Worst Model Trains Of 2020?

[tomparryharry]

3 hours ago, Butler Henderson said:

As  a Youtube "expert" the horrible thought occurs that he could turn up on TV on Celebrity what ever; probably  The Wheel where no doubt he would be the one "expert "the finalist could double their money with.

 

Actually, sounds like a really good plan to me.

 

1, Run model on carpet.

2, Break model on carpet.

3, Advertise broken model on internet auction sites, at a discount.  

 

"The worst thing about being talked about, is not being talked about. 

 

If he reads this, I hope that Sam builds himself a yardstick layout. He will knock this silliness at a stroke. 

[maico]

One of Sam's aims is to cover the cost of his collection. Looking at how much he is making per video suggests that is not the case anymore. For example, his latest purchase of a Bachmann 10000 was over £150. He would probably have to sell it on after the review to make money. See

https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/mrsamstrains

In the early days of youtube, it was easy to monetize a channel and make a bit of money. I used to have a channel of old documentaries and British films out of copyright. If a social influencer linked to it I could get 400,000 views overnight Globally. Those days are long gone, large film and music libraries hovered up content and copyrighted most things.

Young lifestyle social influencers with original content continue to rake it in.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by maico

[Hroth]

15 hours ago, tomparryharry said:

 

Oh no! not another argument about Brunswick Green.....

 

15 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

 

<pedantic mode>

I think you'll find that's an LNER green carpet (before weathering)

</pedantic mode>

 

It looks more like this...

 

https://www.oxforddiecast.co.uk/collections/oxford-rail/products/adams-radial-southern-488-or76ar003

 

Definitely not Brunswick... 

 

Has Sam reviewed one of these? 

 

[HonestTom]

That site is kind of narrow in terms of what it measures, i.e. advertising revenue. It’s also pretty broad - there’s a big difference between a video in the hundreds and the thousands. It doesn’t account for sponsorship or donations. I don’t know how much Sam gets in terms of sponsorship (I only recall seeing one sponsored video, but I don’t watch his channel religiously), but for a channel that size you’d be looking at around £500 per video. Donations can also be quite substantial, but I have no idea what they’d be.

 

It is also worth bearing in mind that not every video is going to cost £150. A lot of his videos feature second-hand or bargain locos, and many of them don’t centre on showcasing a locomotive at all. For instance, the top 10 video that started all this would probably have cost virtually nothing. A video on manufacturers’ announcements would likely get high viewing figures at low cost.

[njee20]

I think that's a gross misrepresentation of his channel too. Having realised he appears to be viewed as Dave Jones markedly more evil twin just having a look at his YT viewing stats shows where he's probably doing better.

 

Bachmann 10000 unboxing: 21k views

Hornby 2021 range review: 39k views

Review of 2020: 14k views

Worst models of 2020: 75k views

 

His product reviews never get over 100k views, some of his "whacky" videos do; "how fast a model train go?", "I've made the strongest model train ever" and so on. Then you look at his Thomas content:

 

Thomas & Friends in real life: 1m views

Unboxing the Hornby Gordon: 958k views

James's Accident: 880k views

 

I think that probably tells you enough about his target audience, and the clues are that it's not the membership base here...

 

The focus of his videos is clearly the fun, introductory, beginner segments. His videos on "how to get into model railways" are popular. Yes he calls a loco a train, yes he runs stock on the carpet, yes his terminology probably isn't quite right sometimes, but he's not aimed at anyone here, and in my opinion, getting 1 million people to watch a video of a 'real' model versus some CGI rubbish is a good thing.

I'll bet the same people despising him are the same ones moaning we need to do more to encourage youth into the hobby.

[Ruston]

12 hours ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Though I agree with you, society at large does not! The way Newspapers / paper magazines and people sitting down to watch TV programmes as transmitted (rather than on catch up services or via binge watching box sets) has been declining year on year while those obtaining their facts through the unregulated social media has sky rocketed demonstrates the way things care going.

 

Sites like Sam's trains would not exist were it not for the internet and social media - plus the business model that says we will give you content 'for free' but need lots of people to view the adverts it comes bundled with to make a profit for the site owners. They are the future.

And that's the problem. Facts. When you have the uninformed being held up as some font of knowledge facts go out of the window and people believe them because they are on the screen.

