Do you still consider modern Ogauge trains as toys? I guess starter sets, traditional and railking could be but what about the scale highly detailed items?
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Nope, All scale models I consider to be just that, scale models of something that at one point (or still is) running on the rails.
They are all toys.
EXPENSIVE toys at that! LOL!
YEP- still toys.
I suppose that depends on each person’s definition of “toy”.
I would think that if you collected scale trains primarily for display, it would much less a toy than decor.
The more realistic the layout that required extensive skill to create, I feel it clearly falls less in the toy category than the hobby category.
Now, I do own a real live adult toy. It is my daily driver: a 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat! I play with it everyday!!
Rod Miller,
Yes they are still little boys toys. Today's modern age children are technology driven and in reality the modern technology is no more expensive comparatively than when Lionel 1st introduced the the trains in the early 1900.
In reality most middle income families had a hard time affording these toys. In fact the Lionel Trains in that era, cost a middle income man a full months salary to purchase. Its one of the reasons most children in that era got their Lionel and AF Trains as Christmas presents, they were a very expensive gift.
PCRR/Dave
Original Conventional Lionel and MTH P2 263E Trains, in their own era's purchased at comparable purchase costs. In fact even with the modern remote control technology, the MTH was not quite as expensive as the original.
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I like to think of this as a hobby. As I build my layout I'm learning more about scenery development, railroad history and operations, design, electronics, carpentry to some extent, plus having fun running trains.
Unless its' museum quality model, it's a TOY...
Just like there is no wrong way to enjoy the model train hobby, there’s no wrong way to categorize the trains either. Just like our layouts, it’s whatever we want them to be. It doesn’t really matter as long as we’re having fun!
Nope, not at these prices.
Do you like to count your "rivets," do you like to count your "bling?"
Personally, I enjoy my Marx and Lionel postwar toys and I will consider my UP "1943" preorder an expensive toy after it arrives. It is all subjective.
Does it really matter?
Rusty
Heck, us old boy still need our toys. That is what helps to keep us young. 
By law, no. That is the reason for the 14 and up disclaimer on the box. it makes them adult collectables and exempt from the safety rules that toys have to meet.
CSXJOE posted:By law, no. That is the reason for the 14 and up disclaimer on the box. it makes them adult collectables and exempt from the safety rules that toys have to meet.
I refuse to let the government define what is and is not a toy.
My rule is: If I PLAY with it, it is MY toy.
Elliot,
Cost has nothing to due with something being identified as a toy, that sir is determined by the families earning power.
To us middle income people these toys are relatively expensive toys, to the Mellons, Carnegies and the Fricks, and many other Multi Billionaires, these toy trains are pocket change.
What you are saying is that Lionel never made toys, not true all were expensive toys down thru the generations.
PCRR/Dave
Serious question:
Outside of those who buy only to display, my question to those who do not consider them as toys is this: If they were toys when you were 7 years old, why are they no longer toys when you're 77 years old considering you do the same thing with them in your 77 year old mind that you did with them in your 7 year old mind?
-Greg
Greg Houser posted:Serious question:
Outside of those who buy only to display, my question to those who do not consider them as toys is this: If they were toys when you were 7 years old, why are they no longer toys when you're 77 years old considering you do the same thing with them in your 77 year old mind that you did with them in your 7 year old mind?
Because you just pushed the transformer handle at 7 but must read the instruction manual at 77?
Just kidding, they're still toys, even if some of those toys cost as much as a full scale automobile did when I was 7.
Just kidding again, I am more than familiar with currency valuation and price inflation.
What, me worry?
Well, they don't meet conventional definitions of utilitarian household items, work-related tools or art, so they are products intended to provide entertainment or recreation. Toys for children, or, if you prefer, "hobbies" for adults. Hobbies for adults include "toys" of various sorts (model trains, motorcycles and cars that are bought for something other than transportation, tennis rackets, etc.) . We don't pejoratively call them toys unless we are either being condescending about someone else's interests , or being realistic about our own. If it makes one feel better to call them "hobbies" or "recreational devices" I'm not going to argue with anyone.
romiller49 posted:Do you still consider modern Ogauge trains as toys? I guess starter sets, traditional and railking could be but what about the scale highly detailed items?
Interesting question. When your $1,4000 engine arrives defective or broken, the store will claim it is just a toy and you have some nerve being upset. When you tell them you don't want it, you didn't pay that kind of money to own a brand new repaired item, it suddenly becomes a valuable piece and "you need to bring any issues up with the manufacturer" right? And your relatives feel you have issues paying that much for a toy.
They are. And the better stuff is for adults but still toys.
TOY’S! If you can’t get in and ride it it’s a toy!
Regardless of fidelity, they are all toys in my mind. But if someone feels another way, I certainly don't begrudge them the distinction. However someone else categorizes model trains in their own mind has no effect on my daily life. I have no qualms being an adult and playing with toys. I enjoy building legos with my kids and playing my Xbox too, all toys.
