08-25-2014, 12:32 PM
It didn't surprise me that Carstens went under. I remember a cartoon in Mad Magazine when someone was reminiscing about when comic books cost less than a dime and the other person reminisced that he remembered when comic books were thicker than a dime.
Sadly, I remember both of these points.
Publications, in general, have been getting smaller. Advertisers are going with their own web pages or through word of mouth on the forums. I remember when Athearn was the biggest advertiser in the Walthers catalog. Now they aren't carried by Walthers catalog. There's a reason why The Magic of Model Railroading is taking up a large section of the catalog and has only just appeared within the last 10 years(?).
Pretty soon, the Walthers Catalog will be a thing of the past. It's a matter of adjusting to the times and the market. While I always liked reading Railroad Model Craftsman and Railfan & Railroad, their focus in recent years has pushed towards the more higher skilled model railroaders in our hobby, which is the minority of the total population within the hobby. The hobby's focus is more geared toward DCC and the RTR crowd.
Add in the fact that the population of model railroaders is also smaller than it was in years past (less clubs, less hobby shops, and less rail publications). Not everyone has the space for layouts, nor the time. Technology is merely replacing the medium of information, but the information is being shared exponentially. The only thing that will slow down the information shared online is the cost of bandwidth, internet access, and servers.
I'm very curious to see how Joe Fugate's website, Model Railroad Hobbyist, works out down the road since he relies on advertiser revenue for operating costs. By going online, he cuts out the costs and effort of working/dealing with the printers.
Sadly, I remember both of these points.
Publications, in general, have been getting smaller. Advertisers are going with their own web pages or through word of mouth on the forums. I remember when Athearn was the biggest advertiser in the Walthers catalog. Now they aren't carried by Walthers catalog. There's a reason why The Magic of Model Railroading is taking up a large section of the catalog and has only just appeared within the last 10 years(?).
Pretty soon, the Walthers Catalog will be a thing of the past. It's a matter of adjusting to the times and the market. While I always liked reading Railroad Model Craftsman and Railfan & Railroad, their focus in recent years has pushed towards the more higher skilled model railroaders in our hobby, which is the minority of the total population within the hobby. The hobby's focus is more geared toward DCC and the RTR crowd.
Add in the fact that the population of model railroaders is also smaller than it was in years past (less clubs, less hobby shops, and less rail publications). Not everyone has the space for layouts, nor the time. Technology is merely replacing the medium of information, but the information is being shared exponentially. The only thing that will slow down the information shared online is the cost of bandwidth, internet access, and servers.
I'm very curious to see how Joe Fugate's website, Model Railroad Hobbyist, works out down the road since he relies on advertiser revenue for operating costs. By going online, he cuts out the costs and effort of working/dealing with the printers.
Mike Kieran
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.
Port Able Lines
" If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be " - Yogi Berra.