There may well be a number of younger model railway enthusiasts, but it is unfair to say that they are all of the instant gratification generation. We should really blame society...
In any case, why wouldnt they want to take advantage of the excellent ready to run products available? In the end if they want a model railway to run them on, they will still have to do some modelling and pick up some skills along the way. I would say that the learning curve to undertake this is somewhat less arduous than building a locomotive.
There will be a proportion that have the same mindset as those who build models, either for pleasure or necessity given their prototype choice, and compared with yours and maybe my generation perhaps fewer, but they will exist. Perhaps it is a reflection of how their elders and peers now prefer to model?
The hobby is very much generational in all areas. It also is highly dependent on nostalgic childhood memories and that is where modelling steam prototypes maybe tails off and the acceptance of ready to run picks up in terms of prototype era. It is quite unusual to find these mysterious younger types being interested in pregrouping subjects as they've nothing to correlate them with - it would have to a be a regional or aesthetic link that might make them interested.
Anyway, just a rambling opinion from someone who is neither in one generational camp or the other. I don't think we can expect things to stay the same or return to 'halcyon days' whenever they were. So the hobby has adapted and ready to run suppliers improved so vastly that a majority would not see the need to build anything, nor believe that they could reach an equivalent standard.
Well I almost deleted all of the above as I'm not often a commentator here!
In reference to the heading, a northern S7 group would be very welcome.
Tom
