What's it about?

Rio Grande Model Railroad Club

Other Youth layouts

No technical slouches, these guys -  

A separate layout - 

Boxcar races

Yep, it's Box Car Derby time - just like the Pinewood Derby of the Boy Scouts, or the Soap Box Derby races around the US.  And like those, you get to put together your racer before letting it go... 

Top of the ramp:

Bottom of the ramp:

Having fun with trains!

The Pizza Boxes

This is gonna be a long post.... the number of "Pizza box" layouts built by the kids is kind of incredible. Seems there was a contest involving Walthers as well. 

This group did a triple-pizza box:

Just when you think you've got them all....

I stumbled across a few more photos that fit this category. Although they might have been over with the T-Trak people...

Boxcar races

That looks like fun, I want to race boxcars!

Great Coverage

Jeff- Thank you for giving the youth their own post for all the great things at the NTS.  There were also a few clinics at the SLC 2019 NMRA National Convention about getting youth involved in model railroading.

When I lived in Utah (2016-2019) I was part of the Northern Utah Division (NUD) and had the chance to help kids with their Pizza Box Layouts and can assure everyone that what you see was 90% done by the kids themselves with just a little bit of coaching and instruction from us and/or their parents.  

As for the Box Car Races, they are very popular at every event the NUD takes them too.  The Division also has two layouts that are popular with kids- 1) The Locomotive Races-  Layout- two parallel tracks in a figure 8 that cross in the middle and while the kids try not to crash in the center, “accidents” do happen. 2) The Loop Layout where kids can run a train which the love since they can’t touch or run the modular layouts at the events.

All of these are great ways to introduce youth to the hobby and, often, reintroduce their parents or grandparents to it. The NUD has had several new members join because of this. So for all the naysayers who keep telling us “the hobby is dying”  it certainly isn’t in Utah and in many other places- not on our watch anyway.

Lou in Idaho (formerly in Utah)

Pizza box challenge

Now there is a contest for MRH readers. 

The Utah group is doing a

The Utah group is doing a great job. Last year at the N scale convention in SLC they had like 50 kids and this year was like 190+ . Gave them a part of a box of code 55 N flex scale track last year but forgot to bring any this year in the rush to pack.  Do like what they are doing for the hobby and to see and talk with the kids that did the layouts is a joy. 

rich

rslaserkits

Engine Racing

I was a model railroader in high school.  I had a nice two-loop layout that was a continuous run style. I also had an Athearn rubber band drive Hustler. That little baby could really scream around the layout. Ever faster. That lead to a diversion to slot racing including a job as a slot race shop manager. it was fun until I grew up and joined the Navy.

I’m very happy to see this,

definitely some material to add next time I give my clinic hopefully at the lisle RPM if they ever get back to me I really like the idea of linking hack-a-thon things to model railroading

It's about time

Other than the "Student fare" column in MR, I don't remember any effort to even recognize anyone in the hobby under the age of 30 or so when I first got into model trains in the early 80s as a kid.

I'm so glad to see all this!

Youth in Model Railroading

This is a great way to get our youth into the hobby!  Some teens come up to me and say: it is expensive? I tell them it depends how much you want to put into the hobby!  Easy as that!   "It is The World's Greatest Hobby" Former Sec/Treas.  Midwest Valley Modelers...St. Louis,Missouri  Jack Oesterle,Jr.