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Do youtubers contribute positively to railway modelling?


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23 hours ago, big jim said:


i was blissfully unaware who or what Sam’s trains was until earlier today someone put a link on Twitter to an experiment where he was running a train underwater in a paddling pool, plugged into the mains via a Hornby controller and transformer!

 

That was enough for me, as a supposed ‘influencer’ it seems a pretty irresponsible thing to do with so many impressionable no doubt young followers who may have a go themselves and get the shock of a lifetime! 

 

An excellent YouTuber to watch is Big Clive. He mostly takes apart dubious electrical items such as power supplies that are at risk of or actually do put out full mains voltage rather than what they're supposed to.

That wouldn't happen with a properly made one like Hornby supply in their sets but who knows what the kids have laying around at home.

 

The best way to watch Sam is with the sound off and skipping to the unboxing and running bits because he's probably had a model you're interested in running round his carpet at some point.

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Just now, 30801 said:

 

An excellent YouTuber to watch is Big Clive. He mostly takes apart dubious electrical items such as power supplies that are at risk of or actually do put out full mains voltage rather than what they're supposed to.

That wouldn't happen with a properly made one like Hornby supply in their sets but who knows what the kids have laying around at home.

 

The best way to watch Sam is with the sound off and skipping to the unboxing and running bits because he's probably had a model you're interested in running round his carpet at some point.

Yep he's good with his spludger!

And he's soadastreamed yager master!

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5 minutes ago, westernviscount said:

 

Had they been set up next to a dcc sound diesel depot they may well have had to abandon the bell codes ;-) 

 

:offtopic:

The bells were even annoying the public!

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11 hours ago, westernviscount said:

The raising awareness thing I have always found bizarre. There are many I am sure engagaing with Francis Bourgious but I would suggest on a superficial level. A bit like the old phrase "i am loving <insert craze> right now", which admits the transience and superficiality of interest. I would say if your initial engagement with something is superficial, and a parody of the actual thing, the engagement will remain superficial.

On the other hand, a surprisingly large number of chess players at my uni seem to have played when they were younger and then come back following the Queens Gambit. Obviously, a lot of the people who started playing at that time will have now given up, but since there are still people playing chess 15 months on who otherwise wouldn't be. Given that (for first years at least) they will have a lot less free time now than they did when the programme was released, I would suggest that it does provide some evidence that something becoming a craze for a few months can have a lasting impact and draw some people in for much longer.

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I have to say, having read this topic from the outside for a while, I think many comments are a bit unfair. Everyone who produces railway/railway modelling content has their own interpretation and reasons for doing so, and I don’t see any of them doing any harm. Don’t like it, don’t watch it. 
 

I for one think we’re very lucky to have such a wide range of channels and individuals who are willing to publish content for what is in reality quite a niche (although brilliant) hobby :)

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16 hours ago, westernviscount said:

Do many people engage in a hobby they don't find fun? 

 

Perhaps people have a narrow view of how fun should manifest itself. Perhaps some just don't get absorbed as much and find those who are absorbed slightly strange. They look so serious, how can it be fun? 

 

I watched a layout being operated to timetable, using bell codes and a telephone to communicate!! Perhaps I am completely off on this, but it looked like a lot of fun to me :-)

I'm not saying that people engaging in the hobby aren't finding it fun. I'm saying that he's communicating the fact that it's fun to an outside audience. He's showing young people that yes, you can be into trains, people will not hate you for it, there are people like you out there. In a hobby that's often quite hostile to young people (see also: this thread), we need that kind of encouragement.

 

16 hours ago, westernviscount said:

I have to also add that I am baffled by how youtubers are described and most self-define in incredibly worthy terms. 

Can you give some specific examples of railway-related YouTubers doing this?

 

16 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 

Sharing passion? Inspiring the next generation? Passing on knowledge? Promoting modelling? Raising awareness? Really? Try talking so earnestly about running a layout well without critique. 

See, I feel like there's no winning condition here. If someone just runs trains, they're superficial. If they try to justify themselves, they're being "incredibly worthy." If they're just having fun, they should be enjoying their hobby without showing people. Would you rather YouTube just ceased to exist?

 

16 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 

The raising awareness thing I have always found bizarre. There are many I am sure engagaing with Francis Bourgious but I would suggest on a superficial level. A bit like the old phrase "i am loving <insert craze> right now", which admits the transience and superficiality of interest. I would say if your initial engagement with something is superficial, and a parody of the actual thing, the engagement will remain superficial.

