My 3 year young granddaughter Bernice asked me if she could help me run trains when she comes to visit next month. She did not use the P word, already into ops perhaps... 😍
That's for sure depending on the route you go. My wife and I just spent a few days dying sawdust to save money on ground cover medium and it worked out better than the pre made stuff.
Tbh, I found model trains expensive when I was 11 in 1981. I just did a rough calculation and I believe that prices more or less went up with the average inflation rate, which is not bad, because you get more detail and a decoder for a similar level of luxury. Btw: my comparison was based on comparing most expensive locos from the same manufacturer in 1981 and now.
I'm 20 years older than you, and I can say the same thing. As a kid whose Dad made $100/week, those $9 super power Athearns were out of reach. We had to be content with one Hi-F drive at Christmas if we were lucky. Those $9 locos today would be what a Walther's Trainline loco costs in 2024, (actually a bit less). But the Walther's loco has more detail, better paint, is more realistic, and runs better. And at train shows, you can pick up a slightly used or even new in box at an even better deal.@@diedertspijkerboer
Our entire club says we can not get new and young modelers, but when a visitor shows up, NOT A ONE will talk to them. We also have two young members who are virtually ignored by them. Maybe THEY are to blame.
Definitely an issue we recognised at our club. So we have made a particular effort to engage with new members to address this problem. 20% of our membership is under 18 and whilst most of our membership is grey haired our numbers are growing.
I found the same to be true when I belonged to the only club that I was a member of. The members would complain that no young people wanted to join. Yet when the younger kids came around they were totally ignored. Eventually I left the club for this and other reasons.
It’s definitely not dying. It’s changing, for the better. New, younger hobbyists are entering the hobby. It’s growing globally. The technology is improving. The biggest challenge is the large consolidator manufacturers are not building products that align with the desires of those who are and will be entering the hobby. And their product quality doesn’t match their high prices. There is a significant gap/opportunity which is being filled by smaller mom and pop manufacturers like Tomar, ISE, Circuitron, Inter-Action Hobbies, and even NCE. I’ll be doing a post soon on my channel about these boutique companies and how it’s to our advantage as hobbyists to support them. Thanks for the post and for pointing out the hobby is changing and not dying. Nobody likes change, but change always creates opportunity. Always.
Look at 3-D printing as an example. many people are making their own trains simply because of the high costs in some areas of the hobby. I have been seeing products being made that are great, but most mainstream makers/sellers like Athearn,Walther's and others just keeping making the same things over and over ,every few years or so, and do not even want to try something different much if at all. Example: Amtrak.... yeah ok. they are cool, but tiring of re-releases of the same stuff ,tooled and retooled over and over. Why not try something different like Reading Company Electric MU coaches or some other EMU related trains, that they haven't already done?.
I’m 12 years old and I have my own basement layout I plan to go to college without the layout and come back and be so interested in all the things that I forgot about that were on my way out to help me that get back in the hobby.😅😊
I was just at the Amherst Railway Society show in Massachusetts, and it was mobbed. Even during a winter storm, people (including me) braved the snow and sleet to see the trains. Young and old, tons of people. The hobby is far from dying. Its changing, and some scales are less popular (like O and S), but I could tell from that train show that the hobby is alive and well.
I can sort of agree in saying S scale is less popular, but I cannot for O scale. I personally am an O scaler myself, and I have met dozens of people that are also into the scale. I recently also joined an O scale club. I see O scale layouts at every train show I go to as well.
TGauge 1:450 & 1:480 is also growing. When I started there were limited resources, not many layouts shared and most of what was shared was low quality videos/photos or outdated tech. But so many more people are working in this scale today, improved tech, high quality videos of layouts, more resources, and more realism too! Excited for the future of model railroading
I agree... it's a golden era of model railroading in my view! 3D resin printing making it soooo much easier to have high detailed custom prototypes etc. Electronics has never been cheaper either. And the kinds of things you can do is amazing!
(Your videos saved me so many headaches…) I’m currently 13 years old, and decided to start with the hobby. I’m not really like the other people from my age, that ONLY play video games and nothing else. I’ve never really done that and it never interested me. But when I heard about model railroading, that was something I instantly fell in love with… So now, 2 months later, I’ve bought my first pieces of track for a small shunting layout, and it’s time to really get started now! (Sorry if this might include some spelling mistakes since I’m from The Netherlands (modelling a British railway..?)
After I visited Miniatur Wunderland mid 2023, and learned that last year's show for the Victoria branch of the Australian Model Railway Association was their biggest show in its history it's clear the hobby is far from dying even here in Australia. And it's always been huge in Germany. Like most hobbies it has gone through a period of change and evolution and it's been incredibly lucky to maintain a stable platform of interest to launch into the next generation of the hobby.
I'm over twice your age Jimmy, and I have been doing trains since I was about 5. As an adult, I've heard that the hobby is dead for years. I can tell you that it is NOT!
I saw lots of kids last weekend at Amherst, and they (well, their parents) were buying. My son (age 4) now wants his own layout, so I think we're going to make that happen for his birthday.
The issue is manufactors overprice thier products so much. If you're not a SUPER fan of mrr you're not going to go out and buy what you need. Even good sets today are expensive and they are normally only fun for a short while. Another thing is space. Everything is more expensive today, so less people have the space to build a layout.
@Evilminiature - "overpriced" gets thrown around very frequently in hobby discussions, but I'm not sure we are using the right term. Overpriced is when the grocery store charges $2.50 for a cold 12oz can of cola, while elsewhere in the store the same soda brand is $1.75 for a 2 liter bottle, albeit a warm bottle. Expensive, on the other hand, is paying $10,000 for a 20ct diamond ring for your wife. Models today are expensive, not overpriced. They might feel like they both, but that's largely because we have little if any concept of the financial costs of manufacturing model trains. If we remove the money from the equation, a blue box Athearn was less complex than the same model today because: generic body shell vs multiple road specific shells, few if any details included vs lots of specific details pre-installed, simple drive train that lacked electronic elements vs advanced drive with electronic board or DCC and sound. I think we are getting our money's worth without being gouged, and that the higher price points come with a corresponding increase in detail and features. It's only personally maddening when a model you need is only available at a higher price point than you'd like (say a GG1 or FL9), or has been ignored by manufacturers and you are left to adapt an ancient AHM model or equally old brass import.
First of all I laughed hysterically at the size of THAT coffee mug. I was having a bad day and that made me laugh a lot. I am one of those that had purchased a house in the late 80’s with a basement to build my railroad empire. Life moved on and just before my retirement I moved and found my old railroad stuff. Now I’m building a layout with more realistic expectations in my garage. I recently retired and I am on my retirement vacation and I just visited a small shop in Florida that was packed with people purchasing stuff; so I agree with you the hobby is definitely NOT DEAD! If I drank that much coffee I couldn’t sleep for a week. Thanks for the great video.
I’m a 22 year-old international student. Two years ago I decided to get away from computer games and start my journey of model railroading. Thank to the decision, I saw a lot of artworks and learned many useful techniques from the great modelers on the Internet. Now I’m also building a railroad layout and I really enjoy it as my imagination is becoming reality. The luckiest thing is that I met some enthusiastic local modelers and we play trains together every weekend. This hobby really becomes a motivation to my life.
Ok I'm throwing my hat in the ring here! As a new distributor and educator for the hobby since the Pandemic. It is great you bring up all these points. I held onto a custom made bridge my grandfather built when I was 10 (I'm in my 40's now). During the pandemic I got laid off and decided with that bridge and the box of N scale track I had I would create a layout. Long story short Its been converted to modular/portable and DCC. I grew up with DC and blocks. The hobby was harder to get into then due to restrictions on education. My lack of knowledge starting back up in 2019 was quickly gone. Coming from an electronics and mechanical background I was able to use youtube and google as a "tool" to learn all the DCC tricks. With the plan to automate my layout using JMRI. It was a bit of a struggle but I pulled it off. This was before I got into the business side of it. For me the hobby is aged. It needs some people to, like you said, give it a new face (rebirth). Brick and mortar stores I know and love do not realize it is 2023 and all the young kids are not going to come into your store and talk to anyone. This for a number of reasons but capturing there attention span is hard. This is where social media comes in. Social Media... I dont care which platform it is even if it is one we do not know of yet is going to capture all the attention. It sucks ... I still like going to see what Im buying... but then again When I have went to see items in person and have them test out trains. They cannot handle the trains and almost break them in pursuit of a sale. Im good especially since the markup is outrageous! WE have had DCC for some years but I think It still can be improved. I mean half the DCC companies barely have any social media presence. Even if they have older style sales. Those are eventually going to come to a hault. Im sorry but thats just how things are going. It is 2023 and they JUST introduced Blunami decoders. I mean bluetooth has been around for years and this is just coming out ? Think about it. I know lionel and a few other have had it I am just making a point. It is slow to catch up to the times we are in. I feel a wave coming on. I plan to help guide the way to the future of this hobby. It'll be fun. We are just going to provide something new and innovative to attract new people. Appreciate the video! Join the Rebellion! Cheers!
Ive been in the hobby since 2015. I just wanted simple O-scale train for my xmas tree, boy did that start a small addiction lol. As you mentioned the tech, accuracy, and realism blew me away and I was hooked. I didn't know what was out there until I did that research for that first set, and TH-cam was a great source in learning. I am around the same age (37) with two young boys and they love the trains and helping with our layout. Before getting started back in 2015, I would never had seen myself being interested in the hobby to the extent I am(and boy neither was my wife), but I'm glad I did find it to add to me hobby list. Most of the people I talk to in the hobby are around my age so I think it is doing ok. I do hope we don't start getting priced out of the level we want to maintain.
