sammyboy Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Upon walking through the entrance of Chesterfield's library this afternoon I was surprised to see stood on a table a display about railway modelling, promoting both the hobby in general and a local club, not one I'm a member of with pictures of layouts and text. Outside of exhibitions, is there any other ways of getting the word out to the people about this wonderful hobby of ours? Sam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loconuts Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 How about getting a TV Executive to come up with a reality show involving groups a modelers producing layouts each week, call it the 'Nerd Factor' and get Hornby or Bachmann to sponsor it. Top prize being a trip on the Trans Siberia Express without heating. One of the judges could be Pete Waterman and have the public phone in votes at exorbitant rates, which are not actually counted, each week. If the ratings fell a bit of scandal involving one of the contestants in the National Press to stir them up. Loconuts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Thing Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 any teachers on here? what about building a model railway in a school or college technology class. it involves a bit of diy, electrics, painting & decorating skills and depending what you are modelling, some civil engineering, transport design, industrial history.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Given the general publics perception of out hobby, there is not much one can do to change their opinion. The archetypal train nut is sometimes described on this forum and in the press as an anoraked and sometime unwashed individual with a back pack, so there is not much prospect of people wanting to get involved. Fortunately we all know better! Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Revolution Ben Posted February 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 5, 2015 Hello all, I get the impression the NMRA in the US is quite good at this sort of thing, with 'bring a train to work' days and so on... Is this right? I don't think we have a comparable non-scale or era specific organisation here. Cheers Ben A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The general British public seems to accept and thrive on 'Stereotypes' these days, & we all subscribe to some of them. For example, I was recently told, when asked what I do for a living, that I couldn't possibly be a Truck Driver, as I am too thin... but don't talk to me about BMW drivers or Caravans..... Does it really need such promotion? The hobby's imminent demise has been predicted since well before I was born. It seems to be doing okay to me. If it wasn't, the Warley Show would now be held in a shed behind the Harry Mitchell Centre in Smethwick, rather than moving from there in the early '90s, & thriving at the NEC ever since..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickybtrains Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I usually promote the hobby by hosting open houses via my church. I also glady accept visitors who have heard about me trough the media. I have been featured in the local news papers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 This is a really interesting topic and one that pre-occupied my mind from 2003-2011 when I was involved in running my then local Club. When I took over as Chairman club membership was down to about 54/55 (from a high in the late 1980s of about 100) and the previous chairman had virtually said "there's nothing we can do, the hobby/club is slowly fading away, it's inevitable" ... I thought he may be right, but let's give it a shot. Just to explain that for historic reasons which are irrelevant the club does not hold an exhibition. So we could not attract members that way. So we built a couple of 'family friendly' layouts - Thomas and a Inglenook shunting puzzle - and we linked up with the local steam museum and for a year or so we attended all of their summer steam weekends with our new layouts and a s/h book stand. We then linked up with the local library and took our Thomas and our Inglenook and anything else we could fit in to the library on a Saturday every September. Doing things in the wider community got us publicity in the model press and the local press and as a result over that eight year period club membership rose to approx. 100 again (includes associates,country members etc) Then some members started saying 'why do we need more members?' and 'I don't want to help at the library any more' etc, etc and so when I left committee the Club's participation in such events dropped off and now four years later club membership is down to about 65 again..... mainly because the members lost through natural wastage have not been replaced by new recruits. Now, I accept that I am looking at this from one club's perspective, but what conclusions do I draw? 1. The days of people queuing up to join a club (or our hobby in general) are long gone 2. To attract new recruits to our hobby you need to move away from model railway shows in a complex on the outskirts of town - at model shows you are preaching to the converted - you need to take the hobby to the general public not the other way around. 3. Hobbies (in general) that do not reach out for converts will die - and the same for clubs within our hobby. 4. The NMRA (in the USA) lead the way with 'shopping mall' events - or at least they did when I was involved with US modelling some years ago - that is the sort of thing we need here. In my experience expanding a Club's membership or the hobby in general takes a lot of effort - you have to run very fast just to stand still - take your foot off the accelerator and you go backwards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymucklebackit Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The idea of the "Shopping Mall" events is a good one, especially if it could be tied in with a worthwhile local cause or charity, for example operate the layout continuously for a set number of hours and raise money by sponsorship, That sort of thing gets media attention and can have a positive spin off. Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The idea of the "Shopping Mall" events is a good one, Jim Interestingly I note our Club Committee have managed to secure an empty HMV shop unit in the Royal Priors Shopping Centre in Leamington Spa, during the Half-Term week, to promote the Club and Annual Exhibition. It will be interesting to see the feedback and results. I found a certain irony in the 'dying hobby' using the empty Temple to all things Hi-Tech and trendy. Sometimes the old school hobbies and interests just plod along like the Tortoise and the Hare, and win in the long term, (witness the popularity of those 'boring' old things like ballroom dancing, baking, sewing, and gardening), we just have to keep it in the Public Eye, and keep up with technology, to stay alive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 To me, a club with 65 members seems huge, let alone 100! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 .....why not have a test track at each exhibition (widely locally advertised well in advance inc. in schools) for e.g. a train to negotiate using only renewable energy. At mid day the entrants take turns to see whether their entry can stay on the track and reach the finish in a competitive time. Nothing like a bit of competition to bring the youngsters and their families in. Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 To me, a club with 65 members seems huge, let alone 100! I thought someone might say that ! 65 members does NOT mean 65 active members ... it includes a lot of country members we never see and I think 65 is somewhat optimistic now - we've had 3 deaths in the last 12 months and haven't managed to replace them yet.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Brasher Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I did put on a display at Swanage Library but I don't think we got many new members of the Purbeck Model Railway Group as a result. I think the public lost interest in model railways at the end of steam on British Railways and the Trainspotter film did an enormous amount of damage. We have only got 6 members in the Purbeck Model Railway Group but we are doing very well with the largest 0 gauge layout in the Country, an 00 gauge test track, a 00 scenic layout, an N gauge freelance layout and a Hornby Dublo layout. I think nearby clubs have too many members. The Wimborne Railway Society and the Wessex Group of the Hornby Collectors Association regularly have over 40 visitors and there is not enough room to move freely at their meetings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Colin_McLeod Posted February 5, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 5, 2015 In the late 1970s I got an article and photograph printed in the Belfast Telegraph about MIR's then new Hunslet kit. Also around the same time I was interviewed (sensibly) for three or four minutes on Ulster Televisions' evening news programme. I stil have the original 16mm ciné and separate sound tapes of the interview but no means of playing them again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnarcher Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 The general British public seems to accept and thrive on 'Stereotypes' these days, & we all subscribe to some of them. For example, I was recently told, when asked what I do for a living, that I couldn't possibly be a Truck Driver, as I am too thin... but don't talk to me about BMW drivers or Caravans..... Does it really need such promotion? The hobby's imminent demise has been predicted since well before I was born. It seems to be doing okay to me. If it wasn't, the Warley Show would now be held in a shed behind the Harry Mitchell Centre in Smethwick, rather than moving from there in the early '90s, & thriving at the NEC ever since..... I think I agree, after all other modelling hobbies (ships, military, aircraft) seem to continue quite happily, they have their occasional shows, but do they do extra events like those suggested? I'm not against the ideas, especially if a club needs new members to keep viable, but I wonder about the hobby 'dying' without them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I think I agree, after all other modelling hobbies (ships, military, aircraft) seem to continue quite happily, they have their occasional shows, but do they do extra events like those suggested? I'm not against the ideas, especially if a club needs new members to keep viable, but I wonder about the hobby 'dying' without them. If anyone needs proof that the hobby ( as a mass market hobby ) is dying then I suggest they visit the average model train exhibition and calculate the average age of the visitor ..... then add 10 years and see where we are. That's why I'm pressing ahead so fast with my latest exhibnition layout - whilst there are still exhibitions to take it to. Pessimistic NO, realistic YES Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 That only works if you are comparing the average age with an exhibition in the past, or future. By that reasoning you could say that old people's homes are a declining business l. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I'm not against the ideas, especially if a club needs new members to keep viable, but I wonder about the hobby 'dying' without them. Some have died, as a result of technology, I was in both Solihull Cine Society and South Birminghm Tape Club in the late 60's/early 70's, now both long gone, there's things like Marquetry and fretwork that went out of fashion, and then there are those hobbies that have 'withered' like slot car racing and Meccano, leaving a small core of followers. As long as we aren't complacent, and keep up with things like DCC, 3D printing, Wireless throttles etc, we should continue to survive as a hobby. If anyone needs proof that the hobby ( as a mass market hobby ) is dying then I suggest they visit the average model train exhibition and calculate the average age of the visitor ..... then add 10 years and see where we are. That's why I'm pressing ahead so fast with my latest exhibnition layout - whilst there are still exhibitions to take it to. Pessimistic NO, realistic YES They were saying that very same thing in 1980, I think it's always tended to be that way, it's as much to do with disposable income and free time, as anything, Clubs and Exhibitions have been populated by oldies ever since I was 'the lone young member' in a Club. I recall that back in the 80's the joke was 'What's long grey and smells of wee?' - The queue to get into the O Gauge Show. Scary to think that was 35 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnarcher Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I think the tape and cine examples are not so good an analogy, they were wedded to specific technologies that died for commercial reasons. I do think the comparison with other 'mainstream' modelling hobbies (ships etc) is more relevant, they may get bigger or smaller, use new technologies (laser-cutting etc) but continue. (Maybe not so 'mass market', but that's still not the same as dying out) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Stevenage Museum has an annual model railway day. It's like a mini-exhibition and free to enter. I have no idea how well it promotes the hobby, but it's been running for some years now so someone must think it worthwhile. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGC Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I half suspect the problem is the confidence of the person trying to tell people what their hobby is. How many of us have thought about telling people what our hobby is, only to decide we don't want to have the mickey taken out of etc.? I'm not ashamed of being interested in model railways, and when I show people pictures of what I do or the actual model, they almost invariably express surprise and occasionally interest as well. If all of us decide that we're proud to be railway modellers, perhaps the public perception might change? Phil Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter220950 Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I think the tape and cine examples are not so good an analogy, they were wedded to specific technologies that died for commercial reasons. I do think the comparison with other 'mainstream' modelling hobbies (ships etc) is more relevant, they may get bigger or smaller, use new technologies (laser-cutting etc) but continue. (Maybe not so 'mass market', but that's still not the same as dying out) But as members we didn't make films and sound programmes because it was on film and tape,it was the creative bit that was important, but the societies failed to adapt into video editing and digital sound recording and the club's died, there's no reason why clubs shouldn't have still existed, after all the camera clubs haven't died out following the demise of most film stock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnarcher Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 But as members we didn't make films and sound programmes because it was on film and tape,it was the creative bit that was important, but the societies failed to adapt into video editing and digital sound recording and the club's died, there's no reason why clubs shouldn't have still existed, after all the camera clubs haven't died out following the demise of most film stock. I take your point, yet surely there are people out there using current technologies to make films (Youtube?) and digital sound recording, the activity hasn't died even if those clubs did. I may be wrong it's not a subject I know a great deal about I freely admit. More generally, when it comes to attracting the 'public' I reckon you have to remember that the public includes a lot of various people, some might be attracted by Thomas, some by lots of r-t-r going round in circles, some by attractive scenery, some by craftsmanship in making things - however you try to reach the public it would probably be a good idea to try and give some impression of the breadth of the hobby. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEAMYAKIMA Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 They were saying that very same thing in 1980, I think it's always tended to be that way, it's as much to do with disposable income and free time, as anything, Clubs and Exhibitions have been populated by oldies ever since I was 'the lone young member' in a Club. I recall that back in the 80's the joke was 'What's long grey and smells of wee?' - The queue to get into the O Gauge Show. Scary to think that was 35 years ago. Yes, but back in the 1980s our club were attracting 5000 over a weekend show ..... our last show in 2011 attracted under 1000. The hobby has been kept alive in the last 10/15 years by returnees. That is people who had been in the hobby in their teens and now had returned after 40-50 years .... but soon we will get to the point where there are far fewer potential returnees because teenage take up in the late 1970s dropped off compared to the early 1960s People can't return to something they weren't involved with in the first place. Of course the hobby won't die out entirely, but it won't be mass market any more it will be niche - very niche. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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