 

A bit like power snooker. Invented for people who dont much like snooker and died a death because people who watched it didnt much like snooker. 

 

 

To be honest, this feels like gatekeeping. A sense that if you didn't get into the hobby the right way, if you don't enjoy it the right way, if you don't make a lifetime commitment from the very start, you are not One Of Us. If someone gets into the hobby and decides it's not for them, who cares? It's none of our business how a person chooses to engage. One the other hand, if a hundred people watch a hobbyist on a superficial basis and one of them gets into the hobby on that basis, that can only be a good thing.

 

I often get emails from parents of train-mad kids who watch my videos for the shots of trains, who have no interest in the history or politics I'm talking about in my narration - can't get much more superficial than that. And I reply with my thanks. A kid watching train videos today could be volunteering on their local heritage railway in ten years' time, or looking into a career on the railways. 

 

13 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I do wonder how much “ stuff “ people do these days , would still be done if there wasn’t a narcissist desire to show off fuelled by the internet ?

 

You're literally on a forum where people post their modelling which is spun off from a magazine to which people submit their modelling. People have been "showing off" since the dawn of human intelligence. We wouldn't have cave paintings if it weren't for some neanderthal who had a particularly good buffalo hunt and decided everyone needed to know about it.

 

13 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

That anyone can make up statistics.

 

I won't bore you with the quote attributed to Mark Twain about statistics. Or was it Yogi Berra?

 

1. Sam polls his viewers on their favourite Big Four railway company.

2. The results show the LNER as the favourite.

3. You say that all that demonstrates is that his viewers have heard of the Flying Scotsman.

4. I ask you what your reasoning is.

5. You say that Sam has made up the statistics.

 

I'm not sure what you're arguing here. What do made-up statistics have to do with the Flying Scotsman?

 

Edited by HonestTom
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8 minutes ago, HonestTom said:

 

You're literally on a forum where people post their modelling which is spun off from a magazine to which people submit their modelling. People have been "showing off" since the dawn of human intelligence.

 

 

On this note, I probably wouldn't do any modelling if there wasn't some way of showing it to other people and talking about it, validation by others is a huge part of what keeps me motivated. 

Superficial, narcissistic, attention-seeking? Yep :D 

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10 hours ago, WestStandRam said:

I have to say, having read this topic from the outside for a while, I think many comments are a bit unfair. Everyone who produces railway/railway modelling content has their own interpretation and reasons for doing so, and I don’t see any of them doing any harm. Don’t like it, don’t watch it. 
 

I for one think we’re very lucky to have such a wide range of channels and individuals who are willing to publish content for what is in reality quite a niche (although brilliant) hobby :)

 

Firstly, they can do harm if they show unsafe practises.

 

Secondly, why do we have to believe this is a niche hobby? Perhaps we should take a more positive stance - which doesn't necessarily mean embracing YouTube to show what we do - but simply be more open and proud of having a creative hobby.

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8 hours ago, HonestTom said:

People have been "showing off" since the dawn of human intelligence. We wouldn't have cave paintings if it weren't for some neanderthal who had a particularly good buffalo hunt and decided everyone needed to know about it.

To drive home the point:

Rousseau believed that amour propre was a (the?) main driver of human behaviour in civil society. Amour propre is (essentially) the tendency for human beings to compete for each other's approval. He wrote books (and what tedious, vague, frustrating books they can be!) which very often had among their aims finding ways to inculcate virtue into a population to control what he saw as the threat that people driven by amour propre would act in a way which was detrimental to society in order to pursue their own interests and gain recognition from others.

 

I'm sure that other philosophers from the 18th Century and even before have examined similar issues, but Rousseau's work sprung immediately to mind when I read the initial comment.

 

See also:

- Palaces

- Old houses with big windows

- Bulleid's pacifics

- The Colloseum

- Lambourginhis

- Statues of politicians, colonialists, etc. made of precious metals

- Long job titles

- People with so many military medals on their jacket you wonder how they remain upright, especially dictators who would be on the first plane out at the hint of a battle

- Every major sporting contest ever

- The Eiffel Tower

- The Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, etc.

- Railway termini, in London and elsewhere

- Statues of the Ancient Greeks, who are all suspiciously athletic

- Rich people in days gone by with artificially pale skin, to emphasise that they can afford not to work outside

- Rich people now with artificially tanned skin, to emphasise that they can afford to spend half the year on a beach in Spain

- Copper-capped chimneys and inside valve gear

 

Need I go on?

