All Lionel all the time.
Okiechoochoo
Bob Keller
Celebrating 18 years on the CTT Forum.
Buckeye Riveter......... OTTS Charter Member, a Roseyville Raider and a member of the CTT Forum since 2004..
Jelloway Creek, OH - ELV 1,100 - Home of the Baltimore, Ohio & Wabash RR
TCA 09-64284
You read comments from many who feel this is now the golden age of three rail trains. From a consumer standpoint of selection and options, it probably is. But from a dealer standpoint, it's another story entirely.
There was another thread here about MTH where Geno made a comment that he would buy MTH products on the west coast but that no one would come down in price. It's not that they won't come down in price... it's that they can't come down in price. Smaller train dealers have been feeling the pinch for years now. I can tell you truthfully from being involved directly in the retail end of the hobby that wholesale margins are tight and often poor. There's little room for discounting by smaller local dealers. The minimum orders also make it hard and a bit of a guessing game for small dealers as to what they can actually sell.
Meanwhile the bigger mailorder places get the attractive wholesale prices and are in a better position to do deeper discounts. We, the customers want those discounts and wonder why the little guys can't match the prices of the bigger mailorder places. I've actually been in smaller shops and listened to customers tell shop owners that they bought such and such an item mailorder at a better price: talk about adding insult to injury. If you were that dealer who was listening to customers tell you they just bought the train item you have in stock from someone else for a lower price, how willing would you be to keep stocking those very items? Probably not too excited.
There was recently a lengthy thread on OGR concerning a letter from Davis Trains about the backlog of service and the poor availability of parts, which got a lot of attention and postings. While some train buyers love the high end electronically loaded trains, I can see how they are a nightmare for the small dealers who have the perceived responsibility of service. A lot of dealers simply cannot fix them, and the few that do are very very busy. And with the low production runs of many higher end products, it makes it hard for anyone to even provide a replacement for a defective unit.... small dealers simply cannot afford to do this.
Over the years I've ready many a good comment on the train forums about Davis Trains. I don't think I've ever read or heard a negative comment about them. So it's obviously more than customer satisfaction that is pushing them to close the business. The train companies have nearly all stated publically that they want and value their small dealers, yet seem to do little to help keep them in business. It's not just Davis, but there are always threads about small train shops going out of business. Sometimes it might be health or personal reasons, but the tight margins, defective product rates, lack of parts, minimum wholesale orders and demanding customers (as far as pricing/discounts) cannot be helping matters.
And as another side effect, fewer and fewer dealers can also mean reduced advertising revenues for the train magazines, which can mean either increased subscription rates and/or fewer pages. Small train dealers don't usually buy big ads, but lots of them buying small ads can add up for a publication. I'm sure the train magazines have already felt the loss of K-Line and the lack of Lionel advertisements.
I'm not defending bad dealers. It's tough for even the good ones in these changing times. I've always felt and have seen that small local dealers add a lot of exposure to the hobby that a few larger mailorder places cannot do. But the hobby has survived thus far, and even with fewer dealers, Lionel makes statements that their sales are good. So obviously more and more people are buying trains from fewer and fewer dealers. Which is fine until you need service or repairs. Most convention operators can still find parts and service, if you don't do it yourself... it's the higher end product buyers who will pay the cost of getting a good original discount price.
And the hobby may ultimately suffer from having less exposure small dealers can provide to novices and potential newcomers.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
Whatsa local dealer? Closest dealer to me is an all day drive to Albuquerque.
This whole thing about lamenting the demise of Mom and Pop dealers reminds me of the complaints about local stores going under because of Wallyworld. It's all part of free enterprise, survival of the fittest, etc. The "good ol" days are long gone. You can wax nostalgic all you want about having local train stores and how nice the owners are. But just like the "Made in USA" on the side of the Lionel boxes, small Lionel dealers are all but history. Personally, I don't really miss them. Heck...I have none and I don't think the town I live in ever did have one. Maybe we'llall learn to fix these modern electronic gadgets instead of just sending them in for repair
Dep
Virginian Railroad
its always sad to hear a about any type of hobby store closing...
when i was stationed in ft beening there was a hobby shop i went to alot..then one day it was gone....
i think internet is to blame for some of this but also i think interest changes too..and everyone is so busy now a days its easier to go online to buy...
since not working i have noticed how fast life is passing by...i think the world need s to go in slo mo for a lil bit..regroup...
