Railfan interest among 18-35s

[railfan99]

In September 2022, I was at Great Central Railway for its wonderful Steam Gala on a Thursday.

Being a working day, most of the excellent number of patrons were 55 plus. No surprise there.

What's the level of interest among the 18-35 year old age range re railfanning, including but not limited to volunteering on heritage railways plus for mainline steam tours?

This age bracket has to earn a living as the priority, and often hasn't reached peak earning capacity that may be in their early to mid 40s, but some may have time, especially at weekends, for other pursuits.

Travelling on many of your heritage railways during two consecutive annual holidays, I noticed a few younger people volunteering, such as at East Lancs Railway, but many of my visits were on weekdays a la the GCR experience.

 

[renegademaster]

Notice quite a lot of often very young people out taking photos when i go on railtours. Even ones pulled by "boring" locos like 73s and sheds

 

[MrJeeves]

I mean I like the railway, but I'm also not going to spend £130 on some random railtour departing at early-o-clock or arriving at late-o-clock where I would also need to book a hotel on top of that.

I'll happily do things near me that I care about, such as joining the 313 farewell tour, but most of them are things I hold no nostalgia for.

 

[H&I]

Many younger railway enthusiasts I know are only interested in new and modern rolling stock, and have little appetite for heritage railways. Railtours of recently retired rolling stock such as the Class 315 and CrossCountry HST farewell tours are the exception and have a lot of interest from younger enthusiasts. Younger people do not hold the same nostalgia that older people do, our experiences of the railway are just different. When we grow old ourselves, I am sure we will hold nostalgia for the Class 700s and Class 345s of today, just as older people have nostalgia for the steam engines in their childhood.

 

[MrJeeves]

When we grow old ourselves, I am sure we will hold nostalgia for the Class 700s and Class 345s of today, just as older people have nostalgia do for the steam engines in their childhood.

Very much this... I'm sure I'll be on the railtour for the last 377/387/700 (if they can fill up a 12 coach 700, even better!)

 

[paul1609]

At the K&ESR we do have quite a few younger volunteers. It's also a generational thing. We have a lot of father and son/ daughter or Grandparent & Grandchildren. Our marketing manger is the Grand daughter of the guard of the last br passenger train.

 

[Iskra]

I agree, younger 18-35 enthusiasts are less fixated on steam. I am in that age group and steam galas do not particularly appeal due to the clientele (and volume of people) they are likely to attract.

However, there is still a good population. I notice that when I travel on railtours, steam or diesel, there are a lot of 16-35’s at stations or along the line with cameras.

I think interest among the 16-35 age bracket is healthy, but it engages with the hobby in a different way (on the mainline and the internet) and this is sometimes mistaken for being absent by more traditional enthusiasts.

 

[Rail Quest]

What's the level of interest among the 18-35 year old age range re railfanning, including but not limited to volunteering on heritage railways plus for mainline steam tours?

I'm in this age range, joining the hobby in my early teens. I honestly think the amount of interest in my generation in the railways is quite good. Youtube particularly seems to have assisted an entire generation of younger enthusiasts in developing their interests by posting footage online and getting a small following because of it. Its also worth noting that the particular "specialist" interests of this generation of railfans is quite different to the older generation, with more people seemingly into newer trains. The exception is of course the post-modernisation diesels which my generation is passionately into!

The volunteering at heritage railways point is a tricky one for me. Personally, being mid-apprenticeship, I'm put off the idea of making such a commitment until I finish my studies and I can imagine a lot of people, certainly in the younger half of that age range, are in the same boat. Hopefully, the younger generation of railfans will translate into volunteers as I intend to do come a specific age.

 

[12LDA28C]

I mean I like the railway, but I'm also not going to spend £130 on some random railtour departing at early-o-clock or arriving at late-o-clock where I would also need to book a hotel on top of that.

Some haulage cranks I know are happy to do exactly that. Depends how keen you are I suppose.

