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DavidB
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Joined: Jan 11, 2003
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Location: Canberra
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 3:28 pm
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Does anybody have or know where I can find some reliable figures on the number of people involved in prototype or model railways and tramways as a hobby? It's a bit hard to take memberships of individual organisations and add them together because there is a lot of overlap.
I guess numbers in the various ARHS divisions would be a start.
Cheers
David
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mjja
Sir Nigel Gresley
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
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Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 3:59 pm
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Although there is still a lot of overlap.
Vic Div has about 1000 members, including those who are not full members but subscribe to Newsrail.
Happy Gunzelling and remember, "Go by rail!"
Michael Angelico
President, Smart Passengers Inc
(My opinions are my own unless specifically stated.)
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Tonymercury
Dr Beeching
Joined: May 17, 2003
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Location: Botany NSW
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 5:12 pm
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| DavidB wrote: | Does anybody have or know where I can find some reliable figures on the number of people involved in prototype or model railways and tramways as a hobby?
Cheers
David |
Perhaps the circulation figures for Digest and AMRM?
Tony Bailey
A Yahoo Groups that may be of interest-
RailNewsInternational
A group designed to disseminate International news items.
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RailNewsInternational-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |
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standard_gauge
Dr Beeching
Joined: Apr 13, 2004
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Location: Outside the toilet, waiting for Della Bosca to come out !!
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 7:52 pm
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| DavidB wrote: | Does anybody have or know where I can find some reliable figures on the number of people involved in prototype or model railways and tramways as a hobby? It's a bit hard to take memberships of individual organisations and add them together because there is a lot of overlap.
I guess numbers in the various ARHS divisions would be a start.
Cheers
David |
I think few eyars back(i'm talking about 98, 99) I used the subscription number and the total sell number from Railway Digest plus Motive power and divide by the total population of this country and I came out with 1 gunzel every 100 people.
I tried with ridership of total perservation societies and I came out with just about the same. Slightly less for model railfan...(afterall, not many can afford with the high cost of model railway)
Hey?..whatever happen to my warning level?
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mjja
Sir Nigel Gresley
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
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Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:01 pm
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Not everyone gets one of those magazines. Some aren't a member of anything, they just watch trains on their own.
I'd say it would be next to impossible to get anything better than a very approximate figure. But one in 100 sounds close to right based on the number of railfans I know from non-railway circles.
Happy Gunzelling and remember, "Go by rail!"
Michael Angelico
President, Smart Passengers Inc
(My opinions are my own unless specifically stated.)
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standard_gauge
Dr Beeching
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Location: Outside the toilet, waiting for Della Bosca to come out !!
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:27 pm
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| mjja wrote: | Not everyone gets one of those magazines. Some aren't a member of anything, they just watch trains on their own.
I'd say it would be next to impossible to get anything better than a very approximate figure. But one in 100 sounds close to right based on the number of railfans I know from non-railway circles. |
BTW I did take "overlapping" into consideration, ie people who subscribe or buy both magazines. Majority of the people even if they are not railfan, they have positive feeling towards railway....ie whenever people mention the word "airline" sort of link people to bad food, narrow space, uncomfortable seat and expensive fare. But whenever the word train mention...usually people link to green-enviromentally friendly, relax, maybe romantic.
Hey?..whatever happen to my warning level?
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K163
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jan 15, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 29, 2008
Location: Well you see that house over there? Well it's not that one.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:34 pm
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if there is a railfan in every 100 people, then why am i the only railfan out of the 1,750 students at Karingal Park SC?
Regards,
Craig Walton
What I say here is my thoughts, and doesn't represent the MRPS or Woolworths ltd... smeg imagine it did!
If you want to loose weight, don't eat anything that comes in a BUCKET!
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zipitidoodah
Chief Commissioner
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:51 pm
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| K163 wrote: | | if there is a railfan in every 100 people, then why am i the only railfan out of the 1,750 students at Karingal Park SC? |
How do you know the other 1749 aren't? Have you asked them? I would say that nobody else at my school, except maybe my brother or sister, would know that I have an interest in it.
Then again, it could just be a dud suburb!
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K163
Chief Commissioner
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Location: Well you see that house over there? Well it's not that one.
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 10:00 pm
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i know the others don't like trains as some of them sometimes mok (is that how its spelt?) me about me liking railways, and i never haer anyone talking about them.
Regards,
Craig Walton
What I say here is my thoughts, and doesn't represent the MRPS or Woolworths ltd... smeg imagine it did!
