Future of the hobby

[Noel]

2 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

When I started out, Hornby did a cheap little 0.4.0T, which depending on whether you wanted a red, green or blue one was called "Polly", "Nellie" or "Connie".

I remember this three 0-4-0s well.

It was Rovex plastics later taken over by Tri-ang who halved the price of train sets at their launch. Mind you even Tri-ang prices were such that they tended to be limited to Birthday and Christmas presents from parents. Pocket money savings (months and weeks) were limited to buying small track extensions, and modest bits of scenic buildings or the odd wagon.  

An wonderful aspect of train sets was the construction and design aspect associated with erecting and disassembling them, and the playability and tactile feel of construction.  Meccano and Lego like in terms of learning basic engineering skills!

[roxyguy]

When I was a lad it was an expensive pastime also. Ebay really has democratised the hobby, you can decide on a budget and stick to it. That doesn't really solve the problem I've mentioned. There is old Triang and Lima tooling which has more than paid for itself. If you look at the cost of a train set vs the sum of its parts sold separately its obvious they could sell locos and wagons much cheaper. I'm just ranting now, but perhaps there is a lack of interest or marketing know-how at hornby. The recent battery powered junior train set seems a bit daft, why not just retail a basic electric set at that price??

 

 

[Noel]

Part of the problem with prices is the supply chain middlemen (i.e. the big cut the distributors and then the retailers get). 

Edited January 6, 2018 by Noel

[Glenderg]

2 hours ago, Noel said:

Part of the problem with prices is the supply chain middlemen (i.e. the big cut the distributors and then the retailers get). 

In part, but the main issue is that the larger brands are run by accountants, and so crap like below, whose tooling costs have been well and truly paid for by now, costs £17 to purchase from a box shifter.  I've a fair idea of how much this would actually cost to make, and it's just profit gouging, as Bosko said earlier. 

[roxyguy]

That's the very point I'm making. That's a lima accessory from the 1970's, the tooling might be 40 years old. That's before you look at some of the triang tooling they are using which is 60 years old. €10 would be enough for that yoke. My strategy would be to gather all of the old tooling up and create a new budget brand.

The fact that they re-released this as 'super detail' says a lot about the company in general. Im not slating hornby, I just wish they'd get smart.

 

Edited January 7, 2018 by roxyguy

[Weshty]

20 hours ago, Glenderg said:

In part, but the main issue is that the larger brands are run by accountants, and so crap like below, whose tooling costs have been well and truly paid for by now, costs £17 to purchase from a box shifter.  I've a fair idea of how much this would actually cost to make, and it's just profit gouging, as Bosko said earlier. 

That is violently horrific. 

[Midland Man]

Hello all 

The reason I wanted to ask this question is because I find now that people find the hobby weird.They only think of Thomas the tank or Flying scotsman which makes the hobby look bad in a way.I also find that modeling modern railways is a little boring for a young child.As one of the younger members of this forum my interest in model railways is the MGWR 1920s to the 1950s .The reason being is books like rail to Achill and Ernie Shepards Midland great western railway were the  two books that were available to me as my grandad had a interest in local history and of the railways. Hope you all like.

Edited March 31, 2020 by Midland Man

[Warbonnet]

If it wasnt for Thomas the Tank Engine I probably would've never gone near the hobby if I'm honest. It's a great gateway for many children to play with trains and be introduced to them. How is that or a famous loco like Flying Scotsman a bad thing if it raises the profile of the hobby?

[popeye]

I think it helps if you grew up near a railway line and then model that era as it is what you grew up with.

That's what happened with me.

But i do model irish trains that i have never seen in my life. and that is because i have seen them in

books, DVD's and internet.

[Midland Man]

22 minutes ago, Warbonnet said:

If it wasnt for Thomas the Tank Engine I probably would've never gone near the hobby if I'm honest. It's a great gateway for many children to play with trains and be introduced to them. How is that or a famous loco like Flying Scotsman a bad thing if it raises the profile of the hobby?

