Large Scale Central

Trainworld getting out of G?

General Discussion
#81

David Maynard said:

But, the part I am a bit confused about is Trainworld is still advertising pre-order, large scale trains. If they are advertising that we can order something that will not be in for months, sometimes for many months, doesn’t that suggest that maybe they aren’t planning on getting completely out of large scale just yet? Or is it one of those things where they will see how much money they can make, and then cancel the unfilled orders when they decide that now is the time to pull the plug?

I don’t know.

Maybe they are going still order stuff but not stock it???

#82

David Maynard said:

But, the part I am a bit confused about is Trainworld is still advertising pre-order, large scale trains. If they are advertising that we can order something that will not be in for months, sometimes for many months, doesn’t that suggest that maybe they aren’t planning on getting completely out of large scale just yet? Or is it one of those things where they will see how much money they can make, and then cancel the unfilled orders when they decide that now is the time to pull the plug?

Maybe what they meant was that they would no longer stock G scale items in their store, but still sell them online?

#83

Maybe, but to get good deals, don’t they have to buy in bulk? They have to store the stuff somewhere.

Edit, Ken just PMed me about something else, and he commented that he needs to chime in here. I hope he does, it would clear some things up.

#84

Yikes! So I really haven’t had a chance to check this forum since Black Friday so I apologize for the delay. Just wanted to clarify what is going on. TrainWorld/TrainLand is NOT getting out of G scale. We are only scaling back on our large inventory positions in G scale. I am assuming that the lady the gentleman spoke to was a partime employee who helps out during Christmas. Years ago before LGB went out of business, my grandfather bought G scale by the container load. She used to work full time 15 years ago and remembers the massive amount of G scale that went out the door. I still can’t believe the stories about how much G scale that came in and out of the warehouse. Unfortunately, as we all know, since LGB went bankrupt the G scale market fell apart. The G scale market is still soft but as I tell all the manufactures the one thing we do best is sell trains and I will never give that up. We will continue to stock all the numbers that you are accustomed to, however I cannot buy the same way my grandfather used to. This is a different time and different market. Needless to say, I still buy huge amounts of G scale stock in comparison to other dealers and can only “assume” that we are still LGBs, PIKO, and Bachmanns largest dealer. Manufacturers are still shocked by the volume of G scale we sell because of the time we are in. As for the showroom, I decided to scale back into 1 room instead of 2 because we needed more office space. Our Lynbrook store in Long Island is our flagship retail location and has a large G scale display. The retail display in Brooklyn may not be as large anymore but our warehouse is larger than most distributors. I talk to the G scale manufacturers regularly and I am excited about this upcoming year. There will be a lot of new product announcements that I can’t wait to see and publish. We will continue to have a lot of upcoming G scale sales for great savings. Make sure you sign up for our email sales.

Best,

Ken Bianco Jr.

TrainWorld

#85

Thanks Ken for clearing that up, good to know you think things are looking up next year.

#86

I’m glad you chimed in to straighten us out Ken. I was kind of shocked when the clerk told me that Trainworld is getting out of G. You are one of the few large scale shops still in the game.

Trainworld staying in is good news.

#87

Todd Haskins said:

I’m glad you chimed in to straighten us out Ken. I was kind of shocked when the clerk told me that Trainworld is getting out of G. You are one of the few large scale shops still in the game.

Trainworld staying in is good news.

So…the results of this 5 page thread is that we got “sketchy” information about Train World getting out of G from a part-time sales person. Next time maybe some of you east coast guys might want to make a simple local phone call to the owner Ken and get the facts verified and not ruin HIS business. Number 2, this false statement brought “10 cents on the dollar” Norman out of the woodwork to bad mouth a dealer out here on the west coast, who he accused of victimization. Most of you in this thread never once thought about how that would possibly jeopardize Gold Coast Station. Because I actually purchased many items over the past twenty years from Hans and had actually been in his two stores and very large warehouse and told the forum members here that those of us here on the west coast respected and trusted him, not one of you back east acknowledged that. I really did appreciate John Caughey’s comment about the deal that Norman got from Hans. Oh, and now Norman didn’t like some of the comments and felt “victimized” again and left the Forum in a “huff”.

#88

Gary I was only reporting what I was told by a Trainworld employee. How could I have known that she was part time and didn’t know the truth?

I thought it was relevent info that the guys here would be interested in hearing. I don’t know Ken to call and verify if what I was told was correct.

I’m sorry that Norman got in a huff and left. I have a feeling that it wasn’t his first time being the victim. I think most people would not take his bad experience at Gold Coast as fact. I doubt if it affected his business beyond if someone was selling him something that they would first go into the deal with an idea of what their trains are worth. There is of course a wholesale and retail end to consider. I have never bought anything from Gold Coast and one guys comments are not going to stop me from a possible purchase in the future.

I’m sure Gold Coast will continue to be OK and I’m glad that Trainworld is not getting out of G. I hope when the time comes that Norman will reconsider sending his trains to the landfill.

#89

Todd Haskins said:

Gary I was only reporting what I was told by a Trainworld employee. How could I have known that she was part time and didn’t know the truth?

I thought it was relevent info that the guys here would be interested in hearing. I don’t know Ken to call and verify if what I was told was correct.

I’m sorry that Norman got in a huff and left. I have a feeling that it wasn’t his first time being the victim. I think most people would not take his bad experience at Gold Coast as fact. I doubt if it affected his business beyond if someone was selling him something that they would first go into the deal with an idea of what their trains are worth. There is of course a wholesale and retail end to consider. I have never bought anything from Gold Coast and one guys comments are not going to stop me from a possible purchase in the future.

