Era Modeling by Age Group?

[James Costello]

The data does not support that. 63% model what they could not have experienced.

Yes absolutely. I model in the SP in the 90s, I never got to see it in person. Bit the bug hit me at that time and that's what I saw in magazines that I had access to in Australia.

It's what interested us when the bug it.

Each of us has a different opinion on interesting though. Yours and mine are very different (double stacks are awesome  )

But we've all be triggered by something.

[C855B]

By the Numbers, Take 3

Responses: 84
No direct experience of modeling period: 62%
Transition (1945-1959): 36%
Decline (1960-1980): 32%
Influenced by childhood memories: 17%
Modern: 15%
Average/Median Age: 52/54
Average/Median Era: 1971/1965

Little movement since last night despite a 24% increase in sample size. The single percentage point differences were mostly from crossing rounding thresholds.

The lone exception was a drop by 2% in "decline" era, attributable to more responses in post-Staggers to pre-modern (1980-1999), now comprising 11%.

[C62-2]

Here's a visualization of the data...

[Chris333]

lol  I like trains!

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Hm... i guess i'm a little out of range.
Born 1980
Model 1995-1999
Area modeled Boston Line Conrail where I grew up

I also have a fascination with 1930's Boston & Maine steam with plans to model a freelance derelict branch-line.

[Bob]

Neat graph!  You can add me as well: born 1959; model CSX modern era.  I keep updating the roster as things change.

[SF Chief]

Born 1956.  Initial focus on transition B&O (I live near the Metropolitan Branch) as I tried to be disciplined in my purchases.  But Kato's passenger offerings drew me into transition ATSF, SP and UP (and, besides, I grew up in Southern California surrounded by these roads and always had a thing for Santa Fe).  And discipline broke down further when I joined an NTrak club and could run whatever I want.  So now I also run (I wouldn't say "model") modern BNSF along with all the others.  The reason for my tastes being what they are?  Perhaps my age and seeing (and occasionally riding on) passenger streamliners had an influence.  But I never saw steam and think big steam is extremely cool.  And I like the big modern engines--SD70s, -8, -9, Gevos (and FP45s in SuperFleet paint)--pulling unit trains.  By contrast, the 1970s and 1980s don't do much for me nor does much before 1930.  Not sure how I fit into the model.  Rick

[MVW]

lol  I like trains!

Yep. And also people who run trains. 

This has been a very interesting read. And as the sample size approaches 100, I would dare to guess that the results are at least somewhat representative of the wider community.

Not that I'm trying to accuse anyone around here of being normal. 

Jim

[rodsup9000]

 Born in '57 and got my first Marx train set when I was 3. Switched in HO at age 9 and started building my first real layout at 12.  Since then I've always had a layout. Got married and moved to a small mobile home in '77 and switched to N scale and started modeling early diesels in Santa Fe along with a couple of Bachmann 4-8-4's. Around 1980, I bought a ConCor/RR Y6B in UP paint and was hooked on big UP steam and transition era diesels.
Now I model Western Pacific's Feather River Canyon in '55.
I also have a 20.3 outdoor layout that in modeled in the WW II era.
 

[jagged ben]

I normally try not to get too personal online and wasn't going to read or post in this thread, but I've ended up doing both.  Sometimes my railroad research triggers heartsickness for times gone by. This thread triggers that a little bit.

Born late 70s.   
I model 1975-2005, northern California roads other than WP.   
Well actually some stuff I model spans from 1965 to 2015, with the first ten years being limited to intermodal and a few specific passenger trains, and the last ten years being exclusively intermodal.
I don't know how Mike will want to categorize that. Maybe split points for some categories.

I have a few fond memories of SP in the 80s and 90s, mostly from trips along the Shasta route, and more regrets that I didn't once bug my Dad to drive me to Oakland just to trainwatch.  In the first half the nineties the family took trips through Portola and along I-40 in the Southwest and I fell in love with UP stacktrains and ATSF intermodal, in particular.  I'm fascinated by the history of intermodal innovation, which was a constantly changing and evolving scene until about 15 years ago (when things finally pretty much settled on a few types of wells and spines).   Nothing like an 80s Santa Fe pig-train that might have dozens of distinct types of intermodal cars.  I would probably still be nearly entirely focused on intermodal had I not joined a club with a Tehachapi route.  That caused my interests to really broaden to include manifest freight all across the 80s and 90s, particularly to rekindle my interest in those SP 'drag everything including the yard office' trains.   Nowadays time and budget are more of a limit on interest than anything else.  Otherwise I'd have some WP stuff to buy.  Perhaps never having gotten to actually witness that road is a factor on why it gets left out.

I certainly agree with the 'when railroads were interesting' theory, as I enjoy modeling the last merger era and throwing together SP/DRGW/CNW/UP consists, as well as all the BNSF dog's breakfast possibilities.  And I second the comments above about the variety of containers that can be put on a stacktrain.

[coldriver]

Born 1962, model 1969 Northern Pacific and Great Northern in the PNW.  I was definitely railroad-aware at age 7

[Hamaker]

Born in 1940.  My father was at the time a freight brakeman for the Santa Fe Railroad.  By 1946 he had become a conductor.  At age 10 he began taking me with him when he'd visit the yard office to look at the "board" to see when he might be "next out". Big impression of a young kid !  I also attended high school at Bakersfield High School which was located right next to the Santa Fe freight yard.  So my early memories were of steam engines....which were soon replaced by first generation diesel electric locomotives.  I've never had good luck with N scale steam engines (I still have one) so I have a collection of "Zebra Stripped" V-1000s, GP-7s and SD-24s.  Also heavy weight passenger cars and the Super Chief train.  BUT......I also enjoy the present and as such have a bunch of BNSF locomotives and an AmTrak train.

So I guess I model the 1950s and the 2000s. set in the farm land of the great San Joaquin Valley of California.  My father worked from Bakersfield to Barstow and return.  There were two brief relocations to Needles...but always returned to Bakersfield....Bakerspatch.....Buckersville.

[C855B]

Given no responses today, I'll wrap it up for the moment.

By the Numbers, "Final" Tally

Responses: 92
No direct experience of modeling period: 58%
Influenced by childhood memories: 20%

Transition (1945-1959): 39%
Decline (1960-1980): 30%
"Corporate" (1981-1999): 12%
Modern (2000-current): 17%

Average/Median Age: 52/54
Average/Median Era: 1973/1969

Yesterday's contributions moved the needle a little in nearly all categories 'cept birth year.

Thanks to everyone for playing. I think this is valuable insight. I hope our manufacturer members are looking over our shoulders here. 

[Chris333]

I thought it was the chemicals they put in the water.

[Chris333]

In my reply I didn't list my age. I'm about to be 45 . Born in 1974 and model 1948 in N and 1920's in HO.