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12 hours ago, HonestTom said:

I'm not saying that people engaging in the hobby aren't finding it fun. I'm saying that he's communicating the fact that it's fun to an outside audience. He's showing young people that yes, you can be into trains, people will not hate you for it, there are people like you out there.

 

 

But, it was written that some in the hobby have forgotten it's meant to be fun. My point is that there appeared to be a narrow conception of what fun can be. Ok, excitement for "tones" appears to be the pinnacle of fun, but a serious face of concentration is also a sign of fun being had!  

12 hours ago, HonestTom said:

Can you give some specific examples of railway-related YouTubers doing this?

Due to their status I am happy to criticise Sam and Francis but I don't want to get into naming folk. Examples include one chap pitching his presentation as hoping to improve modelling standards, some sign off with the hope they have inspired you to give it a go and there are countless titles with "how to create a stunning..." etc etc. And Tom, in the same response you ask this question, you go on to talk about correspondence from Mum's and potentially inspiring a new generation of railway worker.   

 

12 hours ago, HonestTom said:

To be honest, this feels like gatekeeping. A sense that if you didn't get into the hobby the right way, if you don't enjoy it the right way, if you don't make a lifetime commitment from the very start, you are not One Of Us. If someone gets into the hobby and decides it's not for them, who cares? It's none of our business how a person chooses to engage.

I feel the "One of Us" idea is more from your side of the debate. Is there a great "us"? My argument above is that youtubers have been used as representative of an "us" in a misleading way. I.e. Francis and Sam exposure on mainstream media as representatives. Both of these gentlemen have so little in common with my experience of the hobby, it is virtually a totally different hobby (which is fine of course). 

 

12 hours ago, HonestTom said:

 Would you rather YouTube just ceased to exist?

I am surprised you ask this. I recognise it is very much a part of everyday life for some, but imagining it not existing comes easy to me. Yes, i would rather youtube ceased to exist. i say this not just in terms as a hobbyist where, ok I can press the off button but as a Dad. Many children citing "become a youtuber" as their future aspiration makes me feel very uneasy. 

Edited by westernviscount
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2 hours ago, DK123GWR said:

Need I go on?

I insist you do! An interesting insight. 

 

Perhaps I do see the the pursuit of personal interest, when personal interest is making oneself the event and relying on others to watch the event for money or data a threat of some kind. 

 

On the other hand I love the Bertrand Russell in Praise of Idleness ideal of leisure being for everyone and work being reduced to need and shared equally. I doubt Berty considered leisure and pursuit of personal interest as doom scrolling Youtube vids all night :-)

 

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11 hours ago, HonestTom said:

I'm not saying that people engaging in the hobby aren't finding it fun. I'm saying that he's communicating the fact that it's fun to an outside audience. He's showing young people that yes, you can be into trains, people will not hate you for it, there are people like you out there. In a hobby that's often quite hostile to young people (see also: this thread), we need that kind of encouragement.

 

Can you give some specific examples of railway-related YouTubers doing this?

 

See, I feel like there's no winning condition here. If someone just runs trains, they're superficial. If they try to justify themselves, they're being "incredibly worthy." If they're just having fun, they should be enjoying their hobby without showing people. Would you rather YouTube just ceased to exist?

 

To be honest, this feels like gatekeeping. A sense that if you didn't get into the hobby the right way, if you don't enjoy it the right way, if you don't make a lifetime commitment from the very start, you are not One Of Us. If someone gets into the hobby and decides it's not for them, who cares? It's none of our business how a person chooses to engage. One the other hand, if a hundred people watch a hobbyist on a superficial basis and one of them gets into the hobby on that basis, that can only be a good thing.

 

I often get emails from parents of train-mad kids who watch my videos for the shots of trains, who have no interest in the history or politics I'm talking about in my narration - can't get much more superficial than that. And I reply with my thanks. A kid watching train videos today could be volunteering on their local heritage railway in ten years' time, or looking into a career on the railways. 

 

You're literally on a forum where people post their modelling which is spun off from a magazine to which people submit their modelling. People have been "showing off" since the dawn of human intelligence. We wouldn't have cave paintings if it weren't for some neanderthal who had a particularly good buffalo hunt and decided everyone needed to know about it.

 

 

1. Sam polls his viewers on their favourite Big Four railway company.

2. The results show the LNER as the favourite.

3. You say that all that demonstrates is that his viewers have heard of the Flying Scotsman.

4. I ask you what your reasoning is.

5. You say that Sam has made up the statistics.

 

I'm not sure what you're arguing here. What do made-up statistics have to do with the Flying Scotsman?

