There’s been a lot of speculation in recent years, both on internet forums and chat rooms, that the model railroading hobby is slowly slipping away. They often cite disappearing modeling magazines as a sign of the times.
This is simply not true, and here’s why:
Generation Y has finally passed the Baby Boomers in population, which means there will be a steady growth in the hobby for the next 20 years. So why have some model railroading magazines gone out of print? That’s easy…the internet.
The Next Generation
Some argue that Model Railroader Magazine reached its peak in the 1980′s. While this may be true, you have to consider that at the time, it was pretty much the only available source for hobbyists. Since then, several other niche and scale-specific publications have come along, such as N Scale Magazine.
Most print publications are suffering. Newspapers around the country are either shrinking or teetering on the brink of extinction. When the internet came along in the 1990′s, it changed everything forever. Now we can get today’s news instantly, and usually for free. Model railroading magazines are not exempt from this trend.
Information Sharing
With the internet, modelers from around the globe can connect and share tips, news, and ideas. With inexpensive computers and digital cameras, we can upload pictures and video, all for free, and not have to wait for a magazine to come to our mailbox once per month.
Print magazines are not obsolete…yet. However, that day may be on the horizon sooner than we think. Running a publication house is expensive, especially when compared to making it all digital and available for download on the internet.
I personally have found that many of the “old timers” are finding renewed interest in the hobby. With the wide variety of new products, many are trying out new scales, such as converting from HO to N. They’re participating in forums and showing off their progress.
In short, don’t buy into the hype! I don’t think model railroading as a hobby is going anywhere but up. Even if print publications continue to vanish from store shelves, it doesn’t seem to be an indicator that the hobby itself is suffering.