If you want to loose weight, don't eat anything that comes in a BUCKET!
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standard_gauge
Dr Beeching
Joined: Apr 13, 2004
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Location: Outside the toilet, waiting for Della Bosca to come out !!
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 10:00 pm
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| zipitidoodah wrote: | | K163 wrote: | | if there is a railfan in every 100 people, then why am i the only railfan out of the 1,750 students at Karingal Park SC? |
How do you know the other 1749 aren't? Have you asked them? I would say that nobody else at my school, except maybe my brother or sister, would know that I have an interest in it.
Then again, it could just be a dud suburb! |
Yes, some people are "closet-gunzels" interesting in railway but don't really get very series about it. And more people develop interest after they leave school or >19
Hey?..whatever happen to my warning level?
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zipitidoodah
Chief Commissioner
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Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 10:13 pm
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| K163 wrote: | | i know the others don't like trains as some of them sometimes mok (is that how its spelt?) me about me liking railways, and i never haer anyone talking about them. |
| James C wrote: | | Yes, some people are "closet-gunzels" interesting in railway but don't really get very serious about it. And more people develop interest after they leave school or >19 |
That's why I keep it to myself - I can do without other people's scathing or excessively cynical opinions - except here of course, where most of use obviously share the same interest. In a way it is a kind of unusual interest anyway.
PS. spelt: "mock"
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ninthnotch
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Location: Not here. Try another castle.
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Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2003 12:51 am
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| zipitidoodah wrote: | | K163 wrote: | | i know the others don't like trains as some of them sometimes mok (is that how its spelt?) me about me liking railways, and i never haer anyone talking about them. |
| James C wrote: | | Yes, some people are "closet-gunzels" interesting in railway but don't really get very serious about it. And more people develop interest after they leave school or >19 |
That's why I keep it to myself - I can do without other people's scathing or excessively cynical opinions - except here of course, where most of use obviously share the same interest. In a way it is a kind of unusual interest anyway.
PS. spelt: "mock" |
People have differing levels of interest as well - there are the people with an interest that is passing at the best of times (those that go on the occasional fantrip or have an awareness more above than the average person of what the difference between a steam and diesel is) to the type that are obcessive to the point of noting down every movement and spending their life devoted to trains, and of course the many variances in between that need to be factored in as well.
That's an attention-getter!
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DavidB
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 3:09 pm
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Rather ironic that I asked this question last week. I am going to be interviewed by ABC Regional radio next week about "trainspotting" (their term, not mine) as a hobby. I intend to use this opportunity to dispel a few myths about the hobby, particularly the image of the traditional British anorak types.
Are there any other constructive messages the railfan world at large would like put across?
Cheers
David
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KngtRider
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jan 16, 2003
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 3:55 pm
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Something along the lines that the media has a very big hand in making problems for rail and making existing problems much worse, especially over the last year/two with all the NSW problems.
Rail gets covered when a story is 'hot off the press' /sensational and will benefit the outlet, compared to say mid 80s when railway innovations were something that everyone was proud of and this was promoted.
Eg on both above points: did any outlet even recognise the fact that the m-bugs are equivalent to current technolgy or lesser than overseas stock and were going through a 'debugging' phase rather than being outright faulty ?
Lack of coverage as well, how many people in this day and age actually know there are long distance/interstate trains or that a line to darwin has been completed ?
Compare how much coverage road safety and infrastructure developements gets in media compared to rail safety and infrastructure.
See if you can get a tape or recording of it from them to put on Railpage Australia™ with the rest of the 'stuff' or at least get them to put it up, so we can all hear the interview and for reference purpose.
I myself listen to a station that caters to a younger demographic 
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Tonymercury
Dr Beeching
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Location: Botany NSW
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 4:31 pm
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[quote="KngtRider"]Eg on both above points: did any outlet even recognise the fact that the m-bugs are equivalent to current technolgy or lesser than overseas stock and were going through a 'debugging' phase rather than being outright faulty ?
quote]
Even far too many 'fans accept most of the rubbish in the media as fact, and go on repeating it ad nauseum - the M trains being a good case in point. Note that most people who have travelled on them reckon that they are the best trains that Sydney has had.
Tony Bailey
A Yahoo Groups that may be of interest-
RailNewsInternational
A group designed to disseminate International news items.
To subscribe to it, you can just send a blank e-mail to-
RailNewsInternational-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |
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