 

[gwr2818]

I am 14 years old, with a keen interest in steam, diesel and electric, with steam and heritage railways top of the list. I have visited many heritage railways, but do not get much of an opportunity to see mainline steam living on the London, Tilbury and Southend route. I own 4 Mamod steam engines, and volunteer at a miniature steam railway, being a qualified guard/steam shunter.

 

[railfan99]

I'm in this age range, joining the hobby in my early teens. I honestly think the amount of interest in my generation in the railways is quite good.

The volunteering at heritage railways point is a tricky one for me. Personally, being mid-apprenticeship, I'm put off the idea of making such a commitment until I finish my studies and I can imagine a lot of people, certainly in the younger half of that age range, are in the same boat. Hopefully, the younger generation of railfans will translate into volunteers as I intend to do come a specific age.

Eminently reasonable. Your apprenticeship and future career comes first, along with having a family (assuming that's what you may do).

Very well done. Overseas visitors like me are perhaps 0.1 per cent of the passenger numbers on heritage railways (if that) but appreciate the good intention of future probable commitment. Just don't get burnt out too early.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I mean I like the railway, but I'm also not going to spend £130 on some random railtour departing at early-o-clock or arriving at late-o-clock where I would also need to book a hotel on top of that.

Some haulage cranks I know are happy to do exactly that. Depends how keen you are I suppose.

Isn't discretionary income (or the lack thereof) a factor which perhaps particularly affects the 18-35 age demographic?

 

[railfan99]

I am 14 years old, with a keen interest in steam, diesel and electric, with steam and heritage railways top of the list. I have visited many heritage railways...and volunteer at a miniature steam railway, being a qualified guard/steam shunter.

Appropriate. Take things slowly, finish school, go to uni/obtain an apprenticeship or job and achieve much else then (if it suits) eventually volunteer at your most liked/closest heritage railway.

 

[stuu]

As a general point there definitely seems to be a lot more acceptance of more niche interests these days amongst teenagers and older. My stepson is 24 now and did some volunteering although work is all consuming now... admitting to liking trains would have been a social death when I was a teenager

 

[12LDA28C]

Isn't discretionary income (or the lack thereof) a factor which perhaps particularly affects the 18-35 age demographic?

I would say so, certainly. As a generalisation you're more likely to see young enthusiasts riding around on service trains, spotting on platforms or appearing on preserved lines at Diesel Galas than spending large sums on railtours that may require overnight accommodation before and/or after.

As a general point there definitely seems to be a lot more acceptance of more niche interests these days amongst teenagers and older. My stepson is 24 now and did some volunteering although work is all consuming now... admitting to liking trains would have been a social death when I was a teenager

A certain Mr 'Francis Bourgeois' seems to be responsible for generating alot of interest in railways amongst the younger generation. If train spotting and general enthusiasm for rail is more acceptable these days, maybe he has something to do with it?

 

[david l]

Plenty younger ones present at the ELR a week last Saturday at the diesel day, apparently Francis Bourgeois was there with some form of entourage........

 

[4SubAsociation]

Ok. As i fit in this category. I will fill in each category (born 1991).

My interest in trains - started when i was very young, i lived very near the RHDR, within 45mins of the KESR. Visited quite a few preserved railways etc. Favourite steam train is the Lner a4 and have subsquently driven two of them. The electric stuff started around the early 2010s. I remember getting the clan line dvd mentioning about a particular EMU and thats what got me interested.

Voluenteering - I started voluenteering late 2015/2016 for one group which i left around 2019. During this time i made contact with another group which they took interest in me and offered the opportunity to be come the sales officer (4SUB Association) which i duly accepted and has been quite a journey for sure. Also getting involved with some of the items also previously based at Electric railway musuem (Class 457, 2EPB 6307 etc). Also in some respects i have found voluenteering for the group i am in way more rewarding than voluenteering elsewhere, this is due to the fact if i was not doing the Sales Officer role, who else would? (we are looking for a extra person to man the stand with me but so far not had any offers so far).