Sad to hear. While I have never purchased from Davis, I have never heard anything bad about them. I grew up in a town with a train store. They had lots of older items as well as new in the box. Typical of the era, the shelves were stacked floor to ceiling with boxes and the layout was covered with repair projects, to be uncovered and run on Saturdays at 10am. That store is long gone. The thing about a train store like that, they can foster a growing desire in a young heart to trains. Where so many parents don't have time to spend with the kids doing the train thing, it would be great for the future of the hobby if small stores were around in towns, a place where kids could go and learn about the hobby with other friends, mom, whomever. I wish we had a store near us, but the closest is better than 3 hours away. It is much much more than buying the trains, it is learning, sharing, and growing in a wonderful hobby. I don't think you get as much surfing on a computer. While the information shared here is great, it is another thing to have the item in front of you, to talk face to face with someone about the train.
God Bless,
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
dwiemer wrote: The thing about a train store like that, they can foster a growing desire in a young heart to trains. Where so many parents don't have time to spend with the kids doing the train thing, it would be great for the future of the hobby if small stores were around in towns, a place where kids could go and learn about the hobby with other friends, mom, whomever. I wish we had a store near us, but the closest is better than 3 hours away. It is much much more than buying the trains, it is learning, sharing, and growing in a wonderful hobby. I don't think you get as much surfing on a computer. While the information shared here is great, it is another thing to have the item in front of you, to talk face to face with someone about the train. God Bless,Dennis
The thing about a train store like that, they can foster a growing desire in a young heart to trains. Where so many parents don't have time to spend with the kids doing the train thing, it would be great for the future of the hobby if small stores were around in towns, a place where kids could go and learn about the hobby with other friends, mom, whomever. I wish we had a store near us, but the closest is better than 3 hours away. It is much much more than buying the trains, it is learning, sharing, and growing in a wonderful hobby. I don't think you get as much surfing on a computer. While the information shared here is great, it is another thing to have the item in front of you, to talk face to face with someone about the train.
like i said dennis ppl's lives just seem to be on fast forward anymore....my dad use to play trains with me when i was little ....we'd get on the garage floor with our trains and just have a grand ole time..oh the times i miss that
and i agree nothing beats handleing or seeing an item in person...but times are changing sadly
Well Deputy, you need to haul up and move to the northeast. That's where the majority of train enthusiasts have always been and still are. Historically the northeast US had more railroads than anywhere else in the country (and some of the biggest most important too), and most of the train magazine subscriptions are generated from the northeast US. I've always had a Lionel dealer within 30 minutes or less of where I live. Some better than others, but there's always been a train shop. And I've been good friends with a few of those dealers and socialized with them. Not to mention being a good customer. Nothing beats being able to actually see what you are buying.... you don't know what you're missing! It's great to shoot the breeze with the local shop owner and stick around for a beer after he locks up.
The internet may be his prices, but there are some things you can't put a price on. A good friend in a shop owner and human interaction are a couple of them.
Eastablished train buyers are more savy and comfortable with the internet. Inexperienced buyers and newcomers may not be so. This is where the benefit of a local shop comes in very handy. But as you say, the world is changing. In my area, now that Wal-Mart has helped contribute to some local businesses going under, the local Wal-Mart is drastically cutting back inventory and is no longer stocking some of the items they initially carried... items I was also once able to get elsewhere locally, and now can't find at all.
That may be the way it is with "free enterprise" and all, but it doesn't necessarily make it better. And good luck with hoping for folks to be able to fix their high end trains on their own. Lionel and MTH have been pretty picky on who they want to know how to fix their electronics for fear of folks stealing their technology. And even the few dealers who do these repairs are unable to get parts. I highly doubt the average Joe working in his garage or basement is going to be able to get specialized parts that authorized dealers can't get.
I'm not lamenting about any of this though. People can knock me for my interest in 027 trains, but I can eix everthing I own and do. I can get parts usually with a few days. I have never had to send not one single train back to the maker for service. I've never had a DOA loco. Ah, there are also some real benefits to postwar and modern simplicity.
And if by any stretch I am lamenting, it's not for me, but for the average Joe who has trains, but doesn't live on the train forums, or get bent over what's going on between Lionel and MTH. Or can't afford to make the twice yearly pilgrimage to YORK. The average folks who you can meet at the local union hall, firehouse or historical society train show.... I like those folks and have talked to many over the years. The average guy who bought a train set for his kid and maybe that kid would like to have the same experience many of us had of going to a train shop and getting to see and pick out the next train item for the layout.