If it ain't 1:1 scale AND earning revenue, it's a toy.
Most are toys. Some are fine scale models...which in themselves is an art form.
So..some are just that..works of art. Made by skilled hands, crafted of metal and brass and plastics. ( just think of the imagination and creativity that goes into their creation). Many are "rare" limited pieces; representatives of long ago, never to be seen again machines.
Many of those reading this topic are skilled artisans in their own right , who create "one of a kind" masterpieces with these "toys".
Beauty may be in the "eye of the beholder" but, art is of the imagination. Playing....IS imagination.
So...toys...yes;...lets hope the "kids" appreciate them as something more.
Toys, definitely toys.😎 But hey each to his or her own.
Lionel catalog arrived today the little lad laid claim to it when he got home from school! He is 9 and is drooling over the Niagara. So one persons scale model is another’s toy train. Still a very expensive toy though.😉
Nick
In my opinion, the scale O gauge models that I collect and run are collectible hobby models for adults and I interact with them differently than children do with toy trains. Are my models toys in the same sense as starter sets that are intended for youngsters? Not quite. But they play the same role for grownups as pure toys do for kids. Owning models leads me into the study of railroad (and American) history, engineering, model history and technology - things that children are unlikely to do with toy trains. Like children, adults have toys too. But, unlike children, adults interact with their toys in more sophisticated ways. Therefore, referring to the way adults indulge in the hobby as "toys" is a misnomer. Of course, automobiles, cameras, smartphones, scale model trains, etcetera fulfill the same needs for adults as toys do for children. But they are not toys. Children are pretty smart. Just pay attention.
MELGAR
C W Burfle posted:They are all toys.
Exactly , run 'em till the rail glow.
Watch CHOO CHOO go around in a circle?
Yea it's a TOY!!! Still a toy even if you have a big circle.
+TOYS. If it runs on 3 rail track and gets powered by an electric motor, it is a toy train.
One reason that model railroaders don't get the respect that they deserve is the perception that scale model trains and scale model railroads are "toys".
To me, model railroading is a valid adult hobby just like fishing, golfing, painting, or shooting. Are fishing rods, golf clubs, paint brushes and guns considered "toys" by my most adults? Modern scale trains are no more "toys" than the implements that other adults use to pursue their hobbies.
Building a scale model railroad requires a wider variety of skills and tools than most other hobbies. The hobby also requires historical research and knowledge of real railroading in order to build a credible model.
I believe that it is time for model railroaders to stop referring to themselves as adults who are still playing with toys. We are pursuing an adult hobby that is just as worthy as any other adult hobby.
NH Joe
romiller49 posted:Do you still consider modern Ogauge trains as toys? I guess starter sets, traditional and railking could be but what about the scale highly detailed items?
This is a test, designed to provoke an emotional response........
Admit they're all toys and be happy you still got enough kid in you to play with them.
Pete
New Haven Joe posted:Are fishing rods, golf clubs, paint brushes and guns considered "toys" by my most adults?
Nevertheless, they are. As hobby items (as opposed to implements for work), they are for amusement, enjoyment, pleasure. They are not vital.
As for respect: I don't expect or need respect from anyone to legitimize or validate my hobbies. I see no reason to bother about anyone who criticizes my playing with any of my toys--my trains, my two antique JD farm tractors, my bow, my replica Civil War artillery piece (all plenty expensive)--by requiring their respect. Quite a few people do criticize, but their misguided opinions are easy enough to ignore.
The late Chester Holley told me many years ago that Model Railroading is a term used by grown men that like to play with toys. I'll probably get hate mail now lol.
CSXJOE posted:By law, no. That is the reason for the 14 and up disclaimer on the box. it makes them adult collectables and exempt from the safety rules that toys have to meet.
Well my, my, my.
A clear and concise answer to an emotionally based question.
That takes all the fun out of this thread.
Like popping a balloon with a sharp pin.
Nope, I would not tell anyone there stuff is toys unless I knew them pretty well. The word has too many devaluing conotations to call OTHER people's stuff toys.
It is a very interesting question. Can a $2,000 model engine with it's many fragile parts and electronics still be considered a toy? I really don't think so. I know many adults play with model trains and call them toys, but to me a toy is something a child, specified by age, can play with unsupervised. You're not going to hand a kid your Big Boy and some track and a Cab2 and say, hey go have a ball. You may buy him a Lionchief starter set and let him go at it. He can run it into some Lincoln Logs or something just playing with it. And an adult doesn't have to supervise/hover over the activity. What fun is that? It is a good question. I say no, the modern expensive O gauge trains are not toys once they pass a certain threshold of cost and ease of use, so to speak. They are not meant for kids. Toys are for kids. Just ask Santa.
toys!
