Dan makes some excellent points. It's also worth noting that Yahoo says the list membership as of today is 847, so if fewer than 1/3rd of those members had bought Barry's first kit he would possibly be staying with S, and that is not counting sales that should have come in from appearances in the Dispatch, RMC and at the Lowell convention, all of which Barry used effectively. The proprietor of Pine Canyon commented a year or so ago he could not seem to sell 50 of any one kit. One might think that even the collector mentality ought to generate that many sales, even if the kits sat unbuilt in their boxes!
To further Dan's comment, let's build models! Bring them to local meets. John Degnan brought Jim King of Smoky Moutain Models into the fold at a Railroad Prototype Modeler's meet. I usually display some of my models at the RPM meet held in Connecticut each June. I don't know that anyone has joined our ranks as a result, but a lot of people have seen current production S. Who knows what might happen in the future; and the meets are enjoyable in their own right if you like seeing good models and attending clinics on how to make them. I don't think the S Scale Workshop would mind if people copied their show hand out with a few changes. BTW, Jeff Wilson of Hoquat Hobbies has a pretty good print catalog that is all S scale. Having one available for people to look at would at shows would be a great idea. My current plan is to build a small switching layout to bring to local train shows. There are lots of small but interesting designs around, check out Carl Arendt's "Micro Layout" site for ideas. http://www.carendt.com/ My current concept is to have an "Inglenook Sidings" type layout, with a sound equiped locomotive and a handfull of quality cars on display. If anyone shows interest, they will be able to take the controller and work on a simple switching "game" while blowing the horn, ringing the bell, etc. This project has not advanced as quickly as I thought (nothing ever does), but a lot of the basics are in hand and I still hope to have it up and running by next month! Pieter E. Roos Railroad Home Page at www.geocities.com/pieter_roos/pieter_1.html --- On Wed, 10/8/08, Dan Vandermause <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Dan Vandermause <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: {S-Scale List} Grand River Models switching to HO-scale only To: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 3:41 PM --- In [email protected], "Barry" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > There are a lot of people in this hobby who will make up all kinds of excuses why they > can't do something because they just don't have the guts to try it. > My exposure to S came through the guys in the S-Scale Workshop. > http://www3.sympatico.ca/bobcatt/ssw/ > This group should be an inspiration to us all. Unfortunately, I've learned since then that > they are the exception, not the rule in S. > > The real problem for me, is that there just aren't enough MODELERS in S-scale.> > Barry Silverthorn > Grand River Models > http://grandrivermodels.com/ > > What Barry says is true. It is amazing how much time and effort we spend on NOT modeling. Now it may be true that, on a percentage basis, the small amount of actual modeling activity in S-scale is not that much different from the other scales. However, the small population of S-scale modelers, coupled to a low percentage of active modelers, creates a non-economical market for S-scale manufacturers. We have been blessed that Don Thompson and Ron Bashista have managed to offer great products to the scale community, by having the AF/hirail folks shoulder the economic burden for us. But, when manufacturers like Grand River Models and Pine Canyon attempt to service S-scale MODELERS, they find the response disappointing. This is not about saving the manufacturers! Someone wisely said "Life is not a dress rehearsal". Rather than diving into each modeling project with joy and gusto, we look for ways to accumulate materials, plan projects, and identify reasons why each project cannot move forward TODAY. Why not resolve today to make S-scale a true MODELERS scale! If we want to attract others to our ranks, not to mention if we really want to enjoy the hobby ourselves, there is nothing better we can do than to MODEL, MODEL, MODEL. And share your efforts frequently with this group. I propose that the members of this group begin a conscious effort to make sure that the majority of the postings have some relevance to modeling: ask a specific question, describe your current project, post a lot of photos. If you find you can't participate in the discussion, that is a clear indication that you are not MODELING. Why wait? Head down to the basement this evening and get started. Have a great time and don't be afraid of making some mistakes. If we can show the model railroad community, and the manufacturers, that S- scale is different, not because of its size, but because modeling is actually spoken here, we will attract many new members and many new manufacturers, too. Oh, and by the way, we will have a great time along the way. Spending a lot of time posting this message instead of modeling, Dan Vandermause Ellicott City, MD ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