 

I don’t think there is much comparison between a modelling forum and YT.

 

I model because I like to as a relaxing pastime , if I post pictures on here it’s not to get validation ( very few people comment on my thread ) but to document my progress mainly and maybe interact with like minded modellers.

 

A Russian teenager hanging off a chimney filming it with one hand / on the other hand - I fail to believe they would do it if there was no forum for the displaying of such things.

 

Different reasons 

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1 hour ago, westernviscount said:

Examples include one chap pitching his presentation as hoping to improve modelling standards, some sign off with the hope they have inspired you to give it a go and there are countless titles with "how to create a stunning..." etc etc.

 

Is that any different to publishing a book on weathering, or making realistic trees? 
Do you feel the same way about people who do modelling demos at exhibitions, or for that matter exhibition layouts? 

Are owners of layouts that are featured in model railway magazines putting themselves on a pedestal?

 

What you say here:

"pitching his presentation as hoping to improve modelling standards, some sign off with the hope they have inspired you to give it a go"

Do you mean that it's not a good thing to encourage others to improve modelling standards, or to have a go at modelling? Hasn't Tony Wright's motto always been 'just have a go' when it comes to developing skills in modelling?

I would like to think that if I tell people at the end of a video 'I hope this encourages you to give it a go' I am saying that look, even I can manage it, it's not as scary as it might seem when you break it down, and it can give a lot of satisfaction.

On this point:

and there are countless titles with "how to create a stunning..." etc etc.

I agree that this is an unfortunate consequence of the way YT (but by extension, human behaviour) works. People have shown themselves more likely to click on:

HOW TO CREATE A REALISTIC TOWN SCENE IN MINIATURE

than

MODELLING DIARY 19/1/2022

 

Derek from Veritasium did an interesting video about clickbait titles and thumbnails. His is a science-oriented channel and he's always been keen on education and making more people more interested in science.

So his conclusion was that, while he would rather put a clever or informative title for his videos, the one that will have the most impact is always the one he should choose, because getting more people to see the video was the important bit. On such a crowded and over-saturated platform, putting the title and thumbnail he would actually want to use would result in less engagement and fewer views.

 

So for someone who wants to spread the good word of model railways to as many people as possible through the medium of video, should they not employ these same tactics? 

It would be irrelevant how good the modelling was if no-one watched the tutorial.

 

Your concerns about children wanting to be a YouTuber are shared by many, but is it that different to previous generations wanting to be a pop star/TV personality/football player/actor/socialite?

 

Edited by Corbs
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12 hours ago, Corbs said:

 

On this note, I probably wouldn't do any modelling if there wasn't some way of showing it to other people and talking about it, validation by others is a huge part of what keeps me motivated. 

Superficial, narcissistic, attention-seeking? Yep :D 

 

I do think I should add that I wrote this with a jovial tone but it's not a lie. I genuinely don't think I would bother modelling if there wasn't some way to share it with others. Being on RMWeb, interacting with other modellers properly for the first time in my life back in 2013-14 made me want to do and learn more. Now I share across multiple online platforms and even got the chance to show my modelling at an exhibition for the first time (pre-covid).

 

If it was just me on my own I'd just imagine the trains instead, it's easier and cheaper. 

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12 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 

 

Due to their status I am happy to criticise Sam and Francis but I don't want to get into naming folk.

Why not? If they're on YouTube, their work is already in the public arena. How many views would they need before they become suitable for criticism?

 

12 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 

And Tom, in the same response you ask this question, you go on to talk about correspondence from Mum's and potentially inspiring a new generation of railway worker.   

Yes, but I didn't do that in a YouTube video, nor did I say that to the parents in question. I was simply explaining why I think hobbyists in general should be willing to accept those whose interest is apparently superficial.

12 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 

 

I feel the "One of Us" idea is more from your side of the debate. Is there a great "us"? My argument above is that youtubers have been used as representative of an "us" in a misleading way. I.e. Francis and Sam exposure on mainstream media as representatives. Both of these gentlemen have so little in common with my experience of the hobby, it is virtually a totally different hobby (which is fine of course). 

So there is no "us," but at the same time you feel that Francis and Sam are not "us." 

 

12 hours ago, westernviscount said:

 

Many children citing "become a youtuber" as their future aspiration makes me feel very uneasy. 

Why? As Corbs observes above, kids have been wanting to be a musician or a movie star or similar for decades, this is just the latest iteration of that. Most of them will do it, realise it's harder than they thought and quit. Just like those kids who buy a guitar in the hope of becoming a musician.

