christopheer N&W. You imply that if a person chooses not to hand lay track then they aren't emphasing craftmanship. It's a big hobby with room for all sorts of emphasis; track laying, scenery, electronics, operating, etc etc. I find your attitude to be the old school mad monk mindset that keeps guys away from O scale 2 rail. Don't want to deal with rivit counters. 2 rail O scale is changing. There are a lot of folks like me who are switching to 2 rail O scale precisely because it has matured to the point that we can use our limited skills and the time we choose to put into the hobby and put together a pretty nice looking and running model railroad and run some really nice engines and rolling stock out of the box. More entry level persons in O Scale 2 rail increases the demand for products, magazine articles, etc. etc. I suggest we need to be encouraging folks to join us. Not making them feel inferior if thay don't scratch build everything. All of The REAL TRUE O Scale 2 Rail giants get this and are very encouraging. The big name top gun guys at O Scale West are always encouraging. Even the Proto 48 guys I've met show respect for all levels of effort.
Austin Bill
