Observing the great coal vs. alcohol vs. butane debate, then the great Aster/Accucraft/do-it-ourselves survey debate, it seems to me that folks are assuming that everyone enjoys the same thing about our hobby.
My scan is that some people like tight control their locos (radio control), some people like to hover over their locos and get really messy (coal), some people like to fuss over their locos and set fire to the environment and run for hours on end (alcohol) and some people like to light off their babies and watch them be little dragons (butaners) and (dare I say it on a live steam message board), some people like bulletproof, no hassle, no burned fingers, no flaming scenery entertainment (sparkies) There's no right answer here, kids! Pearse is addressing the RC set Custom/very low production builders are servicing the coal shovelers for a significant financial premium Aster has a stable market with the well-heeled alcoholics (note the quick sell out of $20,000 Alleghenies and the $12K+ market for used Daylights and Bigboys) Roundhouse and Accucraft are selling to the stand-back-and-light-the-burner bunch with modest checking accounts and A zillion dollar/pound/euro/yen customer demand for sparkies is addressed by lots and lots of high volume manufacturers who can turn out incredibly detailed and very reliable electric locos for $500. So if Accucraft had offered a brand new, 12-month-guaranteed coal-fired K-27 for a $500 premium, you bet I would have spent the kids' inheritance to get one instead of the butane-fired beauty I bought. On the other hand, buying a very-used out-of-production DJB coal fired K-27 from someone I didn't know who lived 3000 miles away for $5000 (just guessing here) would give me pause. Bottom line is that manufacturers get started because they think that they are addressing a unique niche market. They modify their product line to address changes/opportunities in the market (Aster starting building sparkies, Accucraft started building live steam, Roundhouse offering RC). You can send in all the surveys you like, folks, It's how you vote with your dollars/pounds/euros/yen that will determine future offerings. Aster still has Colorado and Southern butane-fired Moguls for sale 12 years after their introduction. Accucraft still has electric 1:24 "GLENBROOK" Moguls for sale in spite of a production run of only 20. Aster and Accucraft will not ignore these lessons.
