Model Railroading > ABQ model RR retailer speaketh

From Alibi.com in ABQ.

"Talking Points
Chuggin' Down the Track
By Jacqueline Paul

Warren Hatch is an enthusiast and ultimate defender of the dying hobby of model railroading. A model railroader since the age of 7, Hatch found a way to make a career out of what he loves by opening Trains West Inc., a vast store that sells only model trains and their accessories, 14 years ago. The entrepreneur sat down with the Alibi to talk about model trains and the community that surrounds the hobby.

What is sold in your store?

Basically, it’s all train-related material. We do five primary sizes [of trains], and then all the stuff that is related to those sizes--the track, the indoor stuff, all the scenery stuff, buildings, roadways, vehicles, people, anything that’s related to building a model railroad, essentially.

Model railroading seems to be the hobby of many adults over the age of 40. What does this trend do to the vitality of this hobby?

It’s a graying hobby. It’s going to disappear one of these days because there are no kids coming into it. There are all of us who started 50 years ago, 60 years ago. And we are all getting up in age. And because the kids are so computer-oriented, there are very few younger folks coming in.

Would you say there is a model train community in Albuquerque? Who makes up the community?

Basically, where model railroading is strong is in communities that have been railroad-based communities, which Albuquerque is. The Santa Fe [Railroad] has been here for a hundred years. And a lot of railroad people live in Albuquerque that still work on the Santa Fe or that retired from the Santa Fe. So that’s a basis for who is a model railroader. Now, it’s a lot more than that because a majority of our customers never worked for a railroad. People model what they see. If you live next to a railroad you see trains, so that becomes the basis of what you model.

Does your store give back to the community?

It plays a part, because we are at the moment the only all-train hobby shop in New Mexico. And simply because the other hobby shops have given up trains for radio-controlled race cars, trains and boats. We are the only place, other than the Internet or discounters, [where people] can buy train stuff. In general, for the newcomers to the hobby, the hobby shop plays a more important part. The older [hobbyists] educate us, because they come in with all sorts of information. And that’s the fun part, the whole sharing of information.

How do you propel the popularity of model trains so that you stay in business?

Model railroaders are an interesting breed in that with most other hobbies people go into it for three to five years and then go on and do something else. About 95 percent of model railroaders are model railroaders all their life. They have been doing it, like me, since they were 12, they have done it for 50, 60 years and they are still here looking for something new to build. The model railroading side of it takes less promotional work because you really don’t lose these people. And now [that the baby boomers] are retiring, we have a lot of them come in and say, "I retired, I am bored out of my skull and I want to get back into trains." So from that standpoint, we don’t really have to promote.

Is it becoming a common occurrence for local craft stores and businesses in general to get shut down by larger retailers? How do you stay on top of those large retailers?

The basic issue is that the profit margin is so low on model supplies that places like Wal-Mart aren’t even going to touch you on model trains because they can’t afford the shelf space at the profit margin that’s there. If they try to discount, there is no profit margin at all. You don’t get rich running a model train store; that’s the bottom line.

We heard you had a model of the Rail Runner, how does that one sell?

Fantastic! The authority that is running the real train went to the manufacturer and said, "We want 150 copies of the Rail Runner to give to the politicians up and down the line so everyone can have one on his desk." So that’s what started it. The company already had a model of the cars and the locomotive so all it was to them was a paint job. So they produced 300 copies of the three-car set and the locomotive. The authority got 150 of them, we ultimately sold 125. And we sold them out. It was the first time we sold 125 of anything. Like I said, fantastic. Everyone wants a Rail Runner. The real design is absolutely spectacular, the roadrunner with the plume and the red and so forth. Now we are into the second run, and they have already announced they are gonna do a third run. We’ve got 50 more on order; we have already sold 35 of those. I imagine we are going to get 50 on the third run.

New models of the Rail Runner are due in the store this week. The locomotive will cost around $80. An accompanying three-car set also costs around $80. Trains West Inc. is located at 3351 Candelaria NE. 881-2322."

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I have visited that store and it is very friendly
They have some neat stuff on consignment as well as
lots of books. I bought a nice QA&P boxcar there
on my last visit - the scanner at the ABQ airport
looked at me funny when he hand searched my bag .....

Just a comment on the "graying of the hobby"--our club has a number of teen-aged members. These kids are EXCELLENT model railroaders. Most of them are young teens--13- and 14-year-olds for the most part. When they turn 16, they are issued their duty girlfriend and duty car, and then we don't see them for the next twenty years, when they reappear with THEIR kids in tow. I've noticed the same effect when I'm wearing my other hat--my birdwatching hat. The teen birders also disappear for twenty years and then reappear in their 40s. So while I'm concerned about the number of older hobbyists, it isn't necessarily the end of the world.