I phased it wrong I meant the animated show not the classic tv show or the books 

[NIRCLASS80]

For some reason it’s seen as a bit of a weird hobby by many in Ireland. Yet after moving to England I found work colleagues and friends far more interested and certainly no longer viewed as the train weirdo!

[minister_for_hardship]

It's an Irish thing, anything other than mainstream culture, GAA and chronic alcohol consumption is looked upon as weird.

[PorkyP]

I agree with popeye, we used to play on the railway tracks as kids and climb about on wagons etc, great fun!..I don't suppose in todays safety culture this happens much nowadays...

[BosKonay]

When I was a kid playing on the line was our playground, putting your ear on the rails to see if you could hear the train coming (usually while some smart arse shoved you pretending to be a train) even today it’s that era of rolling stock and coach / loco that used roll past us I’m most interested in. However I only started collecting and Modelling when my first child was born and I was subjected to two hours a day of Thomas the tank engine. So there is a place for all
 

 

[jhb171achill]

For me, it was early-age indoctrination due to family on both sides. Both grandfather and father started life on the GSR, the latter moving to the LMS in England, then NCC, then GNR and ending up with the UTA. (No doubt they stencilled "U T" on him somewhere....!). My mother worked in GNR dining cars and then the GNR's Bundoran hotel...... other relatives emigrated and worked for railway administrations in the Gold Coast, as it was called, South Africa and Argentina! And closer to home, the timetabling department of the Dublin United Tramways Co........

So I hadn't a hope of doing anything else as a hobby!

Edited April 1, 2020 by jhb171achill

[DART8118]

If you have visited Warley you would know that you would get run over at opening time by youngsters trying to be first to get to the Thomas Tank layout.  I think they have 4 controllers on the layout which they give to the children to run the trains.  That’s what attracts young people, being able to play with something that’s part of their world.  You don’t see too many of them looking at prize winning layouts with perfectly modelled couplings, rivets, landscape, or shades of paint.  Those are things that are of interest to serious modellers, perfectionists and oldtimers, not youngsters.  But if you had Polar Express, Frozen, My Little Pony, The Railway Children, or Harry Potter you might get killed in the rush.  I think that’s where a start is needed – the things youngsters are familiar with - and once the joy of model trains is experienced those youngsters will come back to the hobby in later life and will want something Irish closer to home.

My tuppence worth.

8118

[leslie10646]

Ah, JHB, I only found out that a family member had worked on the railways when I looked up the enlistment papers of my Great Uncle, who died of wounds the day after the great Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge in April 1917.

"Previous employment" was listed as locomotive fireman! I haven't managed to find out which railway, or for how long - he was forty years old and, of course, a volunteer with an Ontario regiment - so there would have been other jobs before that.

Gabriel was probably born at "The Cavan" the name of the townland where the family cottage stood and from which I saw my first trains. My grandfather was stationed at the top of the lane from which you could see Richhill station - when a train set off towards Portadown - there would be a loud shout and the "little boy" would be brought out and held aloft to behold the Great Northern at work!

[Noel]

The thread on starter sets got me reminiscing and thinking about how youngsters got started in the hobby. It usually started with a basic train set that in some cases grew over time with extra track packs, accessories and scenic buildings and structures, signals, stations, bridges, level crossings, etc. Once started this triggers the 'collection gene', saving pocket money to buy an additional point or an additional coach coach, subsequent birthdays and/or Christmas's usually had train sets or train set accessories on the wish list, uncles and aunts encouraged to always give little jimmy something for his train set. Aside from youngsters imagination replaying either train movements they have witnessed themselves in real life, or reenacting what they have seen on TV or films (eg period TV dramas or old war movies depicting steam passenger trains in UK). Detached nostalgia, or whatever, but it seems to work. Youngsters acquire a whole range of skills, constructor, track geometry, assembling and disassembling track plans, experimenting with possible track layouts using limited resources they have in terms of set track, basic electrical skills, loco maintenance, lubrication, removing carpet hairs, etc, the list of skills they are being exposed to is amazing, engineering, geometry, electrics, electric motors, basic wiring, and imagination let loose. They very first thing every kid wanted was to buy a point for their starter oval or track so that their imaginary railway could actually do something purposeful and be controlled, then the desire for a second loco, so their magic train world could switch trains. Making up cardboard add on scenery, using hardback beano annuals as station platforms, shoe boxes as tunnels or raised track sections. Learning about structural engineering through trial and error. Is there anything better to stir a youngsters development and imagination? . . . and keep them stimulated and occupied for hours on end without being glued to an LCD screen?  

