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One solution I can see would be to go over to marketing US-built models as "premium" brands - Many people buy BMW/Audi/Mercedes cars because they are marketed as being "premium" - this has helped these companies to survive in a niche market. They survive despite competition from the rest of the world because of this. It is possible to buy a vehicle made in Japan that is, in engineering terms at least, the equal of any German product, but people still buy BMWs over Mitsubishis due to the clever marketing. I'll admit I wince when I look on the back of the box and see "Made in China" - here in the UK we used to make some of the best model trains in the world - the old Hornby-Dublo and Hornby O ranges when Hornby was part of Mecanno. It seems that moving production overseas is now "necessary" to keep prices down, however, when problems occur, spares and repairs are harder to obtain. For example, a year or so ago Bachmann released a new OO-Scale model of an LNER A1 pacific. The first batch were recalled due to major problems with the drive system - they were overheating and unable to haul decent-length trains. Bachmann had to send all the recalled models on a return trip to their Chinese factory for remotoring, which took several months. It is also almost impossible to obtain body fittings for Bachmann locos as only complete shells and chassis are shipped over - not much help if you need a brake handle or other small component. As of now, there is only one sizable company producing model trains in the UK - Dapol. They have capitalised on the resulting shorter production times by specialising in limited-run and special-edition stock. My LHS has commissioned 4 freight wagons from them (these involve an existing tool but with custom painting, in this case the liveries of a few local companies). I have one of each, and they're excellent models. The "Premium" approach might well be the best bet for keeping jobs in the US, as consumers will tend to accept the higher prices if they think they are getting a product that is in some way better: Example, apparently KFC introduced new "Extra-crispy" fried chicken, at the same price as their normal chicken, but sales were sluggish. When they upped the price and badged the same Extra-crispy chicken as a "Premium" product, sales soared!
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