I don't have a crystal ball so I don't know how these things will change the hobby. But they will undoubtedly change it. For the better or not remains to be seen.
Brian: Actually, I recently moved from the RAIL HUB OF THE US...Chicago. So the eastern folks didn't have any big advantage over me I had more than a few local train stores there. I patronized them, but I also bought from mail order. This was back in the 80s before Al Gore invented the internet and figured out the planet was melting No way I will move again. The negatives outweigh the positives as far as the MidWest and East and the big cities. ALL my purchases are through magazine ads or online now. I've done a few minor repairs on postwar locos. Yes, they are user friendly and relatively easy to fix. But I don't think the new trains are going to require an electronics degree to repair either. I put together the computer I am using right now. Who woulda thought back in the 80s or earlier that the average Joe with no college degree or even training in computer repair could do so. And when it has a problem, I actually DO fix it. The stuff happening inside Proto 2 or TMCC locos isn't some kind of voodoo magic. People have to WANT to fix the stuff and want to learn how and then they will be able to. At the very least, they should be able to trouble shoot it and find out where the problem lies. And if all the repair facilities go belly up, I guarantee there will be folks who DO want to repair them or learn how. I'm surprised there aren't any books already written explaining the functions of Proto 2 and TMCC circuitry. Maybe because people still can send them in the be fixed, there isn't that much demand. And if Lionel or MTH doesn't want to sell the parts to fix something, you can bet there will be a hue and cry go up from the public. Or even better, someone will come out with replacement parts that do the same thing for less. As it is right now there are plenty of aftermarket sound and TMCC parts that are available for install. Will the average Joe miss the experiences you describe? Yes. Times change. You can't live in the days of American Graffiti. It's the 21st century and the internet era. Like it or not...that's the way it is.
Deputy wrote:Brian: Actually, I recently moved from the RAIL HUB OF THE US...Chicago. So the eastern folks didn't have any big advantage over me I had more than a few local train stores there. I patronized them, but I also bought from mail order. This was back in the 80s before Al Gore invented the internet and figured out the planet was melting No way I will move again. The negatives outweigh the positives as far as the MidWest and East and the big cities. ALL my purchases are through magazine ads or online now. I've done a few minor repairs on postwar locos. Yes, they are user friendly and relatively easy to fix. But I don't think the new trains are going to require an electronics degree to repair either. I put together the computer I am using right now. Who woulda thought back in the 80s or earlier that the average Joe with no college degree or even training in computer repair could do so. And when it has a problem, I actually DO fix it. The stuff happening inside Proto 2 or TMCC locos isn't some kind of voodoo magic. People have to WANT to fix the stuff and want to learn how and then they will be able to. At the very least, they should be able to trouble shoot it and find out where the problem lies. And if all the repair facilities go belly up, I guarantee there will be folks who DO want to repair them or learn how. I'm surprised there aren't any books already written explaining the functions of Proto 2 and TMCC circuitry. Maybe because people still can send them in the be fixed, there isn't that much demand. And if Lionel or MTH doesn't want to sell the parts to fix something, you can bet there will be a hue and cry go up from the public. Or even better, someone will come out with replacement parts that do the same thing for less. As it is right now there are plenty of aftermarket sound and TMCC parts that are available for install. Will the average Joe miss the experiences you describe? Yes. Times change. You can't live in the days of American Graffiti. It's the 21st century and the internet era. Like it or not...that's the way it is. Dep
The planet is melting?! Tell that to the people in Snowhio or upper state New York!
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
jaabat wrote: The planet is melting?! Tell that to the people in Snowhio or upper state New York!
LOL....they just need to do like Big Al and buy more carbon credits.
OK, Deputy you nailed me. According to a recent excellent issue of Trains Magazine Chicago was the number one city for train watching and Illinois the number one state, though NYS ranked right up there at the top too.
I'm impressed with what you say that you do your own repairs on higher end trains. Though I agree with your sarcasm that it isn't voodoo magic, I think there are a good many folks who are intimated by the circuit boards and electronics. That there isn't some kind of repair manual on DCS and TMCC may be due in part to the mistrust, competition and the adversarial relationship between those two companies. Since they both invested millions of dollars into their own respective systems, they don't want to make it any easier for folks to figure it out, or worse yet, use their own respective technologies for a new system. As much as it might be desired by some, I think it's unlikely we'll see any authorized repair manuals on these electronics from either company. They have a hard time providing their own authorized dealers with parts, nevermind anyone else.
