem to find a teenager hanging out watching/helping with the work . I'm in awe of these guys . I've worked on a lot of cars but certainly can't fabricate one . I used to watch my Dad tune up his '51 Monarch ( like a Mercury but Canadian ) getting my hands dirty ( getting in the way probably ) ....all hands on stuff . Oh well , it is what it is .

T

So, where are these young 'uns if they're not watching or helping us old geezers work on restoring old cars, running model trains, flying R/C airplanes or running R/C cars? There used to be a guy on the DIY channel, Chris Chianelli, that should get anyone really excited about getting into model anything... flying, racing, railroads...you name it. Oh, wait, these kids are too busy texting, surfing, hanging out at the mall or play video games on their new smart phone. My oldest grandson was so into these things that he didn't even care if he got his drivers license.

[teejay]

Well , the text people ( and similar devices ) get 'em early . The school bus stops near our house in the afternoon . My wife and I are usually sitting out having a cup of tea with the dog . Virtually every kid , regardless of age , gets off the bus with headphones on ( listening to ipod ) or staring at their text machine / cellphone . It's a good thing there isn't an open manhole around , they'd walk right into it .

I went to a junior hockey game the other night ....same thing , kids don't watch the game , they walk around with their little machines , staring at them . So the retailers of these devices have done a marvelous job of " grabbing " everyone , especially the kids .

T

[railohio]

So the problem rests with the youth of America?

"GET OFF THE LAWN!" *shakes fist angrily*

[ezdays]

So the problem rests with the youth of America?

"GET OFF THE LAWN!" *shakes fist angrily*

It always has, when has the youth of America ever listened to their elders? I have a plaque somewhere that has a list of sayings regarding this that includes something like this, "I wish that I still know all that I thought I knew when I was a teenager". This is the generation that will be running the country and our industry in a few years, then some years later they will begin to get interested in the things that they should have when they were young. You look at the youth of today and that kind of scares you, but then, I guess that it always has and always will be this way... :? hock: