I have a custom done 3D prined shelter in a park on my layout. To the best of my knowledge, this is a two-off as I worked with an eBay seller to make it special. I also have picnic tables from that same seller.
For another project (still in progress), I ordered a gazebo and a couple of planters through Shapeways. I did have problems with the first one that was sent as it was damaged but they sent me a new one for free. I am even looking to get more 3D printed items through that site at some point in the future.
I expect that a considerable amount of shareware is going to be developed or pirated. Once you can digitize something, it can be reproduced millions of times with no degradation. It happened with the music industry. It makes it hard to sell something when it can be obtained for nothing. That might discourage development somewhat.
The thing about resin printing that excites me is the increasing likelihood of being able to buy quality uncommon parts. The whole matter of part supply, not just for rolling stock, is as fluid as ever with companies shutting down, selling off units, etc. The list of familiar part suppliers I depended on for detailing my engines, cars, structures, etc., that are now gone outnumbers those I can still locate. But resin printing offers opportunities with detail that far exceeds first generation 3D capabilities.
The challenge, or cost lies in having to supply adequate drawing files a 3D printer of any kind can upload. In the past three months I've been trying to revive decades-old, long unused CAD skills hoping I can someday be able to do myself the kinds of drawings I'd otherwise have to pay for. New means and opportunities require new skills, but I guess, happily, that is the same thing every generation of modelers has had to deal with.
Another part of the current challenge lies in being able to locate manufacturers (often meaning some person with a 3D printer in his basement). We're yet early on into this new development, but eventually all of its aspects will become more ordinary. Manufacturers will have to think differently about inventory, at least in part because my need for ten tiny something-or-others might not interest other buyer/modelers to justify stock on the shelf. But manufacturers with a good set of already-refined CAD files at their beck and call, rather than having to develop new files from scratch, will help. I only hope that along with new manufacturing capabilities (meaning 3D printing) comes a willingness on the part of people who create the files needed for 3D printing to make those files available in ways we can easily find them, and have access to their use at reasonable costs.
Hi guys--
Sorry for the long winded posts above.
YES, I am talking about used trains.
If I have even so much as test run a new loco, and then decide I don't want/need it, my local train store will sell it as used. They will NOT put it out as Mint, or Test Run Only, only as used. They try to be 100% above board for the sake of all customers.
John
PRR8259It was my understanding that used ie previously taxed items did not have to be taxed again in our state. However, that was back then, ancient history.
Another modern problem. I think Ebay has their hands tied on this issue.
I remember reading just how far some states want to go ... never underestimate the greediness of the government when looking for ways to get you to pay more taxes. Some tax collectors suggested in some states or cities that someone having a garage sale needed to charge sales tax! That kind of idiocy did not fly, but not before it gave some in the government ideas.
Computerized money exchanges may someday settle this. Computers would be able to track just about everything a person buys and sells, and taxes would be applied to just about every transaction.
York1 John
PRR8259 Doughless-- 29 years ago when I last worked full-time for a model train company, we sold individuals' used items in the store (including some of mine), and if I recall correctly we did not charge tax on those items. It was my understanding that used ie previously taxed items did not have to be taxed again in our state. However, that was back then, ancient history. That has now changed to the point where one local store I frequent (that is also selling my used trains) now charges state sales tax on them (even when they are being sold at a loss). When I questioned it, they replied that their tax advisor says everything that is sold is now subject to state sales tax. End of that discussion. I sold items on Ebay, better than 95% of the time at a loss, but they still were collecting state sales tax on all those sales. They were applying the tax directly to the invoices, with me having no say whatsoever on that part of the invoice. Some of us do not want the personal accounting hassle of having to deal with reporting original cost basis, or purchase price, and then accounting for the ebay fees, shipping, taxes, writing off a portion of the home as inventory space, etc. I can't speak for others, but when I buy items at a train show, I don't usually even get a receipt. When I purchase items online or in a train store, I don't usually keep the receipts I get--sometimes yes--but generally I do not have any warranty related issues. I would find it maddening to even attempt to keep all receipts. So the whole 1099 form thing, and having to itemize all related expenses to prove losses, would for me become an accounting nightmare. I'm not going to declare anything that I can't support with good documentation in the event of an audit. I can't speak for others, but I'm just not going to do it. If I can sell a few items at a show, in person, and not have to ship them, and I can write down what I recovered at that show, then great--but it will still be a net LOSS, so I wouldn't even bother to report it, as you have noted above. I'm fortunate that for this year my total sales are less than the $1200 threshold (I just learned about), and I stopped selling on Ebay at the end of May... John
Doughless--
29 years ago when I last worked full-time for a model train company, we sold individuals' used items in the store (including some of mine), and if I recall correctly we did not charge tax on those items. It was my understanding that used ie previously taxed items did not have to be taxed again in our state. However, that was back then, ancient history.