One thing that this past year has taught me is that there are far more incredibly stupid people in society than I ever thought possible. It goes deeper and is more serious than model railways. We have morons getting their "facts" about vaccines and a deadly virus through whatever the equivalent of Sams Trains is. If they are so careless about their and their families' lives and safety to believe the rubbish they read on the internet then they'll believe anything anyone tells them about model railways.

 

I still read newspapers and watch broadcast television. I don't have catch up services and have never watched a "box set". I also have a collection of books that were written by people who put a lot of research, time and effort into them. Sites like Sams Trains have a limited shelf life, until the next face pops up to spout rubbish but I'll still have my books.

 

By the way, I did watch the rest of the video in the OP, and I watched one where he was "reviewing" the Oxford tank wagons. The only thing I can say in their favour is that neither are the worst model railway video that I have watched in the last week or so, as I think @AY Mod will agree

 

 

[Phil Parker]

1 hour ago, HonestTom said:

but for a channel that size you’d be looking at around £500 per video.

 

Please show your workings for that number. We could make RMweb a big earner based on our traffic if it's true!

[HonestTom]

10 minutes ago, Phil Parker said:

 

Please show your workings for that number. We could make RMweb a big earner based on our traffic if it's true!

I'm basing that on what I get paid by sponsors for my channel, which has approximately 9000 fewer subscribers than Sam's. As I'm in the middle of negotiations with a sponsor at present, I'm afraid I can't go into precise details. I'll admit it's an estimate. To be honest, though, I'm probably lowballing, given some of the viewing figures Sam gets.

 

There are several guides as to what advertisers should be paying available online. Basically it comes down to your average viewing figures.

 

21 minutes ago, Ruston said:

One thing that this past year has taught me is that there are far more incredibly stupid people in society than I ever thought possible. It goes deeper and is more serious than model railways. We have morons getting their "facts" about vaccines and a deadly virus through whatever the equivalent of Sams Trains is. If they are so careless about their and their families' lives and safety to believe the rubbish they read on the internet then they'll believe anything anyone tells them about model railways.

 

In the past 24 hours, Sam has been compared to Trump inciting a coup, antivax campaigners and a cult leader. You know this is just a guy on YouTube, right? A guy who runs model trains?

Edited January 19, 2021 by HonestTom

[cctransuk]

16 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

I'm basing that on what I get paid by sponsors for my channel, which has approximately 9000 fewer subscribers than Sam's. As I'm in the middle of negotiations with a sponsor at present, I'm afraid I can't go into precise details. I'll admit it's an estimate. To be honest, though, I'm probably lowballing, given some of the viewing figures Sam gets.

 

There are several guides as to what advertisers should be paying available online. Basically it comes down to your average viewing figures.

 

In the past 24 hours, Sam has been compared to Trump inciting a coup, antivax campaigners and a cult leader. You know this is just a guy on YouTube, right? A guy who runs model trains?

 

Please read what is written - not what you wish had been written!

 

My mention of Trump made no connection with Sam - it referred to those who believe what they are told on the internet; in the context of 'influencers' in general.

 

John Isherwood.

 

 

[HonestTom]

Just now, cctransuk said:

 

Please read what is written - not what you wish had been written!

 

My mention of Trump made no connection with Sam - it referred to those who believe what they are told on the internet; in the context of 'influencers' in general.

 

John Isherwood.

 

 

So why mention it at all?

[cctransuk]

3 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

So why mention it at all?

 

Because it was relevant to a discussion concerning 'influencers'.

 

John Isherwood.

[HonestTom]

Just now, cctransuk said:

 

Because it was relevant to a discussion concerning 'influencers'.

 

John Isherwood.

Right, and are you saying Sam is an influencer?

[Phil Parker]

32 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

I'm basing that on what I get paid by sponsors for my channel, which has approximately 9000 fewer subscribers than Sam's. As I'm in the middle of negotiations with a sponsor at present, I'm afraid I can't go into precise details. I'll admit it's an estimate. To be honest, though, I'm probably lowballing, given some of the viewing figures Sam gets.

 

You've mentioned your channel before but not what it is. I'm assuming not model railways as there's not that money kicking around in this hobby! Even our biggest businesses are tiny compared to others. 

[Phil Parker]

5 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

Right, and are you saying Sam is an influencer?

 

It is possible to criticise the concept of "influencers" and even the Sam's Trains YouTube channel without this being a direct abuse of Sam himself and that's generally what's happening here. I suspect you are being extra sensitive because it's also your business. FWIW, I feel the same at the bile directed at model railway magazines on some social media. 

