7 ms·

Model trains require a large amount of dedicated indoor space. With millennials and zoomers frozen out of the housing market I expect a large proportion of them

by bb123 3y ago

Model trains require a large amount of dedicated indoor space. With millennials and zoomers frozen out of the housing market I expect a large proportion of them simply don't have the room.

Timothee 3y ago
I’d be curious how mobility plays into that as well. The YouTubers I see often seem to be well settled in their large-enough-for-the-hobby houses. If you end up moving often, or just _feel_ like you might have to, it’s more difficult to invest time and money into it.
- ElevenLathe 3y ago
  I've just been thinking about this in terms of metalworking. I've long wanted to have a home lathe, welder, possibly milling machine or at least a drill press. I recently moved into a house with a sizable basement workshop space and am enjoying setting it up and doing some simple projects (none of those high-dollar tools yet, but I have a selection of files, rasps, a nice vice and workbench, etc.). The thing is, I don't expect I'll necessarily have this kind of space forever (and almost certainly not this particular one), so it's hard to justify things like cutting a hole in the side of the house to crane in an industrial lathe. I'm planning on getting more hobbyist-scale stuff (though still space-consuming) with a goal of using it to build my own, smaller, portable workshop (a small lathe, provisions for using it for milling, a selection of cutting tools and the necessary meta-tools to maintain them, a pack-up forge/foundry). The ultimate dream is something the size of approximately a (possibly large) suitcase or footlocker that can be used to recreate itself (think RepRap but a whole, miniature machine shop), so that I can 1) continue in my hobby even if I have to move into an apartment, and 2) share this with other people by helping them bootstrap something similar. The David A. Gingery book series ("Build Your Own Machine Shop From Scrap") is my inspiration here, though so much of the series would be a lot easier if you could start with some existing machine tools instead of having to do literally all of it from scratch).
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    One tip: stick everything on a small platform with wheels and have a spot where there is an anchor embedded in the floor so you can fix a machine when you need to. The best kind of wheels are the retractable ones so when you set it down the machine is planted properly. I'm pretty space constrained here as well and this is my strategy for maximizing the use of the workspace.
  - 83 3y ago
    You definitely are locked into a location. I went this route with a large basement lathe, milling machine, drill press, welders, etc and while I love them all if I ever move more than a couple hours drive away I'll probably have to sell them and start over. I started in an apartment with the small Shurline lathe and mill and they were quite fun and capable for their size.
shagie 3y ago
They mentioned the 'T' scale which I recently came across. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNje4KTLZT4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNje4KTLZT4 It is 1:450 scale and half the size of the Z scale. https://www.tgauge.us https://www.tgauge.us When describing starter sets, the track area is dimensioned in mm. https://www.tgauge.us/product/452/20/lner-125-hst-train-set https://www.tgauge.us/product/452/20/lner-125-hst-train-set > The 120mm loop included in this starter set will cover an area of 253mm x 372mm (10" x 14 3/4").
- altairprime 3y ago
  I don’t have a tabletop to spare in my apartment. We use a folding table for board games so that we can put it away afterwards. Space is at a premium and simulator games take up even less space.
  - smdyc1 3y ago
    Likewise. I've even given up table top games like Flames of War for lack of space to place a 4ft x 6ft game board. No chance to fit a static model railroad. My dad fit one in our townhouse growing up by building it around his and mum's bed. She hated the thing. Every few months it would encroach further.
dave333 3y ago
N scale allows a worthwhile layout in a 2ft x 4ft area and requires even less for a switching shelf layout and is relatively cheap.
- morelisp 3y ago
  Plus storage for elements you aren't using, plus work area. A coworker was shocked I could dedicate a ~1.5x4 L desk to my miniature painting. Most 25-30yo people I know here in Berlin would have to choose between this or a partner, purely based on space; or a 1h trip into the city centers.
nic547 3y ago
I don't think it needs to be dedicated indoor space - at least in my bubble, it's not uncommon to do temporary layouts on floors. It's obviously very focused on the railroad part, but turning your apartment into a model railroad for a few days every once in a while means you can use a lot more space. Outdoor spaces can be used as well.
dionidium 3y ago
It's wild that this has become unchallenged conventional wisdom. There's basically no evidence for it: https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690894492688437248 https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690894492688437248 Young people own homes at higher rates than they did in the 90s: https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690951544240484352 https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690951544240484352

by bb123 3y ago

Model trains require a large amount of dedicated indoor space. With millennials and zoomers frozen out of the housing market I expect a large proportion of them simply don't have the room.