That has now changed to the point where one local store I frequent (that is also selling my used trains) now charges state sales tax on them (even when they are being sold at a loss). When I questioned it, they replied that their tax advisor says everything that is sold is now subject to state sales tax. End of that discussion.
I sold items on Ebay, better than 95% of the time at a loss, but they still were collecting state sales tax on all those sales. They were applying the tax directly to the invoices, with me having no say whatsoever on that part of the invoice.
Some of us do not want the personal accounting hassle of having to deal with reporting original cost basis, or purchase price, and then accounting for the ebay fees, shipping, taxes, writing off a portion of the home as inventory space, etc.
I can't speak for others, but when I buy items at a train show, I don't usually even get a receipt. When I purchase items online or in a train store, I don't usually keep the receipts I get--sometimes yes--but generally I do not have any warranty related issues. I would find it maddening to even attempt to keep all receipts.
So the whole 1099 form thing, and having to itemize all related expenses to prove losses, would for me become an accounting nightmare. I'm not going to declare anything that I can't support with good documentation in the event of an audit.
I can't speak for others, but I'm just not going to do it. If I can sell a few items at a show, in person, and not have to ship them, and I can write down what I recovered at that show, then great--but it will still be a net LOSS, so I wouldn't even bother to report it, as you have noted above.
I'm fortunate that for this year my total sales are less than the $1200 threshold (I just learned about), and I stopped selling on Ebay at the end of May...
I'm talking about selling used trains here. Kind of OT but I thought it important to post to at least prompt folks to investigate on their own.
Ebay is merely complying with the law. The American Rescue Recovery Act of 2021 lowers the threshold on the 1099 issuances for payments processed by 3rd party vendors like Ebay, Venmo, etc. (somehow, collecting more taxes from small-fry individuals helps a recovery?)
This info is lifted from a Virginia.gov (Generally state tax law mirrors Federal) public service website that gives examples of what is reportable as taxable income and what is not. Note that the term "hobby" means somebody who makes an improvement to an item then sells it....but its not really a business. Hobby doesn't mean model railroading, or golf clubs, etc.
Bottom line, money received from selling personal items that you used and sold at a loss is not reportable as taxable income. So I guess even though you get a 1099-K from ebay, you should be able to ignore it since the money collected by ebay is not subject to tax if its from selling personal items. You don't itemize expenses to show the loss, because the money isn't reported on the tax return in the first place.
It depends on whether the payment was income that is subject to tax. Form 1099-K is an informational document and amounts included within are not necessarily subject to income tax in Virginia. You should use the information reported in conjunction with your other records to determine whether it is taxable income and to determine your correct tax. We recommend that you keep documentation of reportable transactions available if not all amounts included on Form 1099-K should be considered taxable income
Amounts included on Form 1099-K are generally includable as part of your gross income (although you may be able to deduct certain expenses associated with earning such income) if received from activities such as:
Amounts included on Form 1099-K are generally excluded from your gross income if they were received:
Here are some examples:
- Douglas
PRR8259Well, as noted on some other forums, model train buyers are becoming more and more disenchanted with Ebay (and also the personal tax implications of selling on Ebay now that 1099's will be issued for 2022 sales above $600 for the whole year, and sales this year exceeding $1200). That effectively removes Ebay as an option for some to liquidate excess locos, rolling stock, parts, etc.
But you still don't have to pay taxes on it if you sold the items at a loss. Ebay is simply reporting gross sales. Assuming that you paid more for the trains than what you sold them for, that 1099 is not taxable income.
I'm not a tax advisor, but I assume there is a form that you would disclose the 1099 reported income on, then offset the sales price of those "miscellaneous items" with the costs of those items to show as a loss.
Example: Sold $10,000 in 2021 but paid $11,000 for them over the course of many years. I doubt if you would need to attach receipts (like charitable contributions less than $400)
Dealing with the 1099 is a PITA, its a matter of knowing how to file the tax form correctly, but it shouldn't cost you money.
If anybody knows how to prepare the form, please speak up....
That type of change has been long in coming but it will as things get smaller and cheaper and batterys improve.
