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siouxlake
Hudson

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 Posted - October 05 2012 :  5:29:13 PM Link directly to this topic  Show Profile  Add siouxlake to Buddylist
Let me give an example of very recent price increases at an elementary level. You guys recall that I built a series of "Siouxlake" MOW cars this past summer, among which was a boxcar I converted from a existing painted model. That model, a Model Power RTR, cost me only 6.98 about 2 years ago at Hobbytown, the only LHS left on the Tampa side of the metro Tampa St Pete area. I was in the same store just two weeks ago to get some plastic stock and looked at the shelf where the HO cars were. Surprise, surprise... That same model was now priced at 11.98 and I could tell that it had been reticketed, from the box. Now, this store does not have a very robust model railroad dept, and sales of cars are relatively rare, perhaps better at Christmas, but a 40+% increase on merchandise already priced once. To be honest, a Model Power boxcar with cheap couplers and plastic wheels made in China (aren't they all- the cheap ones?) is not a very exciting purchase, but if I had been in the store and saw that model for the first time today, I would not have bought it- and would have used one of my flea market boxcars, perhaps purchased at a net cost of $3 or $4.

Prices rise on the high end, yet I see in MR forums, people describing a $199.00 engine as a bargain.

Prices rise on the low end (check out the prices of Atlas track these days- yeah, I know all about the supply chain issues the company has been having, before you ask), so what can you do but go to the secondary (used) market, as I mentioned in an earlier post?????

Ron
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EM-1
Big Boy


B&O EM-1 7614

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 Posted - October 05 2012 :  5:53:31 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Click to see EM-1's MSN Messenger address  Send EM-1 a Yahoo! Message  Add EM-1 to Buddylist
Ron,
Your absolutely right! I can remember a time when a Athearn blue box kit was $3.98, and then they jumped to $4.98 and then they were gone all together.....

Now? That same car, BUILT in China, and assembledthere too, with machines if not kids, is selling here for $19.98 and up, depending on the car type....

Sad thing? The fact that the car only has 2 possible changes, The XF-2 "Horn Hook" couplers replaced with McHenry's, and the metal/plastic wheels replaced with metal wheels and metal axles (IN some cases, as some have metal wheels, but plastic axles!)

OK so whats killing us in price you ask?

The import tax from China our fine government adds to the imported items and these big companies have to make it back, some how as they can't tell me that price jump from $3.98 to $4.98 to $19.98 is due to cost of manufacturing (OK maybe a small percentage) but not that much!


~John

Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid...

Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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cadetpwr
Big Six

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 Posted - October 05 2012 :  10:05:27 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add cadetpwr to Buddylist
If someone things a $199.99 engine is a bargain, my brass I buy at $150 or lower must be the steal of a century! I have noticed an uptick in folks actualy buying older brass instead of newer stuff and taking the time to repower, or just rework the open frame to run on DCC. Usualy a fresh stack of neo magnets from Micro Mark to get the amp draw down and isolating both brushes is all that is needed. I remember ad's for yellow box, roco drive, Atlas engines for 9.99 from Trainworld and that Americas Hobby Center that used to dominate the MRR magazine with thier huge ads, AHM steam(Rivarossi) for under $50 for many of them. Track was cheap, cork roadbed was cheap, even for a kid on mowing or paper route money. They wont even let kids deliver the paper anymore. Times have changed. I have had dcc and now gone back to analog to save money. The limited runs, followed by dumping them at bargain prices for the ones that dont sell has really left a bad taste in my mouth for most current brands, followed by gears splitting, seen several proto 2k bershires with this issue on thier axles splitting. Prices are up, quality is down, time to buy older used engines like brass, Athearns, older Atlas ect that have proven their durablity thru years of use without any major problems. And hey, its cheaper to! Mike
Still NT's, I have Aspergers.
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microbusss
Big Boy





tiger

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 Posted - October 05 2012 :  11:38:59 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add microbusss to Buddylist
THIS the reason I buy USED trains & stuffs
Course sometimes the old stuff goes for high prices too
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siouxlake
Hudson

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 Posted - October 06 2012 :  12:39:56 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add siouxlake to Buddylist
I remember a trip to NYC i made with my mom in 1967, where she let me go to the old America's Hobby Center in Brooklyn, as i recall?
i had never seen so much model railroad stuff in one place!
i used to salivate over a $10.98 Mantua 0-4-0 Shifter. Back then, as a kid, i could shovel neighbor's driveways and sidewalks and clear over $40 in a weekend after a storm. The buying power that amount of money represented was significant- but today, its a different story.
THat is why i preach being frugal by finding deals at swap meets, inexpensive alternatives like buying cheap black sand at Michaels Crafts to use in making my own coal loads, etc.
i realize that we choose to indulge in our hobby, but todays prices make it more like eating out at a nice restaurant only once every 6 months instead of doing so monthly!

