65 here. Started out with running trains on my dad's HO layout until I wrecked it by accidentally driving his car into it after washing it but that's another story. Didn't model again until I was in my 30s, and have been pretty much solid into it the last 30 years.
From a family with a lot of prototype railroad heritage. My father had an American Flyer O gauge set, as he grew up. Later he had some HO, but my mother kept that from getting very far. I started with a Lionel book at age 2, and still have the book, tattered as it is today. That was 66 years ago... Been through Lionel/Marx/American Flyer years, including time with TCA, TTOS. Started in N scale 47 years ago. (NTrak, Bendtrack, oNetrak, T-Trak). Along the way have also done HO, On30 and HOn30. Still active in N and HOn30, although more to the latter these days..
I'm at the nice ripe age of 67 years. Have been into Model Railroading since my early years with an American Flyer setup/layout. I even know who has all my old AF trains and tell the guy every time I run into him, "don't sell any of that stuff till you give me first chance at it" YES, I believe that there is a lack of interest in Model Railroading and Trains in general. I was into Model Railroading at first, until my Mom took my Sister and myself on #4501's rollout/maiden tour. Diesels are OK, but give me STEAM. When I was with Kentuckiana Society Of N-Scalers (KSONS), I would always make to bee-line to any small children, who attended our layouts. The joy in the little one's eyes, when all lit up, made the whole thing worth it! And let the kids operate a Train, they [and me] were in 7th Heaven. To this day I always stop and talk to the Kids at a layout. They are our FUTURE. Computers, iPhones, iPads, Facebook, Twitter, etc etc are nice, but nothing compares to using your head and hands to accomplish something. Model Railroading is FUN. And I still believe in what my signature says!
The OP was looking for the youth, and as far as I know, I’m probably the youngest regular member here. I’m in high school, which means that I don’t post a lot during the school year. My Trainboard time is pretty much limited to the weekends, but I try to check my alerts often. My modeling mostly consists of half-finished projects. I’m trying to keep the arts of scratch- and kit-building alive, but always get hung up on the painting part. I have no home layout, aside from some EZ track in a box, but I am in a modular group. My era of choice is BNSF in 2001, but my latest projects and purchases have strayed from that quite a bit. It is interesting to hear about you guys, considering that I have been here for a few years now. It’s kind of cool to piece together your lives from what is posted here.
I'm 63, feel and look like 73. My uncle gave me a HO 44 ton switching locomotive with a boxcar, flatcar with a missile load and a bobber caboose when I was eleven years old in 1967. He was going into N scale and wanted me to get into model railroading. So I've been a modeler for 52 years, 35 N scale and 17 HO scale. Started N scale in 1984 and started collecting Frisco items in 1998. Joe
Once this thread peters out, I will count up the various ages and post my findings. Of course posting the findings will increase posting here and I will have to calculate all over again; but, such is life!
Just turned 56 a couple of weeks ago. I got hooked at 10. My dad built a 4x8, then shortened it to 4x6.5 (all HO). I was on hiatus from about 1978 to 2008. Now I have built my own layout, a 6x8 in a spare room, and reliving the joys of running trains, and discovering what my Dad felt when he was working hard to keep me happy. I suspect he enjoyed model railroading a lot more than I did at the time. One's perspective on the hobby changes over the years. When I was 10, it was a fun toy. Now it's a great hobby that keeps me sane. Or sane-ish... I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything in the world. Here's to you, Dad, wherever you are.
So, how much age is in a handful, Hardcoaler? The idea for this thread was that I'm trying to come up with some statistics?!?
48 and 1/2, being modeling mostly airplanes (ended up working with these), cars to play with the other kids, trains (most of family worked for the national italian railways), biking (almost to a criminal danger with my friends)...... boy scouts and the like. Got first train set (LIMA of course) as a post xmas present from the Railways (Befana del ferroviere), for a few years after; when i was fourteen my first RIVAROSSI (things for the rich at that time). Mom told me it would be either planes or trains. Got to work in the Air Force, and after a while quit biulding planes and switched back to trains. I can play with trains, not with airplanes and anyway it looked like work 24/7. What is good is that after so many planes I do not mind to scratchbuild and modify RTR trains and buildings. Both kids playing, and actually they have a layout being built by the oldest one (just wait a couple of years and he will go after girls....), and the other playing with a mix of Marklin toy trains and old HO trains.
58 years old. High school friend and his dad had an extensive O gauge setup in their basement. After I told him I didn't have space for O gauge, he sold me an Aurora Postage Stamp trains set he got at a flea market for $10. That was 1979. Been involved since then. Started model building with 1/48 scale aircraft and Estes rockets at about 10 years old.
The hobby is definitely aging, and the numbers of members is dwindling. If I had to make a guess, I'd say it's losing two at the 'far end' for every newcomer, regardless of age. There's heavy, and I do mean HEAVY, competition from online videos, streaming, gaming, and social interactions such as snapchat, Instagram, twitter, and other places. Facebook, while the going concern back in about 2010-ish, has now become the domain of those 40+ who are parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents. The interface between one's pocket-pal and it's owner is so craftily engineered that most people are absolutely hooked to, and with, them. They didn't call 'em crackberries for nothing. This isn't to say that young people are not learning about, and becoming active members in, the hobby. They surely are. But, when one considers that about 60% of all active members are strictly DC, and that DCC is now about 25 years old, it tells us that the hobby is rather yellow in the tooth. That, in turn, should lend some credence to my assertion at the top of the last paragraph.
Well, okay. Born the year the NYO&W shut down, making me 62. Loved trains since I was old enough to point. Wooden trains, then HO, then Lionel, then my first N set in '68. I enjoy 1:1 Scale as much as 1:160.
I'm on the young end so far, looks like 3rd youngest at 35. Been in model railroading my entire life, my dad is an HO modeler, I did HO until I was 16, then swapped over to N. Been in N ever since, both my kids are into trains also, and both want to help daddy build his layout someday.
Well it looks like I am among the old timers. Had American Flyer back in the 50’s. Along came girls and so forth. Started in N scale in the mid 60’s, and am still at it. Age, almost for got that part-79-plus. Do DCC installs to support my modeling.
64 and counting. Son is 33 and counting. We model the Port together. When I was 5 we had a 4X8 that came in at Christmas. We had a lot of fun with it. Dropped out a long time, got back into it with the kids in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The kids found out about girls and sports, everything went into the attic. 4 years ago a grandson showed interest in trains so I dug everything out and put up a small oval. He lost interest but I was hooked back in. We now are building our switching layout designed to operate. We operate on a regular basis.
