Gang, I’m kind of a news junkie. This article appeared in serveral newspapers a couple weeks ago in the Berks County, PA area. Of course, the articles in our train magazines like CTT are just as good (even better). But from a dealer perspective, there are some interesting lines in this article that do sort of sum up where the hobby is today.
I’ve always been such an advocate for seeing kids getting back into trains, and I do what I can do. But when I see stories like this one, I know it is an uphill battle. And for all of us sometimes-know-it-all’s (I’ll include myself in that assessment too) the last sentence of the article will put you (and me) in your place. So read on and enjoy…
By DAVID THOMPSON
The Associated Press
MONTOURSVILLE, Pa. - Lee K. English might be in the toy train business, but make no mistake about it, he deals in a miniature version of reality.
“I’ve had people count the number of rivets in the rib of a coal car. They’ve actually done that,” English said.
English was describing the difference between train collectors - those who collect specific types, though not necessarily realistic reproductions - and the modelers - train enthusiasts who are looking for scaled-down versions of the real thing.
“My dad is a train collector,” he said. “He collects antique trains. They’re not necessarily copies of real trains. They just look like nice trains.”
Modelers, on the other hand, are fanatical about detail, English said.
“The modeler of today wants everything to be a perfect, scaled down copy,” he said. “I mean every nut, bolt, rivet, and ladder rung in the right place.”
English has made a career of meeting the needs of both types of railroad enthusiasts. He is president and co-owner, with his brother Lewis English Jr., of Bowser Train Manufacturing of Montoursville. The business was started in 1961 when their father, Lewis English Sr. bought the Redlands, California-based