I'm in my early 20s and I got hooked into everything rail related after living in Japan for a year. I fell in love with the variety and designs of their commuter trains, so I started buying model trains. It's one way I can enjoy the decommissioned trains that I never get to ride or see. Model trains were really accessible back in Japan. Modeling materials , equipment and the trains themselves can be bought at big box stores. Dedicated hobby shops would carry various kinds of scale models, including trains of course. I'm looking forward to making my first layout after watching all these videos on TH-cam and then I decided that I also want something like this for myself too.
One of the subjects I like to see you talk about is the disposition of our trains. You're correct. There are a lot of us older model railroaders. This is a subject that most refuse to talk about. Being a former board member of a RxR historical society, that went went into no being after years, has made me worry. But people need to have some guidance on this subject . Thanks for your podcast. Bob
I started with HO, in early 1940s, with Strombecker (wood and cardboard paper, and KIX (cardboard paper printed on KIX cereal boxes). After WWII added trucks, couplers, etc. I still have some upgraded Strombecker cars. Before WWII, I was given Lionel O27, which I ran untill I bought my first HO engine, circa 1950 when I started high school. Still have it, a lindsay FA2.
I think the prices are killing us, but other than that, this hobby rules! I mean come on, you learn, carpentry, electricity, logic controls & instrumentation, management, ... I guess the only one missing is plumbing! lol
I've got a very small shelf point to point switching layout that I haven't touched in over a year. I have never gone the route of DCC and mostlikely never will. Eventually I'll get back to the layout and clean it up. The one thing I have always enjoyed about this hobby is no matter how long those locomotives and railcars stay idle, they are always ready to go. To save money I mainly go through eBay. Also some of these starter sets have caught my eye as they an excellent way to practice super detailing a locomotive or rail car. Over the last couple of years I have been able to acuire several of my dream locomotives (AC6000, MP15, Genset) and I've been able to snag several Kibri cranes. While I'll never be able to run long trains, I'm at a point where I'm giving the layout a lot of thought as to where I want it to go. Truth be told, I'll never leave the hobby. I just need to get of my duff and get some projects out of the way.
Thanks for the commentary. I have been hearing that since I came back to Model Railraoding over 25 years ago. I had a model railroad when I was a teenager and then life took me another way. I joined a club in my old home town and have been a member since 1985. It is a great rewarding hobby. You are always learning new things. I support my local hobbyshop and they have a great selection and I also get videos from them monthly on what they have new at the store. Thank you again.
I totally agree with your assessment, Jimmy! Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend my very first model train show in the Dallas area and boy was a treat! I felt like it was Christmas with the vast array of new and used locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories that I saw there. The event was very well attended and saw quite a few younger adults with kids checking out the various exhibits and layouts. I was even able to wheel and deal for some cool HO items to add to my soon-to-be-built layout. I certainly plan on going to more shows this year!
I agree with you 100%! I went to the LaCrosse, WI train show last weekend and it was packed with people. I noticed there were a lot of people 20’s and 30’s there too which I thought was great! (I’m in my sixties) Just the fact that there are TH-cam shows like yours that are doing so well also prove that the hobby isn’t dying it’s just changing. You do a great job, I really enjoy your content!
Another great video, thank you - well presented and carefully considered comments. One point I’m not sure has been mentioned in the earlier comments: last year MB Klein (Model Train Stuff) was bought out by Hattons in the UK, so Hattons and MB Klein closing is one business decision, not two separate ones. Over here in the UK, Hattons’ have been commended for exiting the business in a controlled way without going bust (as we say), which I think has rightly been acknowledged as showing care for staff, customers and suppliers too. Hope that helps, Keith.
I had the super turbo train when I was a kid! While things are expensive, they really aren't that much more than when I was active in the hobby as a kid 35-40 years ago when inflation adjusted. $100 today equals $38 in 1988. But the quality you get for the $100 today is way more than what you got for $38 in 1988. As you mentioned, the big change is all the cheap stuff going away. In any event, I would much rather have the hobby of today than the one in the 1980s. There are so many sources for products now online from not just big manufactures, but also lots of other hobbyists. Plus the ability to 3D print your own parts or kits. And the quality of everything is so much higher now. While it has been sad to see many brick and mortar stores close, that has been the case for all sectors, not just model railroading. Stores have to be online in some way in order to survive these days, even just a website helps a ton. If people can't find you online you basically don't exist and you aren't going to get many new customers in the store.
Perfectly said Jimmy! Change can be very good. I have been watching for a few years, and just seeing the technology blossom in those few years tells me we will be around and growing for a long time.
My granddaughters found a box of my old trains 2 yrs ago and we have started re building them since the and now have a room just made for the trains. Every morning I now enjoy a coffee with TH-cam channels such as your and now have friends and their children stopping in.
I recently went to a model train show in Columbus, Ohio, and the place was packed. I saw ages range from under 10 to over 70. No matter the age, everyone was having a great time watching the displays. The vendor booths were full of people buying. So I would say you are correct. The hobby is as strong as ever. I am 57 and have been in the hobby since I was in my early teens. Thanks for helping keep the hobby alive.
I have built my 4x8 with Woodland Scenics sub terrain, I am 31 (about to turn 32) and I use mostly one locomotive per session. I usually go to a larger 12 section modular layout every week, Your forgetting PC gaming in the form of Trainz which is like Model railroading, this is so cool.
I’m in the group of those who haven’t touched my trains in 50 years and am looking towards re-entering the hobby, with retirement on the horizon. We have been spoiled with activities that are much more sophisticated than they used to be. In the model RR world, that means running multiple trains at once. I keep reading that DCC is easier to set up than DC. That may be true when it comes to modeling a multi-train setup, but most of us didn’t dream of doing that way back when - we just hooked up two wires and had fun (slot cars already had plug and play multi-car capability back then). For a start from scratch situation, the wiring and avoiding short circuits is an intimidating rats nest to me. I was able to figure it out for multi-channel audio years ago but it took years to get past the electronics nightmare that until recently was 3D printing (thank you Bambu Lab). Someone needs to come up with a plug and play system for mainstream model railroading that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (like Bluetooth loco/controller and switch/controller combos). That’s when the hobby will return to a growth cycle IMO. Love your show, babe!
Hornby in the UK have developed a couple of Bluetooth systems that can control locos, one controls analog track and the other is a Bluetooth DCC chip with a sound option. It's been out for 6 months but is already gaining some traction over here. You just power the tracks and use your phone/tablet to control the trains. They also have a module for switches etc. This hobby isn't dead... It's just getting started.
I'm 37yo and just got back in the hobby. Late 90s I had a layout my grandpa's place with the old Märklin trains from my dad. And eventually it's just like you mentioned: puberty hits and fast cars, girls etc. get priority and the old layout I build with my dad catches dust. Eventually I got back into plastic model building and from there I rolled back into diorama's and trains. Recently I bought a Märklin Z starter set and while looking up dcc-ex I stumbled upon your channel. Now I'm planning to build a small digital N scale layout that can fit in my apartment. The hobby is indeed constantly evolving and with my interest in coding/arduino a whole new world of hobby trains just opened up I didn't realize it existed!
I couldn’t believe modeltrainstuff closed down. Also a lot of people saying the model is really expensive to get into, not really. I model n scale and it’s not super expensive I can get a high quality Kato locomotive for under $100 or $150. It may seem like a lot but it’s usually the average price, HO is even more saturated so you can get stuff even cheaper. O scale on the other hand is a different kind of animal
It was 1972, I'm 10, my dad had the classic full basement HO model railroad. I had a 4x8 railroad in the corner he set up for me. I spent hours running my trains. I remember several of Dads friends coming over and regularly the topic of conversation was 'The hobby is dying'. Well, they were wrong. I have my own layout in my basement and still run a few of my dads locos and rolling stock.I got to go! The Sabbath Mountain Railroad is calling. Thanks Dad!
Good work on this one. Your point about TH-cam being a positive for the hobby is spot on. I can find far more layouts that are achievable for me in my late 20s on YT than in MRR. My grandpa had a bunch of old hobby magazines laying around from the 70s and I think there is far more in those for the average hobbyist than recent MRR as well. The basement empire may be beyond the reach of most of us, but there is no better time for shelf layouts or even a 4x8. As far as the price of things, I'd argue it is about the same as the 2000s if a person knows how to use eBay and what to look for. I just did a search and found a couple of Athearn blue box locos that would cost under $70 delivered. Those would run forever. Proto 2000 old stock is going up a bit, but I could still "buy it now" a new GP9 for under $110 if I count replacing the axle gears that like to break. Proto 2000 still holds up well against BLI or Athearn Genesis imo. Blue box cars can still be had for $15 on eBay as well and maybe similar for Proto 2000 cars occasionally (which are massively detailed, and also a complete pain to assemble). Now the direction of Bachmann does worry me, and I hope the rest of the industry doesn't follow. They innovated quite a bit in releasing their Spectrum line, but I don't see the same desire lately. Now it seems their goal is just to copy BLI, but without the innovation that makes BLI a premium product. Again, to throw some more shade at MRR (because they are the face of the hobby to some extent), I wish they would do actual reviews instead of what are essentially product spotlights. That at least means mentioning when a $500 list price Bachmann doesn't have the same value as BLI or Athearn.
I am so glad you have brought this up again. Futilist mentalities and doomers are what sometimes drive people away. I'm 16 and I have been in the hobby for a while now and do not plan on slowing down. I'm not an anomaly too, I have several friends IRL and online who love the hobby. And I don't think I've met a single non hobbyist who doesn't think MRR is cool. Thanks for your perspective!