I’m sure Gold Coast will continue to be OK and I’m glad that Trainworld is not getting out of G. I hope when the time comes that Norman will reconsider sending his trains to the landfill.

Fair enough. :slight_smile:

#90

I don’t blame Todd. I would be concerned if I heard that too. Unfortunately, we having been scaling back due to the lack of new product and saturation of certain product. The secondary market hasn’t helped dealers as well. There are a lot of good deals to be had out there.

I think once manufacturers and dealers can get out of all the old product that is still available, we all can move forward. Moreover, I think LGBs Christmas set this year was a great way to start getting new blood into the hobby. Both dealers and manufacturers are working hard to keep G scale alive and could not do it without all of you.

We all have to remember that trains are supposed to be fun. We all get enjoyment from either selling, making, or running trains. All the dealers, manufacturers, and consumers are trying to support the hobby the best way we can.

#91

Thanks for clearing that up, Ken! Always great to hear it directly “from the horse’s mouth”, and of course I’m thrilled that you’re still supporting large scale railroading.

#92

There is always talk of promoting this visual hobby. So why don’t we see a television program doing this? Many decades ago, PBS did a half hour program hosted by Paul Speice and demonstrated the keeping of fresh and salt water tropical fish…

We have Food and Garden programs, sometimes too many. Why has no one attempted this??? Just curious. Regards, Dennis.

#93

Dennis,

Those shows are produced by enthusiasts and then PBS picks them up. Similar to articles in the mags, reader content…

I think we are waiting on you.

John

#94

There was a BPS show many years ago. I don’t remember the title, but I remember there was a 2 part, or maybe 3 part, series on that show, where they scratch-built a turnout (in HO). I do not know why that show couldn’t be dusted off and rerun.

#95

Your station has to pay royalties on each show. Convince them there is an audience amongst their members and they might. They like to keep their contributors happy…

John

#96

Dennis Brown said:

There is always talk of promoting this visual hobby. So why don’t we see a television program doing this? Many decades ago, PBS did a half hour program hosted by Paul Speice and demonstrated the keeping of fresh and salt water tropical fish…

We have Food and Garden programs, sometimes too many. Why has no one attempted this??? Just curious. Regards, Dennis.

There are videos on youtube showing how to build large scale outdoor RR’s I recently found one that starred a rather witty Brit though I can’t remember the name of the series but there were 8-10 installments.

It would be neat to have a show on TV that talks about trains and how to model and build etc. but I think it would be a tough sell for most networks. people like the drama of a reality show… SO maybe if there was one guy that was always breaking and crashing stuff he might gather an audience…?

#97

Reality shows have nothing to do with reality and more to do with silly drama. The British show was hosted by a chap named Pound. It dealt with only one man’s build. It was well done, but borrring. Large scale layouts are very diverse and each episode should be done with a different layout. There could be episodes that deal with the minor and major problems.

This should also demistyfy the hobby. You do not have to be wealthy to own a train layout, you also don’t need to be an electrical engineer either. Demonstrating that many engines and track are plug and play, goes a long way in creating interest and explaining the hobby.

I was always surprised that LGB never took on a tv series. Ah well, what do I know?

Regards, Dennis

#98

Dennis, yea at the various shows I hear comments from folks who seam to think that a person needs a boatload of time and money to play with trains. I blame the model railroad magazines in part for that. Seldom is there a magazine article on a shelf layout, or a small garden set up. Almost always the articles are on huge basement empires or outdoor set ups that cover more then an acre. So there is this impression, that in order to have a “good” set up, you have to go big. I fell into that trap when I was younger, and my vast expanse of plywood, with way too much N gauge track on it, ended up intimidating and depressing me, and the layout fell into disuse and eventually was torn down. So when I started in large scale, I started small, with plans to add on later. I have not added on yet, but I enjoy my small railroad more then I ever enjoyed my N scale monster.

I know that big is impressive, and they deserve to have the press they get. But small, well done set ups, deserve press too. I think if it can be shown that small can be fun and engaging too, more people might dip their toes into the pond of model railroading and find that they enjoy it too.

#99

David Maynard said:

Dennis, yea at the various shows I hear comments from folks who seam to think that a person needs a boatload of time and money to play with trains. I blame the model railroad magazines in part for that. Seldom is there a magazine article on a shelf layout, or a small garden set up. Almost always the articles are on huge basement empires or outdoor set ups that cover more then an acre. So there is this impression, that in order to have a “good” set up, you have to go big. I fell into that trap when I was younger, and my vast expanse of plywood, with way too much N gauge track on it, ended up intimidating and depressing me, and the layout fell into disuse and eventually was torn down. So when I started in large scale, I started small, with plans to add on later. I have not added on yet, but I enjoy my small railroad more then I ever enjoyed my N scale monster.

I know that big is impressive, and they deserve to have the press they get. But small, well done set ups, deserve press too. I think if it can be shown that small can be fun and engaging too, more people might dip their toes into the pond of model railroading and find that they enjoy it too.

That’s why I have taken my pizza to shows, its always been popular at the shows but I don’t know if anyone else ever actually built their own small layouts as a result of seeing mine. I’m considering a small HO layout for use at shows, just to again show you don’t meet a spare warehouse for a layout.

#100

Here is a link to the 15 part series on building a garden railway by Mark Found that I was referring to.

I haven’t watched them all yet but the ones I have seen are entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcMe1QKuEyQ&list=PLYdqgmYJKJx3lLZEfkrCwuQmkljnX0T3s