Cjcrescent
Master Mechanic
Believe it or not I never did.
Is Model Railroading getting out of hand with things
- Thread starter Milwdt
- Start date
Believe it or not I never did.
I had the seminal experiance Sunday, I bought something I've wanted since I saw it, a Bachmann 2-8-0 consolidation. Retail MSRP $149. Hobby shop $169.95, flea bay $60.00 shipped. Somebody is making a lot of cash on their investment. Granted I live in the boonies, in a town of only 60k with no real neighbors, but that's a lot of money difference for anyone, Jim
I was in town today so I stopped by my LHS. There was no one there, just a lady clerk typing on a computer by the cash register. I looked around for awhile, paying attention to what stuff cost this time. I was shocked, I still am. I may have to have extra noodles tonight to calm down. Locomotives, not the "expensive stuff" but the stuff I picked up on eBay, IHC 2-6-0 = $119.95 ($33 + shipping eBay) IHC 4-4-0 $124.95 ($45 including shipping), Walthers box cars, $30.00, "excursion" cars (flat cars with seating) 29.95, Athearn cars #32.00, stucture kits Literally insane, old model power kits $25.00 - $35.00, Walthers kits must be gold plated, what's going on?
Had I gone to this guy first I wouldn't even have considered re-entering the hobby. I'm sure glad I came here, and flea bay first! I am pretty amazed.
Had I gone to this guy first I wouldn't even have considered re-entering the hobby. I'm sure glad I came here, and flea bay first! I am pretty amazed.
scdave2003
New Member
The cost of HO has gone through the roof IMHO. When I retired I had to decide between trains and planes as my retirement hobby. I found the train guys in the area rather dry and the plane guys fun. Also, it cost me a days pay to get into planes (fuel, plane, radio, etc). That wouldn't have touched trains because I would have had to start from scratch building a layout. Only further expense in plane was epoxy glue to put them together after I crashed them.
Charles Smiley
cspmovies
How about a simple tube of Walthers "Goo" price near 5 bucks. What's up with that? And Floquil selling for 4 bucks per one ounce tiny bottle and yet they couldn't keep the product going?
Cjcrescent
Master Mechanic
Frankly I think what needs to happen, since the manufacturers are making what was demanded of them, more accurate models with finer detail, is for us to go back to where we bult most of our stuff. Not necessarily all our locos, but cars, track etc. Kits do cost less, undecorated kits more so. If we the customer start doing that a lot more than some are now, I believe that prices would level out. Maybe we can get back to the Athearn BB type of loco kit, except it's undecorated. You apply the needed detail and you paint and decal. For us steam nuts, maybe someone would come out with kits similar to the Locomotive Company format. You buy a separate tender kit, mechanism kit and a boiler kit.
I don't realistically seeing it happen, but it is a dream.
I don't realistically seeing it happen, but it is a dream.
So you went into planes instead of trains, but you are here posting about prices on a train forum (first post, of course)? In my experience, epoxy is not enough to put an RC plane back together after a crash, but I only crashed one or two and gave up on that.
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What hobby shop is it that still has IHC on the shelves? That would be some pretty old stock, wouldn't it, since they went out of business quite some time ago?
NScaler
Engineer in Training
I totally agree Carey. I would much rather build every single one of my rail cars. Not so sure I am ready for locos in N scale yet. But hopefully some day I am skilled enough to tear into one if I need to install a decoder or something. That is why I am buying every Gloor Craft Rail Box car kit I see. It is a very detailed kit, fun to build, and looks really good. I wish there were a lot more kits like this one. I am just now getting into modifying my rail cars. I am installing Micro-Trains trucks on all the cars I have that don't have them. And on some of these it's more trouble than it's worth. I would much rather be building a kit than modifying some cheap plastic car.
OK, I didn't know IHC was out of business. I only decided to get back into Model Railroading three months ago. I live in the middle of nowhere, 160 miles from Las Vegas across a very forboding desert, farther to Phoenix. I suppose he can charge what he wants then, he had 2-6-0's, 2-8-2, and 4-4-0's by IHC I'm sure, plus some passenger cars. He also had some Bachmann at what I thought were stupid prices, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe a Southern Pacific articulated passenger car set is worth $200.00, and all the other stuff is normal. If so, I'll shop on eBay thanks. Oh, three months no code 100 flex track.
Then you are definitely shopping in the wrong place. ModelTrainStuff has Code 100 flex from multiple manufacturers -- including Atlas -- in stock now. 44 cartons of ten sticks in stock as I type, as well as other packages.
By the way, please give us the name of the hobby shop. There is a guy on another forum who wants to buy some IHC locos (I don't know why, but he does) and he would like to find some new old stock.
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Don't get me in trouble now:
My Train Shop
Jerry Clark
1695 Mesquite #208A
Lake Havasu City AZ 86403
928-505-4044
Why doesen't your buddy go to eBay?
Thanks.