I built my first layout in my late teens. 1990s. Some fifteen years later I got back in to railroading and left that n scale door layout with a friend in Florida. And now a few years ago I built my 3rd small layout. That layout now serves a purpose for testing my skills in modeling. My focus now is on modules to build my larger layout. Im 52.
I had the plywood 4x8 table for my first layout - 50 years ago... And then again an improved version when I got back into it with my kids 25 years ago... And now I'm getting into it again with a two level shelf layout around the walls... Just turned 58. The hobby sure has changed. I miss the days of the cheap kits for rolling stock, but there have also been a lot of improvements I don't think the hobby is dead yet!
Well I like your channel so much, it is allway a place for inspiration. Sometimes you need an inspiration to start with the hobby. I start with interest in railway, wen I was a young boy standing near an german steam loco BR 50 (2-10-0). I could see the engineer and brakemann in the cap preparing the fire, clean the ashbox. The smell of steam and oil, that's impression hoked me for ever. I have an american based H0 switching layout, based on MIlwaukee Road, not ready but near the end, and I plan some further layouts in N and Z Scale. This channel brings me the inspiration to start new things. Railroading is still alife. I hope it never ends....
Great video, it's been a couple of noisy weeks in the UK even the BBC and the national papers got involved with very ill informed pieces. However the general consensus of retailers and vendors is that the hobby is growing, it's not dying, it's just changing with the new demographic of enthusiasts as this channel and many other show. Keep up the awesome work!
I have been in the hobby since I was 8 years old. My first set was a Bachman starter set with a NS F unit and 3 bits of rolling stock… and I’m now 15 and beginning the workings of my own full size HO scale layout. I have a full shelf of trains and I haven’t stopped collecting. Almost every weekend I’m at the local antique store(they have a huge selection of mainly rolling stock for very cheap) and it’s absolutely amazing to work on something like this. And I agree, this hobby is my therapy. Long live model railroading
Excellent video and explanation. I’ve been model railroading for just shy of fifty years. There’s been ups and downs and different changes along the way… I think what’s available today for the modeler is better than ever! Oh… Folgers
I’m with you, The Hobby is NOT Dying! Been in this since the late 70’s and it seems to me to be better than ever. Can’t wait to see what we get in the future. Thanks for the show, and keep up the good fight!
Good morning Jimmy, the coffee is brewing right now and it’s Italiano espresso blend. Last weekend I went to a train show in Sacramento California and that place was jumping! There were so many different sizes and scales and era’s of locomotive. There was even a club that modeled European railroads. So you are correct, the hobby is not dying. I also seen some interesting stuff there. One thing in particular was a Bluetooth module that fits inside of a box car that is basically permanently connected to the locomotive, and that is your equivalent to DCC, but it runs on Wi-Fi.… I think that’s how it works? I am not an electrician and I have no idea what an Arduino is.
You nailed it Jimmy. In Canada where I am - during the Covid years and we were all locked up. We actually had a nation wide shortage of Kato & Bachman track in N scale. Virtually every shop coast to coast had trouble stocking any. Several of my friends who had stores (1 had a website as well - 1 didn’t). The guy whose store had a website posted record profits he had not seen since he opened his shop. Both shops were still both busy that they didn’t lay off a single person during the whole of covid. Canada is still hosting massively attended train shows and your stats are accurate, I’m your age and still have my layout but also my kids are getting into it now as well. So as we are assured its the simple doom and gloom of a few recognizable names closing up and doing a little numerology theory and arriving at the conclusion - the hobby is dead, the sky is falling and wait…. Who will build the first layout on the moon???
I’m 23 and have always had model trains! I started with g gauge LGB trains and then o gauge Lionel. Now I’m looking to get into some n gauge trains with some of the Kato stuff. The N700A Shinkansen is the train I rode in Tokyo when I visited and I’d love to have a model of that running!
I totally agree with you, the reach of the Internet is incredible. I live in the UK but model the espee in California. In the past I world have had to rely on books or travel to California at great expense and time. Now I can just look up a video or go on Google maps. Today for example I was looking at railroad bridges in the LA area. It’s incredible that I can just click a couple of icons on my iPad and there I am in LA looking at bridges.
Getting ready for some intense model railroading sessions with my 6 year old nephew and 4 year old niece this weekend! I don't think the hobby is dead! It's quite alive!
When I was a kid, my parents and I thought the hobby was dying too until more recently. It seems that with social media and everything, especially since the pandemic, this hobby is growing significantly if anything. The one thing I wish were a lot more present in this hobby is kindness among one another along with a greater presence of brotherhood/sisterhood in the hobby. It's the most amazing hobby and it could be even better if more people were kind.
As a new beginner in this hobby, I was utterly shocked at how much resources, trains, track, etc, and educational resources (eg. Jimmy's YT channel) were available. I always thought the hobby was dead, until I dipped my feet into it .. boy was I wrong.
Good morning, Jimmy. Cameron’s Coffee Intense French here. Iced espresso on an unseasonably warm winter morning. I hadn’t heard about MB Klein’s closure. They will be missed. You’re right, the hobby is changing, and it always has been. Covid changed model railroading. Some of the weekly or monthly operating sessions stopped for a time and some never rebooted. For some the community aspect of the hobby was lost as many shifted to engaging with their trains solo but, as you note, sharing their efforts online. I know some modelers who have been involved in prototypical operation for decades, whether on beautifully-scenicked railroads or on forever mocked-up layouts. There isn’t a single way to be a model railroader and there never has been.
My interest in tbe hobby started when i got some Lionel stuff when I was 8. I am 25 now and have an HO scale collection that has nen expanding. I plan to build my first official layout once I finish college.
I'm 44 and just got my first train set since I was a kid. I am starting a diorama build in a footlocker trunk. My coffee of choice is Black Rifle Tactisquatch made in an espresso machine... black.
Hi Jimmy, just getting back into the hobby ( at 56) and in the UK looking at the resale/pre owned values of track, loco’s and rolling stock on various sites it’s definitely not Dying. BTW looking at running shared DC & DCC, the cost of DCC controllers is high but like the DCC++ system. Only problem is availability of the parts here. Coffee of choice Kenco Rich. Cheers Andy
Definitely not dying, Our train shows in Jersey are always packed with plenty of purchases! in South Jersey there is a large group of model RR's and it is growing, I feel great about the hobby when we see young kids and teenagers that are starting in or already in our hobby! Amherst show was Over packed this year, so yes its only growing!! As always great Info!
Bought a new oval of Kato track today. Same size that are used on T trak modules which seem a great way to make small diorama modules at low cost because each module can be as small a a foot square. Plus N gauge can also be 3'6" for TT scale.
Well said, Jimmy, well said! We really need an emoji for a standing ovation... hmm... ok, let me see what I can do... 👏👷♀️👏🤵♀️👏💂♀️👏👩🎓👏👩🎤 Not perfect, but you get the idea 😁 Greetings from one of your railway/railroad modelling family in the UK 👋
Had a layout when I was 10 with the help of my Dad 4x8 layout. But to keep me sane when I retired at 70 I started the hobby again. This is a hobby that can not die and yes I now have a basement empire 24x12 anda TH-cam channel in N scale
Spot on Jimmy. It a different and much better hobby now. Finer scale modelling requires supplies of such a specialised nature, it is not well suited to bricks and mortar retail. It would be interesting to know how many hours train enthusiasts spend on digital activities - railfan media, modelling media, railfoad simulators and gaming - pastimes which did not exist until recent decades. Here in Australia, recent model train shows and heritage steam days have been uncomfortably crowded. Regarding cost, the prices can be breath taking - I tell my wife it's cheaper than keeping a boat, although she recently asked "what size?"
If it were truly dying, wouldn't manufacturers be going out of business as well as retailers? (rhetorical question) People like you have helped to rekindle my interest in model railroading. Thank you, sir. Keep it up!
While I've always loved model trains, I'm an amateur, first timer on making a layout with a long time friend (also first time modeler) of over 30 years. The HO layout we've been building is living proof of what you said about the modern modeling products available and use of the Internet for reference. It's just a compact 5'x9' but it's rapidly turning into a beautiful, meticulously detailed, showcase because we've utilized the many online videos tutorials by professional modelers. Incidentally, I was at a model train show this last weekend it was packed. The hobby is far from dying.
I'm more of the mind that the hobby is more in an "odd spot" than outright dying. I've been to train shows in my local area. I intend to hit another this Sunday (as of writing). But from what I've seen, there's been genuine crowds present. You've got older people, you've got families, and you've got people in my age group and even younger. I've said this elsewhere as well, but the interest is genuinely there. It's just a matter of giving people that push necessary to get them to purchase their first models and get even a simple layout going, even if it's stuff from the secondhand market.
Relatively new to this hobby. I have been, and still am, an avid R/C plane modeler since 1990 when I was around 20, but at least around these parts, it is a dying hobby. When I started, on a weekend you had a hard time finding a place to park and then set up if you got there after 10AM. The last few years we are lucky to have 5 guys on the best days. The cost of entry and chance of success (you can start model RR on your own, but not flying R/C ) is a magnitude better than when I started. I checked a few RR clubs around here, but the demographic leans far above my age, just like the R/C club. I still may join one. As far as cost. I can't comment on the RR cost, as I am new to this, but IMO for what you are getting it seems very reasonable to me. Much like the R/C hobby, I build more than buy so that really keeps the cost down. But with model RR you can build a lot more yourself... DCC++ as one of many examples. I use Arduino, via JMRI (A free option) running on a retired PC to control recycled micro servos mounted on self designed 3D mounts to control turnouts via a retired cell phone. So VERY minimal cost there. BUT you could spend $1000s to do the same with an off the shelf solution. I fly mainly smaller (12"-60" Wing Span ) electric planes and really don't crash unless there is equipment failure. I treat my batteries well so they last a few seasons and are maybe $20 to replace. I MAY spend $100-$200 a year on that hobby. But I know guys who spend north of $15k on a single jet, and have seen a few of those turn into fireballs. With model RR, unless you are REALLY careless that $200+ loco will last a life time. I guess it is just perspective and your approach to the hobby, no matter what it is.
