Will the number of rail enthusiasts decline in the coming years?

DJ_K666 · 23 Apr 2022

I think there will definitely be new blood but later on the tastes will change, as class 66s and 67s become 'heritage' (Ye gods no...) and whatever replaces them will then be current. But they'll always come through, as will people wanting to model the current scene of the day. I still think of the blue era as Modern Image even though it was over 30 odd years ago. That said anythiing post privatisation is of no interest to me, to someone else it might be fascinating. Current scene and all that.

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S-Car-Go · 23 Apr 2022

ABB125 said:
Or does this sound little far-fetched?

Sounds a bit too real

Maybe they could do an exhibition to show how current British-assembled trains are the new British Leyland.

Bald Rick said:
why not?
the pointy end of a Shinkansen 0 series train was displayed at the NRM for some years 20 years ago.

Ah yea true. It's still there. I suppose an IET is a later generation bullet train too.

Runningaround said:
Pendolino maybe as it's iconic

I suppose it is for some. It's not a run-of-the-mill EMU.

AFAIK the class 92 was the last loco type built for BR, and complicated beast. Would look good on display I think.

DJ_K666 · 23 Apr 2022

S-Car-Go said:
Sounds a bit too real Maybe they could do an exhibition to show how current British-assembled trains are the new British Leyland.

Ah yea true. It's still there. I suppose an IET is a later generation bullet train too.

I suppose it is for some. It's not a run-of-the-mill EMU.

AFAIK the class 92 was the last loco type built for BR, and complicated beast. Would look good on display I think.

The 92 sounds a lot like its hoovering the track. At least, the one that passes through Rugby on the Callie each morning does.

03_179 · 23 Apr 2022

At Stratfor today for the 37 and new 720/6.

A mix of spotters ... about 8 or so "older generation" like myself and about 6 or so under 21s.

Great to see the mix of people.

Bald Rick · 23 Apr 2022

03_179 said:
At Stratfor today for the 37 and new 720/6.

A mix of spotters ... about 8 or so "older generation" like myself and about 6 or so under 21s.

Great to see the mix of people.

that sounds like you’ve been spotter spotting.

03_179 · 23 Apr 2022

Bald Rick said:
that sounds like you’ve been spotter spotting.

I have managed to tick a few off LOL

Western Sunset · 23 Apr 2022

I feel that YouTube has really turned around the enthusiast "market", bringing in so many younger followers now. Indeed, I think that taking videos and making blogs has become "cool" and so trains have become "cool" again too. I see more taking videos than taking photos now. Nothing wrong with that, though I must admit that the quality of most YouTube videos I see (with some notable exceptions) are pretty poor and "samey" - train approaches, pan as the train passes, and shakey zoom into disappearing train.

Alanko · 23 Apr 2022

03_179 said:
At Stratfor today for the 37 and new 720/6.

A mix of spotters ... about 8 or so "older generation" like myself and about 6 or so under 21s.

Great to see the mix of people.

The spotter community I see on Facebook and Instagram makes me feel old at 33! I sometimes barely understand their posts, in-jokes, etc. There are a lot of teenagers in the hobby, travelling around extensively to snap specific workings.

I've noticed a lot of reverence for heritage diesel traction, from guys who definitely weren't there 'the first time'. Maybe slightly less reverence for steam locos, or perhaps that is confirmation bias on my part.

ABB125 · 23 Apr 2022

I wonder if that could become a new hobby - spotter spotting?

Plenty of "units" to tick off for sight, "talkage" etc. Almost 69 million! It would probably take a lifetime to clear everyone...

Western Sunset · 24 Apr 2022

RealTimeSpotters here we come... I'll be "on shed" at home tomorrow.

Strathclyder · 24 Apr 2022

Alanko said:
I've noticed a lot of reverence for heritage diesel traction, from guys who definitely weren't there 'the first time'. Maybe slightly less reverence for steam locos, or perhaps that is confirmation bias on my part.