Things like Lego, Mecanno are well up there on the list, but nothing beats toy train sets for stimulating such a diverse future hobby.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Noel

[Buz]

Hi all

If my experience at trying Irish trains is anything to go on here are some reasons I think Irish rail may not be of interest to the young.

More young than we think are building or helping to build model railways just not Irish ones.

Perhaps Irish Railways would best be classed as a special interest modelling group.

Lack of reliable supply for the common as muck stuff, limited and short runs of ready to run stock, and no starter sets.

I have a bit of a passenger train and can't complete it I can't get a Cravens snack bar or standard class coach surely a nice complete four coach train is not to much to ask for given its a train set sized train, but obviously it is .

I have one goods wagon and every time I find out about new stuff that interests or might interest me its gone before I even get a look in, and evil bay prices are pure evil and so far over the top it's a very bad joke and the money goes back in wallet and some how ends up back in the domestic budget.

I am on the verge of giving up and I am not a young one this is in-spite of finding a suitable single line station plan to build a freelance impression of Ireland.

Bachmann's  Carlow ( spelling) station weighs too much for Postage ?? or is that just me.

With all this agro it is just so much easier to build a nice USA or UK or even local Aus railway ( you really won't like the prices of the Aus outline trains) which is why Nimby a SAR au station never got anywhere close to starting but I do have a complete goods train that I put together for it.

regards John

[Broithe]

Another aspect may be that Irish railways never really had a 'glamorous age', as most others did. It's always been a utilitarian transport provider.

The lack of items available isn't always a bad thing, it does limit the expenditure, in fact...

To some extent, the amount of Irish stuff appearing these days is becoming a problem to keep up with.

With a current exposure to about one thousandth of the world's population, it is likely to remain a niche market.

But, compared to the position just twenty short years ago, the leap into the future has been prodigious.

[DJ Dangerous]

5 hours ago, Buz said:

Hi all

If my experience at trying Irish trains is anything to go on here are some reasons I think Irish rail may not be of interest to the young.

More young than we think are building or helping to build model railways just not Irish ones.

Perhaps Irish Railways would best be classed as a special interest modelling group.

Lack of reliable supply for the common as muck stuff, limited and short runs of ready to run stock, and no starter sets.

I have a bit of a passenger train and can't complete it I can't get a Cravens snack bar or standard class coach surely a nice complete four coach train is not to much to ask for given its a train set sized train, but obviously it is .

I have one goods wagon and every time I find out about new stuff that interests or might interest me its gone before I even get a look in, and evil bay prices are pure evil and so far over the top it's a very bad joke and the money goes back in wallet and some how ends up back in the domestic budget.

I am on the verge of giving up and I am not a young one this is in-spite of finding a suitable single line station plan to build a freelance impression of Ireland.

Bachmann's  Carlow ( spelling) station weighs too much for Postage ?? or is that just me.

With all this agro it is just so much easier to build a nice USA or UK or even local Aus railway ( you really won't like the prices of the Aus outline trains) which is why Nimby a SAR au station never got anywhere close to starting but I do have a complete goods train that I put together for it.

regards John

This is something that has occurred to me lately. I'd like to be able to model Irish Rail as things are today.

I have some wonderful Spoil Wagons and Tara Mines wagons, but no passenger stock at all, no 22000's, no CAF Mk4's, no Enterprise coaches, nothing.

On top of that, sourcing locos to haul them was very difficult. No 071's available, and the 201's were hard to find and cost above average.

I'm not going to give up, and will probably settle for some BR Mk4 repaints with no DVT, along with some 071 repaints in pre-2015 condition, but deep down, that won't truly satisfy me.