It's not dying it's thriving. All 3 of my my grandchildren are into the hobby. The last few train shows that I've been to there are lots of families there and buying trains.
The naysayers will always be and with the advent of the Internet they have a nearly unlimited platform. Let people say what they will and I will still have begun my 4th layout today. Having started in the hobby during the pandemic I continue to find so many others who have done the same. Happy modeling to you also.
The loss of MB Klein killed me. I remember going to the original store front back in the 1970's and 80's. Was a neat place. Walked thru the door and there was a floor to ceiling display of brass locomotives in N to O scale. They moved to Timonium (not 10mins from me) and it wasnt the same. Then they went online only and now gone :( Just like everything else, there is an ebb and flow. Its up to ALL of us to make the Worlds Greatest Hobby lives on!
Well said Jimmy! As for those who say it's too expensive, a toy starter set from Bachmann cost at least $50 in 1975. That same set would cost almost $300 today. $100 for a nicer starting set that was still toy like quality . That would cost nearly $600 Today. In my humble opinion, the hobby has gotten LESS expensive, when you consider the quality you are getting.
Im 59 just got into the hobby a year ago loving it so far my 4 year old grandson was at the house and asked grandpa can I play with my trains I replied whose trains. I said we have to share but one day they will be yours
I'm 66, and getting back into model railroad. I've had trains off, and on through out my life. It started with a Lionel my Mom got me, because I bugged her so much for a train. Then I broke it, and some kid fixed it for me. Now I want to set up an HO track on a 4 X 8 board in our spare bedroom with quick connect track with a way to hoist it up to the ceiling. When I get that all figured out and working, I plan to put a much bigger more realist set up in our living room that goes up out of the way into the ceiling. I've 3D printed two flat cars to teach myself how to do cars. I plan on more detailed cars, and some engines. To print them they have to be unattainable or too expensive and something I like. There are a few engines that fit that bill. The cars printed look like I can do it for about $20 less than buying them. That's is doing the design in CAD, which I taught myself, and printing them up to run. Anybody who wants to do this, I suggest doing one flat car first before moving on. You will learn so much, and get done the hardest part to work down. I also want to photograph, my other hobby, these trains in action, and make them look real at the same time. I've done this before, and people even thought they were real trains. That is my plans now that I am retired, and can afford paying for what I want. The printing part is a welcome challenge. A starter set can be a good place to get an engine, a few cars and some track for less than in parts. I didn't do that this time, but have in the past.
I'm 73. started when i was 12. Have gone DCC. Still have my Tyco set I got for Christmas when I was 12. Dont run it as it is too toy like. Doing more with scenery now. Still love it
I've always been in the hobby in some capacity, I built a G scale raised railway in my backyard and now that I'm turning 53, I'm collecting n scale. N scale prices are stupid expensive, but I will press on!
i would also like to add that the train simulator games online have exploded in popularity. it progressed much farther than the Microsoft train simulator of the early 2000s games like train sim world 4, railroads online, trainz 22, railroader and transport fever 2 have brought new people to model railroading that would have never touch a model train before they have played these games. further more some of these games offer you the realistic experience of running trains with physics simulations like railroads online . some offer more of the business side of railroading like transport fever 2 and some offer more the operational side of railroading like railroader. now don't get me wrong i know games aren't for everyone but as a teenager that has limited space these games are perfect for me. now some may say they aren't model railroaders because they dont have a layout but i feel we can consider this to be a branch of the model railroading community because this is how and many teenagers like me get our fill of model railroading with spend the time and money to build a model railroad.
I agree with 100 percent. Gone are the day of train sets. The days of $75 tyco bachmann or ahm trains sets are gone . Having had a hobby store from the mid 80s until the mid 90s. I can attest to a Hugh change in the hobby. The technological changes due to dcc are awesome the control of engines the sound all of it are great. After a 15 year vacation I am back at it . A stroke a couple of years ago had me side lined . But now I am back painting trains again I stalling and Uninstalling dcc systems for people . I my self have introduced my 21 yr old twin sons to the hobby a 33 yr old nephew and three grand children. I have also encouraged several young people in my area to also take to the hobby. I do see that prices have throught the roof back in the day at my store $20 got you two Athearn car kits a package of kadde couplers and had enough change for lunch at Mickey ds. The closet to that today are a couple of accurail kits the same kaddes no lunch and you've spent $50. Your brick and mortar stores are sadly disappearing each year they're fewer and fewer sad to see them go but covid 19 just help speed up there demise. With home delivery and gas prices my weekly pause at my hobby watering hole has turned into a monthly trip. But you still have magazines and tube which we all love and enjoy for tips and techniques and how too . I think over the next few years the hobby will see good long term growth it will just be different. So find a chat group join a club heck if you have a spare bedroom or have a unused basement start your own club.
Just yesterday, my 4 year old grandchild asked to see trains run on my layout for the first time. So we also laid some ground scenery. So there is hope for the future.
No its not "dying" . But its had big problem. The first it has become to expensive for many,the prices are totaly stupid these days. The store owners has also problems with rents,electricity and other stuff. I dont know how all this gonna end,i guess just wait and see!🤔
So I was just out at Springfield at the Amherst Railroad Hobby Show. It covered 350,000 sq ft across four buildings, and it was packed. I saw at least a dozen large modular club layouts on display, plus numerous smaller ones, and hundreds of vendors. There were people of all ages there and it must have been in the thousands just while I was there. I know for myself, I just got involved now in my mid 30s after having been interested since I was a kid, and what I've been learning is that you can get involved regardless of your budget. Even if you can't afford or have the space for a full layout, you can always build a module for a modular club, or join a regular club, or find people who do have a layout you can join for an operating session at their place. My suggestion for people interested in this hobby is to get out there and meet other model railroaders. I don't think we talk enough about the importance of the social aspect of this hobby, but for me, getting involved with my local NMRA division and getting to meet other modelers has been a huge inspiration for me. As a final note, a hobby is only dying if there is no demand or interest in it, so if you want to help our hobby grow, go out there and get involved with others!
I know of a few people that has left the hobby but went the "virtual route". With todays computer capabilities, many would rather play games(simulations) with trains, such as Derail Valley, Transport Fever 2, Railroaders, Satisfactory, etc.
I've spent way more time and money on sailing, aviation (r/c and real), and sports cars than I could even imagine spending on model railroading. After an unsuccessful start in model railroading with n-scale during Covid, I switched to HO and really have enjoyed every minute ever since. I currently have a small 1' x 12' HO benchtop switching layout that uses the Lance Mindheim idea of slow, realistic operations combined with highly detailed scenery. With 2 locomotives, rolling stock, DCC controls, track, benchwork, and all scratch built scenery and structures, I've spent a little less than $2,000 total. Considering the amount of time and pleasure I have with the layout, that's a really good value in my mind. Every hobby goes through ups and downs. Model railroading is no different and much older and long lived than many might give it credit for. Time to go make some coffee...
Personally I feel the future will see hobbyists building T-Trak modules not for a show at the mall but for small gatherings of friends. You will always have the huge layouts that one person builds and you will have the friend that spends months or years perfecting one or two modules that they can add to that layout on weekends. With the almost affordable laser-cut kits I see the opportunity to buy one module for a child that everyone in their peer group can join together and run trains together. The changes made to N scale by Kato have the potential for concentrating all of one’s energy and resources into a few modules to get that feel of a large empire without the need for a large space. Now about that T-Trak Z. And sorry always water with crystal light berry sangria since 2016. Never coffee just a lifetime of Dew.
My 10yr old grand daughter loves my trains and actually asked what’ll happen to them when I go (I’m 74), cheeky kid I told her they were hers
Ohhh. Gotta love kids yeah? lol. We know they don’t mean it like that but I still makes think “ well gezzz” 😅. It’s nice she likes your trains
It’s great that she loves your trains
Cheeky but cute.
I can already hear that kid in decades to come; "This was my grandfather's set"
My 3 year young granddaughter Bernice asked me if she could help me run trains when she comes to visit next month. She did not use the P word, already into ops perhaps... 😍
You're right. It's not dying, but it is expensive.☕️
That's for sure depending on the route you go.
My wife and I just spent a few days dying sawdust to save money on ground cover medium and it worked out better than the pre made stuff.
What hobby out there isn't expensive though?
Good clean fun for a good price, .
Tbh, I found model trains expensive when I was 11 in 1981. I just did a rough calculation and I believe that prices more or less went up with the average inflation rate, which is not bad, because you get more detail and a decoder for a similar level of luxury. Btw: my comparison was based on comparing most expensive locos from the same manufacturer in 1981 and now.
I'm 20 years older than you, and I can say the same thing. As a kid whose Dad made $100/week, those $9 super power Athearns were out of reach. We had to be content with one Hi-F drive at Christmas if we were lucky. Those $9 locos today would be what a Walther's Trainline loco costs in 2024, (actually a bit less). But the Walther's loco has more detail, better paint, is more realistic, and runs better. And at train shows, you can pick up a slightly used or even new in box at an even better deal.@@diedertspijkerboer
Our entire club says we can not get new and young modelers, but when a visitor shows up, NOT A ONE will talk to them. We also have two young members who are virtually ignored by them. Maybe THEY are to blame.
