with Christmas.
Since its launch in the late 19th century, model tains and model railways have been a collaborative affair across generations (Turner, 2019). For the older generation, it is a way to get a sense of purpose into their lives, something they can share and feel belonging to (Turner, 2019). The younger generation is fascinated by the opportunities of the miniature world they can build (Turner, 2019). The typical story of a man’s first model train is the longing for a toy train as a child, then finally receiving one for Christmas and building it with their father under the Christmas tree (Kalla, 2016, p.50). It represents a way of sharing knowledge and interest through a common hobby (Erdmann, 2016, p.159).
But there is one question to ask: Why is it a boys toy? Why is it always father and son and not daughter and mother or father and daughter? One reason can be found through the meaning, that is transported with model railroads: It is a technical toy (Stonies, 2016, p.194). Since the first toy train, its pedagogical intention has always been entertainment and education - entertaining through movement and fascination and educating through teaching technical processes (Stonies, 2016, p.194). By selling a miniature version of the original, model trains provided the railroad with young and enthusiastic railwaymen, that already had knowledge of technical processes, even if it was just in a scale of 1:87 (Stonies, 2016, p.194). And if this did not let to working in the railroad business, the boys could fulfil their fantasies and passion in model train associations.
People also share their knowledge through the internet, explaining technical aspects. Here is an example of a YouTube channel called Model Train Technology.