Markets Have To Be Created.

[Mountain]

I have often said that our RTR manufacturers work to impress the modelling press, and the modelling press survive to work to promote the manufacturers, and they go round and round in circles with prices going up and up and productions going down and down.
Now does this guy have a solution? I will let you decide!

https://youtu.be/h35kk_Dk9Ro?si=fxfjrb0X5Pybf2OE

(One may need to fast forward a bit to about 06:50 if one doesn't want to watch trains, but he comes out with valid points).

[Bigmet]

...Now does this guy have a solution?...

Nothing that is going to 'fix it' instantly, but some ideas worth trying. Let's first accept that the mass market for hobby goods follows the fashionable trends of the day, and model railway once was in that trendy set, isn't any longer.
This doesn't mean 'it's all over' but rather that it's a niche hobby that will currently have most following from those who were children when it was 'on trend', which I feel had ended by the early eighties. That the various brands procuring products from China have followed their present path is natural, that's simply 'following the money', most of it from people nearing the retirement zone or actually retired. And there will be exceptions, there always are, kids that caught the bug from their parents for example, I know one such still under 30, and a couple more now turning 40.

One of the proposed ideas I felt had some legs was advertising to women. I am married to one(!), and she grew up in a family all girls and never a trainset in sight as a result, which she found disappointing. She's an invisible customer, the Pullman cars are hers, she likes those, and if the steam era Royal train vehicles were produced, they will generate a sale: and she's not alone, online forums have 'surfaced' quite a number of female participants.

Another aspect that I anticipate will do some damage, is the loss of what was the most effective exchange mechanism for s/h model railway products in the UK. Hattons was a machine that enabled efficient 'mining' of the very large quantity of both current and past productions; and I am going to miss it when I finally run out of purchases bought as modelling feedstock, because all the alternatives lack the easy searching for what I know I am looking for. (Hint: bombarding me with what you are desperate to shift, in the style of double glazing salesmen of the 1970s is an instant turn-off; profiling your customers accurately would make a difference.)

But - realism check - that's just me 63 years after the first train set, with a father who first taught me the rudiments of engineering, technology and the skills with practical application to the train set and then his DIY hi-fi, and pushbikes, household maintenance, moving on to the car; introducing the relevant underlying science and math before I entered secondary ed, so I hit the ground running there (and immediately had a side business in fixing the bikes of the 400 allowed to cycle to school, was it profitable or what, and I purchased model railway kit(s).)

[Phred]

Mountain wrote:
One may need to fast forward a bit if one doesn't want to watch trains

Actually, that was the bit I found most interesting. For the rest, it seemed to be just a repeat of the same argument that we've seen over and over on this forum and elsewhere. All good points, but will the corporate suits that make the decisions take any notice? I doubt it.

[Jim S-W]

The RTR market lives off wish lists. They won't even take a risk on a model in the market they know. It's naive to think they would take a risk on a whole new market

[Mountain]

Mountain wrote:
One may need to fast forward a bit if one doesn't want to watch trains

Actually, that was the bit I found most interesting. For the rest, it seemed to be just a repeat of the same argument that we've seen over and over on this forum and elsewhere. All good points, but will the corporate suits that make the decisions take any notice? I doubt it.

I think he was using Sprat & Winkle couplings (Or D&G or similar) which I found interesting. Hard to see for sure which type, but whatever he was using was visually most effective.

[Bigmet]

...I think he was using Sprat & Winkle couplings (Or D&G or similar) which I found interesting. Hard to see for sure which type, but whatever he was using was visually most effective.

You are entitled to your opinion, but to me it that initial pass of the parcels train hauled by a Peak looked very crude, the vehicles were not close coupled as they would be in reality: which is easily achieved on straight track using the well established kinematic mechanisms, which yields a significant improvement in the appearance and operation of a brake fitted train, both in motion and starting and stopping, because the train moves as a piece, with side buffers or gangway faceplates in contact. (I didn't watch any further trains admittedly, I wanted the proposals.

[Mountain]

...I think he was using Sprat & Winkle couplings (Or D&G or similar) which I found interesting. Hard to see for sure which type, but whatever he was using was visually most effective.

You are entitled to your opinion, but to me it that initial pass of the parcels train hauled by a Peak looked very crude, the vehicles were not close coupled as they would be in reality: which is easily achieved on straight track using the well established kinematic mechanisms, which yields a significant improvement in the appearance and operation of a brake fitted train, both in motion and starting and stopping, because the train moves as a piece, with side buffers or gangway faceplates in contact. (I didn't watch any further trains admittedly, I wanted the proposals.

Fast forward to about 0650 onwards in the video and he starts to explain what he means, and it is more than about his initial few sentences about costs.

[aleopardstail]

about the only coupler I have seen that is functional and looks good is the AJ type the P4 crew use which has remote uncoupling with a magnet, the uncouple, push along and leave it function of the KaDee as well as allowing close coupling and is practically invisible.

anyone who has seen them... now imagine say Dapol fitting them to anything without causing the rolling stock to explode on contact with something

biggest issue with the tension lock stuff is needing to work on "trainset" curves

modern kinematic ones are very good without a doubt, but still have all the issues of tension locks when it comes to uncoupling the blasted things

[Jim S-W]

about the only coupler I have seen that is functional and looks good is the AJ type the P4 crew use which has remote uncoupling with a magnet, the uncouple, push along and leave it function of the KaDee as well as allowing close coupling and is practically invisible.

anyone who has seen them... now imagine say Dapol fitting them to anything without causing the rolling stock to explode on contact with something

biggest issue with the tension lock stuff is needing to work on "trainset" curves

AJs are very fragile.any slight knock will mess them up. Also consider most p4 modellers will tend to use generous curves and point work

The biggie with AJs though is the tolerances. I know people that have tried them in 00 and EM have encountered problems and it's quite simply down to the track and wheel standards having way too much slop in them