The groups i am - The group involved with 2EPB 6307 has at least 4 members under the age of 35 including myself which makes most of the regulars. We do have the odd other person help us out too. The 4SUB is myself who is the youngest and i have never ridden on the SUB.

Plenty younger ones present at the ELR a week last Saturday at the diesel day, apparently Francis Bourgeois was there with some form of entourage........

It was similar on the 313 tour. Apperently booked a whole carriage out from what i was informed.

 

[43066]

would say so, certainly. As a generalisation you're more likely to see young enthusiasts riding around on service trains, spotting on platforms or appearing on preserved lines at Diesel Galas than spending large sums on railtours that may require overnight accommodation before and/or after.

Agreed. Traditional spotting/photting is predominantly done by younger people on my patch.

 

[30907]

The KWVR has a decent number of younger adults, though I would guess 18-25 more than 25-35 (unsurprisingly). It helps being near an urban area with good public transport.

 

[MrJeeves]

It was similar on the 313 tour. Apperently booked a whole carriage out from what i was informed.

No, he sat in the staff section which comprised of about 10 seats in the rear of one of the coaches.

 

[alexl92]

Many younger railway enthusiasts I know are only interested in new and modern rolling stock, and have little appetite for heritage railways. Railtours of recently retired rolling stock such as the Class 315 and CrossCountry HST farewell tours are the exception and have a lot of interest from younger enthusiasts. Younger people do not hold the same nostalgia that older people do, our experiences of the railway are just different. When we grow old ourselves, I am sure we will hold nostalgia for the Class 700s and Class 345s of today, just as older people have nostalgia for the steam engines in their childhood.

I don’t entirely agree with this - looking at the pages I follow on Instagram, there is still a really healthy interest in Steam. Maybe it’s partly geography, as I know very few people who hold a ‘crank’ interest in Northern’s DMU fleet but the 800s are enjoyed by some.

Being within the age bracket mentioned, almost everyone I know who is an enthusiast Is someone I met through the community or through my job at a TOC;I probably only have one or friends who I met outside these two criteria that are into trains.

As for volunteering, I am dying to get involved but it’s just never happened. I went to University in Huddersfield where there wasn’t a standard gauge Heritage Railway locally and at that stage my interest was only just reigniting. After that there was really only a two-year period where I probably could have but I had major health scare, then once my then-girlfriend-now-wife stopped working a weekend job, my weekends suddenly became busy - try telling someone who’s finally got their Saturdays back after 4 years that you’d rather be polishing a steam loco than spending the time with them!!

Married life, Covid and now fatherhood mean the time to volunteer just doesnt exist and won’t for a good number of years. i hope I don’t miss the chance altogether.

 

[LBMPSB]

The problem with the "hobby" these days is everything is so expensive. Everything railway related, from modelling to Heritage Tours, even just travelling on a National train. The locations of Heritage (preserved) railways are not ideal for many enthusiasts, you need a car or decent public transport to get to them. And that is not their fault, it is just the nature of the location. Also in this society of having to work all hours under the sun to be able to afford to have a place to live in, the last thing a youngster (18-35) will have time for is volunteering to work for a Heritage railway. Also if they have a family, money gets tighter.

I wanted to use my spare time helping out a Heritage Railway, but there are none near me. Besides most of my awake time was doing overtime to be able to afford to live. Having retired now, I still cannot devote time to a Heritage Railway as the nearest one is over seventy miles away. Train travel is expensive, and whilst I live alongside the ECML, I now devote my time to researching Railway History. It is the only way I can afford to still enjoy the railway hobby. Gone are the days when you could travel cheaply, pick up a copy of Ian Allan ABC or even a Platform 5 version for a couple of quid, stand on the end of a platform without some security guard threatening you.

I do belong to several Railway association/societies, which also struggle for membership. But even at my age of 61 I find them to be full of old men stuck in their ways and make the societies quite boring and uninviting. So someone aged 18 -35 would too.

