It's hard for me to believe there will be any growth in this hobby over the next five years--we look to be headed for a pretty serious recession. Hope I wrong.
I'm 48, and there area whole bunch of guys on my street younger than me who love the layout. They bring their kids, and as the kids are leaving I hear "Dad, can we have a train like that?" Will they build one themselves? I doubt it. The start up costs are shockingly high for what amounts to toy trains. True, in the long run it's not an expensive hobby, but the initial cost is a shocker. I would never have done this if we hadn't been given a bunch of LGB starter sets over the years.
If I were Aristo--good thing I'm not, as I have no head for business--I'd push hard on the starter set line, the way LGB once did. I wish 1:29 had never been invented, but I can see Lewis Polk's point--1:29 has a visual "pop" that 1:32 lacks. Yes, it's more toy-like, but that's what attracts newcomers, it seem to me. The LGB starter sets were toy-like too: they were charming. Serious hobbyists quickly grow past them, but you need to get people hooked.
Aristo should put some time into their 0-4-0--make it more durable, add sound, maybe work a few variations on it. It's a good looking little loco but it's a little flimsy I don't see it around the way I used to see LGB stuff
I'm 48, and there area whole bunch of guys on my street younger than me who love the layout. They bring their kids, and as the kids are leaving I hear "Dad, can we have a train like that?" Will they build one themselves? I doubt it. The start up costs are shockingly high for what amounts to toy trains. True, in the long run it's not an expensive hobby, but the initial cost is a shocker. I would never have done this if we hadn't been given a bunch of LGB starter sets over the years.
If I were Aristo--good thing I'm not, as I have no head for business--I'd push hard on the starter set line, the way LGB once did. I wish 1:29 had never been invented, but I can see Lewis Polk's point--1:29 has a visual "pop" that 1:32 lacks. Yes, it's more toy-like, but that's what attracts newcomers, it seem to me. The LGB starter sets were toy-like too: they were charming. Serious hobbyists quickly grow past them, but you need to get people hooked.
Aristo should put some time into their 0-4-0--make it more durable, add sound, maybe work a few variations on it. It's a good looking little loco but it's a little flimsy I don't see it around the way I used to see LGB stuff