[jhb171achill]

“Thomas” has been mentioned above.

The late Rev. Awdry must be owed great gratitude for getting a lot of “young’uns” interested. I know at least one indispensable volunteer on the 12 inches to 1 ft scale who cut his railway teeth (probably literally!) on “Thomas” toys.

[Broithe]

11 hours ago, jhb171achill said:

“Thomas” has been mentioned above.

The late Rev. Awdry must be owed great gratitude for getting a lot of “young’uns” interested. I know at least one indispensable volunteer on the 12 inches to 1 ft scale who cut his railway teeth (probably literally!) on “Thomas” toys.

His reverence was not a fan of the newer presentations of the Thomas genre, suggesting that they sometimes showed "lamentable gross ignorance about railway practices".

[jhb171achill]

2 hours ago, Broithe said:

His reverence was not a fan of the newer presentations of the Thomas genre, suggesting that they sometimes showed "lamentable gross ignorance about railway practices".

I could well believe it! Having been brought up on the originals, which I still have somewhere covered in my childish scribblings, I concur with His Reverence!

[jhb171achill]

20 hours ago, Buz said:

Hi all

If my experience at trying Irish trains is anything to go on here are some reasons I think Irish rail may not be of interest to the young.

More young than we think are building or helping to build model railways just not Irish ones.

Perhaps Irish Railways would best be classed as a special interest modelling group.

Lack of reliable supply for the common as muck stuff, limited and short runs of ready to run stock, and no starter sets.

I have a bit of a passenger train and can't complete it I can't get a Cravens snack bar or standard class coach surely a nice complete four coach train is not to much to ask for given its a train set sized train, but obviously it is .

I have one goods wagon and every time I find out about new stuff that interests or might interest me its gone before I even get a look in, and evil bay prices are pure evil and so far over the top it's a very bad joke and the money goes back in wallet and some how ends up back in the domestic budget.

I am on the verge of giving up and I am not a young one this is in-spite of finding a suitable single line station plan to build a freelance impression of Ireland.

Bachmann's  Carlow ( spelling) station weighs too much for Postage ?? or is that just me.

With all this agro it is just so much easier to build a nice USA or UK or even local Aus railway ( you really won't like the prices of the Aus outline trains) which is why Nimby a SAR au station never got anywhere close to starting but I do have a complete goods train that I put together for it.

regards John

Interesting take on it, Buz, and I suspect you're not alone. The reality is that ANY niche interest - and railways are one - will carry a price tag; the meter's running!

Much as I'm on record here for extolling the virtues of times long past, and having little interest and less knowledge in anything after 1980, it has to be accepted that something like a cheap ready to run ICR (I know, I know) is what young potential enthusiasts SEE when Favourite Uncle takes them for their first trip ever on a "REAL" train. My earliest memory was a first class compartment in a musty old wooden bogie behind the GNR's no. 207 "Boyne", and seeing the vastnesses of the old ("proper"!) Portadown station, not the shamefully ugly concrete bunker heap that's there today. But to be fair, I realise that this is utterly irrelevant to, let's say, a 13-year-old who is now getting interested, and whether we all like it or not, is the future of the hobby. For him (or her?) it's an ICR, yellow machines or a Mk 4 or "Enterprise" set. 

There's nothing much else operating on almost all railways now; NIR CAFs are an even smaller market.

But to GET the youngster in - maybe a generic round-ended cheap railcar which comes in ICR livery or NIR livery. Once smitten by THESE, they can be gently introduced to the goodies of our well-known manufacturers.

MY first "layout" was a circle of super-4 track (or whatever it was called), a Hornby "Polly" 0.4.0, two wagons and a guard's van. Gawd knows what I did with them over the years - think I gave them away............my point being that at THAT time, no "serious" modeller would have given such items a second look.....

[Buz]

Hi jhb171achill

I would not call trains as such a niche interest but then again today they might be, but back when I started most of my childhood friends had a train set of one brand or another and of various sizes.