Well, as noted on some other forums, model train buyers are becoming more and more disenchanted with Ebay (and also the personal tax implications of selling on Ebay now that 1099's will be issued for 2022 sales above $600 for the whole year, and sales this year exceeding $1200). That effectively removes Ebay as an option for some to liquidate excess locos, rolling stock, parts, etc.
I think we are going to see some kind of a rennaisance in train shows, and perhaps those few train stores who remain will be able to hang in there.
I would be in the "dc only" crowd, except that I really do enjoy all the cool lighting functions and sounds of the Loksound 5 locos. The very few dc locos I have purchased recently were only because the dcc versions were NOT available. Most of my purchases have had sound and dcc.
My layout is set up with a dpdt toggle switch to allow a quick switch between dcc and dc. I'll probably keep the dc power supply just in case, though I'm using it less and less.
Doughless John-NYBW Rechargeable battery powered locos sound intriguing but it's going to come at a cost. It would require retrofitting of locos currently on one's roster and that would likely be expensive. Probably comparable to converting a DC locomotive to DCC. Are the decoders going to be controlled wirelessly too? Otherwise you still need track power to send signals to the decoder and that's going to require clean track so what does onboard power accomplish? Maybe this is something for the next generation of model railroaders to take up. I don't see many of us old fogies springing for a complete rebuild of our current locomotive fleet. What's the gain? Why change? When the hobby evolved into offering onboard sound at a decent quality and price, I switched to DCC because it woks better on DCC than DC. I can't see in terms of motor control, why I would want to switch from track powered current driving the motor to onboard battery powered current. Would the loss of occasional track cleaning duties be worth it. I can't see me entertaining the idea of keeping up with these kinds of changes.
John-NYBW Rechargeable battery powered locos sound intriguing but it's going to come at a cost. It would require retrofitting of locos currently on one's roster and that would likely be expensive. Probably comparable to converting a DC locomotive to DCC. Are the decoders going to be controlled wirelessly too? Otherwise you still need track power to send signals to the decoder and that's going to require clean track so what does onboard power accomplish? Maybe this is something for the next generation of model railroaders to take up. I don't see many of us old fogies springing for a complete rebuild of our current locomotive fleet.
What's the gain? Why change?
When the hobby evolved into offering onboard sound at a decent quality and price, I switched to DCC because it woks better on DCC than DC.
I can't see in terms of motor control, why I would want to switch from track powered current driving the motor to onboard battery powered current.
Would the loss of occasional track cleaning duties be worth it.
I can't see me entertaining the idea of keeping up with these kinds of changes.
I agree. If I were just starting out, onboard power might be worth considering, especially if coupled with radio control. I have far too much invested in traditional DCC to consider an expensive changeover at my age. This might be what model railroading will look like in 30 years but I doubt I'll be around to see it. I just got my roof replaced and it came with a 30 year warranty. If it starts leaking after that, I'll be happy to be around to see it.
John-NYBWRechargeable battery powered locos sound intriguing but it's going to come at a cost. It would require retrofitting of locos currently on one's roster and that would likely be expensive. Probably comparable to converting a DC locomotive to DCC. Are the decoders going to be controlled wirelessly too? Otherwise you still need track power to send signals to the decoder and that's going to require clean track so what does onboard power accomplish? Maybe this is something for the next generation of model railroaders to take up. I don't see many of us old fogies springing for a complete rebuild of our current locomotive fleet.
Doughless NorthBrit As for model railroading; people of all ages will be involved. In the (not too distant) future, with technology advancing at a fast rate, the running of trains will be a lot different from today. The children of today will welcome it because they will grow up with that technology. As for myself, I shall remain a 'dinosaur' with my DC layout running little steam locomotives 'in 1914/1919 or diesels in '1967/1972. My grandchildren love it, because they are allowed to run trains their way whilst I relax and watch them. This is interesting. I've participated less in the forum over recent months since I've become aware of how I see things a bit differently from "normal" model railroaders. I'm not a precise person, and tend to detest the rabbit holes that a certain level of precision in my hobbies forces me into. Its funny how many discussions talk about the different ways to motivate a DC motor, like there is some kind of big revolution or changes. What I see about locomotives is the same DC motor being rotated by positve and negative current turning the little guy who is mechanically connected to the wheels, which then turn also. A bunch of change has occurred about how that DC current goes into those black and red motor leads. Either you focus upon understanding the wiring that goes under the layout (DC), or learn about the circuitry that gets embossed onto the PC board that sits atop the motor. I don't care about either. I just want to know what to push. And the future will be small onboard batteries delivering current to the motor leads, wthout the leads picking up the power from the track. Big deal. And do we modulate the DC current heading to the leads via a power pack, or a cell phone? I'm not interested. Through all of these decades of so called changes, I still just see that little DC motor turning the same way it always has. Use what works. Change when it breaks.
