@scott.smith posted:Is the current generation of train buyers going to buy more tinplate or less? The younger train hobbyist isn't buying tinplate. The dead hobbyist buy even less.Scott Smith
I was wondering about this topic earlier today. I suspect that the tinplate enthusiasts are declining in number over time, and, the average age of tinplate enthusiasts is gradually inching up.
The people that I knew as a child who had tinplate were my parents age. And, most of the people my parents age who had model railroads owned and operated postwar O gauge trains, or Gilbert's American Flyer. Obviously a limited sample size, but by that time, the major manufacturers had discontinued producing tinplate trains for other gauges, so the observation is amply supported by the facts.
I suspect a lot of us who are current tinplate enthusiasts likely had postwar trains growing up, and fell in love with tinplate later in time. When you add a saturated tinplate marketplace with a declining group of potential customers, that doesn't bode well for demand.
