I signed up earlier for the Yardmaster thing to save on shipping. My 2013 HO reference book arrived today (in Texas).
I am a frequent and enthusiastic user of the on-line Walthers catalog, both at my home computer and at the Walthers HQ’s showroom which has several walk up computers.
But I would say this. The computer version is ideal for an item which I know to exist, or used to exist, and now I need to know who makes it, is it in stock, is it on sale, how much it costs and that sort of thing.
The paper catalog is, in my opinion, still unsurpassed both for casual dream/reading and exploratory “does anybody make this?” investigations. I do not think online catalogs of the size and scope of the Walthers catalog really help much for that kind of searching.
I feel the same way about the Plastruct catalog by the way. I am more prone to find something I need or want that I did not know Plastruct (or anybody) made by using paper than I am by using the internet, and that is in spite of the fact that the Plastruct online presence is pretty good. Ditto the MicroMark flyers I get in the mail. MicroMark has a very good website but it is best used to locate something you already know exists and that you know they carry. The paper version allows true discovery.
I used to think the departure of Athearn, and in particular the Athearn parts supply, would be fatal to the Walthers catalog. But as it happens the departure of Athearn from Walthers coincided with other changes in Athearn’s business plan that make the absence of Athearn less important, at least to my way of thinking.
Frankly I think many of the much smaller suppliers that are not in the Walthers catalog are more interesting to me anyway. That is where the internet has been of tremendous value.
So on paper I get Walthers, Plastruct, and Scenic Express catalogs and all the rest I rely on the internet. I suppose I could live without any paper catalogs but I have a hunch it would be more hit and miss whether I would discover things I need.&