[London Southwark]

Have we all fallen in to the trap here. We are all now talking about him this thread is now six pages long about a guy who runs his trains on a carpet and gives one sided review on models ( how the hattons 66 in not on that worst list is beyond me). How many of us have now gone and watched his videos because of this thread . Proves what he is doing is working he's a crap reviewer but a great influencer which is why the company's love him. 

[HonestTom]

3 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

You've mentioned your channel before but not what it is. I'm assuming not model railways as there's not that money kicking around in this hobby! Even our biggest businesses are tiny compared to others. 

It's linked at the bottom of every post I make. It's a combination of model railway videos, real life railway videos (particularly focusing on the Underground) and videos on the history of London (with a particular focus on twentieth century architecture). Nothing particularly mainstream.

 

I personally believe model railway videos are still a largely untapped market. There are plenty of hobbyists who do manage to make YouTube pay. Really, all you need is a personable presenter, a space to film and some basic camera equipment. Everything else you can learn. You don't even need to be an expert - many YouTube crafters make a point of showing you their thought process and the mistakes they make along the way. It makes them more relatable. There's a gap in the market for decently made model railway tutorial videos aimed at beginners.

 

3 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

 

It is possible to criticise the concept of "influencers" and even the Sam's Trains YouTube channel without this being a direct abuse of Sam himself and that's generally what's happening here. I suspect you are being extra sensitive because it's also your business. 

 

I'll admit that this is probably true, although I do still maintain that calling someone "an ar$ehole," "a prat" and comments like, "We have terms for people like him in Yorkshire, repeating even the milder ones would garner me a lifetime ban on here" and "kindergarten carpet trainset" go far beyond reasonable criticism, and I am not being over-sensitive in saying that. If someone called you any of those things, even from behind the safety of an anonymous RMweb handle, you would rightfully be offended. As I said before, I believe that if that kind of vitriol had been applied to, say, Simon Kohler or any other representative of a major company, it would not be regarded as acceptable and the thread would probably have been pruned if not locked. 

 

What I'm finding quite frustrating here is that I am a YouTuber (not an influencer), I make a substantial amount of my income from my channel and I'm seeing quite a few people on this thread spouting absolute nonsense based on nothing more than their own prejudices. I'm not asking for people to bow down to my expertise, but I feel like I at least have a valid opinion. I know exactly how much work goes into a YouTube channel, how YouTube operates and how to make a channel pay. It is very hard work, especially if you're a one-man band working another job alongside. When I see someone tell me that I don't know what clickbait is or how advertising works, it's all I can do not to say, "And you are...?"

 

Generally, I feel in this hobby that there's a strong reactionary element that views anything favoured by young people as something that's just going to go away once people accept the wisdom of their elders and in the meantime, you can dismiss young people as morons. It's been a major sticking point when I try to introduce new people to the hobby. And it's what I see when I see the personal abuse being levelled at someone who is into model railways and who has successfully engaged with young people and social media.

Edited January 19, 2021 by HonestTom

[MattA]

The only things I can appreciate about Sam's Trains are the close-up shots on the white background, and I admit that I was entertained by the "science projects" like making a model go stupidly fast or having a Heljan O2 run underwater (with success!).

As for the quality of his reviewing, well... he'd have you think that sprung buffers were the be all and end all of locomotive quality!!
 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by MattA

[Phil Parker]

2 hours ago, HonestTom said:

It's linked at the bottom of every post I make. It's a combination of model railway videos, real life railway videos (particularly focusing on the Underground) and videos on the history of London (with a particular focus on twentieth century architecture). Nothing particularly mainstream.

 

Sorry, I was multi-tasking and looking at RMweb while glue and stuff dried on a magazine project. The signatures don't appear on the mobile version. I've now enjoyed your DLR film.

 

2 hours ago, HonestTom said:

all you need is a personable presenter, a space to film and some basic camera equipment.

 

The camera equipment point is interesting. Andy and I covered the last Warley club open day. We took 4k camcorders but there was a YouTuber with a rig that will have cost him well into 4 figures. Birmingham local TV turned up with iPhones. As you say, you don't need mega gear.

 

2 hours ago, HonestTom said:

I'm not asking for people to bow down to my expertise, but I feel like I at least have a valid opinion. I know exactly how much work goes into a YouTube channel, how YouTube operates and how to make a channel pay. It is very hard work, especially if you're a one-man band working another job alongside.