NorthBrit As for model railroading; people of all ages will be involved. In the (not too distant) future, with technology advancing at a fast rate, the running of trains will be a lot different from today. The children of today will welcome it because they will grow up with that technology. As for myself, I shall remain a 'dinosaur' with my DC layout running little steam locomotives 'in 1914/1919 or diesels in '1967/1972. My grandchildren love it, because they are allowed to run trains their way whilst I relax and watch them.
This is interesting.
I've participated less in the forum over recent months since I've become aware of how I see things a bit differently from "normal" model railroaders.
I'm not a precise person, and tend to detest the rabbit holes that a certain level of precision in my hobbies forces me into.
Its funny how many discussions talk about the different ways to motivate a DC motor, like there is some kind of big revolution or changes.
What I see about locomotives is the same DC motor being rotated by positve and negative current turning the little guy who is mechanically connected to the wheels, which then turn also.
A bunch of change has occurred about how that DC current goes into those black and red motor leads. Either you focus upon understanding the wiring that goes under the layout (DC), or learn about the circuitry that gets embossed onto the PC board that sits atop the motor.
I don't care about either. I just want to know what to push.
And the future will be small onboard batteries delivering current to the motor leads, wthout the leads picking up the power from the track.
Big deal.
And do we modulate the DC current heading to the leads via a power pack, or a cell phone? I'm not interested.
Through all of these decades of so called changes, I still just see that little DC motor turning the same way it always has. Use what works. Change when it breaks.
Rechargeable battery powered locos sound intriguing but it's going to come at a cost. It would require retrofitting of locos currently on one's roster and that would likely be expensive. Probably comparable to converting a DC locomotive to DCC. Are the decoders going to be controlled wirelessly too? Otherwise you still need track power to send signals to the decoder and that's going to require clean track so what does onboard power accomplish? Maybe this is something for the next generation of model railroaders to take up. I don't see many of us old fogies springing for a complete rebuild of our current locomotive fleet.
NorthBritAs for model railroading; people of all ages will be involved. In the (not too distant) future, with technology advancing at a fast rate, the running of trains will be a lot different from today. The children of today will welcome it because they will grow up with that technology. As for myself, I shall remain a 'dinosaur' with my DC layout running little steam locomotives 'in 1914/1919 or diesels in '1967/1972. My grandchildren love it, because they are allowed to run trains their way whilst I relax and watch them.
Things do come and go. Not that long ago all the hardware stores disapeared around my area when the big box guys moved into town, then slowly they came back in some areas but not as big or as many. If you lived in a large town you might have a couple of stores, now you have one, maybe.
Metro Red Line rrebell The way we buy things is changing too. We used to go to hobby shops and then came mail order. When you think about it, the Internet hobby shop model is the perfect format for the model railroading hobby. Our hobby is hyper specialized: We have individual scales, eras, roadnames, geographies - a typical hobby shop will not satisfy all of the tastes in this hobby - unless it has the privilege of a large store footprint and a huge inventory. rrebell Then with the advances in computers and the internet, shopping online became a reality and even here things are not static, e-bay is no longer a viable sourse for a lot of hobby stuff due to shipping and the changes the company made. I've never seen eBay as a hobby shop. It is NOT a hobby shop. But it's a great resource for finding rare and discontinued items, and groups of items sold in lots. The last thing I bought on eBay was a new 3-pack of ScaleTrains 53' containers, which have been discontinued for a while. This particular seller sold it at list price, but offered free shipping. Considering the alternatives, I thought it was a reasonable price. Am I going to buy all my intermodal containers (or even rolling stock) on eBay? No way. But I do search it every so often for certain items that hobby shops no longer have in stock.
rrebell The way we buy things is changing too. We used to go to hobby shops and then came mail order.
The way we buy things is changing too. We used to go to hobby shops and then came mail order.
When you think about it, the Internet hobby shop model is the perfect format for the model railroading hobby. Our hobby is hyper specialized: We have individual scales, eras, roadnames, geographies - a typical hobby shop will not satisfy all of the tastes in this hobby - unless it has the privilege of a large store footprint and a huge inventory.
rrebell Then with the advances in computers and the internet, shopping online became a reality and even here things are not static, e-bay is no longer a viable sourse for a lot of hobby stuff due to shipping and the changes the company made.