My $0.02

Winston Hill

Winston Hill is right on! The Hobby never has been about the 15-35 crowd, because they have other things to take up their time. If you had kids (My wife and I didn't) the soccermusicdancecarpool stuff will eat up most of your free time, along with the requisite house and cars that go with it. Your recreational dollar goes to Disney, vacations to Mt. Rushmore, a mini van and things the whole family can do rather than Dad in the basement.

Then, it's gone.....Kids off to college, marriage and their boomer life and dad sits bored...he could drink and football himself into a stupor, but he hits the hobby shop one day...or gets into a club, or goes to a train show. The bug bites, hes got extra cash now that their not paying for colleges and a house. New Good friends he makes help him with the things he doesn't know how to do and he passes on things he knows/remembers. The layout grows as does he. Wifes happy she knows where he is, and she even comes down with the craft paint and makes a better looking background, or scenery or buildings. The grandkids see grandpa as a big kid again. So do we.

I've seen it happen a million times, just last week in fact.

The hobbys dead? We have more cool product than budget to buy it, and though were losing shops to buy it in, another new source is showing up to provide it every day. Although I'd not want to be a shop owner, I'm glad I'm still out there pushing/teaching the hobby, and having people help me when I need it. That's how we'll grow even bigger(and not just in the gut!)

Dave Burman
Optomistic Modeller
somewhere in the midwest

I'm optimistic about the hobby's future, too, but agree that the picture is somewhat more glum for the shop owners. Not only is there competition from the Internet -- both E-tailers and eBay -- but the proliferation of higher-quality, prototype-specific models makes it harder for shop owners to manage inventory successfully. It used to be that if you carried a decent selection of Athearn, Roundhouse, Walthers, and maybe Atlas products, the merchandise would turn over fast enough to keep business humming. But as choices proliferate, the customers become pickier about what they'll take home and it becomes harder to match supply with demand in a retail environment.

I have to agree with Dave above. I just got back into the hobby about a year ago after a 20+ year hiatus after the kids got married or moved out. There seems to be more money and time available than before. It's GREAT, and feels good... a lot of GREAT stuff out there, albeit pricey. The more curious thing will be what happens to the hobby when our current crop of Baby Boomers cycle thru this period in their lives and get into retirement / fixed income years. The cost of this equipment has got to be very prohibitive to people on both ends of the spectrum. Teens, and/or the parents raising them, have got to have a heck of a challenge in justifying the expense of some of this stuff. Retiree's are probably likewise challenged, although maybe differently: A DCC sound equipped locomotive or a month of heart medication so you can enjoy it a little longer......

It is encouraging to see youngsters at the LHS. I just feel a little sorry for them when they're excited about an Amtrak Acela and don't even notice the BLI California Zephyr cars
or a Genesis Warbonnet F3.....with sound........

DD

DieselDoc Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> It is encouraging to see youngsters at the LHS. I
> just feel a little sorry for them when they're
> excited about an Amtrak Acela and don't even
> notice the BLI California Zephyr cars
> or a Genesis Warbonnet F3.....with sound........
>
> DD


That's OK, in 25 years they will shake their heads at kids getting excited about SD125Macs and Dash 543s! Just like old guys couldn't figger out why we liked Fs instead of Mikes! Tempus Fugit! At least there are young people who get the bug and then, when family settles down, get rebitten. I think the hobby has always had an element of greyness to it. We've had our flings with fast cars and faster women, been absorbed with kids in school and now want something a bit more predictable. I always loved Beethoven (still do) for the fire and passion. Now I appreciate and enjoy Mozart and Haydn for the stability. We've found out that fire and passion and instability are usually expensive and often painful. The experiences of youth, good and bad are important. But really, as we get older, we find that too many surprises are unpleasent. Model RRing is a pleasent, fairly low stress, predictble hobby. Its a place we can escape to from reality. When you are young, reality is WAAAAY to much fun.

Waxing Philosphical and on the way to Ireland in the morning--
Stivmac

Model railroading seems to be the hobby of many adults over the age of 40. What does this trend do to the vitality of this hobby?

It’s a graying hobby. It’s going to disappear one of these days because there are no kids coming into it. There are all of us who started 50 years ago, 60 years ago. And we are all getting up in age. And because the kids are so computer-oriented, there are very few younger folks coming in.

Heresy Heresy, we all know the teens in any club just rush out to buy $100-150 engines every week and a couple of $50 cars to boot. And they're knocking down the doors to get in.

If we can't maintain an affordable entry level path, they aren't going to come back, because they weren't here to begin with. May I point out that model railroading isn't the only hobby this is happening to, photography, ham radio, and look at fraternal organizations.

When I first saw and played Pong, Asteroids and PacMan I thought that the new electronic crap was a passing fad and would never replace analog pinball machines. Hah! So wrong.

Hi!

We're not having any problems. Our members are in the 16 to 90 group, evenly divided. Lots of younger folk. I think that a lot of clubs have a blob of really unfriendly old farts who don't LIKE young kids. :-)

Oh yeah, most new recruits are all N Scalers...

TB