Wow, what a shame 😢
Ours is NOT the only one this way.@@GALE_HOBBIES
My experience with clubs as well..
Definitely an issue we recognised at our club. So we have made a particular effort to engage with new members to address this problem. 20% of our membership is under 18 and whilst most of our membership is grey haired our numbers are growing.
I found the same to be true when I belonged to the only club that I was a member of. The members would complain that no young people wanted to join. Yet when the younger kids came around they were totally ignored. Eventually I left the club for this and other reasons.
Working full time, this is the best stress reliever at the end of the day and on weekends. There’s no way it’s dying!
for me it’s a relief as a college student, though expensive is worthwhile to me, especially as an engineering student
Great program really enjoyed this one here about Model Railroader not dying very well done thank you
It’s definitely not dying. It’s changing, for the better. New, younger hobbyists are entering the hobby. It’s growing globally. The technology is improving. The biggest challenge is the large consolidator manufacturers are not building products that align with the desires of those who are and will be entering the hobby. And their product quality doesn’t match their high prices. There is a significant gap/opportunity which is being filled by smaller mom and pop manufacturers like Tomar, ISE, Circuitron, Inter-Action Hobbies, and even NCE. I’ll be doing a post soon on my channel about these boutique companies and how it’s to our advantage as hobbyists to support them. Thanks for the post and for pointing out the hobby is changing and not dying. Nobody likes change, but change always creates opportunity. Always.
Look at 3-D printing as an example. many people are making their own trains simply because of the high costs in some areas of the hobby. I have been seeing products being made that are great, but most mainstream makers/sellers like Athearn,Walther's and others just keeping making the same things over and over ,every few years or so, and do not even want to try something different much if at all. Example: Amtrak.... yeah ok. they are cool, but tiring of re-releases of the same stuff ,tooled and retooled over and over. Why not try something different like Reading Company Electric MU coaches or some other EMU related trains, that they haven't already done?.
I’m 12 years old and I have my own basement layout I plan to go to college without the layout and come back and be so interested in all the things that I forgot about that were on my way out to help me that get back in the hobby.😅😊
I’ve just taken the hobby up.
Great video.
Welcome! We're glad you can join us!
Welcome!
Welcome
If you have been to a train show lately, they are packed! It can be expensive but there is still a lot of interest in the hobby. Thanks for sharing!
I was just at the Amherst Railway Society show in Massachusetts, and it was mobbed. Even during a winter storm, people (including me) braved the snow and sleet to see the trains. Young and old, tons of people. The hobby is far from dying. Its changing, and some scales are less popular (like O and S), but I could tell from that train show that the hobby is alive and well.
I was there Saturday, me and 16,000 other people.
I can sort of agree in saying S scale is less popular, but I cannot for O scale. I personally am an O scaler myself, and I have met dozens of people that are also into the scale. I recently also joined an O scale club. I see O scale layouts at every train show I go to as well.
TGauge 1:450 & 1:480 is also growing. When I started there were limited resources, not many layouts shared and most of what was shared was low quality videos/photos or outdated tech. But so many more people are working in this scale today, improved tech, high quality videos of layouts, more resources, and more realism too! Excited for the future of model railroading
I agree... it's a golden era of model railroading in my view! 3D resin printing making it soooo much easier to have high detailed custom prototypes etc. Electronics has never been cheaper either. And the kinds of things you can do is amazing!
I know, got my 3D resin printer a few weeks ago, first thing I did for fun was print a fleet of T scale locos and wagon.
(Your videos saved me so many headaches…) I’m currently 13 years old, and decided to start with the hobby. I’m not really like the other people from my age, that ONLY play video games and nothing else. I’ve never really done that and it never interested me. But when I heard about model railroading, that was something I instantly fell in love with… So now, 2 months later, I’ve bought my first pieces of track for a small shunting layout, and it’s time to really get started now!
(Sorry if this might include some spelling mistakes since I’m from The Netherlands (modelling a British railway..?)
Welcome to the hobby! Have fun!!!
After I visited Miniatur Wunderland mid 2023, and learned that last year's show for the Victoria branch of the Australian Model Railway Association was their biggest show in its history it's clear the hobby is far from dying even here in Australia. And it's always been huge in Germany. Like most hobbies it has gone through a period of change and evolution and it's been incredibly lucky to maintain a stable platform of interest to launch into the next generation of the hobby.
I'm over twice your age Jimmy, and I have been doing trains since I was about 5. As an adult, I've heard that the hobby is dead for years. I can tell you that it is NOT!
I saw lots of kids last weekend at Amherst, and they (well, their parents) were buying. My son (age 4) now wants his own layout, so I think we're going to make that happen for his birthday.
Good for you @beerengineer01! 👍
The issue is manufactors overprice thier products so much. If you're not a SUPER fan of mrr you're not going to go out and buy what you need. Even good sets today are expensive and they are normally only fun for a short while. Another thing is space. Everything is more expensive today, so less people have the space to build a layout.
I just head out to my club whenever everything is too expensive.
@Evilminiature - "overpriced" gets thrown around very frequently in hobby discussions, but I'm not sure we are using the right term.
Overpriced is when the grocery store charges $2.50 for a cold 12oz can of cola, while elsewhere in the store the same soda brand is $1.75 for a 2 liter bottle, albeit a warm bottle.
Expensive, on the other hand, is paying $10,000 for a 20ct diamond ring for your wife.
Models today are expensive, not overpriced. They might feel like they both, but that's largely because we have little if any concept of the financial costs of manufacturing model trains.
If we remove the money from the equation, a blue box Athearn was less complex than the same model today because: generic body shell vs multiple road specific shells, few if any details included vs lots of specific details pre-installed, simple drive train that lacked electronic elements vs advanced drive with electronic board or DCC and sound.
I think we are getting our money's worth without being gouged, and that the higher price points come with a corresponding increase in detail and features. It's only personally maddening when a model you need is only available at a higher price point than you'd like (say a GG1 or FL9), or has been ignored by manufacturers and you are left to adapt an ancient AHM model or equally old brass import.
I went to a train show in N. Texas 2 weeks ago, and it was packed like Black Friday in there! 🙂
First of all I laughed hysterically at the size of THAT coffee mug. I was having a bad day and that made me laugh a lot. I am one of those that had purchased a house in the late 80’s with a basement to build my railroad empire. Life moved on and just before my retirement I moved and found my old railroad stuff. Now I’m building a layout with more realistic expectations in my garage. I recently retired and I am on my retirement vacation and I just visited a small shop in Florida that was packed with people purchasing stuff; so I agree with you the hobby is definitely NOT DEAD! If I drank that much coffee I couldn’t sleep for a week. Thanks for the great video.
I’m a 22 year-old international student. Two years ago I decided to get away from computer games and start my journey of model railroading. Thank to the decision, I saw a lot of artworks and learned many useful techniques from the great modelers on the Internet. Now I’m also building a railroad layout and I really enjoy it as my imagination is becoming reality. The luckiest thing is that I met some enthusiastic local modelers and we play trains together every weekend. This hobby really becomes a motivation to my life.
Ok I'm throwing my hat in the ring here! As a new distributor and educator for the hobby since the Pandemic. It is great you bring up all these points. I held onto a custom made bridge my grandfather built when I was 10 (I'm in my 40's now). During the pandemic I got laid off and decided with that bridge and the box of N scale track I had I would create a layout. Long story short Its been converted to modular/portable and DCC. I grew up with DC and blocks. The hobby was harder to get into then due to restrictions on education. My lack of knowledge starting back up in 2019 was quickly gone. Coming from an electronics and mechanical background I was able to use youtube and google as a "tool" to learn all the DCC tricks. With the plan to automate my layout using JMRI. It was a bit of a struggle but I pulled it off. This was before I got into the business side of it.
For me the hobby is aged. It needs some people to, like you said, give it a new face (rebirth). Brick and mortar stores I know and love do not realize it is 2023 and all the young kids are not going to come into your store and talk to anyone. This for a number of reasons but capturing there attention span is hard. This is where social media comes in. Social Media... I dont care which platform it is even if it is one we do not know of yet is going to capture all the attention. It sucks ... I still like going to see what Im buying... but then again When I have went to see items in person and have them test out trains. They cannot handle the trains and almost break them in pursuit of a sale. Im good especially since the markup is outrageous!
WE have had DCC for some years but I think It still can be improved. I mean half the DCC companies barely have any social media presence. Even if they have older style sales. Those are eventually going to come to a hault. Im sorry but thats just how things are going. It is 2023 and they JUST introduced Blunami decoders. I mean bluetooth has been around for years and this is just coming out ? Think about it. I know lionel and a few other have had it I am just making a point. It is slow to catch up to the times we are in.
I feel a wave coming on. I plan to help guide the way to the future of this hobby. It'll be fun. We are just going to provide something new and innovative to attract new people. Appreciate the video! Join the Rebellion! Cheers!
Ive been in the hobby since 2015. I just wanted simple O-scale train for my xmas tree, boy did that start a small addiction lol. As you mentioned the tech, accuracy, and realism blew me away and I was hooked. I didn't know what was out there until I did that research for that first set, and TH-cam was a great source in learning. I am around the same age (37) with two young boys and they love the trains and helping with our layout. Before getting started back in 2015, I would never had seen myself being interested in the hobby to the extent I am(and boy neither was my wife), but I'm glad I did find it to add to me hobby list. Most of the people I talk to in the hobby are around my age so I think it is doing ok. I do hope we don't start getting priced out of the level we want to maintain.
