I've read with some interest the thread "Another one bites the dust" and have started to wonder what we could do to get people in to the hobby.
It seems to me that price is a barrier to entering the hobby. A teenager with a part time job (15 hours) can spend almost a whole week's pay to get a train set. The set is definately not an impulse purchase.
Another way to attract young people is to advertise where they are. I don't mean passing flyers out at night clubs, I mean promoting your club through schools. Many colleges provide a way for outside groups to contact the student body, usually by flyers on a bulletin board. If you're part of a club with dues, offer a discount for college students. You'll find many colleges will be happy to pass on that information to their students.
Attracting people is something you have to do. Even in Field of Dreams the ball field had to be built first. Hope I sparked some ideas.
Puckdropper