Curmudgeon said:Yeah, screw the beginner. The manufacturers should just make product aimed at the seasoned model railroaders who already have the bulk of what they need and only buy a few items now and then - that'll keep 'em in business......
The ranks are dwindling because we have catered to that lowest common denominator. Nobody has clue one about wheel gauge, how to check it, or on some locomotives how to correct it. It's those "high priced" specialists that spend 2.5 hours per truck on a six-wheel diesel truck re-shimming them to work. Nobody has a clue how to re-dedicate wires in a plug assembly....so you see a huge new plug floating in the air between loco and tender. It is why I've gone back to a craftsman scale, where folks know what to do and are willing to do it. Think "cab chatter" if you want to see how far down the hobby has fallen.