I fall into this latter bracket age-wise (26) where most of the heritage/classic diesels I hold quite a lot of personal reverence for (20s, 37s, 40s, 55s and 56s, though there are a few others like the HSTs, Claytons, Peaks, Rats/McRats, Duffs, Peds, Western Region hydraulics and ofc the early mainline prototypes) are at least twice my age; for a bit of reference, I was born 19 years and a month after the first Class 56 entered service and didn't see one 'in the metal' until I was 21 in 2017. Perhaps I can thank (blame?) YouTube for my level of interest in heritage diesels, somewhat in line with what @Western Sunset said in post #277. Lost count of the number of Deltic, Tractor and Grid videos I've watched over there and how many times I've watched them lol

I prefer diesel overall over steam, whether or not that has to do with my age I don't know. That's not to say I turn my nose completely up at steam - pre-grouping designs and the BR Standards fascinate me, to say nothing of what other countries have to offer - I just have a significantly higher level of active interest in diesels; they appeal to me more on a visceral level. Of course, this isn't indicative of what other spotters in my age group are interested in, at all. If you were to ask a wider number of enthusiasts in my age group what part of this hobby interests them the most, the answers you'd get would vary widely as it would in most other age groups. This is part of the reason why I think the number of rail enthusiasts overall won't decline. Sure, there will be changes as we have already seen and have discussed at length here, but the overall numbers will either remain steady or steadily increase.

HST43257 · 24 Apr 2022

I’ll say what I think on this matter. Everything below is a summary of my thoughts and it is msot certainly not exactly what others will feel.

So I’m 15. I am into railway photography, mainline and heritage. I was brought up with a large interest in steam, and I’ve more recently started to grow my interest in diesel locos. I have a group of friends who live locally and share my interest and we travel and attend various rail events together.

So is there a decline in enthusiasts? No, however they are different to what some see as the stereotypical trainspotter or enthusiasts. There is a much higher focus on photography and videography, and much less standing with a notepad. However, many young enthusiasts including myself still like to note our traction and sighted locos. A lot of content is posted on the likes of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Flickr, some of which have large communities building and connecting all different young enthusiasts. There is a large presence of enthusiasts of my age at diesel galas, and less so at steam galas usually (younger kids with parents I find). With less loco hauled and slam door stock, mainline interest is dropping as units are, for many, less interesting.

Will the number of enthusiasts decline in the future? I think so, yes. Pathing issues and trespassing are pushing charters off the mainline. Coal issues seem likely to stop or at least heavily limit steam altogether in the not too distant future. Diesel interest will eventually go away I reckon, mainly given the fact that a time will come where diesel locos won’t be coming off the mainline and into preservation (because of electrification etc), and I hope that there won’t be Azuma preservation in 30 years time.

Western Sunset · 24 Apr 2022

You lot are making me feel old! The Standard 9F 2-10-0s were only first starting to enter service the year I was born...

Matey · 24 Apr 2022

Western Sunset said:
You lot are making me feel old! The Standard 9F 2-10-0s were only first starting to enter service the year I was born...

Young whipper-snapper! ...........The year that I was born they were thinking about putting elderly steam locos due for retirement into a war reserve and dusting off the plans for government control of the railways.

Railwaysceptic · 24 Apr 2022

Western Sunset said:
I feel that YouTube has really turned around the enthusiast "market", bringing in so many younger followers now. Indeed, I think that taking videos and making blogs has become "cool" and so trains have become "cool" again too. I see more taking videos than taking photos now. Nothing wrong with that, though I must admit that the quality of most YouTube videos I see (with some notable exceptions) are pretty poor and "samey" - train approaches, pan as the train passes, and shakey zoom into disappearing train.

Don't forget the enormous, distorting zoom at the train approaches. I just wish these amateur photographers would ignore the zoom capability.

Western Sunset said:
You lot are making me feel old! The Standard 9F 2-10-0s were only first starting to enter service the year I was born...

You missed out, being so young. 9Fs in action were something to see. One of my favourite locomotives alongside A4s and the rebuilt Merchant Navy,

XCTurbostar · 24 Apr 2022

Western Sunset said:
I feel that YouTube has really turned around the enthusiast "market", bringing in so many younger followers now. Indeed, I think that taking videos and making blogs has become "cool" and so trains have become "cool" again too. I see more taking videos than taking photos now. Nothing wrong with that, though I must admit that the quality of most YouTube videos I see (with some notable exceptions) are pretty poor and "samey" - train approaches, pan as the train passes, and shakey zoom into disappearing train.