I like you am also  a "proper" with a guards van freight train person my start set was a diesel version of the pick up goods with a blue diesel shunter it went the way first train sets in the hand of a very young child go shame that the loco was a set only one and a complete set collector price would probably get me two more Irish locomotives at top prices.

I still have a Nellie from back then that I must get re wheeled one day it still works and it makes a good shunter or private industrial having all that weight and is reasonably controllable.

An older style three car rail-car set that could be produced cheaply  and be painted its correct livery and just about get away with being painted in other Irish rail liveries would be ideal if such a thing is possible to get maximum use of the tooling Triang and Hornby's trick.

I would even buy one just to get a visually complete but not too out of place passenger train running.

regards John

 

 

[Buz]

On 4/1/2020 at 6:23 PM, jhb171achill said:

For me, it was early-age indoctrination due to family on both sides. Both grandfather and father started life on the GSR, the latter moving to the LMS in England, then NCC, then GNR and ending up with the UTA. (No doubt they stencilled "U T" on him somewhere....!). My mother worked in GNR dining cars and then the GNR's Bundoran hotel...... other relatives emigrated and worked for railway administrations in the Gold Coast, as it was called, South Africa and Argentina! And closer to home, the timetabling department of the Dublin United Tramways Co........

So I hadn't a hope of doing anything else as a hobby!

I never had a hope either

Dad worked for the Tube later  BR then we moved to Aus because had had got a job with the WAGR  one of the uncles also worked on the Tube I later worked for the WAGR and OH Dear! first proper train set at 4yo

Some how I missed the stopped playing trains part of the story when girls and cars became much more interesting I was lucky the girl worked out the train thing was a good thing as she always knew where I was when I was not about.

So the only thing that has changed is the shape and color of the trains over the years.

regards John

[Georgeconna]

Holy Thread Resurrection!

Came across this in the ol Lades Loft,  A loco Shell of my First Ever Engine, A Dutch 1300 series class Leccy yoke (never a fan of Panto really too Fiddly), Not sure why the old fella picked one with Pantographs which are pretty delicate to a 5 year old over a Beefed up Hornby Grumbling motor Pannier tank

 Dunno where the chassis went to. Probably was changing the brushes and at that point just discovered girls and beer.

Been Thinking of getting another one but the price I have seen is a bit daft. Do you think it pointless to get a new on or  just keep the shell and the crappy 1980s weathering

Looks a bit SAD Really.

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Georgeconna

[Westcorkrailway]

My first ever steam loco set, was called the "eastern valley express" by hornby which consisted of a B12, two teak carridges and a basic oval with small siding. Ran it till the worm gear had gone smooth, but motor still runs to this day, i just does not move!

The very same locomotive is being used currently as the spine of a Bandon Tank 

[LNERW1]

There seems to be much doom and gloom regarding lack of interest in railways, specifically in Ireland, and I thought I may as well start a discussion on what can be done about it. There are several points that need to be considered when trying to attract new members to our hobby but they can generally be grouped by age or time in life. Below are my suggestions on how to target each age group, in some ways building off my own experience in the hobby up to the age of 14. Anyone wanting to correct, critique, review or build on these is welcome, and in fact encouraged to. I appreciate some aspects may seem fantastical, you are also welcome to keep me in check regarding this, provided you suggest a more sensible solution.

0-4: The most important thing here is TV and toys. For example, RTÉjr broadcasts episodes of Thomas and Friends. An idea I think would work very well would be Irish Rail or a heritage railway working with RTÉ to create a programme about choo choo trains etc. Also important here are streaming services that are increasingly replacing linear television in terms of children’s entertainment. Re toys, I would say wooden railway products such as Brio would work best, as well as the swathes of merchandise associated with TV shows like Thomas and Chuggington.

Also important here are events at railways, such as the RPSI’s Santa Specials and other seasonal events. Another thing that could very much be helpful is tie-in events, again associated with kids’ TV shows, and specifically Day Out With Thomas. A whole cast of Thomas characters may not be very achievable, but at least adding faces to stock and putting Thomas-themed decorations everywhere would certainly make an impression.

