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Reply to "Opening a Train Store."

I also find that many parents do not see the value in a train set anymore, with many dad's just not having the time to spend building a layout with their child.  Even in my child hood, my dad did not really participate in building my layout with me, he was a Dr and seldom home.  But we had the income that every Christmas and Birthday there were new items for my set.  It was my grandfather that spearheaded my train hobby.  But I was a train nut even without seeing them in daily life all that often(I am on the autism spectrum).  But with everything in life being so computerised, parents today seem to just look at buying tablets, cell phones or other devices for their children vs a train set of any kind.   Many have no clue to the life skills that building and train layout teaches a child, the mechanical abilities and problem solving.  The craft side that Lionel used to promote in its Model Builder magazine in ways to build scenery on a budget of next to nothing, using common craft or household materials.   These days we see high doller prebuilt, prelighted buildings for the "gotta have it now" society.  The modeling/craft side of the hobby has faded away sadly.  So parents, looking at those $100 or more buildings at Menards, get a false sense that this hobby is for the rich with extra disposable $$, when a nice layout can be built with very little outlay once you have the basic set.   Maybe Lionel needs to reach back into their past and revive that Model Builder magazine in an E format on their website.  With montly articles/projects for parents to build with their children to add to the train layout.  Lionel is still the name that comes to Americans mind when it comes to a train set in the USA.  They need to get back to what JLC was focusing on in the postwar era, the kids and convincing mom and dad to spend their hard earned $$.  Its those kids we reach today and plant the seed, that will be the collectors of the future and carry this hobby forward.   We will never get back to the brick and morter stores we all loved thru the years.  The online side of things have changed that forever, helped along with the covid lockdowns.  Between these stores, and the big compaines like Lionel, that we need to keep promoting the hobby to parents and kids.  Advertisements from Lionel need to be where kids are online today, facebook or whatever platform kids use.  Just as it was magazines, tv and the corner Lionel train store when we were kids.   

OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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