Model Railroad Hobbyist | April 2015 | #62 ASSISTANT EDITOR editorial Don Hanley No youth in the hobby? There seems to be a constant concern in the hobby about the lack of new blood, i.e., youth. As I see it, there are several high barriers for young people seeking to enter the hobby. 1. The high cost of equipment. Unless you can catch a sale on the locomotive you want, you’re looking at a $100 - $200 investment, and freight cars can be upwards of $20 each. This doesn’t include anything else needed to run a train. Most teen- agers do not have that kind of money lying around, so if they are the least bit interested in trains they have to ask mom or dad for the money. 2. We are an instant-gratification society, more so with the advent of smart phones which are used to find all sorts of information at the touch of a button. Model railroading is definitely not an instant-gratification hobby. Most of us will spend many years in tiny bits of time to build a layout. 3. There are numerous railroad-related computer games that can be played for free online. After all, why spend money for MRHMAG.COM • TABLE OF CONTENTS • INDEX