5-12: This age group would very much be better targeted through YouTube and model railways. Irish railway YouTube channels are not too common, although we can at least be thankful for a level of interaction between British and Irish enthusiasts. The model railway side can be pushed through Hornby train sets- I got my first age 6 so I would say that’s about the age to introduce kids to model railways. Another aspect of the model side of things would be to have a few small displays or shows around the place every once in a while. IIRC there’s nine shows every two years on the entire island, and geographically they don’t exactly evenly cover population centres: Dublin, Dublin, Dublin, Wexford, Wexford, Down, Down, Fermanagh, Fermanagh. There is none in Munster or Connacht (again, as far as I’m aware, but I’m pretty confident). Another possible aspect, that could be used to target other age groups or demographics, is displaying more technical information around public transport, like information boards on stations explaining history or some technical aspect of railway operations such as signalling, gauge, pantographs, bogies, couplings etc. Another way to catch the attention of this age group is through video games, but as to methods I can’t say I have much to say here, as promoting anything in a video game, that is not the point of the video game, is difficult except when it comes to energy drinks.

13-18: This is the point at which one is most likely to be bullied for liking trains, so involvement, especially on the model side of things, is difficult. My best suggestion is introducing aspects of railways through technology, history and geography classes within school, and I have seen brilliant ways of involving students in such things by creating model railway clubs and courses within schools, and even building miniature railways as part of technology classes or extra-curricular activities. This would encompass several areas of a school curriculum and could be quite convincingly promoted. Another aspect could be volunteering at railways as part of school activities, or specifically Transition Year. 
Finally, campaigns on social media like the UK’s #LoveYourRailway could make some more aware of the hobby.

19-25: At this point, one is least likely to care about picking up new hobbies other than those all their friends seem to have, so I would direct attention here towards those already interested and focus on strengthening their interest in the hobby.

25-parenthood: Usually, people around this age will be focused on jobs and relationships, and so may not have time for a new hobby. As this is around the time people really start getting some disposable income, however, model railways could be marketed towards this group.

Parents of 0-4 could be targeted within, and I mean within and not with, the same methods mentioned above for their children.

Parents of 5-12 will be a little less involved with their children than with 0-4, but could likely be targeted in a similar way.

Parents of 13-18 should be targeted basically the same as those with no children at home, as the strong desire for independence that their children likely have as an adolescent would mean targeting this demographic through said children would be relatively fruitless.

From one’s children moving out to retirement, the same methods could be used as from around age 25 until parenthood. Again, any time when one has more disposable income is probably a good entry point into the hobby.

From retirement onwards, one is less and less susceptible to marketing, etc. and past 70 or so, one is unlikely to pick up any new hobbies.

Im just putting this here to see if there is any constructive criticism anyone would like to offer re this, or any more practical solutions.

[DJ Dangerous]

Perhaps one of our lovely mods could merge some of the threads already covering this topic:

 

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/486-young-blood

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/6511-the-importance-of-toy-train-sets

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/8779-the-joy-of-train-sets

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/8439-why-is-the-younger-generation-not-getting-into-irish-railway-modeling

https://irishrailwaymodeller.com/topic/9858-forum-use/

 

It's not like @BosKonay has anything better to be doing on a Saturday morning while his head feels like a pack of monkeys fighting over a bucket of marbles.

Plenty of food for thought already posted, for young @LNERW1.

[irishrailways52]

for children introduction to things such as toy trains are great. when i was a young lad i had a brilliant thomas related plastic railway thing. whelst i do prefair the woden ones now this particuler toy set was great in that it had things which allowed the power to be taken from the trains to power things such as ballast loaders.

for people in there teens interested in getting interested in the hobby i can think of 2 main barriars. the first one which you mentioned (bullying), however the one i noticed alot and is specific to ireland is lack of imfo for railway intusiasts. lets say you are a beginner train spotter and you want to know when freight trains are. in places like england there are to my knolage different apps or systems or somthuing that provide that sort of imformation. hear in ireland well. to give an idea when i started i literaly spent 24 hours in a field near maynooth station waiting to see if there was freight and if so when. of corse i saw nothing so i did it agian and again. until one day i gave up. if irish rail gave more imformation about thngs like freight timetables or even gave us the weekly circular new railway intusaists woudl find things much easear. 