Timothee 3y ago

I’d be curious how mobility plays into that as well. The YouTubers I see often seem to be well settled in their large-enough-for-the-hobby houses. If you end up moving often, or just _feel_ like you might have to, it’s more difficult to invest time and money into it.

ElevenLathe 3y ago
I've just been thinking about this in terms of metalworking. I've long wanted to have a home lathe, welder, possibly milling machine or at least a drill press. I recently moved into a house with a sizable basement workshop space and am enjoying setting it up and doing some simple projects (none of those high-dollar tools yet, but I have a selection of files, rasps, a nice vice and workbench, etc.). The thing is, I don't expect I'll necessarily have this kind of space forever (and almost certainly not this particular one), so it's hard to justify things like cutting a hole in the side of the house to crane in an industrial lathe. I'm planning on getting more hobbyist-scale stuff (though still space-consuming) with a goal of using it to build my own, smaller, portable workshop (a small lathe, provisions for using it for milling, a selection of cutting tools and the necessary meta-tools to maintain them, a pack-up forge/foundry). The ultimate dream is something the size of approximately a (possibly large) suitcase or footlocker that can be used to recreate itself (think RepRap but a whole, miniature machine shop), so that I can 1) continue in my hobby even if I have to move into an apartment, and 2) share this with other people by helping them bootstrap something similar. The David A. Gingery book series ("Build Your Own Machine Shop From Scrap") is my inspiration here, though so much of the series would be a lot easier if you could start with some existing machine tools instead of having to do literally all of it from scratch).
- jacquesm 3y ago
  One tip: stick everything on a small platform with wheels and have a spot where there is an anchor embedded in the floor so you can fix a machine when you need to. The best kind of wheels are the retractable ones so when you set it down the machine is planted properly. I'm pretty space constrained here as well and this is my strategy for maximizing the use of the workspace.
- 83 3y ago
  You definitely are locked into a location. I went this route with a large basement lathe, milling machine, drill press, welders, etc and while I love them all if I ever move more than a couple hours drive away I'll probably have to sell them and start over. I started in an apartment with the small Shurline lathe and mill and they were quite fun and capable for their size.

shagie 3y ago

They mentioned the 'T' scale which I recently came across. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNje4KTLZT4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNje4KTLZT4 It is 1:450 scale and half the size of the Z scale. https://www.tgauge.us https://www.tgauge.us When describing starter sets, the track area is dimensioned in mm. https://www.tgauge.us/product/452/20/lner-125-hst-train-set https://www.tgauge.us/product/452/20/lner-125-hst-train-set > The 120mm loop included in this starter set will cover an area of 253mm x 372mm (10" x 14 3/4").

altairprime 3y ago
I don’t have a tabletop to spare in my apartment. We use a folding table for board games so that we can put it away afterwards. Space is at a premium and simulator games take up even less space.
- smdyc1 3y ago
  Likewise. I've even given up table top games like Flames of War for lack of space to place a 4ft x 6ft game board. No chance to fit a static model railroad. My dad fit one in our townhouse growing up by building it around his and mum's bed. She hated the thing. Every few months it would encroach further.

dave333 3y ago

N scale allows a worthwhile layout in a 2ft x 4ft area and requires even less for a switching shelf layout and is relatively cheap.

morelisp 3y ago
Plus storage for elements you aren't using, plus work area. A coworker was shocked I could dedicate a ~1.5x4 L desk to my miniature painting. Most 25-30yo people I know here in Berlin would have to choose between this or a partner, purely based on space; or a 1h trip into the city centers.

nic547 3y ago

I don't think it needs to be dedicated indoor space - at least in my bubble, it's not uncommon to do temporary layouts on floors. It's obviously very focused on the railroad part, but turning your apartment into a model railroad for a few days every once in a while means you can use a lot more space. Outdoor spaces can be used as well.

dionidium 3y ago

It's wild that this has become unchallenged conventional wisdom. There's basically no evidence for it: https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690894492688437248 https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690894492688437248 Young people own homes at higher rates than they did in the 90s: https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690951544240484352 https://twitter.com/Noahpinion/status/1690951544240484352