fwright wrote:
What matters, and I think the OP might have hinted at this - the return on investment in WGH appears to be very poor. Thomas was not intended to be a means of developing model railroaders - yet it has had some positive impact, even if not easily measured except anecdotally. WGH was specifically aimed at the objective of growing the hobby, yet relatively few have even heard of the program.
It seems that as far as the general public is concerned, WGH is about as well-known as the Manhattan Project was to the general public in WWII. Outside of the hobby press and the train shops I visit, WGH appears to be about as visible as the far side of the moon. The only reason I know about WGH is because I'm in the hobby and already a member of the choir. C'mon guys, you don't need the equivalent of a "come to Jesus" campaign for the already converted.
Here's some ideas:
1. Itinerant tent revival train shows. "Brethren and Sistern... I say, brethren and sistern.... idle hands are the devil's playground. You need a hobby and you need the one true hobby. You need trains, lots and lots of trains......"
2. Door to door pamphleteers using the Jehovah's Witness and Mormon model.
3. 30 second Super Bowl spots. OK, they're expensive. but if ya want to get your messages to the masses, ya gotta do it in a manner that actually reaches the masses.
4. Songs. Railroady songs set to gospel tunes. To the tune of "Rock Of Ages":
Amtrak takes ages from here to there
Still it's almost faster than air.
You don't sit at the gate for hours,
But on a siding watching wildflowers.......
Ok, it needs work, but you get the drift.
Andre