 

The time is the killer and I think might do for Sam's Trains. You see, if he gets lots of traffic, then others will fancy a go and pretty quickly you'll have Dan's Trains. Now Dan knows that controversial videos generate traffic so he's going to be even more extreme with his critiques of any models. At that point people start saying he's even better than Sam, because he's being more "honest". He's not, but people view criticism as a sign of honesty, at least that's what they tell themselves. Of course, then we have Donald's TrainZ channel which is pretty much the presenter venting bile at everything, and garnering even more views for doing so. If you want clicks, you have to keep upping the ante.

 

Having written a blog for 15 years, most of it with daily postings, I can see just how much effort video takes, at least if you want to do it properly (in focus for start). That's the other killer. As other non-railway YouTubers have found, your audience expects lots of posts and will evaporate if they don't get them. They are not your friends. For a one-man-band, that's a massive commitment and probably not sustainable in the long term, even if you generate an income to live on. Although, technically, everyone could do this, in reality, they can't. That doesn't make it galling to be told there is a big pot of cash out there and it's very easy to get at. Hence, people's backs get up.

 

2 hours ago, HonestTom said:

Generally, I feel in this hobby that there's a strong reactionary element that views anything favoured by young people as something that's just going to go away once people accept the wisdom of their elders and in the meantime,

 

The hobby is reactionary. The world is reactionary, especially online. Get used to it. If it helps, those who are "old hands" get just as annoyed when years of skills and effort are dismissed by newcomers. I've been told several times that people who have developed skills aren't as "good" as those who prefer to buy everything. That hurts.

[MartynJPearson]

Three days, six pages and I don't think anyone has even thought of answering the OPs original question. I think though we have a new Top 5, the Top 5 worst people of 2020...

 

5) People who ask how to wire up an Electrofrog turnout

4) People who give the wrong answer (despite the answer being perfectly valid, just different)

3) Last year's winner, people who wire their Electrofrog turnouts incorrectly and believe that they are doing it right because they have worked perfectly for 25 years

2) Anyone watching Sam's Trains videos

1) Sam from Sam's Trains

 

As to the OP's question, I guess it was actually a 2019 model but my worse purchase of 2020 was a Hornby 156. Railroad quality (at best) without the Railroad branding; no directional lighting and  traction tyres, basically the Lima model with a DCC socket.

[maico]

7 hours ago, HonestTom said:

That site is kind of narrow in terms of what it measures, i.e. advertising revenue. It’s also pretty broad - there’s a big difference between a video in the hundreds and the thousands. It doesn’t account for sponsorship or donations. I don’t know how much Sam gets in terms of sponsorship (I only recall seeing one sponsored video, but I don’t watch his channel religiously), but for a channel that size you’d be looking at around £500 per video. Donations can also be quite substantial, but I have no idea what they’d be.

 

It is also worth bearing in mind that not every video is going to cost £150. A lot of his videos feature second-hand or bargain locos, and many of them don’t centre on showcasing a locomotive at all. For instance, the top 10 video that started all this would probably have cost virtually nothing. A video on manufacturers’ announcements would likely get high viewing figures at low cost.

 

He has an affilate link with Hattons and makes small amounts on superchat. Review videos tend to get a lot of hit and run views, for example people scrolling to the conclusion which will impact earnings. I look at the close up and motor shots on Sam's trains and ignore the rest.

 

I've still got a few films and docos up where the copyright holder allow uploads.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhGa2wRjLm7IH1jQKwtpFw

 

The M.R James ghost story "a view from a hill" got a respectable av­er­age view dur­a­tion of 16:21min and av­er­age per­cent­age viewed 41.9%.

A well made Roco factory tour video only got 2.2 mins so I took it down.

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by maico

[Chrisr40]

Very sad. I feel genuinely sorry for him after reading this thread and the comments some people have made about him personally. He doesnt make you watch his videos and he doesnt go on here and call your efforts cr#p. And we wonder what might put people off joining the hobby. Whatever happened to treating people as you would like to be treated ?

[Phil Parker]

I think this is all getting a bit tribal. Personally, I don't consider criticism of the idea of influencers to be a personal attack, but others do. That said, there are also some unpleasant comments.

 

You can argue that anyone who put themselves in the public eye will catch some of this (I know there are plenty of people in the hobby who aren't fans of mine to say the least) but either we spend hours moderating the thread now, or I just lock is and let the thing drop down the list. The later seems more sensible.