Regardless of that, it's pretty amazing that the folks at the OGR Forum, not even being involved with the engineering of the system, were able to offer solutions and changes to help MTH to work out the bugs that were initially in the DCS system. MTH publically thanked those folks. So while some may be obviously comfortable with the electronics, I'm sure a good many others would be clueless.
"And if Lionel or MTH doesn't want to sell the parts to fix something, you can bet there will be a hue and cry go up from the public." Actually Deputy, I think this topic of bad service, lack of parts and lengthy waits for service of high end items has already been (and currently is) one of the most vocal criticisms of these two train companies. It gets discussed quite heatedly on the other train forums, and I know it gets brought to the attention of the train company employees and reps because I've gotten to personally witness it. And sometimes the responses from these train company people resemble the "avoiding the issue" and "I feel your pain" answers you can get from politicans. The train companies know full well they have a major problem, but so long as people continue to buy the high end products, the incentive for immediate service/repair/quality solutions might not be as imperitative as if sales on these products dropped dramatically.
As for your thought on "You can't live in the days of American Graffiti" I have an observation. Most consumer electronics today are considered disposable by customers, regardless of price. You buy a DVD player, and if you get 3 years out of it, you say that was reasonable and go out and buy another one regardless of the price. This same perspective has not carried over to our trains though. If someone pays a grand for a train loco, he would hardly consider it disposable and would probably not accept only getting 3 years of use out of it and then tossing it to the trash along with the DVD player. And that DVD player isn't susceptible to the same potential voltage irregularities that the electronics the model train engine is.
The train companies (in particular Lionel) have long promoted the longevity factor of their products. The proven test of time has already shown us how well many well used postwar Lionel products can still perform with some maintenance and TLC. Even MPC products too! Times do change, so true, but I think most of us live our lives with the hope that tomorrow will be better and offer more than yesterday or today.
Time will tell how well the current batch of new electronically ladden trains perform to the "American Graffiti" tape measure. And the "collectibily factor" (which benefits the train companies) plays off the durability and longevity factor. Who would want to pay top dollar for an old train engine that had no potential of ever working again??? (OK, there's probably at least one fool out there as eBay shows us ... ha ha).
By the way Dep, I appreicate it when you have thoughtful responses. I know we don't always agree on everything, but the forum wouldn't be quite as lively if we all did.
I know it's sad when a trusted and loved retailer disappears, but I believe that one virtue of the capitalist entrepreneurial system is that if there is a demand for services, someone will likely step in to fill that need.
And in life, nothing stays the same, everything changes eventually. I know I'd be sad if our great local shop closed, but some day the guy who owns it will retire, get tired and/or ill, and it will happen in all likelihood. Of course, with bad luck, I won't be around to see that day. So enjoy the day you've been given is my philosophy on these things, all things pass.
I never bought from Davis, but unfortunately they are but another store that fell victim to the retail and warranty system set in place by the big train importers. It's a mystery to me what the model train companies hope to gain by killing off the smaller Mom-and-Pop outfits that have sold trains and fostered the hobby for generations-but it has definitely affected the customer in a negative way in terms of customer service.
If this trend continues only the stronger selling small stores and the larger mail order outfits will remain. Will these fewer stores be able to handle increased volume of repairs, or will the 'factory' service departments do it? It seems to me that both are already at their maximum capabilities. Geno
On several occasions I have had the pleasure of talking with Mr. Joe Davis. One great train guy with one great store. Since I build the real thing from time to time, he was very interested in one of my projects where we built the new railroad bridge for the CSX using top down construction. Recently, he and I would get into comparing ailments and needless to say his health wasn't all that great.
The closing of this store does not only affect the O gauge hobbyist, but they carry all the scales. The G scale department is great. Dixie Union Station in Mason has started to come into its own and will fill part of the void left by one great store with some of the greatest people in the hobby.
I want to thank Davis Trains for the great service and hospitality they have shown Mrs. Buckeye and me over the last ten years. Without their advice I would still be trying to learn how to run my TMCC and would have most likely burned down a couple houses.
for Davis Trains.
