Railfan interest among 18-35s

[The exile]

it's the stuff from when i was 11 i love seeing.

Probably fairly widespread - although you can perhaps widen it to “the time you first got the bug” - so for me it’s mid to late teens ie mid to late 80s.

 

[LUYMun]

Others will have pointed out by now, but I believe the total free time a young person would have is a core reason that affects how much time they could spend in the hobby. Whether it is secondary school, sixth-form college, university or apprenticeship; they are in state education, so in most circumstances they only have the weekends and holidays to go spotting/bashing/modelling/volunteering/other rail-related activity. This is more true if they simultaneously have a part-time job.

By the time they complete their courses, they would enter full-time employment. I work in retail under shift work, and while this means that I could enjoy the hobby whenever I have my days off, usually in the middle of the week which allows a quieter experience, it means I would miss out many rail events that occur during the weekends - galas, railtours, exhibitions, etc. Without any doubt there are others, both on and off this forum, that also have such occupations and can relate to this.

With all this in mind, you can't really blame them for feeling exhausted and stressed out from the pressures of young adult life, which can put them off participating in the hobby at worst.

 

[12LDA28C]

Others will have pointed out by now, but I believe the total free time a young person would have is a core reason that affects how much time they could spend in the hobby. Whether it is secondary school, sixth-form college, university or apprenticeship; they are in state education, so in most circumstances they only have the weekends and holidays to go spotting/bashing/modelling/volunteering/other rail-related activity. This is more true if they simultaneously have a part-time job.

By the time they complete their courses, they would enter full-time employment. I work in retail under shift work, and while this means that I could enjoy the hobby whenever I have my days off, usually in the middle of the week which allows a quieter experience, it means I would miss out many rail events that occur during the weekends - galas, railtours, exhibitions, etc. Without any doubt there are others, both on and off this forum, that also have such occupations and can relate to this.

With all this in mind, you can't really blame them for feeling exhausted and stressed out from the pressures of young adult life, which can put them off participating in the hobby at worst.

Whilst this is one view, dare I suggest that the pressures of young adult life, especially during University years are rather less onerous than the pressures of owning your own home, mortgages, bills, children and so on. University students generally have frequent time off from lectures and very generous holidays, particularly in the Summer when they might enjoy two or three months off, or even more to enjoy their hobby, even taking into account a part-time job. I appreciate that exam times are rather different.

Retail is of course an industry in which you would frequently be expected to work weekends, particularly Saturdays which makes it rather incompatible with attending weekend events such as galas and so on. I've worked in retail myself and wasn't too impressed with having to work almost every Saturday whilst my mates were out enjoying themselves.

 

[eldomtom2]

I think "railway enthusiasts are interested in what they saw in their childhood" is exaggerated quite a bit. I see plenty of interest in steam on social media from people in their teens and twenties...

 

[SeanG]

I'm towards the upper end of this age range and am a classic DINKY (Dual Income No Kids Yet). I believe those younger than me engage a lot on social media including Tick Tock (if I'm honest I don't have a clue what to do on it).

I imagine the price of things will be a limiting factor for those not as fortunate as myself, whether it be for railtours, heritage railways or even regular tickets.

I also think that the standardisation of the railways (eg fewer classes of multiple unit, and hardly any loco hauled stock) has led to less variety and therefore less interest in the UK.

Having said that, in 2022 I discovered how much better it is to travel to the likes of Poland/Czechia/Hungary etc. - it really isn't that hard and given UK prices is much cheaper, so this is what I prefer to do nowadays. However it is horses for courses and I appreciate that this won't appeal to all.

However, I think the key message is that people will always be interested in what they grew up with as children - so for me it is the varying liveries of late regional railways/PTE liveries and the last days of loco hauled services in the north west. So whilst older enthusiasts may not pay attention to units, the interest is still there (and as above is perhaps engaged differently). The old ways have not died yet though - I saw a young lad out in Liverpool on Saturday with a camera photting (presumably) the 507s.

 

[31160]

I think "railway enthusiasts are interested in what they saw in their childhood" is exaggerated quite a bit. I see plenty of interest in steam on social media from people in their teens and twenties...

Well as I say I started in the 80s and honestly I wouldn't cross the road to see flying scotsman, and indeed it went passed my house a few years ago and I just watched the telly, I used to be a volunteer on my local pres line but constantly had steam turns with only the three day diesel gala being of interest to me, but then covid happened and I lost the habit and gave it up along with many others

 

[eldomtom2]

However, I think the key message is that people will always be interested in what they grew up with as children

Again, I really don't think that's the case.

 

[Iskra]

For me personally, it’s not necessarily what I grew up with in my childhood (b. 1990), but what is rare, novel, impressive, loud, powerful, aesthetically pleasing, historic, interesting, or just generally better than the everyday UK train.

 

[peteb]

I attended a few galas last year and was pleasantly surprised to see numbers of youngish people travelling. Plenty of young couples (often without kids in tow) too.

I think the old "stigma" of being a young train enthusiast has largely been eradicated due to people like Pete Waterman, Phil Collins, Jools Holland, Rod Stewart etc being seen on social media and influencing younger media types to put content on the web.

 

[driverd]

Speaking as someone in the above age bracket and with a reasonable interest in railways, along with a significant amount of mainline experience (10+ years over both management and operational roles), I think interest in mainline operations is good. Heritage is an altogether different matter.