I'm in my early 20s and I got hooked into everything rail related after living in Japan for a year. I fell in love with the variety and designs of their commuter trains, so I started buying model trains. It's one way I can enjoy the decommissioned trains that I never get to ride or see.
Model trains were really accessible back in Japan. Modeling materials , equipment and the trains themselves can be bought at big box stores. Dedicated hobby shops would carry various kinds of scale models, including trains of course.
I'm looking forward to making my first layout after watching all these videos on TH-cam and then I decided that I also want something like this for myself too.
One of the subjects I like to see you talk about is the disposition of our trains. You're correct. There are a lot of us older model railroaders. This is a subject that most refuse to talk about. Being a former board member of a RxR historical society, that went went into no being after years, has made me worry. But people need to have some guidance on this subject .
Thanks for your podcast.
Bob
When I was 7 in the early 2000s my dad built me a figure 8 4x8 lionel layout lot good memories playing with my tains
I started with HO, in early 1940s, with Strombecker (wood and cardboard paper, and KIX (cardboard paper printed on KIX cereal boxes). After WWII added trucks, couplers, etc. I still have some upgraded Strombecker cars. Before WWII, I was given Lionel O27, which I ran untill I bought my first HO engine, circa 1950 when I started high school. Still have it, a lindsay FA2.
I was at the Jacksonville show this last weekend and it was extremely busy and there were several tables selling cars for $2-3. Not dying in my eyes…
I think the prices are killing us, but other than that, this hobby rules! I mean come on, you learn, carpentry, electricity, logic controls & instrumentation, management, ... I guess the only one missing is plumbing! lol
Well....one could stretch that into light plumbing if you want an operating waterfall on the layout.😅
I've got a very small shelf point to point switching layout that I haven't touched in over a year. I have never gone the route of DCC and mostlikely never will. Eventually I'll get back to the layout and clean it up. The one thing I have always enjoyed about this hobby is no matter how long those locomotives and railcars stay idle, they are always ready to go. To save money I mainly go through eBay. Also some of these starter sets have caught my eye as they an excellent way to practice super detailing a locomotive or rail car. Over the last couple of years I have been able to acuire several of my dream locomotives (AC6000, MP15, Genset) and I've been able to snag several Kibri cranes. While I'll never be able to run long trains, I'm at a point where I'm giving the layout a lot of thought as to where I want it to go. Truth be told, I'll never leave the hobby. I just need to get of my duff and get some projects out of the way.
Thanks for the commentary. I have been hearing that since I came back to Model Railraoding over 25 years ago. I had a model railroad when I was a teenager and then life took me another way. I joined a club in my old home town and have been a member since 1985. It is a great rewarding hobby. You are always learning new things. I support my local hobbyshop and they have a great selection and I also get videos from them monthly on what they have new at the store. Thank you again.
I totally agree with your assessment, Jimmy! Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend my very first model train show in the Dallas area and boy was a treat! I felt like it was Christmas with the vast array of new and used locomotives, rolling stock, and accessories that I saw there. The event was very well attended and saw quite a few younger adults with kids checking out the various exhibits and layouts. I was even able to wheel and deal for some cool HO items to add to my soon-to-be-built layout. I certainly plan on going to more shows this year!
Totally agree and love that you worked in the Turbo Train!
I had o scale and ho when I was a kid now at 48 after my grandfather died I got his trains and started back up
I agree with you 100%! I went to the LaCrosse, WI train show last weekend and it was packed with people. I noticed there were a lot of people 20’s and 30’s there too which I thought was great! (I’m in my sixties) Just the fact that there are TH-cam shows like yours that are doing so well also prove that the hobby isn’t dying it’s just changing. You do a great job, I really enjoy your content!
Another great video, thank you - well presented and carefully considered comments. One point I’m not sure has been mentioned in the earlier comments: last year MB Klein (Model Train Stuff) was bought out by Hattons in the UK, so Hattons and MB Klein closing is one business decision, not two separate ones. Over here in the UK, Hattons’ have been commended for exiting the business in a controlled way without going bust (as we say), which I think has rightly been acknowledged as showing care for staff, customers and suppliers too. Hope that helps, Keith.
I had the super turbo train when I was a kid! While things are expensive, they really aren't that much more than when I was active in the hobby as a kid 35-40 years ago when inflation adjusted. $100 today equals $38 in 1988. But the quality you get for the $100 today is way more than what you got for $38 in 1988. As you mentioned, the big change is all the cheap stuff going away. In any event, I would much rather have the hobby of today than the one in the 1980s. There are so many sources for products now online from not just big manufactures, but also lots of other hobbyists. Plus the ability to 3D print your own parts or kits. And the quality of everything is so much higher now. While it has been sad to see many brick and mortar stores close, that has been the case for all sectors, not just model railroading. Stores have to be online in some way in order to survive these days, even just a website helps a ton. If people can't find you online you basically don't exist and you aren't going to get many new customers in the store.
Perfectly said Jimmy! Change can be very good. I have been watching for a few years, and just seeing the technology blossom in those few years tells me we will be around and growing for a long time.
My granddaughters found a box of my old trains 2 yrs ago and we have started re building them since the and now have a room just made for the trains. Every morning I now enjoy a coffee with TH-cam channels such as your and now have friends and their children stopping in.
I recently went to a model train show in Columbus, Ohio, and the place was packed. I saw ages range from under 10 to over 70. No matter the age, everyone was having a great time watching the displays. The vendor booths were full of people buying. So I would say you are correct. The hobby is as strong as ever. I am 57 and have been in the hobby since I was in my early teens. Thanks for helping keep the hobby alive.
I have built my 4x8 with Woodland Scenics sub terrain, I am 31 (about to turn 32) and I use mostly one locomotive per session. I usually go to a larger 12 section modular layout every week, Your forgetting PC gaming in the form of Trainz which is like Model railroading, this is so cool.
I’m in the group of those who haven’t touched my trains in 50 years and am looking towards re-entering the hobby, with retirement on the horizon. We have been spoiled with activities that are much more sophisticated than they used to be. In the model RR world, that means running multiple trains at once. I keep reading that DCC is easier to set up than DC. That may be true when it comes to modeling a multi-train setup, but most of us didn’t dream of doing that way back when - we just hooked up two wires and had fun (slot cars already had plug and play multi-car capability back then). For a start from scratch situation, the wiring and avoiding short circuits is an intimidating rats nest to me. I was able to figure it out for multi-channel audio years ago but it took years to get past the electronics nightmare that until recently was 3D printing (thank you Bambu Lab). Someone needs to come up with a plug and play system for mainstream model railroading that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg (like Bluetooth loco/controller and switch/controller combos). That’s when the hobby will return to a growth cycle IMO. Love your show, babe!
Hornby in the UK have developed a couple of Bluetooth systems that can control locos, one controls analog track and the other is a Bluetooth DCC chip with a sound option. It's been out for 6 months but is already gaining some traction over here. You just power the tracks and use your phone/tablet to control the trains. They also have a module for switches etc. This hobby isn't dead... It's just getting started.
I'm 37yo and just got back in the hobby. Late 90s I had a layout my grandpa's place with the old Märklin trains from my dad. And eventually it's just like you mentioned: puberty hits and fast cars, girls etc. get priority and the old layout I build with my dad catches dust. Eventually I got back into plastic model building and from there I rolled back into diorama's and trains. Recently I bought a Märklin Z starter set and while looking up dcc-ex I stumbled upon your channel. Now I'm planning to build a small digital N scale layout that can fit in my apartment.
The hobby is indeed constantly evolving and with my interest in coding/arduino a whole new world of hobby trains just opened up I didn't realize it existed!
I couldn’t believe modeltrainstuff closed down. Also a lot of people saying the model is really expensive to get into, not really. I model n scale and it’s not super expensive I can get a high quality Kato locomotive for under $100 or $150. It may seem like a lot but it’s usually the average price, HO is even more saturated so you can get stuff even cheaper. O scale on the other hand is a different kind of animal
It was 1972, I'm 10, my dad had the classic full basement HO model railroad. I had a 4x8 railroad in the corner he set up for me. I spent hours running my trains. I remember several of Dads friends coming over and regularly the topic of conversation was 'The hobby is dying'. Well, they were wrong. I have my own layout in my basement and still run a few of my dads locos and rolling stock.I got to go! The Sabbath Mountain Railroad is calling. Thanks Dad!
Good work on this one. Your point about TH-cam being a positive for the hobby is spot on. I can find far more layouts that are achievable for me in my late 20s on YT than in MRR. My grandpa had a bunch of old hobby magazines laying around from the 70s and I think there is far more in those for the average hobbyist than recent MRR as well. The basement empire may be beyond the reach of most of us, but there is no better time for shelf layouts or even a 4x8.
As far as the price of things, I'd argue it is about the same as the 2000s if a person knows how to use eBay and what to look for. I just did a search and found a couple of Athearn blue box locos that would cost under $70 delivered. Those would run forever. Proto 2000 old stock is going up a bit, but I could still "buy it now" a new GP9 for under $110 if I count replacing the axle gears that like to break. Proto 2000 still holds up well against BLI or Athearn Genesis imo. Blue box cars can still be had for $15 on eBay as well and maybe similar for Proto 2000 cars occasionally (which are massively detailed, and also a complete pain to assemble).
