I'm not suggesting S manufacturers or groups not show up at the national shows. Nowhere in my little epistle have I said that.
What I'm suggesting is the two major manufacturers show up where S Gaugers congregate. None of those events are "members only."
They need to talk directly to those already in the scale, too.
IMHO
Rusty
Rusty,
I can see some problems if the manufactures directly respond to individuals requests at any event. They could go to a show which has people like yourself only seeking new products to meet a much finer requirement, and there is nothing wrong that but if they decided this was the only way to go then they could be disadvantaging the hi-rail fraternity which currently is the core group.
Likewise, if they went to a meet solely of hi-rail people, then they could be swayed not to support you, Ed and others.
Either way it could actually do more harm than help.
I don't see a viable means of how 'S' manufactures can collect accurate data as to what individuals needs are and as to what proportion they set up manufacturing to support the split ratio, any other ideas?
I love it when people put words in my keyboard.
S Sprees, S Fests AND NASG Nationals ARE NOT scale only events. In fact, the bulk of these events tends to lean towards the Flyer side.
They are open to anyone interested in S, be it Flyer, Hirail, Scale, Narrow Gauge. No membership in ANY organization needed. They're even open to someone who comes in out of the rain...
When I advocate, I advocate for S as a whole, not just the scale side. And it's the manufacturers that have the tough job of trying to understand the various facets of S.
Exactly how can MTH and Lionel attempt to understand the existing S market if they have no exposure to it, other than the few S folks that attend general shows? Even forums such as OGR and Yahoo exposes only a minority of those interested in S.
What better place to meet and talk to the cross section of the scale (or gauge, if you prefer) without the clutter of other scales than at the aforementioned events?
S is a three legged stool: Flyer, Hirail and Scale. It won't stand with one leg missing.
Rusty