There have been several instances recently of societies/model clubs/ Heritage Railways, etc succumbing to the lack of younger enthusiasts coming forward to take over from aging members. This will result in loss of skills that can only be passed down from the older generation to youngsters to carry on.

Society has changed, cost of living, lack of free time, lack of spare income, something has to take a fall. Times change. There will always be an interest in railways, be it modelling, Heritage or modern railways, but participation will only be for those who can afford it. I remember my dad taking me to the Bluebell Railway in the late 1960s, it was a cheap day out. Today to take a family out on a Hertagae line costs a lot of money, but then so does going to the cinema.

 

[duncombec]

I think interest among the 16-35 age bracket is healthy, but it engages with the hobby in a different way (on the mainline and the internet) and this is sometimes mistaken for being absent by more traditional enthusiasts.

I look at this from a bus enthusiasm perspective rather than rails, but I think this sums up the situation perfectly. All too often we hear claims that younger people "aren't interested", when what it actually meant is "not interested in the same things I am".

Perhaps the situation is different on rail, but I'm always minded to ask those interested in "proper" buses (usually meaning post-war to National Bus Company) what their interest is in Village Carriers, or Charabancs... usually not very much. In the same vein, are those of you interested in "real steam" interested in what you recall, or the Victorian era? Would you be so keen to ride a steam railway if it was an open truck carriage in the pouring rain?

In my experience, people tend to be most enthusiastic about what they remember from their childhood, schooldays, etc., - I'm just outside that age bracket, and I like a ride on a good steam railway, because it was one of our "go to" holiday activities as a child (not least because of the 'connection' to a certain Rev W. Awdry character that was compulsory TV viewing...). Gala days, by contrast, leave me more than a little cold.

 

[31160]

In my experience, people tend to be most enthusiastic about what they remember from their childhood, schooldays, etc., - I'm just outside that age bracket, and I like a ride on a good steam railway, because it was one of our "go to" holiday activities as a child (not least because of the 'connection' to a certain Rev W. Awdry character that was compulsory TV viewing...). Gala days, by contrast, leave me more than a little cold.
[/QUOTE]

Fully agree with that,I'm only really interested in what I saw when I was in school (mid 80s) and I'm really not too concerned about the modern stuff now although I do part take in railtours and galas, but the younger guys,and the occasional gal filming everything that moves running around filming pendalinoes isn't my idea of a good time but more power to us I say

 

[Rail Quest]

In my experience, people tend to be most enthusiastic about what they remember from their childhood, schooldays,

I'd definitely agree with this. I am a bit of an exception as pacers were the only thing I remember when growing up, and I bloody hate those rust buckets

 

[The exile]

Isn't discretionary income (or the lack thereof) a factor which perhaps particularly affects the 18-35 age demographic?

And control over your own free time…

I'd definitely agree with this. I am a bit of an exception as pacers were the only thing I remember when growing up, and I bloody hate those rust buckets

Seconded (though not about the pacers…). It’s not just the traction - there can’t be many 30 year olds even who remember long rides on the “real railway” in Mk 1s (railtours apart) and certainly not the distinctive smells and sounds of steam heat!
Making myself feel old now….

 

[Mat17]

I'm a little above that age bracket, not by much mind. I can't say I had more than a passing interest in steam, and then mostly as an historical thing - certainly no nostalgia for it.

My era of interest is totally neglected. Basically if it's an EMU or DMU and it's got doors that slam, I like it - preferably in Blue/Grey. Power door stock, I have zero interest, hated Sprinters when they were new, still hate them now.

There's many young people with a keen interest in the modern era though and heritage railways will get the old 'uns their steam fix. Anyone who likes the 70s/80s though, well I guess there just aren't enough of us. I suspect our era will be skipped when the 170s etc get preserved.

 

[H&I]

I don’t entirely agree with this - looking at the pages I follow on Instagram, there is still a really healthy interest in Steam. Maybe it’s partly geography, as I know very few people who hold a ‘crank’ interest in Northern’s DMU fleet but the 800s are enjoyed by some.