 

11 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I don’t think there is much comparison between a modelling forum and YT.

 

I model because I like to as a relaxing pastime , if I post pictures on here it’s not to get validation ( very few people comment on my thread ) but to document my progress mainly 

Do you need a forum to do that?

 

11 hours ago, rob D2 said:

 

A Russian teenager hanging off a chimney filming it with one hand / on the other hand - I fail to believe they would do it if there was no forum for the displaying of such things.

 

Different reasons 

Teenagers have been doing stupid things since the dawn of time. Why do you think they made all those creepy public information films in the 70s? Adolescence is just Darwinism put to the test.

Edited by HonestTom
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On 19/01/2022 at 11:22, HonestTom said:

 

 

 

1. Sam polls his viewers on their favourite Big Four railway company.

2. The results show the LNER as the favourite.

3. You say that all that demonstrates is that his viewers have heard of the Flying Scotsman.

4. I ask you what your reasoning is.

5. You say that Sam has made up the statistics.

 

I'm not sure what you're arguing here. What do made-up statistics have to do with the Flying Scotsman?

 

 

I'm saying he's using statistics to push an agenda. "54% of my viewers like the LNER therefore Hornby should make more LNER". I take it that's the gist, otherwise why bring it up? Just a meaningless statistic.

 

I wonder how many of his viewers could name more than two LNER locomotives? How many other railway engines do they know which aren't Flying Scotsman? I would hazard a guess very few.

 

Let's face facts here, most of his viewers if asked what their favourite locomotive was would probably say Thomas.

 

I doubt any of them are exactly debating the differences between a J39/1 and a J39/2. They would know that if they are real enthusiasts of the LNER.

 

I thought this was a serious railway modelling forum.

 

 

Jason

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12 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I'm saying he's using statistics to push an agenda. "54% of my viewers like the LNER therefore Hornby should make more LNER". I take it that's the gist, otherwise why bring it up? Just a meaningless statistic.

 

I wonder how many of his viewers could name more than two LNER locomotives? How many other railway engines do they know which aren't Flying Scotsman? I would hazard a guess very few.

 

Let's face facts here, most of his viewers if asked what their favourite locomotive was would probably say Thomas.

 

I doubt any of them are exactly debating the differences between a J39/1 and a J39/2. They would know that if they are real enthusiasts of the LNER.

 

I thought this was a serious railway modelling forum.

 

 

Jason


What exactly is the issue with that? Does it matter if the average railway enthusiast/modeller only knows a few engines?

 

When you first got into the hobby, and many of us, I bet you didn’t know all the different variants of a J39 either. I don’t see why that discredits or renders ‘entry level’ enthusiasts as irrelevant. Sam has a particular audience, and he’s more than entitled to produce content for that audience. 

 

Again, i’ll reiterate, the majority of ‘train people’ are likely more casual. This is not an issue, and to argue otherwise is sheer arrogance. 

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1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I'm saying he's using statistics to push an agenda. "54% of my viewers like the LNER therefore Hornby should make more LNER". I take it that's the gist, otherwise why bring it up? Just a meaningless statistic.

Have you actually watched the video? Note, I'm not asking whether you feel that you need to watch the video, or whether you've seen enough of his other videos, or whether you've heard enough from other people. Just, did you watch the video you're judging? Because he doesn't actually say anything of the sort.

 

As to why, well, it's interactivity, the same as a magazine letters page. I daresay he might find the information useful for producing future videos.

 

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

I wonder how many of his viewers could name more than two LNER locomotives? How many other railway engines do they know which aren't Flying Scotsman? I would hazard a guess very few.

Well, he features quite a few LNER locomotives, as demonstrated in that video. So I dare say his viewers could identify several. This is working on the basis that everyone who watches his videos has no other involvement with real or model railways than that. Which is quite an assumption.

 

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Let's face facts here, most of his viewers if asked what their favourite locomotive was would probably say Thomas.

 

I doubt any of them are exactly debating the differences between a J39/1 and a J39/2. They would know that if they are real enthusiasts of the LNER.

 

I thought this was a serious railway modelling forum.

 

 

Jason

See, people say things like this and then they wonder why it's so hard to attract young people to the hobby. I see this condescending attitude all over the place. The self-identified "real enthusiasts" and "serious modellers" patronising newcomers and younger enthusiasts, then blaming them when they decide they don't want to get involved in clubs and societies where they're clearly not wanted.

