What is it about boys and Toy Model Trains?
Posted: Monday, October 12, 2009
by Matthew Payne
Ultimate Model Railway
When it comes to hobbies for boys, nothing can beat toy model trains. This is a hobby and tradition than goes back decades. These days you will find men from all age groups collecting and playing with model train sets.
Model trains have captivated boys and men for decades simply because it brings together so many things that are exiting and interesting for males of all ages, especially boys. It really is a great hobby and you can spend countless hours creating, planning and playing with model trains.
It is really another virtual world that can be created and it has been going on well before the invention of video games. This is another great point to note. Many model train enthusiasts enjoy it because it offers so much more than video games cannot offer.
For example, you can actually touch the trains and the scenery that you create. Although everything is in a model environment, there is still something real and tangible about a model train environment.
There is a great sense of achievement that comes with a well functioning railway layout. The sounds and the feelings that come from building a model railway layout cannot be experienced any other way.
There is also something that many boys learn by being involved in the model train hobby. They learn about scales, gauges, trains, locomotives, laying track and planning working layouts.
It is also a hobby that allows for growth. When boys are small they usually have a small scale train set, but as they age they like to move to a larger scale. Again, this brings a more realistic element into play.
By experiencing and buying from different model manufacturers, hobbyists get to explore different options and find which they really enjoy most. There are some scales that allow for more innovation and experimentation.
Another major reason that boys enjoy model trains is that it gives them a sense of escapism and it's very exiting. Anyone can start will just a few pieces of track and a train and then build from there. Even with such a small initial setup, you can use your imagination to see what you want to create in the future.
With planning, you are then able to bring the vision into reality and create something totally unique, based on your own ideas. As such, this gives boys the power to be a creator and really build something that they have full ownership over.
This is also the reason that model trains remain popular with men as they grow up. It gives them that ability to escape into another world where they are in control and can create the landscape and rail track based on their own unique imagination.
There are many reasons that boys love toy model trains, and from small beginnings it can be a lifelong hobby.
Matthew Payne is a passionate model train enthusiast and is very keen to promote other peoples excellent websites on this subject. For more great information on model trains, and to sign up for a free Ultimate Model Railway Secrets 11 lesson mini-course, visit http://www.ultimatemodelrailway.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Good article, Matthew. But, it's not just boys. I love trains...models, the real things, the whistle, the rumble as they go by; all of it. When I was small my dad took me to the train station and we'd watch the trains. My older brothers (now about 70) had the old metal O gauge trains and I grew up around them. Now, each Christmas, I get out my O gauge (a newer version) and place it around the tree. This year, I am introducing my new grandson to model trains and on it goes! Oh, we had our home built just about 100 yards from a train track. I love taking photos of them, also. Yep, trains aren't just for the guys!
Hi Matthew and welcome to searchwarp. I to like like Lorrie love trains to, this may have something to do with living next to a railway line. Great articleKacy
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