What's your age?

[spacecadet]

I'm glad to see some younger people.  I'm 38.  I sometimes worry that I might be part of the last generation of Americans that are going to be into model trains; you just don't hear about a lot of kids or teenagers that are into it.  (I know it's different in Japan.)  So it's good to see people who are in their 20's here.

[ToniBabelony]

25 here. However, sometimes I feel like 16 (when on a buzzed rampage) or 60... Anyway, I consider myself a fully fledged model railroader. Almost graduated from university and onwards to having a job at Nintendo in Frankfurt *keeps fingers crossed*. Also, next to my interest in japanese N-gauge, I have future ambitions to make a freelance H0e/009 layout.

 

Good luck with your application, however if you succeed you'll have to change your nickname to Mario or Luigi... :grin

 

Hahaha. Maybe I can push Nintendo to have a new character with my nickname

 

Funny thing is that this youngster is mostly interested in modelling old private railway lines and interurbans.

[john_ibw]

I am 37 and the only time I act that age is at work! On my own, I am like a 10-12 year old forever excited about his trains and doing several building projects at a time. Very passionate even when I lack skills in many areas :)

 

Major deviation from my usual, today I was climbing on and off rocks near Melbourne at a place called "Hanging Rock".

[Bernard]

The 26-30 demographic is a surprise and a good one! It tells me that the hobby has a growing interest.

I'm 55, but to me age is just a number, I don't believe how old or how young you are should prevent you from what you enjoy doing or what you might like to try.

[Tecchan]

At least I think that we all agree on one thing: no matter how old you are, you still feel like a child in your heart every time you are near trains! ^_^

[bill937ca]

The 26-30 demographic is a surprise and a good one! It tells me that the hobby has a growing interest.

I'm 55, but to me age is just a number, I don't believe how old or how young you are should prevent you from what you enjoy doing or what you might like to try.

 

The 26-30 group may be snagged by current trains.  Age is just a number.  Most people think I'm younger than my age.  So I guess I fit in with this group if I act like a 7 to 12 year old--but with a credit card!   :grin :grin

[qwertyaardvark]

Apparently, I'm in the youngest voting age group: 21-25. Age: 24. Got into the N-gauge scene about 2 years ago. Plenty of Lionel, Brio, and Thomas the Tank engine before that 

 

I really wasn't expecting some of the numbers I read... y'all seem younger online i suppose... ^^;;

[Lawrence]

Clinging on to sub 50, just 

 

My Dad still has all the Triang / Hornby OO he bought for me in '61 when I was born, hope to God he has left it to me in his will    He still has most of the boxes too!

[scott]

I really wasn't expecting some of the numbers I read... y'all seem younger online i suppose... ^^;;

 

Consarn whippersnapper.

[Darklighter]

I'm 28.

 

I really wasn't expecting some of the numbers I read... y'all seem younger online i suppose... ^^;;

 

Exactly what i was thinking.

I thought Japanese modeling would mainly attract younger people (sorry guys  ) who became interested in Japan because of anime, manga, video games, etc.

[Nick_Burman]

Funny thing is that this youngster is mostly interested in modelling old private railway lines and interurbans.

 

Same here. I guess that the freight factor was determinant in choosing an earlier era. Also living in one of world's largest conurbations gives me an yearning for something more rural, more old-fashioned.

 

Eventually I do intend to have more modern equipment, capped to a 4-car limit (for MU trains) and mainly Kansai area interurbans.

 

Cheers NB

[nik_n_dad]

I only got one vote and voted in the "semi-old-man" category.  I should have voted on Nik's behalf: 12.

 

Unlike most of these things where a dad gets the kid into trains, this one was the other way around.  Nik started to play with trains around 2.  First n-scale was around 5 or 6.  Became my hobby right after that when we (my wife?) gave up all hope on not having trains or something train-related in every room of the house.

 

I'm pretty amazed at the (youthful) demographic here.

