Supporting Science for High School Kids

[Stewart-364834]

I think Hornby Playtrains are excellent and congratulate everyone who came up with the idea. I’m putting an idea forward that there is a missing gap in the market, High School kids, 11-14 year olds.

I’m wondering if Hornby and other industry manufacturers are missing out a core youth section which will be your customers of the future. Lego have a very successful relationship promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM subjects) via organisations such as the IET.

With interest in the railway subject at a new high in this age group thanks to social media influencers such as Francis Bourgeois, there is a huge missing age gap with products and clubs to engage young teenagers in STEM subjects. Many of them start the subjects in earnest when they are around 11 and 12 and this is the time many will pick up a lifelong interest which leads to a career.

I teach Electrical Installation to ages 16+ at college and work with youth groups. There has never been a bigger interest in the subject amongst the young due to the shift towards zero emissions and educational trends towards practical skills.

Model railway and slot car technology is in the biggest position to start kids along this path, the analogue and digital electrical technologies are the same as in the real world but many are simply put off by the significant costs of entry into this hobby and the current strain on family finances.

Is it now time to create an affordable product range or club/educational arena where kids can get involved and get hands on experience. I recently showed kids how an electric motor works simply by using a train on a track. Schools are crying out for this kind of support from manufacturers. Big things start from small beginnings.

[Moccasin]

Hornby have recently teamed up with Trainmaster for the younger age group, so they may not be averse to this.

Given the skills that model railways promote (including electronics, 3D printing and CAD), then I agree that Hornby could create some educational material, possibly in partnership with a forward thinking railway operator or infrastructure provider to help promote STEM subjects. I would argue that they should actually look at primary-level resources too, as while they‘re ostensibly too young to choose subjects, being steered towards STEM early on will help them in secondary life.

Colleagues who do STEM activities with local schools find that girls in particular suffer from stereotyping at a young age which can affect choices later in life.

Maybe the family fun set could be adapted as a STEM resource for schools and donated or taken by some of the designers into local schools.

The Visitor Centre redevelopment will hopefully include activities that are aimed at school-age children for term time with alignment to school curricula. Maybe that already happens?

[96RAF]

Put your ideas in print and send them off to Marketing for consideration. The idea seems viable so give it a go. They can only say no, but they may agree to a pilot scheme under your direction (if you phrase your proposal such).

Edit - In fact you could be surprised.

[Rallymatt]

I wish these things had been part of school when I was a kid! Learning about electrics, servicing locos etc was something I learned at home, my elder brothers taught me how to wire a plug when I was about 6, we had 2 pin round, three pin round and three pin square in our house so depending where you wanted to set a layout depended on which plug was needed, they got bored of doing it for me 🤣

I genuinely believe this hobby has so many elements there is something for everyone, research, mechanics, civil engineering, history, electrics, social and economic history, mathematics, and having fun.

Important lesson I learned, work with what you have got. 👍

[ModelerXYZ]

So much of my high schooling has come in handy for my hobby on the trainset/model railway.

Physics for the wiring and electrical stuff,

Maths for working out roof angles and the like.

Woodwork for constructing baseboards.

And inspiration from a teacher that had a hobby and didn't hide it, (he was into model aircraft) All stuff I learned at school.

XYZ

[Andy-662041]

Agree with much of the above.

I work in the Community Rail Sector - one of the tenets of this is to bring Rail together with the Communities it serves - rail safety and education with younger folk is certainly one of the big areas that CR participates in.

I tried working with some 'additional needs' kids at a local Academy a while ago and took a Thomas train set and a box of track items in with me. The maths and science teachers quickly cottoned on with the range of activities and discussion topics that could be had with a simple train set.

In particular the group I took was employing practical geometry without initially knowing it - it was quickly realised by the participants that diameters, parallels, gradients and radii etc are an inherent part in planning and creating a model railway - especially if you want the tracks to join together properly to make a double track enclosed route (eg an extended oval). 

There are efforts to bring trains to the fore as a sustainable form of transport and increasingly one at the centre of wellbeing through station adoption and volunteering. The Rail Education Network has been discussing a new badge with the Scout movement - pilot scheme at the moment - I can see an opportunity to raise an interest in model railways as part of this too - watch this space.

Edited February 21 by Andy-662041