Now the direction of Bachmann does worry me, and I hope the rest of the industry doesn't follow. They innovated quite a bit in releasing their Spectrum line, but I don't see the same desire lately. Now it seems their goal is just to copy BLI, but without the innovation that makes BLI a premium product. Again, to throw some more shade at MRR (because they are the face of the hobby to some extent), I wish they would do actual reviews instead of what are essentially product spotlights. That at least means mentioning when a $500 list price Bachmann doesn't have the same value as BLI or Athearn.
I am so glad you have brought this up again. Futilist mentalities and doomers are what sometimes drive people away. I'm 16 and I have been in the hobby for a while now and do not plan on slowing down. I'm not an anomaly too, I have several friends IRL and online who love the hobby. And I don't think I've met a single non hobbyist who doesn't think MRR is cool. Thanks for your perspective!
I built my first layout in my late teens. 1990s. Some fifteen years later I got back in to railroading and left that n scale door layout with a friend in Florida. And now a few years ago I built my 3rd small layout. That layout now serves a purpose for testing my skills in modeling. My focus now is on modules to build my larger layout. Im 52.
I had the plywood 4x8 table for my first layout - 50 years ago... And then again an improved version when I got back into it with my kids 25 years ago... And now I'm getting into it again with a two level shelf layout around the walls... Just turned 58. The hobby sure has changed. I miss the days of the cheap kits for rolling stock, but there have also been a lot of improvements I don't think the hobby is dead yet!
Well I like your channel so much, it is allway a place for inspiration. Sometimes you need an inspiration to start with the hobby. I start with interest in railway, wen I was a young boy standing near an german steam loco BR 50 (2-10-0). I could see the engineer and brakemann in the cap preparing the fire, clean the ashbox. The smell of steam and oil, that's impression hoked me for ever. I have an american based H0 switching layout, based on MIlwaukee Road, not ready but near the end, and I plan some further layouts in N and Z Scale. This channel brings me the inspiration to start new things. Railroading is still alife. I hope it never ends....
Great video, it's been a couple of noisy weeks in the UK even the BBC and the national papers got involved with very ill informed pieces. However the general consensus of retailers and vendors is that the hobby is growing, it's not dying, it's just changing with the new demographic of enthusiasts as this channel and many other show. Keep up the awesome work!
I have been in the hobby since I was 8 years old. My first set was a Bachman starter set with a NS F unit and 3 bits of rolling stock… and I’m now 15 and beginning the workings of my own full size HO scale layout. I have a full shelf of trains and I haven’t stopped collecting. Almost every weekend I’m at the local antique store(they have a huge selection of mainly rolling stock for very cheap) and it’s absolutely amazing to work on something like this. And I agree, this hobby is my therapy. Long live model railroading
Excellent video and explanation. I’ve been model railroading for just shy of fifty years. There’s been ups and downs and different changes along the way… I think what’s available today for the modeler is better than ever! Oh… Folgers
I’m with you, The Hobby is NOT Dying! Been in this since the late 70’s and it seems to me to be better than ever. Can’t wait to see what we get in the future. Thanks for the show, and keep up the good fight!
Good morning Jimmy, the coffee is brewing right now and it’s Italiano espresso blend. Last weekend I went to a train show in Sacramento California and that place was jumping! There were so many different sizes and scales and era’s of locomotive. There was even a club that modeled European railroads. So you are correct, the hobby is not dying. I also seen some interesting stuff there. One thing in particular was a Bluetooth module that fits inside of a box car that is basically permanently connected to the locomotive, and that is your equivalent to DCC, but it runs on Wi-Fi.… I think that’s how it works? I am not an electrician and I have no idea what an Arduino is.
You nailed it Jimmy. In Canada where I am - during the Covid years and we were all locked up. We actually had a nation wide shortage of Kato & Bachman track in N scale. Virtually every shop coast to coast had trouble stocking any. Several of my friends who had stores (1 had a website as well - 1 didn’t). The guy whose store had a website posted record profits he had not seen since he opened his shop. Both shops were still both busy that they didn’t lay off a single person during the whole of covid. Canada is still hosting massively attended train shows and your stats are accurate, I’m your age and still have my layout but also my kids are getting into it now as well. So as we are assured its the simple doom and gloom of a few recognizable names closing up and doing a little numerology theory and arriving at the conclusion - the hobby is dead, the sky is falling and wait…. Who will build the first layout on the moon???
we just went to the train show in Sacramento last week and it was PACKED!
I’m 23 and have always had model trains! I started with g gauge LGB trains and then o gauge Lionel. Now I’m looking to get into some n gauge trains with some of the Kato stuff. The N700A Shinkansen is the train I rode in Tokyo when I visited and I’d love to have a model of that running!
I totally agree with you, the reach of the Internet is incredible. I live in the UK but model the espee in California. In the past I world have had to rely on books or travel to California at great expense and time. Now I can just look up a video or go on Google maps. Today for example I was looking at railroad bridges in the LA area. It’s incredible that I can just click a couple of icons on my iPad and there I am in LA looking at bridges.
Getting ready for some intense model railroading sessions with my 6 year old nephew and 4 year old niece this weekend! I don't think the hobby is dead! It's quite alive!
When I was a kid, my parents and I thought the hobby was dying too until more recently. It seems that with social media and everything, especially since the pandemic, this hobby is growing significantly if anything. The one thing I wish were a lot more present in this hobby is kindness among one another along with a greater presence of brotherhood/sisterhood in the hobby. It's the most amazing hobby and it could be even better if more people were kind.
As a new beginner in this hobby, I was utterly shocked at how much resources, trains, track, etc, and educational resources (eg. Jimmy's YT channel) were available. I always thought the hobby was dead, until I dipped my feet into it .. boy was I wrong.
Nice speech. I like to watch you Jimmy. Keep up the good "work".
Good morning, Jimmy. Cameron’s Coffee Intense French here. Iced espresso on an unseasonably warm winter morning.
I hadn’t heard about MB Klein’s closure. They will be missed. You’re right, the hobby is changing, and it always has been. Covid changed model railroading. Some of the weekly or monthly operating sessions stopped for a time and some never rebooted. For some the community aspect of the hobby was lost as many shifted to engaging with their trains solo but, as you note, sharing their efforts online.
I know some modelers who have been involved in prototypical operation for decades, whether on beautifully-scenicked railroads or on forever mocked-up layouts. There isn’t a single way to be a model railroader and there never has been.
Dying out like the Blues and Jazz, especially.
It's still big in Germany
My interest in tbe hobby started when i got some Lionel stuff when I was 8. I am 25 now and have an HO scale collection that has nen expanding. I plan to build my first official layout once I finish college.
I am 12 and my dad does model railroads and I want to start model railroads and I know for a fact it isn’t dying.
I'm 44 and just got my first train set since I was a kid. I am starting a diorama build in a footlocker trunk. My coffee of choice is Black Rifle Tactisquatch made in an espresso machine... black.
Hi Jimmy, just getting back into the hobby ( at 56) and in the UK looking at the resale/pre owned values of track, loco’s and rolling stock on various sites it’s definitely not Dying.
BTW looking at running shared DC & DCC, the cost of DCC controllers is high but like the DCC++ system. Only problem is availability of the parts here.
Coffee of choice Kenco Rich.
Cheers Andy
Definitely not dying, Our train shows in Jersey are always packed with plenty of purchases! in South Jersey there is a large group of model RR's and it is growing, I feel great about the hobby when we see young kids and teenagers that are starting in or already in our hobby! Amherst show was Over packed this year, so yes its only growing!! As always great Info!
Bought a new oval of Kato track today. Same size that are used on T trak modules which seem a great way to make small diorama modules at low cost because each module can be as small a a foot square. Plus N gauge can also be 3'6" for TT scale.
Well said, Jimmy, well said! We really need an emoji for a standing ovation... hmm... ok, let me see what I can do...
👏👷♀️👏🤵♀️👏💂♀️👏👩🎓👏👩🎤
Not perfect, but you get the idea 😁
Greetings from one of your railway/railroad modelling family in the UK 👋
Had a layout when I was 10 with the help of my Dad 4x8 layout. But to keep me sane when I retired at 70 I started the hobby again. This is a hobby that can not die and yes I now have a basement empire 24x12 anda TH-cam channel in N scale
Spot on Jimmy. It a different and much better hobby now. Finer scale modelling requires supplies of such a specialised nature, it is not well suited to bricks and mortar retail. It would be interesting to know how many hours train enthusiasts spend on digital activities - railfan media, modelling media, railfoad simulators and gaming - pastimes which did not exist until recent decades. Here in Australia, recent model train shows and heritage steam days have been uncomfortably crowded. Regarding cost, the prices can be breath taking - I tell my wife it's cheaper than keeping a boat, although she recently asked "what size?"
If it were truly dying, wouldn't manufacturers be going out of business as well as retailers? (rhetorical question) People like you have helped to rekindle my interest in model railroading. Thank you, sir. Keep it up!
While I've always loved model trains, I'm an amateur, first timer on making a layout with a long time friend (also first time modeler) of over 30 years. The HO layout we've been building is living proof of what you said about the modern modeling products available and use of the Internet for reference. It's just a compact 5'x9' but it's rapidly turning into a beautiful, meticulously detailed, showcase because we've utilized the many online videos tutorials by professional modelers. Incidentally, I was at a model train show this last weekend it was packed. The hobby is far from dying.
Quite well put Jimmy!
I'm more of the mind that the hobby is more in an "odd spot" than outright dying. I've been to train shows in my local area. I intend to hit another this Sunday (as of writing). But from what I've seen, there's been genuine crowds present. You've got older people, you've got families, and you've got people in my age group and even younger. I've said this elsewhere as well, but the interest is genuinely there. It's just a matter of giving people that push necessary to get them to purchase their first models and get even a simple layout going, even if it's stuff from the secondhand market.
