The Holidays are coming ...

[Mastiffdog]

I know many of you look forward to my posts, and I appreciate the many kind words you have forwarded to me.

Tonight I am looking toward the next couple of months. With Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years right around the corner, I have a few questions for you:

1. Will you purchase train related gifts for friends or club members this year?

2. If so, will you buy items that you like and hope they like it, or will you think of what they like and buy that? (now be honest)

3. Do you tend to pay more attention to trains and layout work during the holiday months?

4. When guests come to your home during the holidays will you encourage them to see your trains and layouts?

5. Do you set up a train that runs around the Christmas tree? And if so, is it just a plain circle or do you add some turnouts and other features?

6. Do you feel guilty buying from faceless internet dealers during the holidays and support the local retail train shop?

7. For November and December, what days and hours should your local train shop be open if you had it your way?

8. Do you think many folks get introduced to model trains during the holiday and expand their interest the following year?

9. If you owned a train shop, would you put beginner related items on sale to attract new modelers?

10. Do you run any special rolling stock or locomotives during the holidays that you do not run the rest of the year, i.e. Christmas Cars, the Egg nog reefer, etc.?

Dog

 

[mhdishere]

1. Will you purchase train related gifts for friends or club members this year?

It's tempting to buy train related stuff for my wife, since she's not into trains so I get to play with them! Seriously, I'm a lone-wolf modeller, so I don't have any train-people I buy gifts for. I do suggest train-gifts to my wife for me though!

2. If so, will you buy items that you like and hope they like it, or will you think of what they like and buy that? (now be honest)
See #1

3. Do you tend to pay more attention to trains and layout work during the holiday months?
Mostly during the cold weather, no yard work, and it gets dark earlier so I might as well be downstairs.

4. When guests come to your home during the holidays will you encourage them to see your trains and layouts?
Only if I have something worth showing by then.

5. Do you set up a train that runs around the Christmas tree? And if so, is it just a plain circle or do you add some turnouts and other features?
We've been talking about putting a set under the tree. My HO scale stuff probably wouldn't stand up to the cats, so I'm thinking of getting a large-scale set (maybe On30). Just a loop though.

6. Do you feel guilty buying from faceless internet dealers during the holidays and support the local retail train shop?
I don't have a good, local train shop, so the answer is no.

7. For November and December, what days and hours should your local train shop be open if you had it your way?
If I had one, I'd want it open on Saturday. We have blue-laws so it wouldn't be open Sunday anyway.

8. Do you think many folks get introduced to model trains during the holiday and expand their interest the following year?
I'd like to think so

9. If you owned a train shop, would you put beginner related items on sale to attract new modelers?
Probably

10. Do you run any special rolling stock or locomotives during the holidays that you do not run the rest of the year, i.e. Christmas Cars, the Egg nog reefer, etc.?
Not yet, but if we put something around the tree maybe.

 

[60103]

1. Will you purchase train related gifts for friends or club members this year?
yes, I exchange with one friend.

2. If so, will you buy items that you like and hope they like it, or will you think of what they like and buy that? (now be honest)
I try to buy him something that he'll like and use. Sometimes I buy hime something to expand his horizons, like a soldering iron. I try to get hime something that I approve of -- no Lionel alarm clocks.

3. Do you tend to pay more attention to trains and layout work during the holiday months?
There is not enough time in the day to pay more attention than I do.

4. When guests come to your home during the holidays will you encourage them to see your trains and layouts?
No, I let my wife do that.

5. Do you set up a train that runs around the Christmas tree? And if so, is it just a plain circle or do you add some turnouts and other features?
I have a toy set that cost under $10 that I use. It goes "Choo Choo". We found a larger version of it and now I have switches, but the one loop really takes up enough space.

6. Do you feel guilty buying from faceless internet dealers during the holidays and support the local retail train shop?
Don't buy on the Internet. Faceless criminals will steal my crdit card numbers.

7. For November and December, what days and hours should your local train shop be open if you had it your way?

8. Do you think many folks get introduced to model trains during the holiday and expand their interest the following year?
Yes. One of our grocery chains produces a "President's Choice" train set each year, and they now provide some reasonably good locos and cars with it.

9. If you owned a train shop, would you put beginner related items on sale to attract new modelers?

10. Do you run any special rolling stock or locomotives during the holidays that you do not run the rest of the year, i.e. Christmas Cars, the Egg nog reefer, etc.? only (5) above.

 

[brakie]

1. Will you purchase train related gifts for friends or club members this year?
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Yes,I have 2 friends at the club that I exchange gifts with.We hare close friends and known each other for years.
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2. If so, will you buy items that you like and hope they like it, or will you think of what they like and buy that? (now be honest)
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Actually one of the local shops has gift certificates and we exchange those instead of trying to guess what each other may need or want.
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3. Do you tend to pay more attention to trains and layout work during the holiday months?
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No,I do the same amount of modeling as I do all year.
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4. When guests come to your home during the holidays will you encourage them to see your trains and layouts?
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Absolutely.I feel that this is one of the good times to introduce my non modeling guest to the world of model trains as many of them had trains when they was kids.This may rekindle their interest.
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5. Do you set up a train that runs around the Christmas tree? And if so, is it just a plain circle or do you add some turnouts and other features?
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No,Being a bachelor I don't bother to set up a Christmas tree..I didn't set up a train around the tree when I had at family at home.
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6. Do you feel guilty buying from faceless internet dealers during the holidays and support the local retail train shop?
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No,as I deal with both during the year including the holidays..
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7. For November and December, what days and hours should your local train shop be open if you had it your way?
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I leave the hours to them.Sunday 1-5 would be nice though.
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8. Do you think many folks get introduced to model trains during the holiday and expand their interest the following year?
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Absolutely..We have 3 or 4 members in the club that got their start in the hobby by buying a train set to"Put Under the tree like in the old days"..The we have some that got a train set for"The boy" and ended up in the hobby...I wonder if junior ever got to run "his" train???
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9. If you owned a train shop, would you put beginner related items on sale to attract new modelers?
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Absolutely..I feel that would give them the break they need to get hook-er ah started in the hobby.
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10. Do you run any special rolling stock or locomotives during the holidays that you do not run the rest of the year, i.e. Christmas Cars, the Egg nog reefer, etc.?
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Not at home(see #5) but I do run a Santa Claus special across the club layout during our Christmas open house complete with old Santa standing on the rear platform of the observation car.