Some great posts today. I have argued here and elsewhere that Gen X has entered that stage in life where people tend to spend real money on their leisure interests. I am one, and I know others who came into the hobby in their late 40's, laid out lots of cash to get stuff in our chosen road names and eras, but are now a bit stymied by lack of new stuff to buy, both in types of locos & rolling stock and in road names.
So we stalk Ebay for models produced prior to us coming into serious hobbying or for scratch built from some of the great S modelers. Or we wait for catalogues that disappoint or that show items that never get produced or get produced years later. Or we wait to see if RRM or SSA is going to do a project and hope it includes a road name in which we are interested.
That's so much waiting that a friend of mine and I are considering investing in producing an SD40-2 (plastic shell, highly detailed, offered in scale and high rail a la SHS, DC, AC or DCC plug in) using an HO manufacturer we have identified. Not sure if we'll get it to fly, but trying feels better than waiting.
