What does Nintendo have that we don’t?
Gentlemen:
Your foresight in identifying a possible erosion (Our Hobby May Be Eroding, April 2000 issue) is commendable.
The successful and long term future of model railroading is really in the hands of todays interested, youthful buyers. Today, there are only seven large railroads left, down from forty in 1980 (per wall Street Journal). Various commuter lines and AMTRAK are plagued by budget restraints and uncertainties, unlike the pre-1980s. There are not many prototypes left for entry level modelers. Gone are those days of the 20th Century and Santa Fe Superchief, RIP.
Today there is a fierce competition for those youthful dollars from outside our hobby industry. Companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Sega, will give away their hardware just to snatch tomorrow’s revenues (per Wall Street Journal, Business Week). What a great incentive to win over teenage loyalty. Would a teen rather spend their dollars to upgrade to Windows 98 or buy one expensive model engine?
Our hobby industry must recognize that limited allowances and after school employment dollars can only go so far. There must be continuation of affordable and reliable products to attract and induce newcomers into the hobby.
The hobby industry must cooperatively create and implement a long term vision that will make the hobby flourish in the Twenty-first Century and win over new generations of adolescent hearts. If successful, then, just maybe like the video machine industry, you might read about the model railroading hobby in Business Week and The Wall Street Journal.
Charles S. Walsh
Grand Rapids, MI
Ladies and Gentlemen:
When I subscribed, I did so for “model railroad news.” In reading the April, 2000 issue, I have to tell you that I am not excited about looking at railroad books and videos in your publication. I understand the need to fill the issue out, but I find that information elsewhere. I did not subscribe to “books and videos” so I am going to keep my eye on the emphasis in your publication. Right now, you are searching for filler material and that indicates a lack of model railroad news. I hope it will not continue that way.
William Boyd
Northbrook, IL
We at Model Railroad News pride ourselves on reviewing ALL hobby related goods as they are released. Without books, how do you research your modeling projects? I have many books bought specifically for a single modeling project; and learning new aspects of the prototype railroad industry almost always pays off in my personal modeling pursuits.
Today, due to the changes in the tax codes, publishers are very hesitant about publishing large print runs of books. We have seen print runs drop to 5,000 copies, then 2,500 copies, then 2,000 copies — and today, some books are even published in runs of less than 1,000 copies!
From industry surveys of model railroaders, which indicate more than 200,000 people involved in the hobby — and with more than 20,000 NMRA members alone — it does not take very long for 2,500 copies of a book to be sold out. We feel our reviews help people get a closer look at a new title, and allow them to make a purchasing decision before it is gone, or only available on the second-hand (and often overpriced) market.
Since books, videos, and computer software are an ever increasing facet of our hobby, we will continue to review new titles when they become available. News and reviews are the backbone of MRN. As such, no review is ever filler.
We would like to assure you that no item submitted for product announcement, or review, is ever intentionally overlooked. Therefore, if more books are reviewed in a given issue than other subjects, it is only due to the simple fact that more books were available to review that month than boxcars.
Jeff Saxton
Contributing Editor
Gentlemen,
On page 24 of Volume 6, Issue 4 - April 2000 Model Railroad News, you announced new Bachmann releases including an HO Lafayette Train Set with a Norris 4-2-0 locomotive, coal tender, and three passenger cars.
The May, 1987 issue of Model Railroader magazine (page 33) advertises what appears to be the same set as the King of Prussia. Years ago I saw a similar train in a movie, The Brothers Grimm, and thought it would make a neat HO model some day (with an improved motor). Now, it would seem that day has arrived, only The King of Prussia has a new identity. Just a passing comment.
Joe Polito
MRN,
I received my first Model Railroad News today and discovered the S-scale page [S-Curves, May 2000, MRN].
Many thanks for printing this page. It fills a real need for S-scalers and I am sure will develop a strong following.
Art Armstrong
via the internet
I would like to make a few comments & suggestions concerning MRN Vol. 6, Issue 5. First of all, it is a good source of information about the hobby and I look forward to each copy. However, you need to put news about each scale under its own column, instead of being spread out all over the issue.
Now for the hard part; I am an O Scaler, 2-rail, Proto-48. Being a 2 rail-scaler in today’s highly charged HO, N, & hi-rail world makes us O Scalers a minority. Just you go to the average model railroad shop and ask about 2-rail equipment and detail parts! You’ll get the old saw about, “I don’t stock it and I’ll be glad to special order it for you.” Well, I quickly learned that most of my needs would come from some far away shop or mail order house. Whenever possible, I order directly from the maker.
Finally, what do I see in the above issue: a new column dedicated to S scale! Why not have a column for each scale? Again, us 2-rail O Scalers get the old heave-ho!
Gary L. Gross
Groveport, OH
When MRN was in its conceptual stages, it was decided to divide the publication into product type categories (Locomotives & Rolling Stock, Structures & Scenery, etc.). Since a vast majority of model railroaders have interests in more than one scale, this approach has been working quite well. Our S scale article S Curves was not intended to single out any one scale over another. We simply had a writer willing to put forth the effort and cover the scale he was most interested in, and provide it as a service to MRN readers with similar interests. For anyone willing to invest the time and effort, we would be more than happy to discuss similar columns for any scale, including O Scale, 2-rail, Proto-48.
— Ed.
Gentlemen,
Thank you for the excellent article about the AEM7 from Atlas [The Atlas AEM7/ALP44, HO scale], in the March issue. Atlas can be congratulated for this fine model. I wish Atlas came out with matching coaches, Northeast Direct in my case. In the same quality in detail as the AEM7, of course. (Walthers Am fleet cars have a nice body shell, but that is it.)
Horst G. Hodina
Coventry, CT
I read a letter in your last issue [May, 2000] requesting information about what the designation ALP44 stands for. Unlike the AEM7, the ALP44 is completely manufactured in Sweden by ABB. ALP stands for ABB Locomotive for Passenger Service or in Swedish: ABB Lok Persontagstjanst. The number 44 stands for 4 axes and 4 MW. Between 1990 and 1996, a total of 32 locos were delivered to NJ Transit and one to SEPTA. The latest 12 locos were equipped with a microcomputer based steering system just like the one used on the Swedish engine Rc5 and 6. These were designated ALP44M. Let me also take this opportunity to mention that I really enjoy your publication.
Staffan Wahlander
New York, NY
— Ed
Dear Model Railroad News,
I’m an avid model railroader since the middle 50s and a subscriber to MRN . I know this isn’t the usual type of letter you receive and print in your Letters forum. Never the less, I feel you’d be more likely to print my thoughts than other outlets due to your interests, overall, in model railroading.
I often wonder, with new products flooding the market these days, why a certain group of model railroaders, thousands and thousands, are continually overlooked by the manufactures of our beloved hobby of model railroading, precisely Narrow Gauge modelers.
If only some manufacturer, I’m thinking primarily of the HOn3 field, would bring out easy to build HOn3 kits — someone such as Accurail, with the kits including trucks and automatic couplers (maybe utilizing N scale couplers). Accurail came to mind because I remember in some railroad museum... and replace them with kits weighted properly, and trucks a couplers that all match. Weathered properly, they’d work out fine I’m sure! If some manufacturer would take on this effort, even though I’m sure they would cost more than their HO brothers, the kits would sell like hot cakes!
G. H. Sleeper
Monument, CO