Relatively new to this hobby. I have been, and still am, an avid R/C plane modeler since 1990 when I was around 20, but at least around these parts, it is a dying hobby. When I started, on a weekend you had a hard time finding a place to park and then set up if you got there after 10AM. The last few years we are lucky to have 5 guys on the best days. The cost of entry and chance of success (you can start model RR on your own, but not flying R/C ) is a magnitude better than when I started. I checked a few RR clubs around here, but the demographic leans far above my age, just like the R/C club. I still may join one.
As far as cost. I can't comment on the RR cost, as I am new to this, but IMO for what you are getting it seems very reasonable to me. Much like the R/C hobby, I build more than buy so that really keeps the cost down. But with model RR you can build a lot more yourself... DCC++ as one of many examples. I use Arduino, via JMRI (A free option) running on a retired PC to control recycled micro servos mounted on self designed 3D mounts to control turnouts via a retired cell phone. So VERY minimal cost there. BUT you could spend $1000s to do the same with an off the shelf solution. I fly mainly smaller (12"-60" Wing Span ) electric planes and really don't crash unless there is equipment failure. I treat my batteries well so they last a few seasons and are maybe $20 to replace. I MAY spend $100-$200 a year on that hobby. But I know guys who spend north of $15k on a single jet, and have seen a few of those turn into fireballs. With model RR, unless you are REALLY careless that $200+ loco will last a life time.
I guess it is just perspective and your approach to the hobby, no matter what it is.
It's not dying it's thriving. All 3 of my my grandchildren are into the hobby. The last few train shows that I've been to there are lots of families there and buying trains.
The naysayers will always be and with the advent of the Internet they have a nearly unlimited platform. Let people say what they will and I will still have begun my 4th layout today. Having started in the hobby during the pandemic I continue to find so many others who have done the same. Happy modeling to you also.
The loss of MB Klein killed me. I remember going to the original store front back in the 1970's and 80's. Was a neat place. Walked thru the door and there was a floor to ceiling display of brass locomotives in N to O scale. They moved to Timonium (not 10mins from me) and it wasnt the same. Then they went online only and now gone :( Just like everything else, there is an ebb and flow. Its up to ALL of us to make the Worlds Greatest Hobby lives on!
Well said Jimmy!
As for those who say it's too expensive, a toy starter set from Bachmann cost at least $50 in 1975. That same set would cost almost $300 today.
$100 for a nicer starting set that was still toy like quality . That would cost nearly $600 Today.
In my humble opinion, the hobby has gotten LESS expensive, when you consider the quality you are getting.
Im 59 just got into the hobby a year ago loving it so far my 4 year old grandson was at the house and asked grandpa can I play with my trains I replied whose trains. I said we have to share but one day they will be yours
I'm 66, and getting back into model railroad. I've had trains off, and on through out my life. It started with a Lionel my Mom got me, because I bugged her so much for a train. Then I broke it, and some kid fixed it for me. Now I want to set up an HO track on a 4 X 8 board in our spare bedroom with quick connect track with a way to hoist it up to the ceiling. When I get that all figured out and working, I plan to put a much bigger more realist set up in our living room that goes up out of the way into the ceiling.
I've 3D printed two flat cars to teach myself how to do cars. I plan on more detailed cars, and some engines. To print them they have to be unattainable or too expensive and something I like. There are a few engines that fit that bill. The cars printed look like I can do it for about $20 less than buying them. That's is doing the design in CAD, which I taught myself, and printing them up to run. Anybody who wants to do this, I suggest doing one flat car first before moving on. You will learn so much, and get done the hardest part to work down.
I also want to photograph, my other hobby, these trains in action, and make them look real at the same time. I've done this before, and people even thought they were real trains.
That is my plans now that I am retired, and can afford paying for what I want. The printing part is a welcome challenge.
A starter set can be a good place to get an engine, a few cars and some track for less than in parts. I didn't do that this time, but have in the past.
I'm 73. started when i was 12. Have gone DCC. Still have my Tyco set I got for Christmas when I was 12. Dont run it as it is too toy like. Doing more with scenery now. Still love it
I've always been in the hobby in some capacity, I built a G scale raised railway in my backyard and now that I'm turning 53, I'm collecting n scale. N scale prices are stupid expensive, but I will press on!
You are right. I do miss hobby shops, but they have been replaced by a large variety of on-line suppliers. Also I attend more shows than I used to.
Thanks for the quick lesson 👌🏾
i would also like to add that the train simulator games online have exploded in popularity. it progressed much farther than the Microsoft train simulator of the early 2000s games like train sim world 4, railroads online, trainz 22, railroader and transport fever 2 have brought new people to model railroading that would have never touch a model train before they have played these games. further more some of these games offer you the realistic experience of running trains with physics simulations like railroads online . some offer more of the business side of railroading like transport fever 2 and some offer more the operational side of railroading like railroader. now don't get me wrong i know games aren't for everyone but as a teenager that has limited space these games are perfect for me. now some may say they aren't model railroaders because they dont have a layout but i feel we can consider this to be a branch of the model railroading community because this is how and many teenagers like me get our fill of model railroading with spend the time and money to build a model railroad.
Right On. You nailed it.
I agree with 100 percent. Gone are the day of train sets. The days of $75 tyco bachmann or ahm trains sets are gone . Having had a hobby store from the mid 80s until the mid 90s. I can attest to a Hugh change in the hobby. The technological changes due to dcc are awesome the control of engines the sound all of it are great. After a 15 year vacation I am back at it . A stroke a couple of years ago had me side lined . But now I am back painting trains again I stalling and Uninstalling dcc systems for people . I my self have introduced my 21 yr old twin sons to the hobby a 33 yr old nephew and three grand children. I have also encouraged several young people in my area to also take to the hobby. I do see that prices have throught the roof back in the day at my store $20 got you two Athearn car kits a package of kadde couplers and had enough change for lunch at Mickey ds. The closet to that today are a couple of accurail kits the same kaddes no lunch and you've spent $50. Your brick and mortar stores are sadly disappearing each year they're fewer and fewer sad to see them go but covid 19 just help speed up there demise. With home delivery and gas prices my weekly pause at my hobby watering hole has turned into a monthly trip. But you still have magazines and tube which we all love and enjoy for tips and techniques and how too . I think over the next few years the hobby will see good long term growth it will just be different. So find a chat group join a club heck if you have a spare bedroom or have a unused basement start your own club.
Thanks Jimmy!
Just yesterday, my 4 year old grandchild asked to see trains run on my layout for the first time. So we also laid some ground scenery. So there is hope for the future.
With the crowds we saw at the Amherst Train show last weekend , no way is it dying!!!
No its not "dying" . But its had big problem. The first it has become to expensive for many,the prices are totaly stupid these days. The store owners has also problems with rents,electricity and other stuff. I dont know how all this gonna end,i guess just wait and see!🤔
Yes 😊 I could not have said it better the hobby is growing not dying the way we are buying are train equipment is changing but it is very much alive!
So I was just out at Springfield at the Amherst Railroad Hobby Show. It covered 350,000 sq ft across four buildings, and it was packed. I saw at least a dozen large modular club layouts on display, plus numerous smaller ones, and hundreds of vendors. There were people of all ages there and it must have been in the thousands just while I was there. I know for myself, I just got involved now in my mid 30s after having been interested since I was a kid, and what I've been learning is that you can get involved regardless of your budget. Even if you can't afford or have the space for a full layout, you can always build a module for a modular club, or join a regular club, or find people who do have a layout you can join for an operating session at their place. My suggestion for people interested in this hobby is to get out there and meet other model railroaders. I don't think we talk enough about the importance of the social aspect of this hobby, but for me, getting involved with my local NMRA division and getting to meet other modelers has been a huge inspiration for me.
As a final note, a hobby is only dying if there is no demand or interest in it, so if you want to help our hobby grow, go out there and get involved with others!
I'm drinking Moconna instant coffee bought in a big glass jar at the local supermarket and have done for years. I like black coffee no sugar or milk.
I know of a few people that has left the hobby but went the "virtual route". With todays computer capabilities, many would rather play games(simulations) with trains, such as Derail Valley, Transport Fever 2, Railroaders, Satisfactory, etc.
I've spent way more time and money on sailing, aviation (r/c and real), and sports cars than I could even imagine spending on model railroading. After an unsuccessful start in model railroading with n-scale during Covid, I switched to HO and really have enjoyed every minute ever since. I currently have a small 1' x 12' HO benchtop switching layout that uses the Lance Mindheim idea of slow, realistic operations combined with highly detailed scenery. With 2 locomotives, rolling stock, DCC controls, track, benchwork, and all scratch built scenery and structures, I've spent a little less than $2,000 total. Considering the amount of time and pleasure I have with the layout, that's a really good value in my mind.
Every hobby goes through ups and downs. Model railroading is no different and much older and long lived than many might give it credit for. Time to go make some coffee...
Personally I feel the future will see hobbyists building T-Trak modules not for a show at the mall but for small gatherings of friends. You will always have the huge layouts that one person builds and you will have the friend that spends months or years perfecting one or two modules that they can add to that layout on weekends. With the almost affordable laser-cut kits I see the opportunity to buy one module for a child that everyone in their peer group can join together and run trains together. The changes made to N scale by Kato have the potential for concentrating all of one’s energy and resources into a few modules to get that feel of a large empire without the need for a large space.
Now about that T-Trak Z.
And sorry always water with crystal light berry sangria since 2016. Never coffee just a lifetime of Dew.