[jhb171achill]

33 minutes ago, irishrailways52 said:

for children introduction to things such as toy trains are great. when i was a young lad i had a brilliant thomas related plastic railway thing. whelst i do prefair the woden ones now this particuler toy set was great in that it had things which allowed the power to be taken from the trains to power things such as ballast loaders.

for people in there teens interested in getting interested in the hobby i can think of 2 main barriars. the first one which you mentioned (bullying), however the one i noticed alot and is specific to ireland is lack of imfo for railway intusiasts. lets say you are a beginner train spotter and you want to know when freight trains are. in places like england there are to my knolage different apps or systems or somthuing that provide that sort of imformation. hear in ireland well. to give an idea when i started i literaly spent 24 hours in a field near maynooth station waiting to see if there was freight and if so when. of corse i saw nothing so i did it agian and again. until one day i gave up. if irish rail gave more imformation about thngs like freight timetables or even gave us the weekly circular new railway intusaists woudl find things much easear. 

There's not much information to be given out, as there are now only three freight flows in Ireland, and two of them are just containers; Dublin - Ballina and Waterford - Ballina. Plus Ballina - Waterford timber.

Even when the Taras were running, thery frequently ran out of path (i saw them daily passing my window), so even armed with official times, you'd have been left standing half the time!

 

[Mayner]

For a long time there has been talk about the demise of model trains as a hobby, yet kids continue to develop an interest in trains which sometimes continues into adulthood and even old age.

Growing up in Dublin in the 1960s there was a sense that railways were a thing of the past and my parents hoped that I "would grow out" of my interest in toy trains. My father eventually 'got it' that my interest in taking pictures of trains was not unlike his hobby of fresh water fishing, a lot of time spent searching and waiting often to come home without catching a fish or a decent photo. Mum finally accepted that model railways was an acceptable hobby (in my middle age) when she realised my modelling friends were respectable (successful) people she could relate to.

Not just an Irish thing American, Australian family friends who struggle not to laugh supress a snigger when wife mentions my interest in trains model and prototype. Its one of the things I have learned to cope with in life and just get on with it rather than get worked up about their ignorance or preconceptions about people who are interested in railways.

Although mainly focusing on RC aeroplanes, cars and diecast the local hobby shop is still a gateway for children entering the hobby with stocks Hornby (mainly railroad) complete with small demonstration layout, though ceased to stock Bachmann or Peco. Model train customers mainly children and their parents, with established modellers buying on line from specialist suppliers or direct from the US or UK.

Lego remains a significant gateway to modelling popularised by Lego Masters and 'Brick Shows" in the major centres.  Our child went from running (operating) trains as a 5-6 year old with their friends on my garden railway, to significant Lego Fantasy modelling projects in their pre-teens, to producing artwork on their computer with a graphic programme in their teens. Interestingly they 'operated' the railway to transport their toys/dolls between different locations rather than simply running trains round & round, saw the railway as a tool rather than an end in itself.

In the end like past generations todays kids will identify and find their own solutions to lifes problems as we have always done.

[gibbo675]

Hi Folks,

I wouldn't worry about the "hobby", people do what they do and if they like it they continue and if they don't they do something else that amuses them whatever that might be. We are born to life, shuffle a load of atoms around and then then eventually we die. There is nothing else to be done in this realm and the form of the atoms to be shuffled about are not only up to you but also how you go about shuffling them.

Model wise, most of the atoms I shuffle around involve second hand stuff from eBay, plasticard, glue and paint, however I shuffled a sausage and egg butty down my neck for breakfast just yesterday. Today I shall be fitting some fire doors to a holiday let, once I've had my porridge and a cup of tea, just different sets of atoms in different forms for different reasons.

We all shuffle-shuffle, then eventually we shuffle off.

Gibbo