When I was a young guy and started this obsession with trains I started with Lionel O Gauge and over the years I ran through N, H0 and ended up with G gauge which I now run. One of the things that really gets this old goats goat is that the local hobby shops and train shops have been and are going under. There used to be stores in Seaside, Monterey and Salinas that carried Train stuff. They have been gone for around ten years now. There is a train store in Gilroy up the highway about forty minutes or so that had a nice selection. Now they are only open two Saturdays a month because business has gotten so bad. So we are left with ebay and the online stores that too often send us damaged merchandise or the wrong merchandise. Most of them have really bad customer support. Really a sad state of affairs. I don't know what to think anymore. Even kids now a days seem to be more into computer games and texting than trains. When I was young most of the boys had trains. Really a sad state of affairs.
RUDY JAGER, CEO OF THE LONE WOLF RAILROAD
TRUST ME--I USED TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT!
Hi Independant Operator,
In my town, they even removed the Railroad! They came in and removed all the tracks and leveled the old depot........Sniff.
Like you, I started at an early age with a battery operated HO train set. I put it on a sheet of plywood, and I was in Heaven!
There have never been any decent Hobby shops where I live, but there are a few I can visit, if I want to drive for a minimum of an hour.
I am just starting to build my G gauge railroad. I am lucky in that my Grandkids live close by. I hope to include them when I can. I hope that once they see the many facets of this hobby, it might spur their interest. A couple of the boys like those Electronic Lab Kits from Radio Shack, so I hope to play off that with the railroad. There's mechanical things that will appeal to them. The girls can help me decorate interiors of structures.....Or whatever will get there interest.
I plan to name some Passenger cars after all the girls, and some of the businesses will be named after family members. I guess I said all that to say it may be important to try to include the younger generation in the hobby. If he hobby isn't promoted, it won't grow.
As far as the closing of Hobby Stores, it is a terrible shame, and, I fear, a sign of the current times. If and when things turn around, I hope to see many of the businesses which are currently vanishing make their way back.
I'm with you with the Ebay experience, as well as my experiences with on-line stores. Many of my purchases have gone good enough, and there's been once or twice when the seller could have been a little more honest.......I just like to visit a hobby shop establish a relationship with its owner, and spend a little time in conversation with others who enjoy trains.
I guess the times are changing. I can't say I like it, but I guess I'll have to learn to deal with it.
Here's a sobering thought someone shared with me: - Believe it or not, these are somebody elses "Good Old Days"...........................................
The demise of local hobby shops in all the scales has been lamented and discussed ad nauseam on the other forums here. These discussions always blame two things -- first and foremost, the Internet and mass marketers who can undercut the prices of the local shops, and secondly, the retirement of hobby shop owners and their inability to find anyone with enough cash or desire to buy their shops. Starting a local hobby shop today can run into the tens of thousands of dollars if they want to attract and keep customers. I don't know how many times I have heard local hobby shop customers say, "I can get it for half that price on the Internet!" as they walk out the door.
Even one of the major, old-time on-line and mail order houses, Standard Hobby Supply in New Jersey, just closed their doors and walked away when the owners decided to retire.
There used to be six or seven hobby shops in Tucson, Arizona that specialized in model trains -- now there is only one, and it is in an Ace Hardware store. They have no test track and I don't think any of the employees are model railroaders. Not only that, it's a 70 mile one way trip for me, so I buy practically everything by mail order.
Yes, it's a sad state of affairs, as you lamented -- but the times they are a changing and the local hobby shops have to change or go under.
We are dinosaurs. Face the truth. We hobby with models of trains long gone on the American landscape. Modern railroading is in Metro rail, MU intermodals and it's just not one bit sexy or exciting in any way. We are at the limits of our tech skills just being able to post a photo on an online forum. Hyper advanced gaming is not interesting to us, we don't twitter and facebook in order to find friends. We value looking people in the eye and a day of honest work.
The future of the hobby is not looking so good. Kids dont' care, model trains take too much brain power and don't give instant satisfaction. Nothing in this hobby is attractive to the modern teen. The only bright spot is that I still have a few good decades ahead of me and as long as I draw breath there will be at least one model railroader left on this planet. All of what remains of cavemen are welcome to drag knuckles over to my hovel and we can burn some dino meat on a fire and talk about trains until we finaly go extinct.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
I guess I'm luckey I have Two LHS one is only 17 mile's away in Concord Ca and the other is in Santa Cleara Ca about 1.5 hours away ( on a good day ) But the one I like best is in Brommall Pa. but that's too far out of the way. So I plan my trips to my LHS based on the cash I have. The more case the longer I drive. If I am look for something in particular I call ahead since one is computerized they can tell me if they have what I'm looking for...
Dave
The head is gray, hands don't work , back is weak, legs give out, eyes are gone, money go's and my wife still love's Me.
facing a few facts of life here,
Tom Trigg
Hi ttrigg,
I see the same thing here in SoCal. There's a few more empty store fronts each month.
Like you, I like to see and touch things before I buy them. Also, when I'm in a LHS, I might get exposed to the new "next big thing".
There are a few LHS's listed in the local phone book. They were all about 20 minutes away, but when I call or drive by, they're gone.
There's a chain hobby shop that advertises "Trains". But the store is filled with 100's of R/C Aircraft and 1 or 2 N scale train sets.
