Garden Railways magazine to cease publication

[Chris Webster]

The Fall 2020 issue will be the last for Garden Railways magazine:
Garden Railways to cease publication

[ScaleCraft]

I know the founder of GR. Personally. When they fired him as editor, he was surprised. Not that they fired him, rather that they didn't just shut GR down right then and there.
Readership had dropped off a whole bunch. Advertisers gone. Businesses gone. Age of those active in the hobby.

Sad, but not surprised at all.

[healey36]

People keep assuring me "Nope, the hobby is in fine shape...no need for concern." Seems to me it's dying a death-of-a-thousand-cuts.

[ScaleCraft]

Yeah. How long ago did Russ Reinberg of Finescale predict that, and was shouted down?

How many hobby shops gone?
How many on-line retailers gone?
How many manufacturers gone?
How many MAGAZINES gone?

How many folks still even try to maintain an outdoor railroad, much less build a new one?

I remember selling 400-500 feet of Llagas track, dozen switches, and that was first shot....followed by more as they got into it.

Nowadays, partial boxes (10 to a box) and the occasional switch.

I have, at retail, $10,000 of switches on my line and even more stored.
At $105-$125 each, I have 100 on the ground. Probably 25-30 more stored.