Being within the age bracket mentioned, almost everyone I know who is an enthusiast Is someone I met through the community or through my job at a TOC;I probably only have one or friends who I met outside these two criteria that are into trains.

As for volunteering, I am dying to get involved but it’s just never happened. I went to University in Huddersfield where there wasn’t a standard gauge Heritage Railway locally and at that stage my interest was only just reigniting. After that there was really only a two-year period where I probably could have but I had major health scare, then once my then-girlfriend-now-wife stopped working a weekend job, my weekends suddenly became busy - try telling someone who’s finally got their Saturdays back after 4 years that you’d rather be polishing a steam loco than spending the time with them!!

Married life, Covid and now fatherhood mean the time to volunteer just doesnt exist and won’t for a good number of years. i hope I don’t miss the chance altogether.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with this. The problem of a lack of younger volunteers on heritage railways has been highlighted before, such as in this Telegraph article:

Britain's heritage railways are in danger of running out of steam unless younger drivers can be replace aging ones as bosses revealed a pressing need for "new blood".

British heritage lines have called for younger volunteers to replace aging drivers on the brink of retirement.

The Swanage Railway in Dorset - one of the biggest heritage lines in the country - needs to find 40 drivers over the next five years to fill the gap.

The attraction has 42 drivers but the majority are aged 60 or above and are likely to step down in the coming years.

While the retirements will be phased, the railway must act now as training a new steam driver can take at least five years.

David Rawsthorn, of the Swanage Railway, said: "We have 42 drivers, the youngest is 27-years-old, and the oldest, still fit as a fiddle, is 79.

"We need seven or eight new drivers every year for the next five to ten years to cope with drivers retiring.

The not-for-profit company has been operating since the late 1970s and has a small number of paid staff, more than 500 volunteers and attracts 200,000 visitors a year.

Despite the increased interest in steam trains, with heritage lines attracting over 13 million visitors a year, other services have admitted that they too are suffering from an aging workmanship.

It may be a London thing, but most young adults interested in the railway I know of hold more interest in modern traction and infrastructure than steam and old diesel locomotives. I don't go to that many heritage railway events myself, but when I went to the Bournemouth Belle CrossCountry HST farewell tour on the Swanage Railway, I noticed how few young adults there were. Many older train enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts were there for the ride, and younger parents were there to accompany their children. Still, there were relatively few younger adults who showed an interest in the trains.

 

[cce]

In my experience, people tend to be most enthusiastic about what they remember from their childhood, schooldays, etc.

I'm 41. I like 47s in trainload freight schemes, Swallow HSTs, NSE and Large logo class 50s etc etc. That seems to track for me. Although aged about 8 i was incredibly disappointed to catch a 37 and Mk1s instead of the expected sprinter. That part i've definitely got over.

Steam locos are interesting in an academic sense, but it's the stuff from when i was 11 i love seeing.

 

[sprinterguy]

My era of interest is totally neglected. Basically if it's an EMU or DMU and it's got doors that slam, I like it - preferably in Blue/Grey. Power door stock, I have zero interest, hated Sprinters when they were new, still hate them now.

There's many young people with a keen interest in the modern era though and heritage railways will get the old 'uns their steam fix. Anyone who likes the 70s/80s though, well I guess there just aren't enough of us. I suspect our era will be skipped when the 170s etc get preserved.

The East Lancs Railway seem to cater quite well for that time period, with their DMU galas and diesel galas that usually incorporate their period DMU stock - I had a lovely time pottering about on their 104 and 105 units last November, and I'm fortunate that it's my nearest standard gauge heritage line.

There certainly seems to be a fairly significant ground swell of enthusiasm for the seventies and eighties era of BR as far as I can see, from the conversations I've had over the years and represented through the pictorial collections of that era published in book form in growing numbers in recent times (which seem to sell). Though representing what could be considered the 'wilderness years' of BR on a regular basis in preserved form probably isn't seen as desirable as the "chocolate box" representations of an imagined 1950s.