 

If that's the prevailing attitude among "real enthusiasts," then I think we have an answer to the question posed in the thread title. Yes, YouTubers, and social media in general, do contribute positively to the hobby. Because if the "real enthusiasts" don't want new blood, where else are the upcoming hobbyists to go?

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Yeah, I have to agree, this sort of elitism:

1 hour ago, Steamport Southport said:

Let's face facts here, most of his viewers if asked what their favourite locomotive was would probably say Thomas.

 

I doubt any of them are exactly debating the differences between a J39/1 and a J39/2. They would know that if they are real enthusiasts of the LNER.

 

I thought this was a serious railway modelling forum.

Is more damaging to the hobby than any YouTube creator. We ought get rid of the "funny" button immediately though; this is a serious modelling forum don't you know.

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51 minutes ago, njee20 said:

Yeah, I have to agree, this sort of elitism:

Is more damaging to the hobby than any YouTube creator. We ought get rid of the "funny" button immediately though; this is a serious modelling forum don't you know.

 

I am a youtuber with my train set. I can get serious with what I want to model but it is a fun hobby, we are allowed to have a joke with each other.

 

Pure fun, a scratch built loco and a major converted loco pulling cut and shut coaches (fun but serious at the same time) bombing around the train room.

 

 

Nearly as much fun as watching these young ladies.

 

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2 hours ago, HonestTom said:

See, people say things like this and then they wonder why it's so hard to attract young people to the hobby. I see this condescending attitude all over the place. The self-identified "real enthusiasts" and "serious modellers" patronising newcomers and younger enthusiasts, then blaming them when they decide they don't want to get involved in clubs and societies where they're clearly not wanted.

 

If that's the prevailing attitude among "real enthusiasts," then I think we have an answer to the question posed in the thread title. Yes, YouTubers, and social media in general, do contribute positively to the hobby. Because if the "real enthusiasts" don't want new blood, where else are the upcoming hobbyists to go?


I’d go one step further and argue that this attitude is one of the main reasons why model railways has such a stigma amongst younger audiences. Unless you’re a ‘rivet counter’, you aren’t a modeller.

 

Sam’s Trains makes model railways accessible to the average younger person, unlike the original poster’s attitude.  

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1 hour ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

I am a youtuber with my train set. I can get serious with what I want to model but it is a fun hobby, we are allowed to have a joke with each other.

 

Pure fun, a scratch built loco and a major converted loco pulling cut and shut coaches (fun but serious at the same time) bombing around the train room.

 

 

Nearly as much fun as watching these young ladies.

 

Didn't know vocal cords where located in the nose!.....only done the first 12 seconds as used the pause button as wife asked what the chuff I was listening to.....as it didn't sound like the usual stuff I have on....class 56 on licky Bank...

on a wet day!

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2 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

I am a youtuber with my train set. I can get serious with what I want to model but it is a fun hobby, we are allowed to have a joke with each other.

 

Pure fun, a scratch built loco and a major converted loco pulling cut and shut coaches (fun but serious at the same time) bombing around the train room.

 

 

Nearly as much fun as watching these young ladies.

 

1) it seems the sarcasm was lost, I’m not the one who said this is a serious modelling forum

2) with 24 subscribers I’m not sure you count as “a YouTuber” in this context, you have just uploaded a few videos

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3 hours ago, HonestTom said:

See, people say things like this and then they wonder why it's so hard to attract young people to the hobby. I see this condescending attitude all over the place. The self-identified "real enthusiasts" and "serious modellers" patronising newcomers and younger enthusiasts, then blaming them when they decide they don't want to get involved in clubs and societies where they're clearly not wanted.


I saw a tweet (or possibly some other variety of social media) the other day on this theme, which says ‘liking things isn’t supposed to be stressful’ which I think also sums this up quite nicely. As you mention though, it’s also about beginners having a way into the hobby - of course they’re not immediately going to know absolutely everything that the self-proclaimed “serious” people know. And I say this as a narrow gauge modeller, so my particular niche of railways and railway modelling is particularly susceptible to beginners asking questions that seem very silly to those with more experience (having to explain the difference between 009 and N gauge to beginners is the classic one, but there are others).

 

I’m put in mind of another thread on RMWeb where people complained that the NRM was supposedly “dumbing down” its interpretation labels to be more engaging for children, families and those with a more casual interest in railways. Yet in the same thread, they were simultaneously wondering why more people don’t become railway enthusiasts. It’s a similar story with YouTube.

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