I think that the "not building models" ship has already mostly sailed when it comes to engines and rolling stock.? Most are now sold well detailed (usually assembled in a place like China) and all you do is remove it from the box and put it on the track.? Maybe you weather it.? Some is even sold pre-weathered.

Being able to get a fully colored and finished 3-D model is no different than getting a fully colored and finished injected molded plastic one.? They would just be made with a different technology allowing even more granular choices, And ANY railroad paint scheme (prototype or private road), etc.

Somebody who still wants to do real rolling stock modeling work is certainly still free to do so.? The market offerings suggest that is becoming a rather small market segment.

Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer

On Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 08:53:04 PM PDT, thmsdmpsy via <thmsdmpsy=[email protected]> wrote:

And we can all stop calling ourselves modelers, because no one will be actually building models anymore.? As always, Tom Dempsey

And we can all stop calling ourselves modelers, because no one will be actually building models anymore.? As always, Tom Dempsey

On Thu, Jun 20, 2024 at 02:50 PM, Shane Lambert wrote:

the "not enough stuff available" comment ticks me off.

Unfortunately the "not enough variety" is valid.

Gents....

How many of us have actually sat down with a real-life avid HO modeler and discussed the availability of S products?? Here we are asking ourselves about how to sell S to HO/N modelers but I see no evidence of knowing what the HO guys think about S.

And so, without fanfare, here is what the HO guys in the San Francisco area have told me:? "There is not enough S product available to build the accurate authentic complete layout which I envision."?

Nobody is counting the overall number of diesel engines or box cars or even RTR #6 turnouts on the open market.? Those statistics are meaningless to the HO fellows I mingle with.? If they want to model a particular road at a specific time, then they want as much stuff as possible to help them reach that goal.? Even us NYC fans in S do not have all that much.? For instance, where is a complete 20th Century Limited train?? Or, full-scale-length Budd passenger cars.? Simply not there, folks.? (Don't even mention there is a complicated craftsman kit for them.? Big turnoff in today's world of RTR products.)

When HO guys start to think about it, it does not take much time for them to realize that S does not have enough products for them to reach their ultimate goal.? The overall total number of engines is irrelevant.? It is only the engines they seriously want which count.

"If you cannot buy it, make it" only goes so far and usually not far enough.? A tough situation for sure. ?

Cheers..........
Ed L.?
--
Ed Loizeaux
Los Altos, CA

Mike,

One of the things I always found funny when doing local train shows
where the Houston S Gaugers had their layout set up, was when a member
of the audience, who showed some modicum of interest in S, exclaimed
that he would not entertain switching to "S" as "there is nothing
available in S". All they while, on the double-mainline club layout we
would have as many as 4 "scale" trains running, and the passenger yard
(on one side) and the freight yard (on the other side) fully loaded with
cars and spare engines!

So, one of my personal driving forces behind my efforts with the NASG
web site is to dispel the myth that there is "nothing available in S".
Granted, you can't go to your local hobby store (if there even is one)
and have your pick of S-scale products, but that is not really a
deterrent anymore in today's Inter-Web-connected world. Yes, one needs
patience, and, yes, one may need to build something oneself, but if one
wants something specific, one has to do the same in any other modeling
scale.

So, the simple fact of making people aware that there is plenty of
"stuff" available in S, but that you have to treat it more like a fun
"treasure hunt", is important. I think the fact that the "News" and
"Product Gallery" sections of the NASG web site are consistently the
most popular sections of the web site attests to the fact that people
are searching and researching S products.

And, the reason why I chose to respond to Alex' message, is that I, too,
came from the N-scale world. For me personally, it was the simple fact
that S wheels have a larger contact surface and thus run better on rails
that N engines do, that scratchbuilding is so much easier to do in S
than N, and, now, that it is easily possible to convert S engines to run
on battery power, which is next to impossible to do in N. I also think
that NOT having everything available all the time is helpful with the
"modeling budget". For me personally, the days of buying anything that
had "PRR" slapped on the side of it, are over.

- Peter.


On 06/20/2024 08:51 AM, alex binkley wrote:
> Well what attracted me to S was that it was good size for building
> structures especially scratchbuilt in. I had been In N which operated
> great but wasn't happy with my building results.
> cheers
>
>
> ?????? ------ Original Message ------
> ?????? From: MikeSscale@...
> ?????? To: [email protected]
> ?????? Sent: Thursday, June 20th 2024, 08:52
> ?????? Subject: [S-Scale] hypothetical question with a real answer
>
>
>
> ? if you were invited to be on a podcast to speak about S-Scale, what
> is the number one topic of S Scale that you would try to drive home to
> a non-S Scal?
> ? -- Mike SwederskaMeramec Valley LinesModeling Mopac equipment in
> 3/16Don't let perfection get in the way of good enough! Keep model
> railroading fun!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

--
Peter Vanvliet (info@...)
owner, Fourth Ray Software
Houston, Texas

(personal web site)

I would have put money --that I had spelled it correctly! but apparently not--thanks Chuck? Yes it is "Media Photographers" and I, B one!

Bob Werre

Just to be pedantic, it is "Media" photographers, not "Median.'? However, in that group, I suppose there would have to be a median photographer.

Charles E. "Chuck" Kinzer

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