Paul, Thanks for the kind words. I feel for the dealers of 1:20.3 as some are customers and I do not like seeing any fellow business people get hurt. One dealer told me of his disappintment with sales at the show. If there was a railroad artist selling the same stuff on every aisle, I would not be able to make a modest living painting pictures of the subject I love.
This board has really cleaned up its act I support that. I have been posting here for 8 years and I am glad that it is no longer acceptable to unfairly criticize railroads, individuals in the business and volunteer groups, without expecting a challenge of that view. I have been guilty of that myself, but now if I offer criticism, I try to be constructive. Indeed, backers of the CTSMC solicited comments a couple of years ago, and to their eternal credit, they acted upon many criticsms and suggestions made on this board.
While decorum is important here, how far do we limit comments about these things? When a product is offered on every aisle of a show, unless the buying public cannot get enough of of it I see a problem. Is it bad form to say so? A true forum is just that-all angles are discussed, and some of it is not always butterflies and moonbeams. We all bring our prejuduces, our old scores to settle, etc. here, but we need to keep a lid on it and I am happy that we have the peer pressure (and the absence of anonymous postings)to keep us levelled out. However, making a simple criticism of product overkill, the lovable seaminess of a particular old hotel, etc. is not in my book an illegitimate observation. The internet makes it easier for people to make a big deal out of the innocous, to shortchange someone elses experience, and to elevate their own intolerant and narrow world view. Great forums like this should not limit observations to all good news.
I know something about running trains, and I like to share that information, though there are some here that know far more. I am somewhat of a historian, but there are better ones on this forum. I also know something about the model train business, as some of my dearest friends produce and sell these products. It would be nice to make an observation or two and not be put down for it. If any people want more detailed observations about the state of the hobby, backchannel me.