I've never seen eBay as a hobby shop. It is NOT a hobby shop. But it's a great resource for finding rare and discontinued items, and groups of items sold in lots. The last thing I bought on eBay was a new 3-pack of ScaleTrains 53' containers, which have been discontinued for a while. This particular seller sold it at list price, but offered free shipping. Considering the alternatives, I thought it was a reasonable price. Am I going to buy all my intermodal containers (or even rolling stock) on eBay? No way. But I do search it every so often for certain items that hobby shops no longer have in stock.
My LHS, The Train Station in Columbus, OH, stocks quite a bit from N scale to Lionel. What they don't stock, they can order. When it first opened in a strip mall on the north side, they had a single store front but I'm guessing it was about 25-30 years ago, they rented out the adjacent unit, doubling the size of their store. One half is devoted to HO, while Lionel and N scale share the other half along with books, DVDs, calendars, etc. Since the pandemic, I don't have as many reasons to travel into Columbus nearly as often so I am buying more online as a result. Whenever I do go into Columbus, I make a point to stop there and see what's new. Last week I had a doctor's appointment and stopped in and learned they were back on a mask mandate. I asked the proprieter how long Columbus had been back on a mask mandate and he said since September. That tells you how often I've been getting in there.
I always buy 2-3 calendars every year and I got mine for 2022 along with a few other items.
Travis N Scale I have come across numerous instances where the older age of hobbyists does not match with the way manufactuers provide things. Things like N scale couplers. For GOD sake send everything to us ASSEMBLED!! No one's idea of a fun night of model railroading involves spending over an hour trying to put in one microscopic screw. It's ridiculous!
I have come across numerous instances where the older age of hobbyists does not match with the way manufactuers provide things.
Things like N scale couplers.
For GOD sake send everything to us ASSEMBLED!!
No one's idea of a fun night of model railroading involves spending over an hour trying to put in one microscopic screw. It's ridiculous!
I don't know how you N scale guys do it. I get frustrated enough assembling tiny parts in HO. I can't even imagine what Z-scale is like. One would have to be a jeweler to work in anything that small.
I do share with you the virtues of RTR. However my experience is that RTR often means ready-to-tinker-with. Nothing frosts me more than buying something that is supposed to be RTR and I have to fix it right out of the box to get the couplers working properly and the trucks adjusted so the car will stay one the track.
rrebellThen with the advances in computers and the internet, shopping online became a reality and even here things are not static, e-bay is no longer a viable sourse for a lot of hobby stuff due to shipping and the changes the company made.
Well said John
And closing on such a positive agreeable note
TF
Engi1487 xboxtravis7992 Now I certainly think that older hobby members punch harder in a fiscal sense. Being established with a morgatge paid off, a basement to fill, and spare income means an older hobby set can purchase and buy more in one sitting than the under-30 crowd can. But that doesn't mean there isn't a lack of younger hobby members either. I am glad you mentioned Unlucky Tug! This videos are what got me interested in the lore and TTTE in general. On the fiscal punch sense you mentioned,I am concered that due to the current economic cirucmstances (wages not overcoming inflation, taking more time to pay off increasing student dept, benefits and retirment plans beocming a thing of the past etc) along with inflating housing costs outpacing peoples savings I am concered that having a home with extra space for a layout, and the time to actully work with time running out as you age on it is going to affect the future of the hobby for younger persons like myself and you and everyone else of all ages.
xboxtravis7992 Now I certainly think that older hobby members punch harder in a fiscal sense. Being established with a morgatge paid off, a basement to fill, and spare income means an older hobby set can purchase and buy more in one sitting than the under-30 crowd can. But that doesn't mean there isn't a lack of younger hobby members either.
Now I certainly think that older hobby members punch harder in a fiscal sense. Being established with a morgatge paid off, a basement to fill, and spare income means an older hobby set can purchase and buy more in one sitting than the under-30 crowd can. But that doesn't mean there isn't a lack of younger hobby members either.
I am glad you mentioned Unlucky Tug! This videos are what got me interested in the lore and TTTE in general. On the fiscal punch sense you mentioned,I am concered that due to the current economic cirucmstances (wages not overcoming inflation, taking more time to pay off increasing student dept, benefits and retirment plans beocming a thing of the past etc) along with inflating housing costs outpacing peoples savings I am concered that having a home with extra space for a layout, and the time to actully work with time running out as you age on it is going to affect the future of the hobby for younger persons like myself and you and everyone else of all ages.