I must admit that a phone on a tripod over the yellow line really grinds my gears..
I would also say that the attitude of station staff towards spotters (ticket barriers in particular) haven’t helped to sell it as a hobby.

Runningaround · 24 Apr 2022

It's funny when they pan round and catch a spotter pretending he's not one, slyly glancing at the number, turning away and sneakily writing it down and not even watching the train their spotting that's worse than just watching through a lense.
It's even better when they catch those demanding their space on the platform to have a clear view of the train. Shame the cameraman didn't pan round or the guy having a look didn't tell them where to go with a picture of them.
I'm certain the ''Get out of the way'' lot are forum members.

XCTurbostar said:
I must admit that a phone on a tripod over the yellow line really grinds my gears..
I would also say that the attitude of station staff towards spotters (ticket barriers in particular) haven’t helped to sell it as a hobby.

Cause they are a pain when they block platforms when normal people are there to catch trains.

Neptune · 24 Apr 2022

XCTurbostar said:
I must admit that a phone on a tripod over the yellow line really grinds my gears..
I would also say that the attitude of station staff towards spotters (ticket barriers in particular) haven’t helped to sell it as a hobby.

Probably because they’re fed up of people with phones on a tripod over the yellow line.

If I ever get recommended anything on YouTube that was the word ‘tone’ or ‘tones’ or worse still ‘tonez’ in the title I click on not interested.

There’s nothing worse than someone screaming like a banshee because the drivers blasted the horn. I find it a bit weird to be honest.

About 90% of railway stuff on YouTube I find unwatchable.

MrTurbostar170 · 24 Apr 2022

I'm not really a fan of constant commentary on videos.

I've also had someone comment on one of my videos recently "Where are the horns?", as I am not one of those people who wave my arms around at the end of the platform asking for them.

Western Sunset · 24 Apr 2022

I don't bother writing down numbers anymore and taking videos has never appealed to me. Also, I'm tending towards black/white shots rather than colour now...

greyman42 · 24 Apr 2022

Runningaround said:
It's even better when they catch those demanding their space on the platform to have a clear view of the train.

There were a couple of them at York on 20 April for the double header 37s excursion. They seem to think that they can order the public around as to where they can stand and then seem to get rather heated when the public rightly take no notice of them.

XCTurbostar · 24 Apr 2022

Runningaround said:
Cause they are a pain when they block platforms when normal people are there to catch trains.

I agree with you and this is probably the reason most choose to be near the ends of platforms.

Neptune said:
Probably because they’re fed up of people with phones on a tripod over the yellow line.

If I ever get recommended anything on YouTube that was the word ‘tone’ or ‘tones’ or worse still ‘tonez’ in the title I click on not interested.

There’s nothing worse than someone screaming like a banshee because the drivers blasted the horn. I find it a bit weird to be honest.

About 90% of railway stuff on YouTube I find unwatchable.

I have been told to leave several stations because someone else decided that placing the leg of a tripod over the yellow line with a phone on it, was a good idea.
I never use a tripod for my videoing, unless you're doing something commercial, the way I see it, there is never a need.

MrTurbostar170 said:
I'm not really a fan of constant commentary on videos.

I've also had someone comment on one of my videos recently "Where are the horns?", as I am not one of those people who wave my arms around at the end of the platform asking for them.

Watching someone do it is a bit cringe sometimes as well..

GodAtum · 24 Apr 2022

IMO I think rude and difficult security staff are forcing rail enthusiasts out of stations and deterring new enthusiasts.

43096 · 24 Apr 2022

MrTurbostar170 said:
I've also had someone comment on one of my videos recently "Where are the horns?", as I am not one of those people who wave my arms around at the end of the platform asking for them.

The correct answer to that being "They're on the roof/underneath the front end/wherever."

youngiecj · 24 Apr 2022

Western Sunset said:
I feel that YouTube has really turned around the enthusiast "market", bringing in so many younger followers now. Indeed, I think that taking videos and making blogs has become "cool" and so trains have become "cool" again too. I see more taking videos than taking photos now. Nothing wrong with that, though I must admit that the quality of most YouTube videos I see (with some notable exceptions) are pretty poor and "samey" - train approaches, pan as the train passes, and shakey zoom into disappearing train.

