Dawn Quest Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 Recent interview with the CEO of Hornby recorded earlier this week 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 Hi @Dawn Quest The magical moment in that interview was when Ollie could not (would not) articulate how he expected to attract women into the hobby. He resorted to that time worn diversion of suggesting that he could not reveal his plan because "competition" Hilarious! Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 At least he is savvy enough to not suggest to Dawn that Hornby will simply release a pink train set! 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModelerXYZ Posted September 18 Share Posted September 18 Just because some of us are interested in the trains does not mean that it is always the case. There are many facets of our hobby, and the trains are only one of them. I am not sure if there ever were locomotives that were painted pink, but there were some that were in purple. An influx of hobbists that have interests in the senic side of the hobby would be helpful to everyone. XYZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 9 hours ago, ModelerXYZ said: I am not sure if there ever were locomotives that were painted pink, Indeed there were quite a few. Google 'pink locomotives' and select Images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritInVanCA Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 I find this all very positive but the definition of “hobby” in the poll used by Hornby to say how things are looking so positive is VERY broad. Going to the gym or hiking is a hobby! It would be nice to have something more targeted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 Hornby is a leisure time competitor to hiking, gardening & etc. Fundamentally, what will a person occupy their time with, when chores, work, sleeping and eating are over? One of those activities is model railways, in competition with book clubs, knitting, train spotting & etc. The Admiral is an avid gardener. Part of that hobby is attending Flower Shows (conventions). One show, in particular, has a competition called Miniature Worlds. Dioramas with small plants, creating a scale model. Wildly popular with the crowds, the lines to see this competition are enormous, all day long. Comments from the crowd revolve around "did you see the...". Based on decades of observation, women love this competition. Essentially the doll house experience. At the risk of making all the men here wince, the parallels between the doll house experience and a well executed scenic layout are fairly strong. Both are a miniature world. Both demand a strong emphasis on accurate details. Scale matters. Aside from actually asking women what Hornby might do to interest them in model railways, the miniature world is a possibility Bee 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig-803583 Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 They'll be producing some sun-faded mark 1s where the roofs will come off and you can place the furniture wherever you want. Curtains in first class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig-803583 Posted September 19 Share Posted September 19 On 18/09/2024 at 21:54, LTSR_NSE said: At least he is savvy enough to not suggest to Dawn that Hornby will simply release a pink train set! 😉 I mean, they could produce this. Or this... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-380474 Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 With our train layout, I do the rails, engines and layout. The wife does the scenery, houses, trees, people. It's very bonding. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dBerriff Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Pink? My eldest daughter has become spectacularly good at painting Warhammer models and figures. Steampunk industrial is more her stock in trade. She is going to help me weather a few TT:120 wagons. As for my wife she likes Metcalfe kits and helps run the shop at Famous Trains in Derby. It all depends on the interests of the individuals but do not assume stereotypes. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Great interview @Dawn Quest Attracting a wider base to our hobby and the various hobbies covered by HH PLC is a worthy challenge. I think a big hurdle to overcome is to demonstrate that ‘you are allowed’ Its the age old thing, when the public at large see someone they can identify with, participating (not just marketing imagery) in an activity, it gives them confidence to have a go too. Women like playing trains too 👍 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
What About The Bee Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 11 hours ago, dBerriff said: Pink? .... do not assume stereotypes. Hear Hear! Pink might interest little girls. Rosie, of Thomas fame, is pink and that is perfectly fine, if that is what they want. Or Stephan. Or Thomas. Who are not pink. But for adult women? Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rana Temporia Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Go to any swap meet and there are more women than there have ever been. People of any gender can ‘do’ model trains. One of our friends from Germany wanted a model railway when she was young but her father wouldn’t let her have one so when she got a partner he did the railway and she did the scenery and buildings. When they split up she took all the buildings with her! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Traditionally pink is a boys colour, but that is a historical point. Associating women in the hobby with only scenery and ‘girly paint schemes’ on locos etc is actually what puts some women off from the hobby. It basically says ‘we are men we know best and we don’t take women in the hobby seriously’ I’m sure no one here does it intentionally but it’s always having a think about how things look from the other side of the hobby, someone wanting to get into it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ModelerXYZ Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 My original point was that the hobby includes many people with varied interests. My own interest is different to yours, and that of other people. But that does not make me a "wrong" modeler because I am looking at it from a different aspect to you or anyone else. Each to their own. For example, I went to a show last week. Personally I wouldn't be able to acheive the senic details that any of those modelers acheived. But as the realism factor isn't an issue for me, I don't see that as a problem. XYZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTSR_NSE Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 It would appear that every post here is in agreement… • Lazy stereotypes are to be avoided. • Hobbies (especially model railways) benefit from being welcoming, encouraging & respectful towards all the differing ways that people express their own particular interest. • Being respectful specifically doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree, or that different opinions can’t be discussed - it simply means recognising that all opinions & interests are equally valid. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LesXRN Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 Fortunately for me, both my wife and daughter are train mad, they like models and full size steam. Perfect!!! One recent innovation that I think surprises people who haven't seen model railways for a long time is the introduction of steam and sound, those that I've shown mine to are genuinely amazed at how good they are compared to yesteryear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now