I got no beef with that; he was working WITH the local store(s), not against. Before we opened our store, there was no real option for a well-stocked model train shop. Had he stopped, no problem.

For years I dealt with a guy who did nearly the same thing. He had a working arrangement with two local hobby shops owned by some guys who weren't "train savy", more like RC airplane/slot

THAT could have made for an interesting police/ paramedic/ news report-- "They fell off somebody else's building while trying to do WHAT?" Scott Pitzer [Non-text portions of this message have been

Great! .....must bring money,...... must bring money..... (sung to the same tune as Homer Simpson's "DOUGHNUTS....") tOM cASEY He will be there. harlie Slater To: STMFC@... rom:

Brian Ehni wrote: I'm not sure how serious Walthers ever was about their "requirements." I knew a basement guy (who shall remain nameless) who was asked by Walthers for proof that he had a real

So, in short, you've never owned an LHS, would never own an LHS, yet somehow believe basement bombers are no harm to the LHS? Based on what? Thanks! -- Brian P. Ehni From: Andy Harman

Maybe we should ask new modelers (yes, there are some) how they are getting attracted to the hobby. I think that today - and as always - attraction comes from family involvement, friends, word of

Thanks Dennis I am aware gondola model sides and bulb angles are thicker than scale. Regarding the molded on gussets these were sanded off as I thinned the bulb angle or top cprd on the sides to get

DCC Train in Cincinnati did a similar thing. Rather than a retail storefront and the ensuing rent and extraneous costs (like the skim/tribute you have to pay to the strip mall), they located in an

The shows have replaced the neighborhood hobby shop as the primary attraction to expose newcomers to the hobby. Of course the big shows tend to only go to big cities - WGH, and GATS before that.

Hi Scott, I thank you are correct. Is started with kits. Went to scratch building almost immediately as a cost savings. I was poor in those days. I have a lot of RTR equipment, but still build

I would never consider doing such a thing unless I won the lottery. And I don't mean a 2.5 million, more like a 100 million plus. I think the real harm is that the large players in the industry

Hi Tim, I think you may have hit upon one of the most important parts of the retail model railroad store - 'the basement guys don't attract NEW modelers to the hobby the way that the stores used to.'

There is a shop in Phoenix that seems to have a different model that works. Rather than have a store in a typical strip mall they have a store in a light industrial area. The store has a small

Andy is right that in some places, only mail order or "travelling show" dealers are available. And I have bought plenty of stuff from the non-brick & mortars myself over the years. I've known a few

He will be there. Charlie Slater To: STMFC@... From: pa.bizier@... Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2012 15:57:39 +0000 Subject: [STMFC] Sunshine Models Meets Does anyone know if Martin is

Personal experience: I had a brick and mortar in Nashville, TN. $40,000 in inventory, and offered a 20% discount to the local modular club members. They would come in, see what I had, and then go

These show in all the general arrangement drawings in the CBC, Bill. They are always the full width of the top chord of the side, as viewed from the top. You realize, plastic models have a problem in

Does anyone know if Martin is planning on attending the ATSF Convention in Temple this summer? Thanks in advance, Paul Bizier

I am using the Accurail gon to model a Georgia RR group built by AC&F. I have used the Detail Assoc. Improved Dreadnaught to model the correct ends and have gotten a nice fit vertically and