# Hobby Picking Up Speed?



## DennisB (Jan 2, 2008)

Over the winter and this spring I have been purchasing a number of new items for my layout. Nothing that expensive. On eBay and at several dealers, there has been a shortage of product, and on eBay bidding has been brisk.
Is this a sign that the hobby is gaining in popularity? Here in southwestern Ontario, I have watched a number of large scalers retire from the hobby and sell what they have. There have also been a number of new people buy out these hobbyists. A good sign for this end of the country.
Is anyone noticing a revival of the hobby in their area?
Regards, Dennis.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Be interesting if Robby (RLD Hobbies) and Mike (Reindeer Pass Hobbies) could give us an idea of how many new customers they have gotten orders from since Christmas 2013. Counting starter sets sold would be great but probably not possible.


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## josephunh (Mar 27, 2013)

I wish we could say this was a pick up of the hobby. Sadly I think it is because the manufacturers are going through their inventory as I have not been hear of many new shipments of things coming from China. A good indicator of an uptick in the hobby is when manufacturers start creating new rolling stock or engines.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

It is picking up speed as it goes down hill.
I have noticed some people seem to be getting out of the hobby selling all their trains off, usually for an attractive price. The spare room is not so spare anymore. Without new products the urge will wane as the holes in my collection have been filled now. 
I hear Accucraft are doing the K1 Garratt in live steam so I better start saving again. 

Andrew


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

I do believe the Large Scale Live Steam market is alive and well. Certainly here in Australia.
Argyle Loco had no trouble selling 100 plus units of the upcoming VR NA. Judging by the number of R/C kits I will be supplying to some owners, they are buying one each of the different liveries.
As to the mainstream track powered Large Scale market, I do think it is still in the doldrums.


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

If the hobby is picking up spppppeeeeed..

Why are we loosing manufacturers?
Why do those still here have a hard time bringing fresh stock to market?
Why are new releases so few and far between......?

Just thoughts..n observations around us..

Dirk


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

For a while G was affordable, but I represent the portion of the hobby that has already bought what I need. Declining health contributed....
My future involvement is building my layout, not my inventory.
My perspective.
John


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Tony, I was told about 200 NA's were sold in total but not many to the USA. I have bought 6 Accucraft locomotives this year and will need a breather for a while. I think there are different clientele. Live steam is a niche market for those with a confirmed passion and available funds to invest, perhaps the baby boomer retirement. The plastic electric market is the true indicator of what is happening to the hobby among the masses. One thing for sure though is a lack of new products, stimulation is lost and there is stagnation in the hobby. The old stuff will just go to firmer hands. 
My collecting is near done. I think the past 10 years or so have been a window of opportunity for a range of nice looking models which will now be too expensive to produce considering the lack of volume that can be sold and higher quality expectations. It has been a good ride, now I will enjoy what I have which is way too many.

Andrew


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## livesteam53 (Jan 4, 2008)

Here is the list of what is coming in at Accucraft
*Just in yesterday* Dora and Mk.1 Passenger coaches
*July* 28 Ton Shay and Emma
*August * 1:32 Streamlined Passenger Cars & 40'PS-1 Boxcars
*September* Allegheny Live Steam and Elec.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

And others...
Isle of Man 2-4-0T 'Mannin'.
Tasmanian K1 Garratt.
Bagnal 2-4-0T 'Sea Lion'.
Glyn Valley Tram - 32mm 










Andrew


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

Every year since 1960 people have been saying that model railroading is declining..
meanwhile new products in all scales continue to come out year after year..
HO scale is a million times more advanced than it was when I was a kid in 70's..
and I have been in the Large Scale hobby for 14 years now..
there is lots more available today than there was in 2000..I dont see how any of that can be considered a decline..
reality never seems to support the supposed decline..

Scot


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

TonyWalsham wrote: "As to the mainstream track powered Large Scale market, I do think it is still in the doldrums."

My perception is that some people are "train collectors" and some people want to have a track-powered garden layout on which they run trains. 

I am a member of the latter group. My layout is highly detailed and will only get more so as time goes by, but i will not be buying much more in the way of rolling stock or locomotives. I have four consists now and can only run two at a time. 

