Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association

[Condor7]

In the previous issue of Railway Magazine a father asked if there was a railway club for youngsters as his young son was mad on trains.
To my surprise in the latest issue there is a response from the above organization giving details of what they do and their website http://www.yrea.org.uk
This is for all young rail enthusiasts up to the age of 26 (the age when a young persons rail card expires)

I certainly have not been aware of any such organisation, despite being a reader of several railway publications over many years, so am guessing it is not red hot on publicising itself.

Has anyone else on here hear of it, and more importantly is there anyone under 26 who is a member, or with children who are members?

It would be interesting to know how good it is, as I have often thought that the hobby was desperately in need of something to promote the railways amongst the young.

In a recent editorial of Railway Magazine they were expressing their concern over the fact that despite an increase in sales, they were also aware that the average age of their subscribers was increasing and that inevitably the numbers would decrease as time goes on.

In the above case it was a father wanting it for his son, and there must be a lot of fathers on this site who may want to offer it to their children.
In my case, and I am sure many others, it would be grand children.

A loco spotters book, and a subscription to a good young persons rail club would make an excellent present for my grandson I know that much.

 

[transportphoto]

The lead manager of the forum is on here, I'll alert him to the thread now via Twitter.

I'm a member by the way

TP

 

[TGVDUDE]

I'm a member, but the amount of conversation about the railways is not as big as on here for example

 

[HST Power]

I'm a member, but the amount of conversation about the railways is not as big as on here for example

Exactly right.

The last time I heard they were looking at revamping it (I think advertising was on table) but the problem at the YREA isn't that they haven't got enough members, it's that they haven't got enough content to keep the members coming back.

If you want quizzes and the opportunity to socialise it's a good forum, but if you want railway news, debate etc. this is the place to be. Even if it can get a bit heated around here sometimes!

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I'm a member, but the amount of conversation about the railways is not as big as on here for example

Seconded. (I recognised your avatar on that forumand wondered where I had seen it )

I too am a member and it is a great place to talk to people the same or similar age. It is still a good little forum though, it's sort of an alternative to this one in terms of what to post as in if the audience for it may be for people of a younger age, similar to myself.

 

[MK Tom]

Just joined. I'm not expecting to 'frequent' it the way I do here, frankly as a university student with a job and approximately fifty five thousand other major interests outside railways I really don't have the time for more than one forum! But it seems like a good way to socialise and get to know people, so I thought I'd give it a go.

 

[HSTChris]

Good morning guys I'm Chris - I don't show my face much on these forums these days, but I Manage the Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association in my spare time and sent in that letter.

The YREA is still quite small. The community has grown since we launched in May 2010 and we currently have 373 registered members. Two have already joined and said they came via this very thread, so hello and welcome to you! Publicising our group has been somewhat difficult. Because I pay for the YREA myself our budget has been very small, and getting free advertising is pretty much impossible. But for 2013 we're really trying to get the word out. We have distributed sets of flyers to a number of preserved railways right across the country, and we've been trying to get appearances in magazines via means other than advertising - which is why I replied to that letter.

For us as a group, the discussion forums are of course nowhere near as big as here. And I accept that they probably never will be as big as somewhere like RailUK - the target audience is completely different at the end of the day. But I do feel we have room to grow still.

The main reason young people join the YREA is for our events and competitions. We hold Video Fest every year (see RailUK thread HERE) which attracts support from the major train operating companies as well as groups such as Hornby and the Institute of Railway Operators / YRP. We also hold trips out such as when we were invited by the MNLPS in August to visit 35028 Clan Line at Stewarts Lane Depot in London (see article HERE). We're looking to run this trip again this year as well as many others - a driver simulator day with First Transpennine Express is currently on the cards which we're really excited about.

We are always concious that the next generation of railway enthusiasts are with is which is why we have the Learning Zone. It educates the community about common life issues such as bullying and drugs, but also looks at the future of the railways. Readers can find out about railway careers by reading interviews with existing rail industry employees / apprentices and TOC recruiters, as well as seeing how preservation can help the railway scene as well as their career prospects. The Learning Zone also incorporates articles about how the railways work and how to go about the hobby safely and respectfully.

Thanks for reading through all that, I hope you found it informative. If you have any questions or comments about the YREA then please feel free to post them here. I don't often visit RailUK but I'll subscribe to this thread so it sends me an email and reminds me. It will be great to hear from you. Below are replies to some of the things that have already been posted.

Responding to your Comments:

Railway news is not something we really focus on - there's plenty of sites for that already (here, Rail.co, etc.). Of course people discuss the news on our forums though.

We are indeed currently revamping our website. The current website, whilst functional and professional, is rather boring and doesn't really attract people to want to sign-up that well. Our new website (see screenshot HERE) is much easier to use, much more eye-catching and also easier for us to update which means we can offer a better selection of content. Let me know if you have any comments about the new site, I'd like to hear what you want to see incorporated.

 

[Condor7]

Well done, I wish you all the success you can get, anything to promote it to a younger fan base is commendable.
I have also sent you a private message regarding the original reason for posting this thread.

 

[GlosRail]

Back when I was young (30 years ago or so) it was Rail Riders. Was anyone else a member of that? I assume that club is long gone?

 

[secludedsfx]

Would definitely recommend the forum for those looking to make new friends in the hobby

 

[theblackwatch]

Back when I was young (30 years ago or so) it was Rail Riders. Was anyone else a member of that? I assume that club is long gone?

Yes Rail Riders is long gone. We had a thread on it a few years ago at http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28622 and there's a page that might be of interest at http://www.srpublicity.co.uk/brs/brs19.htm

 

[Starmill]

It would be interesting to know how good it is, as I have often thought that the hobby was desperately in need of something to promote the railways amongst the young.

Before I joined here, I would have agreed with you on this. Now though, I am not so sure.

 

[Condor7]

Before I joined here, I would have agreed with you on this. Now though, I am not so sure.

What makes you say that?