If you could come up with a product that given todays technology could actually be produced but maybe cost an unreal amount of money to build what would it be? I would love to see an N scale live steamer with operating steam whistles and valves conrolled with DCC.
I'd love to see local GPS So you could have a gps receiver/transmitter on every piece of equipment and track them on the layout!
Okay, how about a full AEI system with readers in the track, unique transponders on the cars, and handhelds for electronic billing and workorders? Use RFID for it and handheld PDAs with attached RFID readers, it wouldn't be impossible.
Southern Pacific SP, P, C, A, F and MT class locos in plastic, DCC ready, and comparable in detail to the Kato GS-4.
I want American prototype TT scale train sets in stores, so people with an interest could actually get started in the scale without having to buy European sets or individual pieces on eBay. And kids could have train sets bigger than N scale that don't require as much space to set up their tracks as HO. Then I'd want full TT scale Texas Special and Frisco Meteor trains pulled by E7 consists complete with sound decoders. All in quality and detail comparable to the better Kato and Atlas products.
Radio controled, robotic, fully animated N scale people who could walk down streets, open doors, board passenger trains. The spiders I am using just don't look right in street cloths.
The easy ..... N scale spoked and unspoked wheels that don't look like a lead sombrero and roll freely on their axles for MOW stuff . The not so easy .... N scale UP small standard and veranda turbine . The hard .... N scale 4-12-2 The hat trick .... N scale working transfer table as reliable as the Walthers turntable .
A complete model of the WM and portions of the connecting roads. All the figures would be nanobots that would build and maintain the RR. Every loco would have operating prime movers and all steam would be functioning live steam. If I cant have that I'd settle for scale couplers...the current selections are way oversized.
I like Russell's idea, especially if they can get in N scale cars and drive around (although to be realistic, it would probably mean those idiots would try to beat the train at my road crossings). Short of that, I really would settle for a Kato quality North Coast Limited in Loewy paint scheme.
I think maybe you left out the self-installing, foolproof, live N scale catenary system that would be required.
An easy to use photo etch kit. Something that comes with everything you need to make your own PE parts. I'm thinking image into the computer and parts out of some contraption.