Jim, to me that seems to be the way things are going with hobby shops these days.

Until recently, I didn't even have one within 45 minutes of where I live. But a new shop opened up in a nearby mall about a month ago. When I stopped in a couple of weeks ago, did I see a lot of model railroad supplies? Nope, at least nothing fancier than some Lifelike plastic structures and Plasticville stuff. There were a few packages of Atlas snap track and some (in my opinion) overpriced toy train sets. That was it. No Woodland Scenics, no flex track, no Floquil or Polly... [!]

So what was the store full of? Basically just what you found in yours. Oh, and lots of craft stuff. Lots of craft stuff. [:-censored]

When I asked the owner if he planned to stock Floquil/Polly, his answer was that he carried the Testors/Model Master line. (In other words, he never actually answered my question. :erm: ) Needless to say, I left a few moments later. Doubt if I'll go back again.[:-gnasher]

Guys,Sorry to say the hobby is slowly dying as well as the local owned hobby shop...[:-cry]

Who or what is to blame for the decline in model railroading? A very deep question with many answers,some very complicated,some highly unpopular.[:O]

Will the Worlds Greatest Hobby campaign work? Not likely,more of a stop gap measure then anything..

Guys,In the 52 years I been in this hobby,I never seen anything like this as far as the down swing of the hobby..Yes,the hobby is far better now then it has ever been but,with few entering the hobby..

The die is cast..Perhaps it is past time to cast another die? One that will get people interested in the hobby?

I am not sure about the demise of this hobby. Yes I have seen the closing of many shops, but many in this area were due to poor business practices. Grumpy, mean people working there, lousy inventory that had more dust on it than behind my frig, everything a MSRP or above, and no evening hours. As these shops have closed mail order and Internet stores have replaced them. Also look at the listings on Ebay. The last couple of Greenberg and GATS shows I went to were crowded. Many of the people there were young and had young children.

Personally I think the World’s Greatest Hobby promotion is a joke. It seems to be geared toward those already in the hobby and I have seen nothing about promoting the hobby to new folks.

On the other hand, the savior of this hobby maybe that little blue engine from Sodor. Look at his popularity. You can’t go into a hobby shop, or toy store with out seeing a Thomas table sent up with kids around it. They are the future of the hobby. As they grow older some will graduate into other train related interests and a few will become model railroaders. When Thomas becomes too babyish they will want other trains. I see this in my soon to be five year-old son. He still plays with Thomas but now he wants more realistic trains. He received a SEPTA passenger train that he can use on his Thomas table. Also we are in the process of setting up an O-scale layout for him. My neighbor is going through the same with his son. They have never had model trains and are now setting up something for their son.

I don’t think the hobby is dying. It maybe on life support. It is changing but it has done that before.

I am lucky to have a good LHS nearby. Over 50% of their inventory is related to trains, and the guys that own it are all model railroaders. Also, they keep a very good stock of HO inventory, as well as other scales. I think they are retired, and running this hobby shop kind of as a hobby in itself. That is, they have other income sources, thus they can use their revenues to maintain a good inventory rather than pay the mortage on their house. I expect there are other shops like that as well. That is, a LHS may be better as a hobby than as a primary income source.

I too worry abou the hobby declining in the long run, and I think there are many reasons why this may happen. But I am enjoying the fact that this hobby is doing well today, and I think the hobby will continue to prosper until all of us baby boomers die off.

PowerEngineer

I have a three year-old son who can name every engine/wagon/vehicle on the Island of Sodor (and has a lot of them in Brio). But he's still luke-warm on my layout. No Thomas running round on the rails to keep his interest.

I have two LHS's (within 25 miles) that have a broad n-scale selection - but mostly charge MSRP. One other LHS that has a few odds and ends that you have to blow the dust off of - all at MSRP. One other LHS (in town) specializes in HO, but has a little N-scale and is always interested in helping me out (with a discount). I give him as much business as possible because he runs the type of LHS that needs to survive.

I think the cost of our hobby (in any scale) is a road block to new comers or anyone wanting to return. Just think of the cost of setting up a simple beginner’s layout. Building materials, track, turnouts, electrical items, scenery items, locomotive(s), and rolling stock just to get it all started is a significant investment. It's true that the quality and selection has risen considerably, but at a steep price. Even one of my LHS owners recently conceded that while his display cases draw a lot of interest in people, sticker shock usually drives out any thoughts of starting in the hobby. It's hard to justify $15-20 (or more) for a single freight car in N-scale.

It's true that most hobbies can get expensive, but MRR'ing is one of those hobbies with a significant start-up cost (in terms of dollars and learning curve). The market has changed and allowed for on-line stores to offer better discounts, but I think the LHS is still where it starts. This is the place where most new-comers will see what's out there.

So my hope is that the LHS will survive in some form, and in a way that will draw people into the hobby (with friendly support and good business practices). I also hope that manufacturers will find ways to reduce cost without sacrificing quality. Yes, a tall order, but the country is full of industries that had to do the same thing to survive.

I guess I'm also lucky, there are three LHS in my area that I like to go to, and they are all dirrerent, and seem to do what they need to ,to survive.

1) Is only open after 4:30 - 5 since the owner has another job.

2) Is 1/2 train store with alot of detailing supplies and thet other 1/2 is a lawn mower parts / repair store.

3) features Thomas and Brio and some model railraod supplies along with some other child toys along the likes of Brio, Thomas.

Actualy there is a forth that I've not been to recently, that was featured in the local paper, and they do more then just Railroading.