A reader emailed me after I wrote about helping to exhibit Roweham, Brian Dickey‘s 7mm British model railway, at the recent Great British Train Show. The reader asked about the layout’s height – noting that it seemed pretty tall for a train show. He wondered how children would be able to appreciate the layout.
It’s a good question – thank you for asking! – and I’ve been thinking about it for a couple of days now. The answer goes way beyond layout height to encompass the reasons we, as hobbyists, put on train shows.
Based on my experience with Roweham, the short answer is this layout isn’t built for children. It’s built for adults. Brian has invested a lot of time, effort, and money into his layout and as operators, we all appreciate that we can enjoy the results without having to stoop for 12 hours over the course of a weekend. So do the many adults who have seen it in person.
Taller layouts at shows are increasingly common. Each show I attend, I see more layouts built to the Free-mo standard – in which the tops of the rails at module joints are 50″ above the floor. (Beyond its own world, Free-mo has had a huge influence on standards for exhibition layouts in other, niche, scales and gauges – including the modules built by members of the S Scale Workshop.)
I think this is an important, positive development for the hobby. As enthusiasts, we know railway modelling is a satisfying pursuit that can provide a lifetime of skill building and friendships, as well as being an active, thoughtful, constructive means to fill our free time.
So – why don’t more of us present it as such in public? Layout height is a good place to start: Building at adult height signals that this is an adult pursuit.
But, attend any train show and you’re bound to see many layouts built specifically to entertain children. They’re low (36″ above the floor is common). They’re packed with items designed to amuse the kids – like firetrucks with full flashing lights, animated tornados, circuses, and other novelties. The trains chase each other around loops of track (“because kids will lose interest if nothing’s running”). And so on.
Even those layouts not built specifically for kids will often throw a model of Thomas The Tank Engine onto the rails to amuse them.
Hobbyists looking to promote railway modelling often argue that it’s important to engage the kids, because they’re the future of the hobby. As a consequence, for years now, modellers have been building show layouts designed to appeal to kids. Despite this, the hobby has been greying: The modelling demographic is older than ever.
If the goal of a train show is to encourage more people to consider the hobby, it’s obviously not working.
There are two problems with the “kids are the future of the hobby” argument:
1 – Kids are easily distracted and will only be interested in the trains until the next cool thing comes along. Related to this, most don’t have the patience that serious modelling requires and as soon as they encounter something frustrating about the hobby they will simply give up and do something else.
2 – Kids don’t have any money – certainly not the kind of money that building a model railway requires.
The reality is, the vast majority of kids that attend train shows will never become railway modelling enthusiasts. They’re at the show in part because their parents are looking for some way to amuse them for a few hours on a weekend. It’s likely these parents would be just as happy if the exhibitors were puppeteers, magicians, or a bunch of clowns making balloon animals.
When we build and exhibit layouts tailored to appeal to kids, we’re entrenching the idea – in the parents’ minds – that entertaining their children is what the hobby is all about.
Worse, we play into a stereotype that makes it even more difficult to encourage non-modellers to consider taking up the hobby. Outside the railway modelling community, our hobby is often viewed as an immature pursuit: We’re frequently depicted in pop culture as superannuated children who never grew up and put away our toys. When people not in the hobby visit a train show, those pop culture depictions are often reinforced. Frankly, few adults will want to join that crowd.
As a consequence, if the goal of train shows is to promote the hobby, most are failing miserably. For years now, modellers have been putting on such shows. And for years, the hobby has been greying: The modelling demographic is older than ever. Modellers often talk about this issue and the need to attract new people to the hobby. And then we keep trying the same “appeal to the kids” approach to recruiting – even though it’s obviously not working.
Perhaps when we’re trying to promote the hobby, our real target should be the parents.
Parents of young children build their lives around their kids. They have to: As a parent, you can’t just put young kids to bed and leave them unattended while you head out for the evening. (If you do, I don’t want to know about it.)
Being a responsible parent of young children involves a lot of time at home, keeping an eye on the kids even when not actively supervising them. A hobby like railway modelling is a great creative outlet for an adult in that role.
For example, family members could spend time together in the same room in the evenings: A parent could work on a railway modelling project (building a structure, lettering a freight car, painting figures, etc.), while across the room their kids are doing homework. The parent’s hobby is quiet so won’t disturb the kids, and when the kids have questions the parent is right there to help. Once the kids have gone to bed, a parent could spend some time in the layout room, unwinding from the day before they themselves turn in.
And yes, of course kids can get involved – and should be encouraged to do so. Railway modelling can be a great family activity full of educational opportunities. At a minimum, it can teach children to respect tools, electricity, chemicals, and the other potentially dangerous things we use at the workbench – knowledge that will serve them well throughout their lives. Beyond that, it offers lessons in problem solving, patience, collaboration, reading and research, art, craft, science… as those of us in the hobby know, the list is endless.
But to encourage parents to consider railway modelling, we have to present it as an adult activity – not as something “for the kids”. Doing this requires an adjustment to how we put on shows – including presenting our work at a height where adults can enjoy it.
As for the kids at shows, a one- or two-step folding ladder (with a handrail for safety) will give them the additional height they need to enjoy the trains. There are many inexpensive options available at hardware stores and smart parents will toss one in the car when heading to the train show.
The Model Railway Show 