(05-22-2014, 04:41 PM)Gerisplarail1 Wrote: I always say our nation as a whole does not utilize or admire trains as a means of transportation like they do in Japan where it is a huge part of everyday life!
As it is in all of Europe even now. However I don't see it as the States not a case of utilizing or admiring trains so much as it is just our heritage that trains as transportation might have been replaced by other means earlier than the rest of the world.
(05-22-2014, 04:41 PM)Gerisplarail1 Wrote: financially it doesn't make sense they already make a huge number of trains to choose from! making U.S. trains would just take away from what their 55 year long established customer base actually want.
As far as that goes, have they really polled this 55 year long customer base to see what they actually want? I really can't beleive that their is a 55 year old customer base as there would be a huge turnover every 5 or 10 years as children grow out of it and maybe some coming back when they are much older. Did they ever try to produce and sell an American train in Japan to see what the interest would be? In this day and age of technology making the world much smaller and accessible maybe there would be and maybe not. After all, isn't it the love of trains that drive the hobby and not love of ones country?