Interesting topic, I'm following this one!
As I'm only just going back down the rabbits hole into railway modelling, may I get my soapbox out for a mo' and share my view as a relative newcomer?
First time round, I had a Bachmann 08 shunter set when I was 9, bought as a Christmas present along with a loop of track and some points. It was interesting for a few days but then got boring. Grandad (and I) got a 6x4 sheet of MDF, some flex track and the next level up in the Hornby track packs, and nailed it all down in a double loop. It was atrocious, but we didnt know any better. Had the 'grown up' world of model railways been more open then I might have ventured to build something interesting and with sense of purpose, rather than trying to make locos fly round as fast as possible without departing the board.
Fast forward 16 years, I'm finally getting into the idea that I could build something worthwhile. I've seen Pecos track packs that let you make up one each of the layouts in their plans book, and they're great for newcomers - I would have been happy and become much more engaged with the hobby had I had this option available.
If a company could run an offer of, for instance, one of these layout track packs, a loco and some coaches or shunter and wagons (to suit the layout) and necessary power supply and control equipment, i see no no reason why it shouldn't far outsell all-in-one sets Hornby etc get away with producing. A fixed price structure of around £180 to £250 would probably be about right if all that was need to be added was baseboards and electricity, and probably more reassuring to parents wondering how much more on top of the basic set it will cost them.
It would need to include one vital thing though - a decent booklet explaining how to build baseboards, lay track, add scenery, and - quite importantly I think - explain a bit about how real railways are operated. Stuff you would probably know as second nature but is an alien concept to a beginner: controlling speeds; runaround loops, shunting wagons, whatever! Of course all this can be found out online but why not make it easier to make a start?
I think that would be a far more appropriate and inclusive approach to keeping the hobby alive.
By the way, I recently bought a Farish 150DMU set out of impatience to get started. Advised it was a lovely model, good controller, track included in the box, all for £100. Bosh, paid and got home. Realised over the next couple of hours the enormity of my foolishness: I want DCC not DC, code 55 track, not set track, and it will be difficult to justify inclusion of a South Wales Arriva DMU in 80s Scotland! Alas there was nothing else available in the shop in N, and impatience got the better of me!
