Model trains the world over

[brianusa]

We have recently had workmen in the house, they were both from Mexico.  Naturally they saw the layout and in my best Spanish tried to explain why it was in the house.  They had difficulty comprehending why an older man would have such a thing around, especially taking up a whole room.  So, while there are enthusiasts all over the world, are model trains a rich mans sport and does ethnicity play a part?  When I went to clubs, there were few minority members and a similar few attend shows.  Frank Hornby exported a lot of Meccano and Hornby trains to many countries and not only to the Colonies and there were many articles in the Meccano Magazine, so did this make any impact?  Not so much it would seem as rarely does one come across a layout in scale or tinplate except those of known members of clubs, etc.

 

Our workmen were duly impressed with the US locos and rolling stock; not so the Hornby trains!

 

Brian.

[Mike Storey]

Next time, just point them to Electrotren!!

[DCB]

Does anyone actually make models of Mexican Railways?

[ianathompson]

As the Mexican railways often bought equipment from US manufacturers the short answer would be yes.

 

Whether the US model manufacturers actually produce any R-T-R models in Mexican liveries might be a different issue but I am sure that it would be a simple case of repainting and using appropriate 'decals'.

 

Any-one interested in modelling South American or Central American railways (as opposed to Mexican railways which are in North America) could do worse than look at the products of Frateschi, the Brazilian model manufacturer.

 

Ian T

[Mike Storey]

I guess the success of our hobby does require the emergence of a, relatively, affluent middle class. It is noticeable that there is a fast growing Chinese outline model railway items market, most of which is presumably bought by Chinese people.That would have been unthinkable just a few decades ago. Likewise in India, I know of at least one serious player in the model railway market, who produces Indian outline models, but mainly for the large scale garden market. The company does advertise and sells items to the UK, but in fairly small numbers and one would imagine that cannot be enough to sustain the business, so that it must have a domestic customer base too.

[Allegheny1600]

I used to own a couple of Mexican liveried locos, TFM and 1 other and I still have a couple of boxcars. These were/are factory painted examples of standard US outline stock.

I have a contact who deals with numerous wealthy folk in Brazil who appear to model Euro/US outline models rather than domestic, he tells me that an expensive model 'over here' - at least doubles in price by the time it gets to Brazil, due to shipping and very high import duties.

I have certainly come across railway enthusiasts in Sri Lanka, where there are preserved railways/stock, layouts and a museum. Similarly in India for certain. A great guy there is called Vikas Chander who is building an awesome German outline layout and posts great Youtube videos about the local real thing.

A friend of mine collects models from many different countries and counts 26 different countries, all in H0 scale (not counting Japanese!).

There would certainly appear to be model enthusiasts and a market for them in Isreal too.

So, I don't think "ethnicity" plays too big a part but education and wealth certainly do.

From what I've seen of the world, people lacking in education are likely too busy scratching a living and trying to survive to have time, inclination or motivation to bother with railway modelling. A passing interest in the real thing is probably the best such folk can do, sadly.

Cheers,

John.

[The Johnster]

Model railways are sold all over the world, but seem to be particularly associated with certain types of people.  Included in the mix are middle aged white men of European descent, clergymen, and the Japanese.  There seems to be little following for the hobby in Latin America, Africa in general, and South Asia.  The possible societal reasons for this are not in my field of expertise to comment on, and in any case I am not particularly interested in them.

 

But it is probably fair to say that the hobby cannot be partaken in by those without a degree of disposable income, and the sometimes uncomfortable truth is that such people are very prominently represented in the types described above.