1. Kevin Anderson

    Kevin Anderson TrainBoard Member

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    My 18 year old son just brought me all of his trains. Says he doesn’t want them any more. He would rather spend his time playing computer games and reading comic books.
     
  2. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    Dang, sorry man.

    Hang onto them, he may change his mind down the road, and regret he gave them away.
     
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  3. HOexplorer

    HOexplorer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Children these days!
     
  4. Kevin Anderson

    Kevin Anderson TrainBoard Member

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    Well a plus is there are a couple items I can use on my layout.
     
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  5. dalebaker

    dalebaker TrainBoard Member

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    He’s late, lost the first one to girls at 14 or so......
     
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  6. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    My daughter did this too
     
  7. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Box them up, set it aside. He may actually mature to a point where his interest is reborn.
     
  8. fitz

    fitz TrainBoard Member

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    Somewhat off topic, but same cause? Wife and I watch tennis and the US Open tournament is going on. We wonder why there are no young American men playing?? Video games and social media?
     
  9. GP30

    GP30 TrainBoard Member

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    Relax, he might come back around in a few years.

    At 18, everything is on his mind other than trains (girls, employment, college, life, social media, video games etc.) It's OK if he doesn't come back to the hobby, too. I'm 33, I remember those years.
     
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  10. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    I stepped away from the hobby at 16. I came back at thirty. Just be ready to fuel the spark when it re-ignites.
     
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  11. kbaker329

    kbaker329 New Member

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    I went away after sophomore year of high school (work, college, etc.) and didn't get back until after I bought a house (12 year span). I still read Model Railroader and dreamed, but did little else. After I moved into a home with basement, I retrieved my model railroad from the parents' basement and was on my way. I was very happy that I did not get rid of any of my stuff!
     
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  12. traingeekboy

    traingeekboy TrainBoard Member

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    Model railroading isn't a very social hobby for most people.

    hmmm... 18... uh, gotta hang out with the gang... gotta feel like part of the group... uhm, girls...

    He'll be back.
     
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  13. Mike VE2TRV

    Mike VE2TRV TrainBoard Member

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    Model railroading is a quite social hobby - look what we do here!:cool:
     
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  14. Lawrence

    Lawrence TrainBoard Member

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    I never started until my mid 50's and I'll be 58 in a couple of months, so if I were you Kevin, run what you can, but you may be holding on to the rest for a while yet :)
     
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  15. Des Moines Rocket

    Des Moines Rocket TrainBoard Member

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    Kevin,

    As others posting above have said, model railroading is something that a lot of folks leave and then come back to. And that's okay. Definitely keep the stuff! I have left the hobby and come back twice. Now back into it for quite a while, for good. Even switched scales and back during all that, ha ha (N Scale for me). Don't worry about your son...he'll be fine. Encourage interest in history and mechanical things...and perhaps he will see that model railroading can be a hobby that relates to both.
     
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  16. Jim Wiggin

    Jim Wiggin Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I was just like your son. When I was young, I had a medium sized HO layout that both my Dad and I worked on for years. I learned how to airbrush and decal my first B&M stuff at 12 or 13. Once I got to High School however, that all changed. RC cars from Tamiya were hot back then, then I got into RC Planes, played with cars, went to car shows, dreamed more about a 1967 fastback Mustang then I did the girls at school. Then college, hanging out with the guys, girls etc. Around 1995, I came back and never stopped.

    He may come back, he may not. My step son never had the interest in trains, classic cars, Jeeps or baseball and football. He was and is all about soccer. I love him though and love that he is his own person. People change as they age, so don't give up, just see where he goes in life and be thankful for the memories you have.
     
  17. MisterBeasley

    MisterBeasley TrainBoard Supporter

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    When I was 18, I went to college and was told to take down my layout. After 40 years, I finally reopened the box I had carted around and stored. My engines became dummies, but most of my rolling stock was serviceable and only needed couplers and metal wheels.

    It's like seeing old friends again after a long time.
     
  18. trainplayern8

    trainplayern8 TrainBoard Member

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    I was into the hobby from 8-11, then my parents divorced, things went downhill and I quit just about everything... At 34 I picked it back up as a way to reconnect with my dad and we're pretty good friends now because of it and we model together! There's hope. :)
     
  19. minesweeper

    minesweeper TrainBoard Member

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    There is definitely hope.
    I also quit when I was a teen, had my unfinished layout and all the trains in my grandfather garage.
    A 20 years stop (military school, service, then marrying) and I started again.
    My kids are 7 and 11 and I expect them to quit playing trains too, sooner or later.
    Their trains (most of which are the ones I packed when I quit) will wait for them together with mine, worst case for THEIR kids (grands like ti play trains with kids).

    Inviato dal mio BLN-L21 utilizzando Tapatalk
     
  20. Des Moines Rocket

    Des Moines Rocket TrainBoard Member

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    Thank you all for sharing your stories. I see a pattern here. A lot of people get into model railroading early, thanks to a parent or granddad, and then life happens and they drop out of it. I understand completely. But...those who truly appreciate trains come back, and the beauty is that those boxed up locomotives, track, and cars, are still ready, willing, and able. I myself have come back to the hobby. Twice. Mixing in the old stock with the new. Sharing with others when I can. Keep the hobby alive, because it is a great one!
     

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