Brian: What folks who rave about the longevity and ease of repair of the old units always seem to forget, is that the new locos are MUCH more complex and much more versatile than the old ones. I think the best comparison of trains with other objects isn't DVD players. I think a better comparison is the Corvette of the late 1960s/early 70s with the Corvette of 1997 and up. I have a 1972 Vette, and while it is a bit of PITA to work on, it doesn't have all the fancy electronic gizmos that the new ones have. But there are plenty of folks that work on the new Vettes and do so succesfully. I think what might happen is if MTH and Lionel doesn't supply the knowledge base to repair their locos, it will come from the owners or some other source.If you are FORCED to do something, you'd be surprised how ingeneous you can become.
Like Neil says...if there's a demand, SOMEONE will step in to fill it. It may be a chain of shops or a single big shop that does repairs, or it may be a book that gives intricate details on how to do it. If there's a dollar to be made in doing it, it WILL happen
"they are but another store that fell victim to the retail and warranty system set in place by the big train importers."
From what I've read this may not be correct, and that Davis Trains is rather closing for reasons related to the family's desires/issues, not due to it being unprofitable. Unless someone has information from the principals (not a store clerk) I don't think we should assume which of these possibilities is correct. The largest and oldest R/C hobby shop in my area closed some years ago, and it was because of the owner's illness and death. Another one popped up shortly thereafter and is going great guns in a different location in our city.
Neil,I was commenting in general, not making a specific reason for Davis' Trains closure- as I said earlier I never had the pleasure of doing business with them. But I'm sure the many people who did buy trains from them will miss them greatly, as I've never heard anything but good things about Davis Trains.The matter of the hundreds of defective K-Line SD-70's Davis Trains was to repair for Lionel is of course a whole other story- or is it? I don't know the whole story there, but I wouldn't to be the store owner responsible for that job. I could see the cost of even attempting to repair all of those engines would cost any business a great deal of money, certainly enough to shut a small business down.
Geno
Something else we have to consider...while the Mom and Pop stores were handy and could give you a place to have a cup of coffee and learn some stuff, they were usually selling their trains at FULL RETAIL and sometimes higher. That might keep a lot of prospective new train modellers OUT of the loop, because they couldn't afford to buy a train. The big companies offer great discounts and that means many folks who otherwise couldn't afford to buy a set are now able to. No way I am gonna badmouth the big train sellers.
"could see the cost of even attempting to repair all of those engines would cost any business a great deal of money, certainly enough to shut a small business down."
I'd venture to say Lionel or Sanda Kan, or both, was going to pay them well to do these repairs, unlike the usual warranty situation. Remember that the only firm legally on the hook for these locos is K-Line (RIP), not Lionel or Sanda Kan. The locos are basically a gift from Lionel. The consumer has no contractual arrangement with anyone other than K-Line, which essentially doesn't exist as a legal entity any longer.
Sorry I misunderstood your point about Davis and why they are closing down. There's a lot of wildly misinformed stuff being said about events these days in the hobby :). Yours wasn't one of them. My apologies.
Deputy wrote:lLike Neil says...if there's a demand, SOMEONE will step in to fill it. It may be a chain of shops or a single big shop that does repairs, or it may be a book that gives intricate details on how to do it. If there's a dollar to be made in doing it, it WILL happen Dep
lLike Neil says...if there's a demand, SOMEONE will step in to fill it. It may be a chain of shops or a single big shop that does repairs, or it may be a book that gives intricate details on how to do it. If there's a dollar to be made in doing it, it WILL happen
Deputy,
Yes, eventually someone will fill the void. And that someone will also start dictating to the manufacture as to what THEY want to sell. How much margin THEY want to make. How THEY want an item made, and so on and so on, just as Wally World does every buisness day.
You seem to have forgotten, or never known, that the local bricks and mortar buisness helps YOU survive. Here in Washington state, the Mom and Pops pay double for their electrical rates and natural gas, so Joe homeowner pays less. They pay higher property taxes, so Joe homeowner pays less. They pay personal property tax on their display cases, paper in their printers and inventory, so Joe homeowner pays less. The local Mom and Pop, (whom you might even be employed), also pays wages to your neighbors. The loss of the Mom and Pop, in any sector, will soon cost YOU more.
Who's to blame? The manufacture who are blind to their own future. And us, looking to save a buck.
