Just purchased a Laser-Art model of an Aladdin catalog house.  The kit lists at ?19.98, & that is about 10% of the original price of the house,$218.
  If we take $200,000 as the average price of a home today, it's conceivable that some day the kit will cost $20,000, or maybe $15,000 for the kit & $20, 000 for the built up version.
   I know that ,along with many others, i complain about the high cost of the hobby, but if you really think about it , the cost has gone down as much as the quality has gone up.
  My father built my first engine for me in 1950. It was a Mantua 0-4-0, not much detail, but a fairly good runner. It probably cost him over 1/3 of his take home pay for the week, plus he had to scrape & file away mountains of flash, assemble, paint & decal it. 
   Another evidence of lower prices today is when you look at layouts of the 50s they are usually composed of 5 to 10 cars. You NEVER saw 25 car Coal drags or a string of refrigerator cars.  Most layouts consisted of one of each type of car.
   Today we have engines (not 0-4-0s) with all the "Bells & Whistles" that I couldn't even had dreamed of in the 50s for a lower % of our take home pay.   Jerry

  Maybe some of you newer modelers can't remember, but back in the day, stop signs were yellow, not red.  It also seems to me that they were mounted lower than the red ones are today. Does anyone know what the proper height was for the yellow signs?   Jerry

   I, as many others, am saddened by the demise of kits, but there may be a silver lining. I realize it's a financial decision on the part of the mfgs. & it could save some of the struggling hobby or Train shops. After all you can make more profit on a $15 item than a $7 item.  I'm sure the shop owners would rather have $15+ items on the shelf than $7 items.
  As we have seen on the various forums, Hobby/Train shops are having a hard time if not closing.  Maybe this could keep them going a while longer.
                                                     Jerry

Why was the GE 44 ton switcher downgraded to the standard line? Were any changes made? I thought that DCC equiped locos were Spectrum?

Just got an announcement from Athearn that they will no longer produce Blue Box Kits. The explanation they provided really didn't make sense to me.
  I think they can make much more profit with the RTR line as they are the same as the kits but with with metal wheels. It only takes a few minutes to assemble the kits & you are paying $8 to $10 extra. The end of a very important era in Model Railroading IMO....Jerry

  In the Sept. issue of RMC there was an article on making buildings with a solid wood core. I've also seen a similar story a few years back.
  Seems to me that because of the volume of wood involved, there is more of a chance of warping.  It seems to me that large blocks of wood are more prone to warping & cracking than smaller cross sections.
  Has anyone had any experience with this construction method & how long have your buildings been in use.   Thanks,   Jerry

  Any idea when the GE 45 ton switcher in HO scale will be available again?   Thanks

  While visiting our large Border's book store, I noticed that the Sept. issue of MR was not displayed yet & the latest Model RR news was the June issue. They dropped RMC a few years ago & am wondering if they plan to do the same with the other RR hobby mags.  They have all of the proto type mags. Anyone have any info?   Jerry

  I was at the Greenburg show today & saw a VERY small gauge train & circle of track.  The track is 3mm which is a little under 1/8''.   The cars which resembled subway cars, were about 1/4'' high.  The engine had a headlight that came on when it ran forward,& red lights came on the back when it was in reverse.  The package consisted of a 4 unit train, an oval of track, a rerailer, a controller that ran off of 2 flashlight batteries.  AC adapter also available.  More track is available along with "people".
   The whole package was $130. Couldn't believe the paint job. If anyone is going tomorrow, it is located against the wall near the layouts.   
    A "z" gauge hopper car looked like a GIANT next to them.  They ran very well, considering the size.   For phone # or email...email me.   Jerry

  What is the smallest radius a 4 wheel either a porter or diesel switcher can negotiate. I'm thinking of starting a SMALL layout.  Thanks... Jerry

  It seems the 45 ton switcher was available 4 months ago, but most sites now say "early fall delivery" . Was the demand greater than anticipated or was production stopped for some reason?   Jerry

  I have many Hallmark train ornaments & am looking for a novel way to display them. Don't really want a display case & don't want to hang them on the tree. Any suggestions?   Thanks

 A friend bought what I believe is a 3 rail OO gauge passenger car in Switzerland.  He found the wheels are not insulated & have to be replaced. They have to be at least 38'' - 40'' in HO to clear the sideframes. Any suggestions?   Already tried NWSL.   Thanks

  GOOD NEWS...Just got the latest catalog from NWSL & they are working on new gears for the HO Climax.  They are having problems with the driveshaft, but it looks solveable.   The gears for the Shay are available for about $25.   They are also looking at some of the On30 engines.   Jerry

  After reading all the complaints with bachmann products, have any of you had any experience with the new 45 ton switcher? S ???eriously considering purchasing one.   Thanks,  Jerry

  Before you throw those audio or video cassettes away, take some time to remove the screws that hold most of them together.  Trust me, some day you will need one or more of them.   jerry

  A friend needs to have a power supply with exactly 12 volts DC to control flashing crossbucks.   Any suggestions without getting an expensive regulated power supply?   I suggested wiring 8 alkaline D cells together. Any other suggestions?  Thanks

  Need info on a Starr-Tec Hogger.    Locos run great in one direction, Barely move in the other direction when the direction switch is thrown.
   Probably in the powerpack & not the controller. Do you know what is used to change direction?   The switch on the hand contriller is only connected to the powerpack with a phone cable & couldn't carry the necessary amperage to power a large Scale Train so there must be some kind of relay or electrical circuit  to reverse the polarity inside the box.   Thanks

  Am just about ready to get into sound.  Just a few questions, Since all my locos are DCC equipped are there any good "sound only" decoders?   How many sound equipped locos can you run at one time until it gets distracting?   Do you have to have sound in both the A & B unit of a lash-up to sound right?    Thanks....Jerry

Iv'e seen the 2-6-6-2 in hobby shops but the adds all say they are backordered.  Are they being updated again?   I know LifeLike bought the tooling & are bringing them back cheaper & better.   The 2-6-6-2  came out about 2 years ago with a revolutionary Drawbar/ elec. connector. 
  Are the newer ones going to have further updates?    Jerry