snipped from Trains Newswire:

I suspect there will be more very similar stories in coming months if the cost of fuel remains high and the economy continues to slow down. This is really going to wring out all the marginally profitable operations.

PC

I hate to say this, but model RR shops are next. I know of three long-living ones that are going to be folding soon....

We will see those cars up on the auctioning block in no time.

The experience of riding the rails while dining is the sole reason Dinner trains do the business they do...so long as the food is worth it.

Sitting in a train car at the station...not going to survive.

Too many examples of that have failed...the few that have survived had another source of significant income.

It's a shame to tear up the branch...though it is pretty much surrounded by golf courses and high end development...I'm sure they won't miss the train. They can just use the ROW as their personal driveways as they have done with the norther end of the abandoned portion.

As for Model RR shops, I don't know where you are, but they're closing left and right in Eastern PA/DE/NJ area......and like you said, some big name, long standing ones.

Thank Ebay for that.

Adding to the posting about hobby shops closing, one very excellent model railroad shop in my area "closed" recently, the owner went to internet sales. He had been very active with the local model railroad and railroad enthusiast communities, sponsoring clinics, lectures, and special events. Those activities disappeared, when there was no longer any store to meet at. But at the same time a lot of the people who have been doing programs and clinics have cut back extensively on their activities due to the high cost of travel. If he had continued to offer special events it might have been a problem getting the help that would be needed to do some of the activities. It looked like attendance at many meetings and events was down about 20% this summer.

In general, it looks like the hobby and the industry are imploding due to increasing travel costs, lack of interest by younger people, oversaturation of some markets with suppliers and products, and decreased access to mainline railroading due to security concerns. Group attendance is declining and some groups are disappearing altogether. Many of the remaining groups consistently overestimate their turnout for events. Nowadays when you are asked to volunteer your time (and money) to drive across several states to help out at an event, you are likely to find that the actual turnout is much less than what the promoters estimated. And in the middle of all of this we are busy arguing about who should run the excursion operations at Steamtown when their average daily attendance is less that the lunch hour at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. It doesn't look good for the future folks...

PC