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Comment by dbish | Hacker News Reader

Kids are funny. I’ve seen multiple go through being completely obsessed up to about 5 to losing interest and never looking at a model train again. I think there’s something about that young age that makes them particularly interested, but the likelihood of a long time mode train enthusiast seems to be quite low.

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The predictability of the train can be good. While I can't find it at the moment, there was an article I recently read about how repetition (in the context of Good Night Moon(?)) and the ability to be able to predict the future is useful for early childhood learning and development.

A train is very predictable - the sound, the motion, the path... for the same reason that children like having the same book read to them again and again, the train fills that role too.

This was me as a kid. Whenever we'd drive past the local hobby shop I'd beg my dad to make a stop so we could go look at the display (and play with the various buttons they had that lit up lights, switched tracks, etc).

I've long forgotten about model railroads and these days I live in small city apartments and move every few years, so even if I'd managed to retain the interest I have no practical way to build or store my own models, and generally prefer to spend money on experiences instead of things. I'm basically the problem millennial this whole thread is about.

kind of reminds me of "Strong Ideas, Held Lightly"

The way you put it, it sounds like a phase, like dinosaurs.

It seems to be from the examples I've had. I wouldn't invest too much into assuming they'll still be in the train hobby in a few years, fun while it lasts though :)

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