Keep in mind that even when trains sets are sold to kids where are the fathers? Most of us grew up with Dads who worked along with us to build layouts together. The picture of son and Dad running trains together for the most part has gone away. There are some great starter sets out there. The Lionchief plus engines are very nice. It all starts with the family. Kids want their Moms and Dads pay attention to them. Sadly, most don't play togethe.
Originally Posted by C W Burfle:
Kids may go nuts over the elaborate layouts they see when they visit a train person's home, Christmas display, or train show. But for the most part, that isn't something their family can purchase. There are few who have the space, time, skills, and money to build their own.
How many people are going to allow their 12 year old to use portable power tools to construct a table, or even a soldering iron to connect two wires?
The things we were allowed to do as children would probably be considered child neglect today. 
When I went to Junior high school we also had industrial arts classes (called shop) . In my school we had a woodworking shop, metal shop, electrical shop, printing shop and crafts shop. We constructed all kinds of things; tools, small furniture pieces, metalwork etc. We worked with bending brakes, large soldering irons, gas torches, band saws, shears and power tools. Most schools do not teach manual trades anymore and this leads the youth of today away from anything that resembles manual dexterity. Trains and hobbies require manual skill and the youth of today just doesn't possess it.
I've tried getting my son into trains numerous times...He just doesn't seem to have the patience or interest...Too pre-occupied with video games. Ugh!
Couple more observations based on my experience
1) K Val has been in business for over 40 years but to my knowledge did not get into internet sales. The shop is in the heart of north Buffalo and so the customers for the most part come in from the eastern suburbs like Amherst and Clarence or southern suburbs
2) Always did a great job for me fixing older Lionel stuff but my most recent repairs for 2 MTH Premier locomotives,not so much unfortunately.
3) Actually a strictly train place HO and O mostly and more Lionel than anything else.
4) The building was in fact an old shop from the 1920s and it looked it! Not much eye appeal from the outside but a very nice and BIG HO layout and a nice O gauge layout inside.
Bottom line,a very nice and friendly guy who is 94 and saw that business was not getting better!
I'm not sure if some of the above statements are true, as I work part time at Toms Trains I see a lot. The Christmas season was nothing short of great. We did very well, The Lion Chief sets were great, and we sold sets that I was shocked that we sold. The Frosty the Snowman set, big seller!!!! And people who bought that bought the add-on. Polars, Thomas, Grand Central's and even the Batman set all, gone. Now, being located in Ardsley, NY helps. We are next to White Plains, Scarsdale, Yonkers and the city, so we have a lot of affluent traffic. But we sold a lot of sets to young families, and that is a fact.
Originally Posted by Allan Miller:
Lots of factors to be considered, but the trend is somewhat inevitable and probably irreversible. But I can say for a fact that we old-timers in this hobby sure have enjoyed one heck of a fine ride in recent years! 
Allan,
While a lot of "news" was covered by the posters above. To me it all boils down to the short paragraph above. You more than likely pecked it out on a whim. Your whim rings true, Thank you!
It would seem that I've had more fun these past thirty years than I experienced in the thirty-five years prior. It's been a super-duper period in time to be alive. I do not know what the future holds for the younger folk. I hope they have as much fun as I.
God Bless,
"Pappy"
Today's kids will be telling their grand kids about how they actually touched the computer to get it to do something.
I do this 'shtick' with my kids, I take on an old man's voice, and each sentence starts off "Back when I was a kid, we didn't have ______. We had to _________ with _______. And we liked it too." Usually ends with with it boiling down to him only having rocks to play with.
Originally Posted by C W Burfle:
Kids may go nuts over the elaborate layouts they see when they visit a train person's home, Christmas display, or train show. But for the most part, that isn't something their family can purchase. There are few who have the space, time, skills, and money to build their own.
How many people are going to allow their 12 year old to use portable power tools to construct a table, or even a soldering iron to connect two wires?
The things we were allowed to do as children would probably be considered child neglect today.
Which is why my show display consists of four folding tables from Wal-Mart, covered with outdoor astroturf from Lowes, with ovals of Fastrack on it...
And the kids love it!
Mitch
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Originally Posted by M. Mitchell Marmel:
Originally Posted by C W Burfle:
Kids may go nuts over the elaborate layouts they see when they visit a train person's home, Christmas display, or train show. But for the most part, that isn't something their family can purchase. There are few who have the space, time, skills, and money to build their own.
How many people are going to allow their 12 year old to use portable power tools to construct a table, or even a soldering iron to connect two wires?
The things we were allowed to do as children would probably be considered child neglect today.
Which is why my show display consists of four folding tables from Wal-Mart, covered with outdoor astroturf from Lowes, with ovals of Fastrack on it...
And the kids love it!
Mitch
Yeah, but when you look at that picture fast, it almost seems like that gondola is carrying a head around ...
SH%# you NOT I was using my fathers circular saw in the 4th grade.NickOriginally Posted by thestumper:
Originally Posted by M. Mitchell Marmel:
Originally Posted by C W Burfle:
Kids may go nuts over the elaborate layouts they see when they visit a train person's home, Christmas display, or train show. But for the most part, that isn't something their family can purchase. There are few who have the space, time, skills, and money to build their own.
How many people are going to allow their 12 year old to use portable power tools to construct a table, or even a soldering iron to connect two wires?
The things we were allowed to do as children would probably be considered child neglect today.
Which is why my show display consists of four folding tables from Wal-Mart, covered with outdoor astroturf from Lowes, with ovals of Fastrack on it...
And the kids love it!
Mitch
Yeah, but when you look at that picture fast, it almost seems like that gondola is carrying a head around ...
