Re: Month of decision

I am a history teacher and have found that very few young people seem to have any intersest in trains these days. The young people are more interested in video games than anything else. I expect the recession had a small part in the decline in model railroad sales, but a bigger problem is that new people are not coming into the hobby fast enough to replace senior members who cease to be active.

NMRA membership, model railroad magazine subscriptions, and train show attendance are all declining. It certainly is not the fault of the hobby manufacturers. We have better and more exciting products available than ever before and at a reasonable prices. Is there a solution?

Paul McGraw

Phil, while I fully understand the pressures of business economics, I am very hopeful that your company will stay in the market. You have a superior product. In a perfect world, that would be enough. In a shrinking market, ads and marketing, etc. might sway the uninformed to buy a flashier line over a superior line of products. I know that when I recently re-entered the hobby a rival company's products (you know the one) were the first to catch my eye. I soon learned from forums and this newsgroup of your products and, lo and behold, they were there in the store all along. I had simply overlooked them and the store staff did not go out of their way to educate me. I had to seek the knowledge out on my own.

Luckily, I did nothing but ballast a small plywood layout for my nephew using the inferior stuff. My own layout will have Arizona Rock and Mineral No. 105-1, Pennsylvania RR light gray. It is so much finer, closer to prototype, and goes down like .... rock! It looks great. I need this stuff, now and in the future. I sure hope you're there to supply it.

Best regards, John

I'm doing a small layout for a beginners class and thought I should use what's readily available in every hobby shop. Those @#!$% walnut shells! Sure glad there are alternatives out there.

The model train manufacturers could make rolling stock in UP colors but without the logos, which would be sold separately and applied by the modeler. If no mention is made by the manufacturer or dealer that these 'generic' models are supposed to represent the UP line, then they (UP) have no claim to a share of the model sales. They would only be entitled to a share of the logo sales.

This is the same thing the manufacturers were saying in the 1960's because of the slot cars. There will always be something new wooing potential model railroaders away. I think if the industry really focuses on the computer interface/DCC thing it might win over a bunch of young people. The other thing is to keep the iron pants model railroaders away from the young people. I know several old time MRs who didn't want to bother with young people, "didn't need any dammed kids running around", and actually drove several away from the hobby.

On another topic. I have always predicted that the manufacturers were shooting themselves in the foot with the "limited run" strategy. That works only up to saturation point where people have too much train stuff, or they just get fed up and stop buying from the primary market.

I see a similar back-fire coming with the ready-to-roll trend. It might get a few people initially interested, but once running the train in circles gets old those people will be gone. Building one's own equipment even if from shake-the-box kits adds a respect and knowledge of the equipment, and a dimension to the hobby that some have found to be the most fun part.

Probably not that easy, as decal manufacturers would have to obtain licenses from UP to produce decals. Of course their fee would be cheaper for the cheaper decals.

When Canadian Pacific change their image using the "gilded rodent" logo, they licenses Microscale to produce decals. I think it was a royalty free licensing agreement. The decals sheets are marked saying they are licensed by CP.

BB in Canada

As the past un-election made us all aware. Government by parasite perfectly describes Shrub, Cheney & Co., Inc.

I'm not sure if I've bought your products - I think I have - but given the current depression (to call it what it really is), I'm sadly not surprised. A lot of us (such as myself, BS & over 20 yrs as a computer professional, two and a third years out of work, w/ no income) just don't have the money to spare, even for items like ballast.

I hope you folks manage to hang on. I haven't been in a model store in a year and a half, but I remember being impressed with the look of your ballast and gravel.

mark

Great point. The long term attraction of model railroading is in the "building" even more than operating. Look at all of the "great" model railroads that are being replaced with new layouts.

Paul McGraw

of the equipment, and a dimension to the hobby that some have found to

Are you so full of hatred that you don't realize that this is not the place for your comments? I'm sure there must be a hate group somewhere that would love to read your messages, but this is a model railroad forum.

Paul McGraw

m>> Several of us manufactures sit down after Christmas and consider if m>> there is another year left in the train business. It was quite m>> different years ago when sales were improving every year. We would m>> sit down and write a business plan for the next year and then go m>> for it. With declining sales for three years and several stores m>> closing, the market gets smaller.

m>I'm not sure if I've bought your products - I think I have - but given m>the current depression (to call it what it really is), I'm sadly not m>surprised. A lot of us (such as myself, BS & over 20 yrs as a computer m>professional, two and a third years out of work, w/ no income) just m>don't have the money to spare, even for items like ballast.

m>I hope you folks manage to hang on. I haven't been in a model store in m>a year and a half, but I remember being impressed with the look of m>your ballast and gravel.

m> mark

I've bought his stuff. Very good quality. I too hops he hangs on.

Jeff

It's always an un-election. You're not voting for President. You're voting for electors who actually elect the President. In 25 states they do not have to recognize the wishes of the people (election night 2000 and post-election discussion on news channels). In the other 25 states the electors are bound by law to vote for the candidate the majority of the people choose.

As far as the Supreme Court goes, their December 18th "safe harbor" decision was a red herring. That's only the date when results _cannot be challenged_ in the state legislature (Title 3 USC). The latest date when state election results for president were certified was sometime in January. Sorry I can't remember the year or the state, but it was in fairly recent times IIRC. 1950s or so? I'll have to dig around on

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

Train video games? OMG! And along comes MS Train Sim and Trainz! Holy cow!

Jay CNS&M North Shore Line - "First and fastest"

Dear Mr. McGraw, Exactly. This is why you should all send me construction articles so I can put them on the Dollar Model Page, which hasn't seen much change for the last 6 months. It needs some work. I am going to consult my web-wise brother for assistance one of these days. Cordially yours, Gerard P.

Now I think you're onto something! Would we all not get more modeling done (and buy more supplies) If we spent less time online and more time getting our hands dirty? It seems that we should be having bonfires to destroy all the sim programs before the "electronic devil" saps all our strength and desire to build!

YOUR sales may be decling but not the entire industry. I have been to tons of shows and stores and the stuff is FLYING off of the shelves.

Your products are good, but I have heard from 3 LARGE stores that they used to carry your products but don't anymore due to you being hard to do business with compared to Woodland Scenics (whose ballast is junk IHMO).

Look in the mirror sir. I hope you stay in business but it is a BUSINESS so it is tough out there.

At shows, people go to buy. No surprise there. However at the largest store in my area (Orlando), limited run items fly off the shelf. Most of the product on the shelves was there a year ago.

Not everyone can swing the free display racks and promo stuff. Would you prefer to see the small guys disappear?

-Sigh- ....Your typical charming response. Too bad your mirror apparently doesn't work.

Sincerely, John

Please forward your thoughts to Two23 (or Kent > And when it comes to government parasites, you

Grand Trunk Auto?