 
Teaching the Art of Modeling to a New Generation The BuildAKit program was developed by George Huckaby of Custom Traxx and Dave Swanson of GATS. It has long been felt that the average age of model railroaders was increasing and that not enough younger persons were embracing the hobby. Additionally, the new computer age had allowed the younger generation not to acquire the skills needed to put together items. The idea of BuildAKit is to teach the art of kit assembly in a non-threatening environment to the portion of the general public that has a fond love of trains. This portion of the public attends GATS in steady numbers every year. Once that barrier, namely the successful assembly of a simple kit, is past, some of these students could become new model railroaders. GATS offers space at its many shows to local hobby shops to teach selected show attendees how to assemble a kit and when they have completed it, it is theirs to keep. GATS further makes the GATS mailing list available to the hobby shop hosting the BuildAKit session. Bowser has donated all kits used in all the sessions conducted to date while Custom Traxx supervises the instruction and provides all the tools, lights and instruction materials. The local hobby shop provides individual instructors (one for every two assemblers) and is encouraged to use the session to advertise the main features of their store. Although no selling is permitted at the BuildAKit booth, shops may offer promotional material and direct students to another booth where they can purchase items.  
BuildAKitsarted in February 1999 at Fresno, CA when Fresno Model Railroad, the local Fresno model train store, instructed over 36 students in the assembly of Bowser gondolas and hopper cars at the Great American Train Show held in that city. Media attention was phenomenal. Reporters from the Fresno Bee intending only to cover the show for one hour, were in the facility all day long resulting in a section front cover story in the Sunday paper on the second day of the show. All available slots for building kits were signed up by 11:45 A.M. less than one hour after the show opened. One of the first kit assemblers to sign up on the first day stated that she would have “…paid us for this opportunity…” as she had always wanted to learn how to assemble a simple kit.
During the remainder of 1999, Crescenta Valley Hobby and Craft of Montrose, CA would conduct BuildAKit sessions at both Ventura, CA and Costa Mesa, CA at the Great American Train Shows in those cities. At each session over 40 kits were assembled. This hobby shop combined BuildAKit with their own workshops on Building Trees.
In October 1999, An Affair with Trains of Phoenix, AZ conducted a BuildAKit session at the Phoenix Convention Center, and in mid-February 2000, Trainsource: Texas of Houston, Texas conducted the fifth BuildAKit session in Houston at the GATS held at George R. Brown Convention center in that city. During that two-day session, 57 Bowser hopper car kits were assembled and given to students. Trainsource: Texas or TSTX as they like to be called, had another booth at the show where they showcased some of the significant items in stock at their store. They will be conducting another BuildAKit session in San Antonio at the March 2000 GATS. 
This is only one facet of the BuildAKit Program. The other part of the program is to remind the model train manufacturers that people tend to model what they see. Most of those of us in the hobby today saw Cab Forward steam engines, first generation diesels, GG-1 electric locomotives and streetcars in most of our cities, and those are the things that they largely model. Today’s potential modeler is most likely to see commuter rail lines, short lines, light rail and historic trolley lines along with mainline freight and Amtrak. Although the last two items have been represented in models, very little of the first four items mentioned are available in model form except in very exclusive and expensive brass models. But things are changing. After 50 years of production, Bowser had upgraded their trolley HO scale power units. They are smooth running and inexpensive. Watch for more trolleys, light rail vehicles and other self-powered equipment using these drives in the not-to-distant future. Bowser will be offering painted ready-to-run Brill semi-convertible and PCC trolleys soon using these new drives and the prices will not be staggering. They have also upgraded their O scale trolleys. MTS Imports, Inc will soon be offering a Boston trolley featuring a urethane body on the Bowser drive. Other manufacturers have stated that they will be making light rail vehicles in urethane or resin using the new Bowser drives and they will be available undecorated and fully painted ready-to-run. You don’t have to be a Trolleyville resident to host a BuildAKit session, all you need to be is an existing model train hobby shop in an area where there is to be a Great American Train Show. If you are interested, please contact BuildAKit c/o Custom Traxx P.O. Box 641175 West Los Angeles, CA 90064-1175 or E-mail at BuildAKit@customtraxx.com. |
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