I don't know if I agree with the guy that said we are dinosaurs......Model Railroading is a old hobby, but I keep reading that G scale is a fast growing segment of the hobby. I'm including my Grandkids in my railroad construction. They seem pretty enthused. There's a lot of facet to this hobby. Gardening, carpentry, electrical and electronics, etc.
I hope that if and when things turn around, there's a few more LHS's reappear.
Good luck to us all.
The most telling part of the new economy is not the staggering number of small businesses that are dying, it's the fact that so few new stores are opening. When was the last time, honestly ask yourself, when the last NEW train store opened in your area. Most of us seem justly concerned about keeping the existing stores open, and that's good, but what about the new blood? In this economy there is zero incentive for risking anything on a new business idea, let alone a new train shop.
But none of that matters. The hobby was started by enthusiest who had no stores, no commercial products, nothing. Yet they worked in basement shops and made what they wanted. Now there is a novel idea.
Who with a good business mind would want to open a model train shop at this time. Face it, the world has moved on. I am into garden railroad to model the 1960's in my backyard because that is what I remember as a kid. The now kids in the neighborhood look over the fence and say "oh, that's nice" and move on with there eyes and fingers on their Blacbberry. Even only a few of the parents are interested.
When I was a kid, my uncle had a collection of Model T Fords ($$) but what I was interested in was that 57 Chev the guy down the street had in his driveway. I didn't see many new small businesses opening up that specialized in Model T parts.
I too have watched the number of hobby shops decline in the Portland, Oregon area. The remaining one, Whistle Stop Trains, is mainly focused on HO, N, and O - not much in the way of G. However I do go there as often as I can and purchase general modeling and scratch building supplies. I have had them order G items for me, yes, it adds a few dollars to the price over the internet - but it’s nice to be in a hobby shop, to talk, and look at the equipment. I also model in N (currently mothballed), so if I can get some more room indoors...
P. V. & W. RR. htttp://home.comcast.net/~PVandW
I recall that there was a catalog that we could get (way before the internet) from a company that sold all kinds of (not original equipment) parts and fun things for our older cars. I think it was something like JC Whitney. While in high school and that was early 1960's I bought a lot of stuff from them for my old 1948 Ford. After I came home from the navy in the late 60's I think they were still around as I bought some stuff for my 1955 chevy and I think it was from them. They had an awesome catalog.
JimC2 Who with a good business mind would want to open a model train shop at this time. Face it, the world has moved on. I am into garden railroad to model the 1960's in my backyard because that is what I remember as a kid. The now kids in the neighborhood look over the fence and say "oh, that's nice" and move on with there eyes and fingers on their Blacbberry. Even only a few of the parents are interested. When I was a kid, my uncle had a collection of Model T Fords ($$) but what I was interested in was that 57 Chev the guy down the street had in his driveway. I didn't see many new small businesses opening up that specialized in Model T parts.
As you did in your area, I used to buy some things from the train shop up in Gilroy about 45 minutes from here (the closet to me) just out of courtesy to the owner. I recall though the first time we went up there my wife spent about $150 on rolling stock for me. Other trips I spent usually 30 bucks give or take. The store still went down and now opens only two saturdays a month in a smaller location. I really don't plan to go up there again until later in the year when the shop becomes the focal point for open houses in the Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Hollister areas. Those G Gaugers up there are really heavy in abundance not like down here in the Monterey area. Probably my not going up there now has to do with the store not responding to my emails and snail mails. Loss of personal contact means something to me.
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I agree that our hobby doesn't appeal to teens. As most of you know our layout is in the front yard visible to everyone. We also have a school bus stop at our corner and the pre-driving teens will gather there waiting on the bus and then be deposited at the same corner in the afternoon. They don't even look. When I talk with them it's never about the railroad. They just are not interested. The age group that loves the place are the pre-schoolers and the grandparents (even without the kids). Unfortunately our hobby takes a lot of time which parents and teenagers just don't have these days. People in their 30's and 40's find me strange that I play with trains and spend so much time working on the railroad. Teens are interested in RC planes. They will ask me about mine that they see hanging in my workshop plus they love to get on the flight simulator. Building planes - not so much.
The railroad does attract crowds of folks 60+ and 5-. Giving the trottle to a five year old and watching them run the Connie, Shay or Thomas while I talk to the grandparents is what it's all about for our layout.
Rex - a dinosaur and proud of it
I think the teens are more interested in the scrape value of my brass track. I've even been reported to the HOA for keeping "vehicles" in my backyard. I have the letter framed! I ought to send a copy to Phoenix to use in an ad or something.
I went into a hobby shop the other day near where I'm working, to buy some ballast, We can order it in for you. They used to carry a reasonable railway selection, now its all jigsaws and die cast cars and seven pieces of balsa.
Warren
Perhaps the pendulum has swung back. We must return to the days when a modeler built things in his or her own home, using tools and ideas and whatever was found around the home or hardware store. I for one will not let the insignificant fact of the extinction of hobby stores stop me from building somethig.
Hello All,
I found out there was a new hobby shop about 20 minutes away, and they had TRAINS! So, I ventured down there. All I found in G scale was one LGB Boxcar for $140.00.
So, back to the internet stores for me.....I'd like to support the local shops, but I guess sometimes, it just can't be done.
Heh, I'm a teenager and I love garden railroading! - Peter
Modeling the Bellefonte Central Railroad
Fan of the PRR
Garden Railway Enthusiast
Check out my Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PennsyModeler
try Tammies Hobbies in Beaverton, Lots of g scale and people who know trains.
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