Absolutely spot on, my boys are the same. Watch YouTube all the time and are more interested in filming than riding on the trains. The 40 tour last week surprised me how many parents were supervising young kids with tablets all over the route filming.

crosscity · 25 Apr 2022

Between 1975 and 1977, I was lucky enough to witness the end of the Westerns and the end of steam in West Germany. Both BR and DB were fantastic railways, but very different in style and operations. Thousands followed the end of the Westerns, but I hardly saw anyone showing any interest in Germany.

Roll on to now, and I am digitising and sharing the 2000 or so slides I took in the seventies. What's surprised me is how much interest the Germans are showing in my photos of German steam. It's clear there were a few German enthusiasts around at the time, but there were even more in the 80's and 90's, when there were only electrics and diesels. My own view is that modellers, retired railway workers and enthusiasts (in that order) are the ones showing the interest. This is not scientific, but is based on the comments and profiles of those who like my photos. (My photos are on Flickr and various relevant Facebook Groups).

To answer the original question, I think there will always be a modelling fraternity driving interest in railways. Making things and getting them to work can be very therapeutic and a great way of relieving stress. Not only that but research will take up time before you even start. I'm not a modeller, but I can see the attraction. I tried it when I was younger but decided the railway in 1:1 scale was more my thing.

Runningaround · 25 Apr 2022

crosscity said:
Between 1975 and 1977, I was lucky enough to witness the end of the Westerns and the end of steam in West Germany. Both BR and DB were fantastic railways, but very different in style and operations. Thousands followed the end of the Westerns, but I hardly saw anyone showing any interest in Germany.

Roll on to now, and I am digitising and sharing the 2000 or so slides I took in the seventies. What's surprised me is how much interest the Germans are showing in my photos of German steam. It's clear there were a few German enthusiasts around at the time, but there were even more in the 80's and 90's, when there were only electrics and diesels. My own view is that modellers, retired railway workers and enthusiasts (in that order) are the ones showing the interest. This is not scientific, but is based on the comments and profiles of those who like my photos. (My photos are on Flickr and various relevant Facebook Groups).

To answer the original question, I think there will always be a modelling fraternity driving interest in railways. Making things and getting them to work can be very therapeutic and a great way of relieving stress. Not only that but research will take up time before you even start. I'm not a modeller, but I can see the attraction. I tried it when I was younger but decided the railway in 1:1 scale was more my thing.

I wonder why warmer countries don't partake in boring/nerdy hobbies as much? Is it the climate meaning there's beaches and sports to do on your days off or are they just not interested in activities where you cannot influence the subject or know the result before you go, at least watching sport you can encourage your side and you have an opposition.

crosscity · 25 Apr 2022

Runningaround said:
...boring/nerdy hobbies...

Anyone with a hobby is not going to consider it boring, else why would you do it? They might think of it as nerdy, though.

Islineclear3_1 · 25 Apr 2022

Western Sunset said:
I feel that YouTube has really turned around the enthusiast "market", bringing in so many younger followers now. Indeed, I think that taking videos and making blogs has become "cool" and so trains have become "cool" again too. I see more taking videos than taking photos now. Nothing wrong with that, though I must admit that the quality of most YouTube videos I see (with some notable exceptions) are pretty poor and "samey" - train approaches, pan as the train passes, and shakey zoom into disappearing train.

I suppose for the youngsters, it's getting "that" video and being the first to post it online.

But when I was young, the quality of my photos weren't great either; partly due to poor camera choices/little money/inexperience but at least back then the internet didn't exist to exhibit my poor work

Runningaround · 25 Apr 2022

crosscity said:
Anyone with a hobby is not going to consider it boring, else why would you do it? They might think of it as nerdy, though.

I asked why do some countries find interest in what are boring hobbies when others don't? Greece arrested some plane spotters as they couldn't believe someone would travel there to watch passenger planes all day.

Writing numbers down of things that look the same is seen as so weird that even ''Enthusiasts'' have deemed to categorise themselves into groups to distance themselves from a 'Spotter''.
I don't think that those under 25 actually give a damn about what group they are or called, maybe that's why you see many of them, they aren't hiding like the 30 - 50 year olds do.

Will the number of rail enthusiasts decline in the coming years?

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