Firstly, I think it's broadly the case that personal interest generally comes from roughly your own lifetime. For example, I can only really think of one person I know in the above age range who has any interest in steam. I think this could be a challenge for preservation movements in the future.

In terms of heritage movements, I find the biggest barrier to entry is the people involved. Rail enthusiasts aren't generally renoun for their "soft skills" at the best of times, and attempts to get involved are generally met with complete disdain - and I've attempted at a number of places.

Although a mainline driver, I'd love to get involved with the maintenance of DMUs/Locos and learn more about how the mechanical and electrical side of things work. Unfortunately, every time I've approached a group, there's been little contact when I have left details. It seems, often, that these groups are quite happy to exist as exclusive clubs.

Part of the issue I also find is the plethora of different organisations that seem to exist on preserved railways. There's usually about 10 similarly names organisations and working out which ones you need to approach is a nightmare.

 

[eldomtom2]

Firstly, I think it's broadly the case that personal interest generally comes from roughly your own lifetime. For example, I can only really think of one person I know in the above age range who has any interest in steam.

Again, I really don't agree.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I do think rail enthusiasts will be most enthusiastic from a heritage point of view about what was around when they first got interested. You could argue that whatever that was did succeed in getting them interested in the first place so must be significant in their eyes. But it is also what hits their nostaglia button especially once they see its demise.

For me it was the Westerns (Class 52) mainly. My first experience of seeing something demise (railway or otherwise).

But I think there is another factor - step changes in the railway environment.
The demise of steam was a big event (not just the odd class of loco slipping away over the years). This had two aspects.
Firstly it led to many enthusiasts leaving the hobby (I have been told many times).
Secondly it was the replacement of something quite alive by a simple purring diesel by contrast - relatively bland.

Now the same thing happened when locomotive hauled trains were replaced by multiple units. And I think those two aspects have arisen again. I see a lot fewer enthusiasts than I did in the 1970s.

Now for the heritage movement there is a third aspect. I have no recollection of BR steam but I have recently begun to take more interest in steam despite my interest in railways starting in 1974. I suspect that anyone getting nostalgic for multiple units that were around after most locomotive hauled trains finished will get tempted by stuff from way back eventually - but I think steam will trump diesel.

If I am wrong, and I do wonder, then the days are numbered for so many preserved steam engines and diesel/electric locomotives.

Preserved railways taking on Pacers is not necessarily a dumb thing. Obviously they are operationally convenient but us old enthsiasts have to accept that Pacers have more meaning to those who's first experiences of rail were Pacers.

I recently retired (I think) and so I am getting to the stage where volunteering is easier and more necessary (bored). I wonder though with volunteering perhaps many feel their offers of help are not being met with open arms because many do not want to do the dirty/boring jobs. We all want to drive our favourite train but not graft on the track in the pouring rain.

As for colour schemes. I miss the blue with yellow ends on locos but did appreciate the very occasional dirty two tome green locomotives. We are talking 1974 when only half the 45s were left to renumber and those beautiful Westerns !. The swallow livery and freight sectorisation was just a cosmetic vanity project in my eyes - especially when EWS ended up with almost all the freight sectors.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and there are a lot of people who have to struggle to understand each others perception and memories.

 

[LBMPSB]

In terms of heritage movements, I find the biggest barrier to entry is the people involved. Rail enthusiasts aren't generally renoun for their "soft skills" at the best of times, and attempts to get involved are generally met with complete disdain - and I've attempted at a number of places.

I have found this at three Heritage sites. Once they discovered I was vastly knowledgeable on the Pway, instead of embracing the chance to have all that knowledge, the walls came up and it was evident they didn't want me. I have also found in the many Railway Societies/Associations that I belong too, the older membership, over 70+ are so stuck in their ways, not modernising or accepting new ideas, hold back their Societies/Associations. And even in my advancing age, they make them so slow and boring to belong to.

 

[driverd]

Again, I really don't agree.

I know its purely my personal experience, which may not count for much - but the vast majority of train-y people I know, in and out of work, are interested in the nostalgia element from when they were young. There's still an element of "something different" around steam, but on the whole, there's much more interest in locos/DMMUs.

This said, some unique things from before my time or geographically out of my childhood range do interest me, such as the APT-P and Thumpers.

I have found this at three Heritage sites. Once they discovered I was vastly knowledgeable on the Pway, instead of embracing the chance to have all that knowledge, the walls came up and it was evident they didn't want me. I have also found in the many Railway Societies/Associations that I belong too, the older membership, over 70+ are so stuck in their ways, not modernising or accepting new ideas, hold back their Societies/Associations. And even in my advancing age, they make them so slow and boring to belong to.

Couldn't agree more. You read the stories of the female fire(wo)man at the ELR, and in my experience, you could scrub the name of the railway and essentially insert any preserved railway in place of ELR. Its a very similar experience as a young person - it's a great shame really - these organisations should encourage and foster enthusiasm (no doubt for some people it perhaps needs reining in a little or some restraint putting on the more eccentric excesses), not treat anyone willing to get involved as an outsider who somehow needs to prove themselves to get into "their" club.

 

[eldomtom2]

I know its purely my personal experience, which may not count for much - but the vast majority of train-y people I know, in and out of work, are interested in the nostalgia element from when they were young. There's still an element of "something different" around steam, but on the whole, there's much more interest in locos/DMMUs.

Well, I have to say my experience in online communities has been exactly the opposite. There is still a great deal of interest in steam among the teens-to-30s crowd. Look at social media and see for yourself.