Rod L.
njalb1 wrote:
whats the deal with this?
nblum wrote: I know it's sad when a trusted and loved retailer disappears, but I believe that one virtue of the capitalist entrepreneurial system is that if there is a demand for services, someone will likely step in to fill that need.
And now it is being reported that Dixie Union Station on the north side of Cincinnati has recently enlarged their store and expanded their offerings of MTH and Lionel. Mason, Ohio, where Dixie Union is located is near KINGS ISLAND amusement park.
Neil, we now know who is stepping in to fill possibly some of the need.
another large train shop is closing its door soon
Allied Model Trains in culvert city, ca
By Roger VincentLos Angeles TimesCULVER CITY, Calif. - All aboard! Allied Model Trains is leaving the station.This week, one of the nation's largest model train stores is closing its longtime home in Culver City - a half-block-long replica of Los Angeles' Union Station. And fading along with it, says owner Allen Drucker, is the model train industry."It's just a dying hobby," said Drucker, 58. "I always told myself I didn't want to be the old man running the train store."After 32 years at the miniature railroad hub, Drucker is selling to new owners, who will move the business to a smaller Art Deco-style building he owns across the street. He'll rent the Union Station look-alike to a camera shop.With real estate values rising and competition from the Internet barking at his heels, he decided it was time to sell his business - a favorite stop for local boys and girls and train buffs for generations. Among them were celebrities including Frank Sinatra, who had a building shaped like a train station at his desert estate."He had a huge Lionel layout and all along the walls were shelves full of trains," said Drucker, who visited Sinatra's home several times. "He had a real Santa Fe caboose too, as his workout room."Sinatra's collection was acquired by Canadian business mogul Jim Pattison, along with Sinatra's desert home. The crooner was one of several celebrity train collectors who shopped at Allied. Among Drucker's other customers, he said, are musicians Rod Stewart and Bruce Springsteen, and actor Donald Sutherland.Model railroading dates to the early 20th century, when Lionel introduced its first electric-powered train. The business enjoyed a golden age during the 1920s, when heavy metal locomotives and cars were the most prized possessions of many boys.After U.S. model train production stopped for World War II, the industry boomed again in the 1950s when trains were the No. 1 toy for boys. But now, the industry's fan base is fading."It has become increasingly more difficult to run a single store like mine in a major metropolitan area," Drucker said. Among his challenges has been paying electric bills of $3,000 a month to help keep his display trains running.But the real problem with the model train industry, Drucker said, is that its biggest fans are growing older.Customer Randy Miller endures gentle mockery from his children. " 'He's 55 and still playing with trains,' my daughter says. " 'I think he's losing it.' "
http://www.alliedmodeltrains.com/index.htm
Unless you are in an area saturated with trainheads, it has never been easy to operate a model train shop. Model trains are a niche market and you need to deal on a national level with a large inventory in order to make it. It's been that way since the beginnings. In their so called glory years, Lionel took a lot of heat from LHS's for giving discounts to large accounts like Sears. I have old issues of Model Railroader and RMC from the 40's and 50's. Both contain ads from large discount mail order dealers. Lionel offered service station specials to LHS's to try and help them survive but the laws of economics and free enterprise didn't help matters much. It's really no different today than it was 50 years ago.
A closing train store doesn't mean the hobby is dying. It just means the proprietor is retiring or taking on a better paying buisiness. For every train shop that closes, a new train shop opens. The industry does make a lot of effort to promote the hobby with train shows, hobby ambasadors, etc....But most folks get excited about trains for a half a day and the excitement dies off. How many people get excited about riding a city bus? Not many. Kind of the same thing with model trains. The promotions do extract 1 would be trainhead out of 50 people maybe and that is a good thing.
O gauge layouts take up a lot of space and consume a lot of cash. The kind of space and cash people don't have until their kids are grown up and on their own and their homes are paid off. This is why the hobby is dominated by the 50 plus crowd. There is nothing wrong with that. There are people with cash and space turning 50 every day. Young adults will continue to build smaller, affordable HO and N layouts and many will switch to O gauge when they are empty nested.
Some might say the O gauge hobby needs affordable trains that fit a small space to compete with HO. We have that but the trains are chunky and clunky compared to HO. People want realism so they will steer to HO. Because I collect O gauge, N scale, and a little HO, to me, it's all paint, metal, and plastic made by the same people in the same factories and it doesn't matter what scale people prefer. It's all under one tent as far as I'm concerned.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month