Ron
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caboose 1
Big Six

L&N Hummingbird

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 Posted - October 06 2012 :  01:06:18 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add caboose 1 to Buddylist
Yep
I can remember when Atheran kits were 2.50 and locos were under 25. bucks

caboose 1
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weekendrailroader
Little Six

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 Posted - October 06 2012 :  09:57:56 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add weekendrailroader to Buddylist
I too rarely buy new equipment due to the high prices and often lower quality.

I've noticed a phenomenon on Youtube lately. Older kids are holding onto and sometimes still expanding their collections of toy trains. Now, I'm not talking about toy trains in the Lionel sense of the term. I'm talking about toy trains as we see them marketed and sold today to kids. Often, these toys are made in the likeness of the Thomas the Tank Engine or Chuggington characters. There are several different lines or systems of toy trains today. Some of the major ones are Trackmaster/Tomy, Geotrax, and of course the good old wooden railway system. Some of the earlier pieces of the Thomas wooden railway pieces are becoming "collectible" to some degree. Now, these toys aren't cheap, but they're cheap-er than scale model railroading. The wooden railway version of the Thomas character "Gordon", is $16.00 on amazon.com right now. The plastic Trackmaster version is only $12.99, and it's battery powered.

I've long considered making a layout for kids using one of these toy systems, but building good scenery around it. I've seen a modular ground-level system for the non-powered wooden railway toys, but how cool would it be to use a cheaper toy system to make a somewhat realistic layout that the kids would enjoy, and perhaps could even operate? Some of these toy trains are remote controlled, making public exhibitions even easier. You could still kitbash and detail the trains and perhaps make a good looking model out of what was considered a toy (hmmm, sound familiar? )

Just as an example, in this toy review, look what the guy has done with just some basic fake grass mats and buildings. Yeah, the track is blue, but that's fixable. He's taken a toy set and has built the beginnings of a basic model railroad out of them, just as some of us did with Lionel a number of years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyAtcT4AEOw

Anyways, it's something to think about as the hobby gets more expensive. I know, the toys usually don't actually run on rails per se, but sometimes you hafta make do.


My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/weekendrailroader?blend=1&ob=video-mustangbase
 Country: USA  ~  Posts: 189  ~  Member Since: March 07 2012  ~  Last Visit: March 13 2024 Alert Moderator  Go To Top Of Page

kovacste000
Big Boy



Daylight 4449

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 Posted - February 19 2014 :  10:07:42 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add kovacste000 to Buddylist
quote:
THIS the reason I buy USED trains & stuffs
Course sometimes the old stuff goes for high prices too

Originally posted by microbusss - October 05 2012 :  11:38:59 PM

Ya. Most of my trains and rolling stock are used trains that I have gotten at train shows and places like that and they're just fine. Sure a couple of them have problems but they're fixable and it would cost less to fix them them to buy new engines unless you get the cheap Model Power locomotives. I do agree that model trains are becoming more expensive and unlike old trains, new trains are made in China. Old model trains are made in America, Great Britain, Japan, etc. I'm not basing this off of other people. I know this first hand. I have some of the newer stuff and some of the older stuff. The newer engines are more breakable, too. I can't tell you how many times something got damaged on my newer model trains. I only have one or two older model trains that ever broke with me. This is just an example of terrible quality control on modern model trains.

-Steve

"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Redneck Justin
Big Boy



The Young Dr.Frankenstein!

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 Posted - February 19 2014 :  10:41:41 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Redneck Justin to Buddylist
Even "beginner" sets ain't cheap anymore! I can't remember when I got my last new engine! I think it was a Bachmann Niagara with big box and foam lined for $65 at the LHS. That was 4-6 years ago I think. Now $65 gets you a very plain no frills included 0-6-0. I do think Bachmann is reasonable when sold at eBay from hobby outlets and what not. $120 DCC 4-8-4 ain't terrible. Train shows will always yield great deals, especially us tinkering folk. Last year, I got a $15 Mantua mike only needing a draw bar! The new Mantua Line is silly high! Then folks who are in the hobby now a days don't have skill set to kit bash a non available engine and what not. Used is cheap and worth every cent some times. I mean some dealers sell a car at $5 a piece! Yes, new stuff rocks, just ain't gonna pay $400 for a steamer or $20 for a freight car. I still want the new stuff because of sound and nobody else makes 'em.
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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microbusss
Big Boy





tiger

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 Posted - February 19 2014 :  10:50:40 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add microbusss to Buddylist
don't forget old stuff was made in Taiwan, Hong Kong(now China) & Malaysia
oh yeah! Yugoslavia(extinct) West Germany(now one piece), Austria too
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PRR 4800
Big Boy


MantuaShifterAvatar

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 Posted - February 20 2014 :  8:20:28 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add PRR 4800 to Buddylist
Out of 600-odd cars I have, I can count on my fingers the number of new RTR cars I've bought at hobby shops. I would say new cars at all, but one local shop still has plenty of NOS Blue Box, Roundhouse, even a few McKean and other kits that came in recently... the best part? They're all still under $10, usually at $5 (which is what BB cars should always be). Perhaps they don't "still" have plenty, I think I may have gotten them all

yes, just like everyone else, I say BUY EVERYTHING USED. The ONLY exceptions should be track, electrical (I don't trust used transformers to not short out!), and SOME spare parts. Now it might be just me, but I've managed to find every screw and truck and car frame and rare 1950's zamac hopper bay door casting I've ever needed for anything just by scavenging at shows. I only buy kadees, coupler pockets, and washers from kadee any more.

