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We recently heard that Horizon Hobbies would introduce some of the Blue Box items as well keep all of the MDC steam era items. However, profit is what a business is about. I'm not sure if it is the greed of money, but profit to stay in business, to pay employees, taxes, overhead and to continue research for improving products is business. I believe if Donald Trump had leadership of most of the manufactures today, he too would drop most items that are not profitable. "IT"S BUSINESS". Nevertheless, affordability is important. Note on Rivarossi: Rivarossi introduce afordability of nice, maybe expressed best asbeautiful locomotives at very low prices for the blue collar collector who could not afford that superb HALLMARK Brass train that good folks like Bobbye Hall imported. However, true, the motoring had always been poor on the steam locomotives buring up, poor hauling ability, etc. Although, the 2001 newtooling and improvements have made great change. They are much stronger, quality motoring and still beautiful but more costly. The PAST and Future I was raised with 0-scale LIONEL and MARX trains. Today, anyone under 40 can hardly afford the hobby. If we review "The WORLD'S GREATEST HOBBY", http://www.greatesthobby.com/ part of the three step five year marketing strategy is to introduce the hobby back to the market through males between the age of 45-65 years old. Hopefully, many of these men will be fathers who will be sharing the hobby with their off spring in this almost all male hobby. THE BIG PICTURE Production cost and sales are important. However, the answer to affordability is not through LACK of QUALITY that we often see on the low end Model Power, Life Like or BACHMANN sets which in the long run turn interest towards something else if your first experience is a train set which only operates for 15 to 30 hoursof actual operating use. In turn, leaving one with a bad experience of model railroad. However, IHC is one company who continues to make a very affordable train set using imported MEHANO products under the IHC trade name. Please keep in mind that Model Power, Life like and BACHMANN also make some very nice items too. Even Athearn dropped the earlier hard wire pick ups to a cheap but easy to install metal pick up across the motor and wheel brackets. Like most of the Die Hard Model Railroaders across the world, we will miss some of the wonderful products we have come to know and friends like The Stewart Family, Athearn Family, and CLARENCE of MDC enjoying retirement in NEVADA. Thou we will always appreciate the many new guys on the block starting out in basements, garages or the family room like KMP models, Rustic Rails, Oregon Rail Supplies, Model Tech Studios and so many more. SUCCESS or FAILURE.....it is still just as exciting as the day that the old Die Cast Steam Locomotive whistled its way around the track smoking away with that loud rumbling open frame motor. Railroading should always continue to be fun. Whethered introduced through Harry Potter Set, Thomas the Train or Radio Flyer. But the rivets better be right on the high cost items where plastic locomotives cost more than the down payment on a new automobile.
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