Is there a market for a "scale" Thomas the Tank Engine O-Gauge product line?

Well, there should be a lot of "nays". You said it yourself "least scale of them all" (I totally agree BTW). This is a scale or gauge where the majority of the items are not scale. Obviously the majority of the folks in this scale buy these non-scale items or they wouldn't make so many. So why would the majority of the folks in O gauge want a scale or more detailed item?

 

I'd always thought the giraffes were scale sized. Wow, that really burst my bubble!

I love how these threads meander from a yay-nay question to scale giraffes. I for one, think a nicer, more detailed and sturdy Thomas has merit. I'm going to repaint a Darstaed Jinty to look like Thomas.

I don't have a horse in the "scale" Thomas race, but I do know that I would like to have each of the new Thomas Remote sets from the latest catalog so I could perhaps construct a portable "Sodor" type layout capable of running all the sets at the same time.  

 

It would be a great thing to set up at libraries, schools, or other public venues during the holiday season (in particular) so kids could race each other and otherwise have fun with several characters at the same time, and without having to worry about things getting too far out of hand. 

I would actually buy a scale thomas and scale accessories. Thomas is every kids dream.

Humorous...sarcastic maybe...but I don't think rude.  I do agree, TexasSP, that this is definitely the least "scale" of all...with "semi-scale" engines, non-scale giraffes and using vehicles that are 1:43 scale, etc.  I've raised three children.  I introduced them to the delight of trains.  Just in my opinion, I don't think it would be marketable.  I wonder if Lionel, Atlas, MTH or Williams have seriously researched the idea.

Allan, I had exactly that same idea. As soon as I heard about these remotes, I started wondering if I could I make something out of a folding table, using those sets that would let kids 'race' the three Thomas steamers or complete a puzzle switch...

Perhaps I should organize a "contest" of some sort for the design/construction of an easily transportable layout that could handle three or more of the (currently) five different Thomas sets that Lionel has announced.  The winning entry could be shared via a how-to in the magazine.  Then folks in various areas of the country and even around the world could construct these or similar layouts with the intent of exposing others to the fun that can be enjoyed by young and old alike.

 

Love these! Great job. This is basically what the Rev. Awdry did on his model railway, so why not?

 

I got two of my kids (11 and 16) interested recently in model railroading specifically because of Thomas, although most of what we have is HO Bachmann and OO Hornby. My 11-year-old daughter enjoyed the notion of landscaping so much that we ended up building a layout (still in progress) around them.

 

Interestingly, and perhaps relevant to the "scale" question, Hornby and Bachmann take very different tacks; Bachmann's "scale" is to remain faithful to the TV show, while Hornby models theirs after the prototypes that the Rev. Awdry used for his model railroad. The Hornby Thomas is quite a bit bigger than the Bachmann Thomas, and doesn't look much like the show version. Nonetheless, it's my favorite of the two Thomases. The Bachmann big locos like Henry and Gordon are magnificent, as they would say.

 

I keep being tempted by the new kid-friendly Lionel Thomas set, but think I'll stick with more realistic prototypes for O. 

 

Fred