Hi Bob; I may have a different view from some (most?) here.
Two years ago when my Grandson wanted a train, I got him a Bachmann Thomas HO set. He also liked Chessie System and found an HO Athearn locomotive and some cars at a train show. Why didn't I support S and buy him a set in the scale I model in? I figure it is more important that he see things he can use in local shops or train shows. The nostalgic idea of "reading the American Flyer catalog to pick the new train items you want for Christmas this year" is a form of delayed gratification so foreign to recent generations that I suspect it would keep many kids from developing any sustained interest in model trains. He already has many other interests; Transformers seem to have died off in favor of Lego Star Wars and now Halo; so competition is already stiff! Having a kids interested in trains IN GENERAL is far more important than having them interested in S in particular. They can settle on a scale later, once (if) they develop and adult interest in the hobby. Pieter E. Roos --- On Tue, 10/19/10, Bob Werre <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Bob Werre <[email protected]> > Peter and All, > > Yes, this show was designed to bring in masses of people to > pay for that > large a space--I was told they needed 10K to break > even. So tons of > little kids similar to the mall shows were expected. > However, most of > those kids will be into something else next week. > This is especially > true down here in the basement-impaired South. where the > parents will > find it difficult to find space for any kind of > layout. > > The Division 8 of the NMRA has a yearly scholarship for a > youth > member--they haven't been able to find one yet! I'm > President of the > San Jacinto model RR club, probably the largest in the > metro area. I > think we have one member under 40. I put out a sheet > inviting the > teenage kids to join us, that was given out at the show to > a few kids. > The best age to get the kids into modeling is from about 10 > to 17, after > 17 most are into other interests, but if the hook is still > there, they > will come back in their late 20's. The days of Lionel > and Gilbert > running TV ads to hook the kids is long gone. I > remember Gilbert > sponsoring "Mr. Ed the Talking Horse" bi-weekly with > Studebaker. Funny > that both those companies faded into history about the same > time. > > Regarding, having S on site... that's something I've been > complaining > about for years. However, we've had two regional > part-time dealers > (Pufferbelly from Waco and Tom Henderson formally of Austin > (SideTracks > in Ouray now) appear with both AM and SHS plus vintage AF > items, but not > really train sets. I don't think either one did that > well at the shows > and with much of their revenue coming from the AF collector > crowd. Tom > has left for the high mountains and I haven't seen > Pufferbelly in > several years. At this particular show I didn't see > but two S items at > all--one of the Casey Jones engines and a NH Pacific. > I bet there was > over 100,000 HO or N cars on display (you can stash > hundreds of N items > in those plastic bins). > > I had proposed (to anybody who would listen) that the > suppliers send > down items to the various clubs who display in areas > without a reliable > dealer. The club then would become a temporary dealer > to sell those > items. Of course unsold items would then go on to the > next show with > sold items replaced. The club could receive some of > the profits and > the supplier would sell to a new crowd without having to > actually be on > site. With the exception of liability and shipping > costs, it would be a > win-win situation. > > Bob Werre > BobWphoto.com > ------------------------------------ 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: [email protected] [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/