I will replace worn-out equipment and decaying structures, but i will not be collecting trains. All of my locomotives are 4-6-0 Bachmanns and i have 5 of them, with no interest in running any other type of locomotive at this time. 

I have purchased many perennial trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants, and every year i will replace those that die out and i will also invest in new batches of blooming annual flowers -- but that will not show up as "buying trains" to the manufacturers. If i buy a replacement loco every three years or send one in for a rebuild, i will be happy. But i will be running trains at least two days a week. 

Looking for a continual influx of new models from the manufacturers is one way to measure the hobby's vitality -- but another way is to count how many club members there are, or how many people are posting to this forum.

The club i belong to has one more member family this year than last year, namely our family. That's growth, but not much -- and it is not in accord with the world's general human population increase or with the population density increase in our small county. So while the hobby is not growing wildly in our area, there are 5 more Bachmann locomotives in a garden this year than there were at this time last year. 

cat
ET&WNC RR
East Tennessee and Western Northern California Railroad
"Take the Excursion Train to Roan Mountain and Visit Lovely Lobelia-Land"


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

A hobby cannot live on Anniversary 4-6-0's alone.
Bachmann have run out of 4-4-0 and 2-6-0 locomotives. I figure the next batch will cost more than the last. I watched new ones dwindle on eBay so I filled the stable with all the best ones for a good price. 

Andrew


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Scottychaos said:


> Every year since 1960 people have been saying that model railroading is declining..
> meanwhile new products in all scales continue to come out year after year..
> HO scale is a million times more advanced than it was when I was a kid in 70's..
> and I have been in the Large Scale hobby for 14 years now..
> ...


Unfortunately, from my perspective, there are far fewer builders and far many more "instant gratification" types... pre-built and pre-weathered structures, locos, and rolling stock is available, especially in the smaller scales (N, HO, HOn3, S, and O). Less creativity and modeling, and more "buy it and plop it down" - I do believe people are missing out on much of the satisfaction of the hobby. Perhaps it's our "low attention span" and "instant gratification" society.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Can you hurry up and finish your post, I have to get to the next one.....;-)


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

I'm new to large scale at the end of 2012. However I switched to G from HO, so in terms of revenue to the industry it's probably no change. I brought one full train and some wagons this year. 

I see the difficulty in any hobby, especially modeling, as such a shortage of time. People - those fortunate to be working - are working harder, for ever lower real incomes. Modeling is less often an interest of one's children, so people have to want to get into it themselves.

Sadly, there are few local shops any more. When I was a child, a hobby shop was a place you could go and more often than not have a conversation with someone you know. They stocked enough that you could, on a whim, buy a train set, locomotives and / or cars, track, accessories, modeling supplies.

Today, I have one store in town, in a garage behind a house, which sells preassembled plastic R/C trucks and plastic, preassembled electric planes. 30 miles away is a small O scale dealer (again in a shed behind their house.) To actually have selection means Nicolas Smith, 60 miles away. At least we have online communities, but I do think seeing things in person and being able to socialize is important to spark new interest.

I actually think the complexity of large scale is hurting too. Mismatching scales, oversize track with undersize radii, incomplete product ranges (having to buy DCC from one source, rolling stock from another), many products being at the "wrong" price point (high quality, limited production, high cost; or plastic-looking and undetailed but available and affordable.) Pre-ordering and limited production may appeal to a collector of Aster locos who hopes they hold on to their value, but doesn't work for someone who had a bunch of overtime and wants to pick up something new. Too much overlapping product just keeps anyone from achieving economies of scale.

I think it's inevitable the government will mandate collection of sales tax by internet merchants, and I do wonder how much that will reinvigorate local merchants.


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## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Some friends have been discussing a garden rr for years. They were all set to take the plunge and asked me where to buy track. I told them the nearest store is 30 miles away now. 

A simple oval of 10 ft diameter brass and about 20 ft of straight track is nearly $500. They have decided not to start.


