Glenn,

I also agree. I find with my kids they are very excited about running trains...but with the layout, it's hard for the young ones to have the patience. Sometimes they like to help me build it, but they need to have tangible results and limited sessions. They can not work on it 3 hours straight like I may. Likewise, they don't like to work at something with no observable progress. Right now, it's "still wiring?"...it's just not that interesting. However, if we can paint something or do some plaster work, connect some track, etc...they can see where we started and finished, it is more rewarding for them. Another thing is purpose. While the youngest ones like watching the trains go around, the older one likes to have jobs to do...take this train to the station, drop off a car, go shunt a train in this order, take it here...etc. I think many children in general get satisfaction from achieving something, seeing what is possible to do with their very own hands.

As a slight diversion off topic, I am thinking of some very small layout ideas...I would like to build it with them when they get just a bit older. The trick, I think, is for it not to be too ambitious that it takes years to achieve...perhaps a simple layout that can be done to completion in months. Maybe even Marklin can take some of their small layouts that come in the new books with the starter sets or C track expansion sets and help guide young ones in how to, within reason, build it to completion. Perhaps not a ultra detailed layout, but something passable and fun, like in the old M track planning books.

I do hope they expand the entry range selection...as others have said, locos like BR74 and BR24 are great value for money and well detailed enough for plenty of imagination. I will note however, my kids like trains that are fast. Prototypical speed digital loks sometimes aren't as good as a 3085 that just speeds around the track :)

-Brandon

Dan,the spelling is STEIFF (Sierra/Tango/Echo/India/Foxtrot/Foxtrot),not STIEFF.
Trains and bears made in China and India are like "German" cars made there,quality of the end product will be okay provided there is control over the process from Alpha to Zulu.
It explains why Hornby can sell complete trainsets for less than 300 Euro's,and still make a profit.
This is the big dilemma for Maerklin:their current prices are too high for most people,wages of personel in Europe are high too.

About prices for Steiff bears: my argument was not about production costs or the fact that cheaper bears are available.
My point was that the image (yes,the IMAGE!) of Steiff can be compared with that of Maerklin.
Marketing nowadays is all about selling image because only that way you can add value to a product and obtain a better profit.
From selling bussiness shirts to selling more expensive cars like BMWs,the marketeers are selling an image,your neighbour buys it,and the seller earns a healthy return on investment.
Like Steiff,Maerklin has an image to defend,the image of being a producer of high quality modeltrains.
It is going to be a tough battle.

This is a 180 degrees turnaround from the earlier policy in that attempts were made to sell startersets via regular toy shops.

Apparently achieving a higher margin on sold product is more important than selling large numbers with near to no profit.

Marklin has an tradition with train models.
It´s to keep on so long there is customer who believes in Marklin trains by shopping!!

The number of customers buying Maerklin is dropping,that is the problem!

A clear indication to me of how Maerklin went off the track is the Br64,a tiny locomotive for sale at a bizar price.
And yes H0,i know I referred to this before.

And they made the same mistake twice: The BR 94.5 is just another tiny tank locomotive sold at a bizarre price: €329.95 (where the BR 64 was only €299.95). They must be completely nuts making all these expensive locomotives that no-one needs.

And they made the same mistake twice: The BR 94.5 is just another tiny tank locomotive sold at a bizarre price: €329.95 (where the BR 64 was only €299.95). They must be completely nuts making all these expensive locomotives that no-one needs.

Well...i think the prices is fair,because we are talking about more details to put on the steam locomotiv.
The more spare in the locomotivs,the more work to build up locomotivs,the more expensive.
My Brawa steam locomotivs has over 160 spare details and models cost at least 550 euro!!!
I believe Marklin is doing correct.

How many locomotives costing 550 Euro's have to be sold you think so that the future of M is secured?

They have to sell at least 10 times as many battery-powered starter sets for 50 Euros to make the same profit.

They have to keep the workforce at Göppingen busy until 2019 (that was the deal when Samba Dick took over: no firing until 2019, but lower wages).
And the battery-powered sets are made in China, so that is no labour for the staff at Göppingen.

The cheap hobby stuff is made at Győr (at best). So that is no labour for the staff at Göppingen.

They need highly detailed models to keep the highly trained and highly paid Göppingen staff busy.

It remains to be seen who hasn't understood anything.

I think they make more profit when selling 8000 Donald Duck trains then with selling 50000 battery-powered starter sets.
They have to sell lots of battery-powered starter sets hoping that in 20, 30, or 40 years there will be many MRR addicts buying their expensive locos.

So,the mass has to be served with an affordable product,knowing the competition is doing the same.

Ray,

Maerklin needs volume,not niche markets.
It is the numbers that count.
Looking at the number of people employed by M in Germany and Hungary,M needs increased turnover for a larger kind of public,Simba have understood this and are taking action,which is good.

Paul.

This is why I was advocating in an earlier post that Marklin needs to make lots of Hobby priced locos which will appeal to all those kids that are interested in cars, boats, planes and trains. If they are going to rely purely on the well off enthusiasts who can afford 500 euro locos then they need to shrink a lot and become a small producer of niche models.

They need both groups of customers. And making BR 24 and BR 74 for the hobby market and BR 64 for the high-price range does not look "off the track" to me.
Well, there are more than two groups actually, and Märklin try to please several groups. Trix Express is back, Trix Fine Art is back.
Don't look at Trix Fine Art if you think a BR 64 for €300 is "off the track".

How many people on this forum have bought the Br64 at the 300 Euro mark and felt happy about it?