[westfalen]

34 here, started with trains the moment I was born I guess.. We already had a decent H0 layout on the attic when I was born :)

 

 

Madog, my father's turning 78 soon, he's still doing N-scale :)

My dad turns 80 next year, he switched from HO to N several years ago. We're a model railroading family though, my nephew's first word was 'train'.

[keitaro]

I only got one vote and voted in the "semi-old-man" category.  I should have voted on Nik's behalf: 12.

 

Unlike most of these things where a dad gets the kid into trains, this one was the other way around.  Nik started to play with trains around 2.  First n-scale was around 5 or 6.  Became my hobby right after that when we (my wife?) gave up all hope on not having trains or something train-related in every room of the house.

 

I'm pretty amazed at the (youthful) demographic here.

 

i'm opposite to you then, my about to be 2 year old loves my trains. All the time he says bullet train, bullet train or thomas, thomas.

 

I let him use the controller as well and jam on the simulator so he can't detroy them at 100% 12v. simulator seems to only let a max of about 9v.

 

having said that he doesn't really put them on max too much. Also unplug the double crossover to avoid collision.

 

i just added cars onto the layout and he wants to play with them as well but i tell him no and he's pretty good he will leave them.

 

(really only to avoid godzilla action on the layout)

[lordwinslow2]

What a spread, I thought I would be on the youngish side at 38, but I see I am right in the middle.  And with some folks on here getting their kids involved we can stay strong for years to come.

 

Winslow

[marknewton]

I've just had my 51st birthday. My dad was a railfan and modeller, and so was I from an early age. My son Harry turns 5 at the end of the month, and he's just like his dad and grandad. He's having his birthday party at the tramway museum, and he's getting some OO gauge Thomas models as a present.

 

(So the poor little bugger has no chance of growing up normal!  :grin )

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[lordwinslow2]

I've just had my 51st birthday. My dad was a railfan and modeller, and so was I from an early age. My son Harry turns 5 at the end of the month, and he's just like his dad and grandad. He's having his birthday party at the tramway museum, and he's getting some OO gauge Thomas models as a present.

 

(So the poor little bugger has no chance of growing up normal!  :grin )

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

 

No not at all, I need to make my way back to England at some point, Hornby released a model of the Tornado, I need to get me one.  Will look good next to my Flying Scotsman.

 

Winslow

[Guest TommyGunn]

Just celebrated my 24th birth day….. Day by day getting old…  

[Dani]

Oh My Goodness!!! I see in statistics nobody arrives at 65 years old in this hobby.... should we change to another less stressing?  :dontknow:

[cteno4]

naww just too cool for the old fogies! here in the us the average age is more like 65! i actually feel a bit young at us train shows.

 

its actually great to see such a flat curve on this!

 

plus playing with japanese trains makes you stay young (my wife still says she has a husband and a 9 year old but only lives with one person), so maybe all the >65 year olds feel so young they are reporting their ages as 40!

 

jeff

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I'm now in my mid-30s...34 to be exact. It seems like only a year or so I was in my 20s, and I still find myself thinking things along the line of 'I'm too young to have kids'; when in actual fact I'm nowhere near too young! No intention in inflicting any offspring on this would however!

[ianlaw]

Some may say I'm middle age.... just a few years ago I was young and handsome. Now suddenly I'm 42..

 

I'm sure one thing that pushes the average age up (at least in the Netherlands) is the cost of the hobby. Japanese N (and also Z) rolling stock is much more reasonable (I'd even say cheap) and helps bring in younger generations.

 

Ian

[Claude_Dreyfus]

I should add that any exposure to Japanese stuff makes me 10 years younger! Currently watching Takeshi's Castle...Total Wipeout Japanese style.

[Boiler]

I'm 29.

 

I've been 29 for a good many years.  I like 29.  I'll stick with it for a few more years yet.

 

Warmest regards,

 

Boiler