Yet Another Model RR Hobby Shop Is Gone

[Howard Zane]

I'm always amazed how these discussions get off topic. As the co-promotor of a fairly large mid-Atlantic train show (www.gsmts.com) , I have learned to welcome and be thankful to anyone who comes through the gate....not giving a hoot if he plays "Lionel style" on the floor with his butt facing the heavens or is giving the late John Allen a run for his money. Many have entered into our hobby with a loop of brass snap track and a Tyco train set. Many do upgrade and eventually become serious model rails, but in proportion to their abilities and talent. That is fine as we all can not be great artists or modelers. The point is to have fun. A talk-down approach to entry level (RTR) folks is not going to grow model railroading.

One of my favorite activities is scratch-building structures of my own designs. When companies like Walther's and others started offering ready to plant buildings, I was aghast at first, but it did not take me long to realize that these RTR buidings were a plus. It allowed many folks to enhance their layouts without tackling something that for now could have been intimidating. A good chance exists that entry level model rails will expand their horizons and eventually build stuff, but again what is important is these folks have joined our hobby and are patronizing shops, shows, and on line businesses.

HZ

 

[0-6-0]

Walleye

The postings on this topic are fascinating! The original posting is  a pessimistic prediction that our hobby is in decline, that it may soon fade away. Most of the other posters seem to agree. A few take issue with the premise. But, 55 long, detailed posts later, no one has tried to suggest a solution! 55 active model railroaders found the time to write about how the End is near, but nobody could offer one idea for what they, I, or anyone else could do about it.

 

I had a boss once who had a term for this kind of thinking. He called it “admiring the problem.”

 

Personally, I’m not in the doom-sayers’ camp. But it really doesn’t matter who is right on this. The future will tell us that soon enough. Meanwhile, if you think the hobby is in decline,  for Heaven’s sake, tell us what you think can be done to revitalize it. Because we already have 55 obituaries. One more won't help at all.

 

Hello they best way to make the hobby grow is to tell people about it. I have read more then once were somebody said they don't talk  about there hobby for one reason or another. If you want more people to get involved you have to show or tell them about it. All my friends know I am in to trains and most have seen my layout. I even got one of them into a small garden layout.

I don't understand how any of the numbers could be right if some of us wont tell anyone we have trains? Have a nice day Frank

[Howard Zane]

I love the cartoon of Chicken Little staring into the sky. As the story goes...Chicken little ran up to the farmer who was playing with his train set and yelled..."The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" Now what do you think the farmer thought?

"Holy @#^&, a talking chicken!!"

HZ

[Walleye]

0-6-0

Hello they best way to make the hobby grow is to tell people about it. I have read more then once were somebody said they don't talk  about there hobby for one reason or another. If you want more people to get involved you have to show or tell them about it. All my friends know I am in to trains and most have seen my layout. I even got one of them into a small garden layout.

I don't understand how any of the numbers could be right if some of us wont tell anyone we have trains? Have a nice day Frank

 Thanks, Frank! THAT"S a positive contribution. Anybody else have something positive to say?

[CNJ831]

BRAKIE

No,John the hobby is not dying as you repeatedly imply but,never give any hard facts or figures..

Larry, you know very well that I presented plenty of cited documentation repeatedly in multi-page threads here in the past, only to be assailed by hobby dabblers who demonstrated a total lack of any knowledge of the hobby's past, or current, status. Nevertheless and lacking anything to substantiate their opinions, they insisted that none of the figures I located could be true. So now I simply advise those honestly interested to search out the earlier threads on the subject.

I think that you are likewise aware that absolutely no one, including yourself, has ever provided a shred of documented countering information, only an endless stream of largely baseless personal opinions, presented as fact, that the situation is other than what I indicate. Quite honestly, it is the often juvenile approach to the hobby exhibited by many here that has caused most of the serious hobbyists that once frequented this site to have abandoned it. What can I say?

CNJ831      

 

[NevinW]

I try to avoid these "end of the hobby as we know it" and the "all the hobby shops are closing" threads since they tend to be extremely repetitive, pointless and usually degenerate into name calling. 

 However, I would like to mention two things:  My wife's hobby is salt water reef aquariums.  We now have to drive 200 miles to buy fish and coral as ALL of the area aquarium stores have closed.  She buys almost all of her tanks and filters from online sources.  My other big interest is golf.  All of the golf forums that I go to are also infected with doom and gloom about the future of golf in the US.  Golf stores are closing left and right.  Large amounts of golf equipment is bought online.  Numerous golf courses including one in my back yard have closed and are growing back to nature. 

My points are this:  (1) The internet has changed the way we spend money on our leisure activities. Sellers will need to adapt to this fact or perish.  (2) The economy has decreased our spending on leisure activities across all  hobbies and leisure activities.  Why should model trains be any different.  I do not believe that this hobby is dying any more than I believe that salt water aquariums are dying or that golf is dying.  -  Nevin

[tstage]

"Looks like it's about that time again..."

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