Everything is cyclical. Good economic times and bad economic times don't last forever although the latter sometimes seems like it's going to. I got back into the hobby as an adult during the Carter administration and the great malaise. We had a misery index (inflation plus unempoyment rate) of almost 22%. I bought my first house in 1979 with a mortgage rate of 9 1/2% which was historically high. Within a few years it seemed like a bargain as mortgage rates climbed to the mid teens. Few young people could afford to buy homes and began looking for creative ways like renting with option to buy. The first few years of the Reagan administration weren't much better but then things turned around and we entered an extended period of prosperity, interupted briefly by the stock market crash of 1988 from which we quickly rebounded. Then we had another crash in 2000 and this ushered in an extended economic downturn that lasted for most of the decade. Things gradually started to improve and by 2019, the economy was roaring again. Real wages were rising again for the first time in decades. Then the pandemic hit and we are still trying to recover from that. Having been through these cycles I've come to realize all we can do is enjoy the good times when they are here and ride out the bad times as best we can. Neither lasts forever. The model railroad hobby is not immune to economic forces but it has survived these boom-and-bust cycles and there is no reason to think it won't continue to do so.
rrebell People can, on average, have the life they want. Most people don't want to work that hard or make the sacrifices neccisary to achive their goals. I have had many people say to me "I want to have what you have", I tell them how and they always say "but I don't want to work that hard".
People can, on average, have the life they want. Most people don't want to work that hard or make the sacrifices neccisary to achive their goals. I have had many people say to me "I want to have what you have", I tell them how and they always say "but I don't want to work that hard".
So true.
I tell such people, "If what you are doing is not getting what you want, then change what you are doing."
As for model railroading; people of all ages will be involved. In the (not too distant) future, with technology advancing at a fast rate, the running of trains will be a lot different from today. The children of today will welcome it because they will grow up with that technology.
As for myself, I shall remain a 'dinosaur' with my DC layout running little steam locomotives 'in 1914/1919 or diesels in '1967/1972. My grandchildren love it, because they are allowed to run trains their way whilst I relax and watch them.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
The only problem with the statement that RTR is the best way to go and that scratch bulding/kit building/kit bashing is not the best way to do things is that there are prototypes out there that no commercial company has produced. For my old layout, I kit bashed a bridge similar to the old NP "subway" that is less than a block from my now house and kit bashed a few other buildings to make unique structures for that layout. For the new layout, quite a few of those buildings were saved and reused. (The bridge wasn't reused as the new layout doesn't have a need for that design.) I have also scratch built two bridges (one highway, one track) to span a river that was on a section that was reused from the old layout. Both of those were based on prototype plans that were specific to the state for the highway and the railroad for the track bridge. I have also had a few so-called RTR cars that weren't due to bad lettering from the company (wrong fonts, inaccurate car numbers, etc.) that needed to be fixed for accuracy.
Regarding the statement that online shopping has killed the LHS, there are communities where the LHS was long gone or never existed even before online shopping became popular and the purchasing was done by catalogs and s-mail orders paid with checks and money orders. Additionally, sometimes older items can be found online that could not be found in an LHS no matter how hard one tries. Even now the closest shops to me are 45 miles to the east and about 150 miles to the west.
Oh certainly, that is part of why I took up my OO9 project; mostly to make a mobile layout that is about 2' by 4' feet in space, compact easy to move, cheap. I love HO scale stuff, but I find the required curves and scale to make things look right just is to big to do in a portable layout, unless its a multiple modular set up like Free-Mo... and even then that requires other people willing to collaborate on setting up all those modules to run. O scale is just out of the question in terms of size and cost. I think a shift towards smaller layouts and more modularity has begun to try and confront those issues, and that seems to be reflected in the hobby press's burgeoning focus on those more compact layouts.
One of the assumptions is that online shopping has forced many LHS to close. While that's probably true to some extent, the fact is many of these would have closed even without online shopping due to factors such as a poor business model, bad location, etc. Then there are instances when an owner retires and there's no one who wants to take over the business. Competition has always been a factor in business. Before there was online shopping, there was competition among the LHS. Some made it and some didn't. Online retailing is just another competitor. They've no doubt knocked some LHS out of business but the strong ones remain. That's business. You can't afford to rest on your laurels.
maxman rrebell I have a currant phone I didn't know that they made edible cell phones.
rrebell I have a currant phone
I didn't know that they made edible cell phones.