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, it's nice to support the local business, but RLD Hobbies has USAT brand 10 ft dia curves $218.89 per box. A box of 12 foot long straight pcs cost $86.89. Yea you have to pay shipping, but if they buy around a holiday, Robby normally gives holiday discounts. The bachmann brass may be even lower cost or they could do like me and buy used track at half the cost.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Or one box of aluminum flex track, a bit over $200, will leave enough left over for a workbench and some display pieces.

If one isn't wedded to the starter set mentality and expand from there, may be best to skip the brass sectional track entirely. Battery or steam, and no cleaning to worry about either.


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I have been forced to stick to used product due to high cost of new. Espicaly true of new LGB, what little of that there is here in the states. I just haunt ebay at the big monthly Chicago train show and eventualy find what I want. In live steam, other than the Regner Betty, there isnt much that appeals to me. Now if Accucraft would do the 99-6001.4 in live steam with a keen price, they would win my money in a split second! Mike


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## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Buy used..... Haunt Ebay

And we wonder if the hobby is picking up speed?????


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

Dwight Ennis said:


> Unfortunately, from my perspective, there are far fewer builders and far many more "instant gratification" types... pre-built and pre-weathered structures, locos, and rolling stock is available, especially in the smaller scales (N, HO, HOn3, S, and O). Less creativity and modeling, and more "buy it and plop it down" - I do believe people are missing out on much of the satisfaction of the hobby. Perhaps it's our "low attention span" and "instant gratification" society.


I'm at the point where I've wanted to build a garden railway since I was 12 years old and attended the 1993 NGRC. Now I finally bought a house (in 2010), just finished my mainline this spring (and was just open for the West Coast Regional in Sacramento), and I feel like I'm just getting started. But it's disappointing that the hobby is in a decline, and some of the locomotives I really want (SP steam) have never been made in 1:29th scale. So now I'm trying to look for resources to learn how to build locomotives myself, either steam or sparkies. I have a lathe and a mill, and plan to convert the mill to CNC this fall. I'm also considering getting a 3D printer. More resources and support for how to scratchbuild locomotives would be really nice, but I think that will come if people are determined enough to stay in the hobby. Personally I wonder if I shouldn't have bought a house with a big spare room (for HO or O scale) instead of a big backyard, but since I'm here I think scratchbuilding has to be the next step for me.


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Ben,

Have you already made a commitment to 1:29? For sure, 1:32 is more popular in live steam, and I think Accucraft have a number of SP models.

Did you see the scratchbuilding threads on this site? There's a number of them.


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## benshell (Oct 1, 2008)

BigRedOne said:


> Ben,
> 
> Have you already made a commitment to 1:29? For sure, 1:32 is more popular in live steam, and I think Accucraft have a number of SP models.
> 
> Did you see the scratchbuilding threads on this site? There's a number of them.


Yeah, I have a lot of 1:29. However, I've wondered recently if I should switch scales or branch into 1:32. I have preordered some of the new Accucraft 1:32 passenger cars--hoping to also find an Accucraft GS-4 Daylight. But that's the thing, even what I want in 1:32 is hard to find, non-existent, or simply really expensive (like $7000+ for a Cab Forward). Expense never stops me from saving up for what I want, but combined with the hesitation of switching scales, the lack of availability of older 1:32 models like the GS-4, and the rumors of new models in 1:29 which have not come to pass, I have not ventured into 1:32 yet.

I feel like I'm about ten years too late in the hobby. Ten years ago I was a college student starting to collect 1:29 equipment (like a USA Trains F3AB SP Black Widow set for $250!) and I remember Accucraft GS-4s for $2500, several MTH steam locomotives for under $1000, USA Trains Hudsons in several road names (although not prototypical in most), and a good selection of inexpensive although not very detailed Aristo-Craft steam locomotives. The thing is that even these existing locomotives are very hard to find nowadays.

And yeah, I've started reading some of the old scratchbuilding threads on this site. I'm going from very little experience to wanting to take on ambitious ideas so I don't expect instant results. But I really think scratchbuilding needs to become a cornerstone of the hobby for it to survive and thrive in the future. The Maker movement is certainly growing, so it's not that people don't want to build stuff.


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