Model Railroading > Article about model railroading in the WSJ - 021116

http://www.wsj.com/articles/end-of-the-line-for-model-trains-aging-hobbyists-trundle-on-1455157546?mod=videorelated

Thanks for posting this link.  Interesting and now I know what "WSJ" means.  Likely a common acrynom "over on top".
Rick

To read the whole article you have to pay, no thanks.

Thanks for sharing, but I can't read the entire article without signing in to the website or subscribing to the WSJ.

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/16 15:09 by wabash2800.

Not according to Joe Fugate - he said he could read the article without paying.  Apparently it's about the hobby of model railroading is dying. 

The hobby is dying has been a refrain oft repeated over the past 25 years and just because the WSJ has an article doesn't make it so.  I haven't had a chance to read it myself yet but considering all the excellent products on the market in the past 5-10 years, to me this is the golden age of the hobby, what with Athearn Genesis, ExactRail, Tangent (adding more products than ever lately), Moloco, Intermountain, Bowser, ScaleTrains. etc. etc.  Sounds like the author of that article knows just enough to be "dangerous" and spouting off out of ignorance.  It's a shame since that is a widely published rag.  Maybe someone needs to rebutt that article and fill in a few missing details?  *sigh*

Cheers, JIm

I too am not able to read the whole article, just the first paragraph and a half.

Russ

The hobby has certainly evolved over the years. I wouldn't say it's 'dying'. One simply has to look at the numerous and amazing high quality products available now. Price, if anything, plays a large part in limiting its mass appeal. And, the fact that the products out there are much more sophisticated than those available a generation ago. Nobody is going to give a 5 year old a brand new Athearn Genesis 'Big Boy'. I'm not sure I can handle that one either at 48!

Posted from iPhone

Really gets old about how the hobby is dying. Read old Model Railroader mags from the early sixties, they talk about hoe slot cars will kill off the hobby of model trains.  Same old stupied articles.

I'm not sure if its dying, but "The Golden Age" of something is often at the peak of a phenomenon or in the fall of the seasons that precedes winter figuratively speaking, just ask the "Golden Girls". <G>

Victor A. Baird
http://www.erstwhilepublications.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/16 15:58 by wabash2800.

The WSJ is hardly the standard it once was.  Many articles are well written and researched, many more are not.  Sad because I used to enjoy reading mine, the current subscription will be my last.

I was expecting to hit a paywall, but I didn't.

I don't think the hobby is dying, but it's changing. The NMRA? The statistics don't lie: its membership is aging. The writer seems to conflate that with the overall state of the hobby.

The article is based on a false premise, that since young people are not into the hobby in any great numbers, means that the hobby will die. That has never been true of this hobby. Many people do not get into the hobby until their children get a little older. Sometimes it's when they buy a train set for their kids, or something to fill the "empty nest" when the kids move out. Some don't even get into the hobby until they retire. This is why the hobby often seems the domain of older men, but it's not a sign of weakness.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

Look at all the high quality products coming out.  Not just locomotives and rolling stock, but electronics, scenery materials, structures, etc.  No one would be making that investment if it were a "dying hobby".  Perhaps it is the domain of older men now because like some of the previous posters said, that a lot of people take it up when they retire or have the empty nest.  It is definitely a hobby that requires space and a lot of time, so it is more difficult when growing a family with limited space.  I would also suggest that the newer products cost more, so perhaps it is something that can be enjoyed more when one has more disposable income later in life.  I know that it is this way for me.  Personally, I think the hobby has evolved away from kids train sets to actual prototype based layouts, which I think has also increased the average age.

Not really sure it is dying either.  As others have mentioned, the products get better and better.  There must be a market!  Also, most train shows I go to are PACKED!

 As a hobby store manager, I can attest it is not dying.   What has changed is the cost of the products, the quality, and how people buy them.    

 

My aspect on the changes and aging of hobbyists:
The great variety and quality reduces the need for after market detailing work and scratch building.  That is good because my eyesight and arthritis are making many traditional hobby activities more difficult.
The things I own are probably more liquid assets being unmodified, they seem to find a ready market when it is time to let them go.  I know they all have to go on the market (or to a dumpster) at some time in the future.....