I will admit to getting some new locos, since the variety of used stuff that runs well tends to have a few gaps, particularly modern locos. I have exactly TWO big expensive locos... BOTH have been ruined - lost the smokestack on a $300 BLI switcher with sound and professional weathering and BLI won't replace it, FRIED the electronics in a $260 Reading T-1 after weathering it myself - NEVER again. Don't get snared by the shiny new locos with sound and all that stuff. When they break, it hurts. When a blue box or an AHM or an old Atlas breaks, a bit of work and it rambles right along again. I've managed to cobble together a smoothunning A-B pair of Pennsy PA-1's for all total $17 including all the parts.

--CRC
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raysouthernpac
Big Boy


PacificElectricAvatar

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 Posted - June 16 2014 :  11:13:02 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add raysouthernpac to Buddylist
I buy what I like. I have only spent over 200 dollars on engines twice and that's because I fell in love with them.all my college debt is paid, I really have no bills and earn a really good salary so I can spoil myself a bit. Still, I think 200 for an engine is rediculous and would never spend that much ever again on an engine. For passenger cars, old blue box, ahm and ihc cars work for me. I fix them up and they are cheap. I seek our bluebox at shows and local stores and only buy rtr if it's a car I like. I much prefer the kits and like to build and paint them. For engines, blue box and P2k used units are what I prefer. Alot of p2k units are given up on by their owners after they crack their axles. I get them for cheap fix them up and they run excellent. The used market is where it is at.
If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.
Edited by - raysouthernpac on June 16 2014 11:14:33 AM
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JNXT 7707
Big Boy


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 Posted - June 16 2014 :  5:23:52 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add JNXT 7707 to Buddylist
Ray, your post pretty much applies to me as well.
Early on when I got back into the hobby - 6 years ago, before I had ever set foot in a train show or even knew what one was - I splurged over $200 on a new Athearn RTR UP Gas Turbine. It's a beautiful piece, but never again (even if I wanted to, my budget could not survive that!).
I have way too much fun buying used and working on them to my liking. Also a lot of satisfaction too, something you don't get new out of a box.

http://tycodepot.com/
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kovacste000
Big Boy



Daylight 4449

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 Posted - June 16 2014 :  6:39:17 PM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add kovacste000 to Buddylist
quote:
I buy what I like. I have only spent over 200 dollars on engines twice and that's because I fell in love with them.all my college debt is paid, I really have no bills and earn a really good salary so I can spoil myself a bit. Still, I think 200 for an engine is rediculous and would never spend that much ever again on an engine. For passenger cars, old blue box, ahm and ihc cars work for me. I fix them up and they are cheap. I seek our bluebox at shows and local stores and only buy rtr if it's a car I like. I much prefer the kits and like to build and paint them. For engines, blue box and P2k used units are what I prefer. Alot of p2k units are given up on by their owners after they crack their axles. I get them for cheap fix them up and they run excellent. The used market is where it is at.

Originally posted by raysouthernpac - June 16 2014 :  11:13:02 AM

I feel the same way, man. There's enough stuff at train shows to keep me in the hobby and coming to the shows for decades or even a few lifetimes actually. There's so much stuff there that go for very cheap. At least for what they are anyways.

-Steve

"A lot of modellers out there who go to these train shows see broken HO stuff and go, 'This is useless' when, in reality, they can still be used for modeling whether it's as a prop on your layout or a cool project to make something old new again."
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Helm
Little Six

PRRShieldAvatar

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 Posted - June 17 2014 :  08:24:28 AM Link directly to this reply  Show Profile  Add Helm to Buddylist
I've been doing HO since the late 60s. While we look back longingly at 60s prices, as a kid at the time, they were still intimidating.

I'd say the 80-90s was a golden age when I was an employed adult and prices were resonable before they seemed to skyrocket in the new century.

I only discovered trainshows around 15 years ago. Now, coupled with the decline of the LHS, that's where I shop. I can buy 2-3 beat up cars for parts and put together a like new car for a fraction of the cost of new.

I used to scratchbuild buildings and cars from wood and cardboard. Now, almost 50 years later, I've rediscovered card models. With today's technology, firms like Clever put out great stuff at a resonable cost. Of course I'm a bit more skilled than I used to be. I haven't bought a new plastic building in years.

Rich
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