Model train hobby in other countries

From my experience, I would say that the hobby is very healthy over on this side of the Atlantic.

Every show that I go to seems to be packed, and I try to go at the quietest times too. The last show that I went to was only open between 10am and 3pm on a Saturday. Yet it was absolutely packed out.

O-gauge is rather a minority interest over here due to limited space in most houses, but in recent years I have seen a great deal of new products appear. And many O-gauge layouts can now be seen at the shows.

While O Gauge will always be #1 for me, I have been getting into N Gauge Japanese Shinkansen lately.  It's said half the population in Japan rides a passenger train everyday!  And that has fueled what seems to me a strong hobby market.

Take a look at Jnsfourm.com for more.

Alan

Here in the far south west of the UK there is a little O but mainly OO & N.

Have found over the last few month items on ebay my main source, have a lot higher starting prices

James

Since MTH has tooled up a number of European prototypes (while canceling a few

U.S. ones), it would appear that the pickin's across the pond are not too slim.

We had some visitors a few months back, one of whom was from Germany. She said that model railroading is big in Germany. One thing that contributes to it is that people spend a lot more time indoors due to the climate and the hobby keeps you busy building the layout, buildings, etc. It also is the type of hobby that has many facets that have appeal beyond the trains -- i.e., miniature buildings and dioramas, etc.

Until I started buying O gauge last summer, I had been buying Japanese trains since 2007.  At one time or another probably virtually every current Japanese train has been released by Tomix, Tomytec, Kato, Greenmax, Modemo or Micro Ace. N gauge is the largest seller.  Shinkansen trains are 1/160 and conventional trains and trams 1/150.  In HO there are 1/80 and 1/87 models. Larger scales are rare due to space restrictions.

Trains are a way of life in Japan. Tokyo has three rush periods each day. Commuter passes are covered by employers and automobile ownership is restricted. Operating conditions are very different than North America.The most common gauge is 1067mm (3ft6in) but Japanese trains are just as wide as North American commuter stock. Most passenger trains are EMU train sets. Motive power is overwhelming electric. Locomotive pulled trains are becoming rare. Passenger trains dominate and freight is largely containers or bulk commodities which has to slotted between passenger trains.

Both Kato and Tomix have corporate showrooms in Tokyo.  Kato's new head office and showroom recently opened on the site of its previous showroom. Model trains can be found in train stores (some of which operate as chains), in the larger electronics stores, multi-floor hobby stores and in several department stores in Tokyo.  You can see the variety of model trains available at Hobby Search. Given the Japanese distribution system, many models sell out within six months of release. Sometimes if you don't  pre-order you won't get the model. Most Japanese model train products are aimed at the home market and there is little English documentation, but with basic knowledge of model trains you should get by just fine.

As was mentioned before there is an English language Japanese model train forum at jnsforum.com.  

ANY HOBBY SHOPS OR LAYOUT TO VISIT IN SWITZERLAND GOING ON A BUSINESS TRIP SOON AND MIGHT HAVE A FEW EVENINGS AVAILABLE

I don't have the numbers any more, but I do remember clearly some (apparently) reliable

source - like a major model RR mag, that Great Britain, with a far smaller population

and far smaller houses (typically, especially then), had not only a larger percentage of

its population involved in the railway modeling field, but had, in -absolute number-

more model train geeks than does the US. I mean, with 61 million (2011) people, they

do more than we do with 318 million (2013).

It's cultural; Germany has a similar nature. Much of it grows out of a toy making and

toy "appreciating" culture that the US has never had in the same way. We made toys -

some quite good and better that anyone else's - and we used toys - and then we threw them away. Partly because we could afford to, but it's deeper than that. We throw everything away, and have no awareness of where we came from, or the things that our ancestors - and I mean IMMEDIATE ancestors (not talking about Thomas Jefferson, here) - could do.

Most/many Europeans are still quite involved in manufacturing, and are proud of it. When was the last time you knew a US 18-year-old who knew which end of a wrench

to use? What? There's no app for that?

We could learn much from the rest of the world, but we won't listen. Too much ideology,

too much illiteracy.  

I lived in London as teenager (1958 & 59).  Model trains and rail fans were a big hobby at that time.  Mainline steam was big factor in the popularity of trains.  Diesels were just being introduced but most trains were still steam hauled.  A big part of the hobby was recording the numbers of the various steam engines or diesels.  The goal was to see every locomotive of a particular class.

I still pick up British and other European model magazines whenever I can.  The issues are packed full of many more advertisers that U.S. model railroad magazines.  As a result, the magazines often run to more than 100 pages.  A typical magazine will have an article on real trains, kit building, and a tour of various layouts.  There are many "how to" articles in every issue.  

A big part of the hobby in Europe is building modular layouts.  These modular layouts seem to have better detail than most modular layouts that I have seen at U.S. trains shows.  Modules in the U.S. tend to have multiple mainlines with many trains operating at once.  The European modular layouts tend to be smaller and focus on one scene.  Trains proceed to and from staging yards on European modules.    

I would say that the hobby is alive and well in the UK and elsewhere in Europe based upon my reading of these magazines.  

I think a major factor that encourages railroad modeling is that most people in Europe travel by train.  I believe that you would be hard pressed to find any kids in a UK school that has never ridden a train.  In the U.S., however, most kids have never travelled by train.  Train travel of any kind, including subways, encourages train modeling.  

Joe 

One difference is that in Japan most railways run enterprises to attract ridership.  This is a large scale layout operated by the Tobu Railway in an amusement park called Tobu World Square.  These are all active Tobu Railway trains and I presume these models are custom made.

There is one official Lionel dealer in Switzerland. This is E.Weber Import/Export in Kloten. They have a fair selection on their website, but please do be prepared for some 'sticker shock'. Prices in Europe generally include the sales taxes, which are considerably higher than in the USA. (You might be able to claim these back at the airport when you leave though.)

Well, keep in mind that for a whole lot of people on this forum, we here in the US are "the other country."

UK has Tennent's Trains as official Lionel Dealer.

Lionel Collectors Club UK has 80 members from around the UK. Club is for all 3-rail O gauge and S Gauge North American outline.

3-Rail O has grown in popularity thanks to the likes of Ace trains in British outline.

OO and N gauge are still the most popular scales here and most model shops stock these. O gauge is still thin on the ground unless you know which shops to go to.

Nick