Why would you get in trouble? Do you owe him money?
He wants new old stock as opposed to used. I won't pretend to understand why -- especially when there are other engines that I think run better for about the same street price. But to each his own.
Why would you get in trouble? Do you owe him money?
He wants new old stock as opposed to used. I won't pretend to understand why -- especially when there are other engines that I think run better for about the same street price. But to each his own.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
Maybe there prices are why they still have old stock.
If a modern hobby shop can't offer discounts and sell in volume they won't be able to compete in today's market. I watched 3 hobby shops go out of business in my area, they blame the recession and have other excuses. All the while my hobby shop grew and grew and had to move to a bigger location. MB Klein offered discounts before the internet, selling through mail order and now if you go in the store this time of year it is empty, but the staff is usually busy filling internet orders. Many of you know them now as modeltrainstuff.com
For years all I ever bought was things for my HO Christmas trains. MB Klein always treated me like an important customer even though the did not see me from January through October. The other hobby shops acted like I was a bother to them. Now that I am a Lionel fan and I go in to pick up a $200 to over $1000 order they still treat me the same as they did when I bought a $1.50 Life-Like hopper many years ago.
Every business changes, available products evolve, but it still comes down to who has the best price and service.
Of course prices have gone up, they always have and always will. The problem is wages are not keeping pace. Corporations and politicians are seeing to that! Paying parents $7.25 per hour is morally wrong. The average age of a minimum wage worker is 27. Its not just teenagers any more.
Bruette, I can't agree with you more. Getting in trouble, it's a small town. I wouldn't want an enemy. ML Klein sounds like a wonderful place your lucky to have it to shop at. I remember great places like that (minus the mail order) when I was a kid. I wonder if having some of those carefree fun moments again isn't the reason I'm going to build a RR.
It's M.B. Klein, and everyone can shop there. Their website is modeltrainstuff.com
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Prices are going up because supply is dropping. It is simple economics. Supply is dropping, as in other manufacturers going out of business because less and less people are getting into the hobby. Even in the Chicago area there is about 2 or 3 hobby shops. That is pretty sad when you think about it as it is a huge population center. The culture shift is a move towards virtual goods that really require little skill development and no sense of accomplishment in the sense of being able to have something to show for your work.
I mainly blame the decline on the following factors:
1. Reduction in quality of product as most if not all are made in China.
2. Younger generation not into train clubs, and the fact that the few train clubs in my area are all populated with individuals 60 years of ago and older. Every club is like that, such as the Freemasons, The Lions, American Legion, & etc...
3. Current economic downturn, as younger people have less spending power.
4. Some others that I will not bother to go into.
I mainly blame the decline on the following factors:
1. Reduction in quality of product as most if not all are made in China.
2. Younger generation not into train clubs, and the fact that the few train clubs in my area are all populated with individuals 60 years of ago and older. Every club is like that, such as the Freemasons, The Lions, American Legion, & etc...
3. Current economic downturn, as younger people have less spending power.
4. Some others that I will not bother to go into.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
Once again Jim you have hit the nail on the head! Trying to recapture those carefree days of my youth is an essential part of my railroads. The times I played with my trains and the time I worked as a coal sampler jumping from hopper to hopper gathering samples. I am trying to recreate those in my railroads.
Another factor for me was when I was a boy I looked at the Lionel Christmas trains in the windows of the nice houses in Baltimore where I delivered news papers and I wished I could afford those Lionel Trains. Don't get me wrong I was happy with my Tyco trains, but I really wanted those big Lionel Trains! I had not thought of that for many years, but when my daughter gave me a Lionel Polar Express for my Christmas tree it brought that memory back.
Another factor for me was when I was a boy I looked at the Lionel Christmas trains in the windows of the nice houses in Baltimore where I delivered news papers and I wished I could afford those Lionel Trains. Don't get me wrong I was happy with my Tyco trains, but I really wanted those big Lionel Trains! I had not thought of that for many years, but when my daughter gave me a Lionel Polar Express for my Christmas tree it brought that memory back.
Charles Smiley
cspmovies
"younger people have less spending power"
Here it goes..... Back in the day - In high school and college my peers and I had jobs mowing lawns, picking crops (walnuts were the nastiest) and working in filling stations. That's how we had money to go on dates, fill our tanks and still buy a few models. Now all those are jobs "Americans won't take"'. Funny, we thought we were Americans whilst doing those jobs. Bear in mind, I grew up with those jobs living in fairly affluent areas and young men still took those jobs.
Here it goes..... Back in the day - In high school and college my peers and I had jobs mowing lawns, picking crops (walnuts were the nastiest) and working in filling stations. That's how we had money to go on dates, fill our tanks and still buy a few models. Now all those are jobs "Americans won't take"'. Funny, we thought we were Americans whilst doing those jobs. Bear in mind, I grew up with those jobs living in fairly affluent areas and young men still took those jobs.
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