Is it just me, or have rolling stock prices just jumped.....

DCESharkman Feb 20, 2016

  1. Logtrain

    Logtrain TrainBoard Member

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    However, I have been to a certain mfg booth at a show before and when I suggested something that I felt would sell, I was told in so many words to take a flying F in a rolling doughnut!
     
  2. Jeepy84

    Jeepy84 TrainBoard Member

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    And then Walthers started selling the donut shop in N...jk.

    Maybe Exactrail set the precedent for the super detailed RTR, now everyone else thinks they have to keep up considering their success.

    I too hate the pre-order scheme but we've already beaten that horse in another thread.

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  3. Logtrain

    Logtrain TrainBoard Member

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    Personally, when it comes to my freight cars, I prefer them to be moderately detailed. I have a fair amount of freight cars though that are "old school" Atlas cars which are very plain and nothing fancy. Those are just fine by me.
     
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  4. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    Well I just did some comparisons online, and it seems the online dealers have an edge over my hobby shop. The online guys seem to be able to sell well below the MSRP compared to my LHS. And this is for everything. Most of us don't really pay for the MSRP at all on most of the items we buy. If we did, we would really complain. What I don't like is the cost of some newer passenger cars from Bachman and Rapido. Are they really prototype and super detailed to justify that cost? I have no idea. Would be interesting to find out.
    So I see we can still get cars from $12 to $25 at sale prices. But the MSRP's on those are more. What the manufacturer suggest and then asks for are two different things entirely. I believe its a marketing trick to fool us into believing its worth more. The actual sale tells us what is closer too the truth.
    I don't agree that everything needs to be super detailed at all. But it is nice to have some that way. Ebay is still a decent place to buy, consignment tables at hobby shops, swap meets and shows. Not all is lost yet. But the day will come when the mfrs will have to find a new way to do things.
    3D printing will take us in new directions in the future. Of course it will be some time for all of that. If mfrs use 3D it will cause prices to rise again and of course they will not fall below that price.
    What I have found very interesting is the separation of money from us and the pains it is causing us. those with more are hoarding. Those with less are surviving. And yet our economy still trudges on. We still buy the things we want from time to time. Inflation is ridiculous and how they determine it is even more ridiculous.
    Eventually things will cycle back around and the hobby will still be there. Hopefully tho. Someone will make a reliable AFFORDABLE entry level sets for our youngsters. that is the market that needs to be addressed. Not the details, not how many rivets are misplaced. If we want the hobby to survive, And we want our kids to get involved. Stop selling starter sets at over $150.... (reliable I said) Lets get the MFRS to focus on that. That is the key.
     
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  5. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    No prob thnxs
     
  6. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    ...the type of debate that will go on for decades ;)
     
  7. glennac

    glennac TrainBoard Member

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    Wait till the next Beer Car, Coal Hopper, Baggage Car or Steam Locomotive arrives around here. Everybody "Ohh's" & "Awws" over them and reports their purchases. Somebody's buying these items and not complaining.

    Why does half the crowd here criticize the other half because they want halfway prototypical motive power and rolling stock? It's not like there isn't poorly detailed items out there. Most of what Atlas & Bachmann sell is still regarded as toyish. Go after that if you don't care about detail. And there's plenty of "Vintage" coursely detailed stuff from the 70's, 80's, & 90's to still be had out there.

    Why does a lack of interest by some mean none of us can have nice things then? The availability of better items doesn't mean there still isn't plenty of less "detailed" and economy items out there.
     
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  8. Rocket Jones

    Rocket Jones TrainBoard Member

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    That's just crazy talk. Haven't you ever argued on the internet before? ;)
     
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  9. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Going back to the OP's original post....

    I was looking and the new MT autoracks are $44.95 . Covered hoppers are $33.70

    Next is Atlas with the $64.95 per set of articulated auto cars. Then $29.95 for a PS-1 box car? ACF hoppers are at $25.95.

    Even the Trainman cars have jumped in price.

    Seems like the only Kato was the same prices as the they did.........

    I am just shocked how freight cars got so expensive.
     
  10. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    I said (a variation of) the same thing so I can only totally agree with Jason.
     
  11. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    As for the comments about 'additional detail' being added...only Intermountain has grab irons (and they are horribly oversized being modeled in plastic). Mostly the other manufacturers are upgrading to the 'detail' that MicroTrains has had since...the original cars they released in the '70s (thank you once again MicroTrains for producing great products). Added colors I expect to add to the price (multiple colored boxcars, hoppers, and reefers) but most cars are one color with one color of printing (usually white). The only reason for such higher prices (other than for totally new cars which still need the molds to be paid for...but this should be done over time and not on the first run) is the limited runs. If you don't get it now, you might never get the chance again. Even this reason, however, doesn't explain the huge price increases. In the past, if I saw a car at the local hobby shop that I liked, I bought it. If I was ordering online, I usually always spent $100 (to offset shipping charges). That $100 usually bought me 8-12 cars easily. Now it buys me 4-8 cars. As a result, I am just not buying as much rolling stock.

    Less people entering the hobby and people in the hobby buying less only leads to a very bad ending... :(
     
  12. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    This is better then the presidential debates on TV. A whole lot more entertaining. Nice going guys. Keep up the good work.
     
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  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    This is the tipping point to which I and others have alluded in previous posts. As a reaction to this, item prices go up, in an attempt to compensate for falling revenues. This rise only further slows sales and fails to bring in the dollars expected......
     
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  14. Jeepy84

    Jeepy84 TrainBoard Member

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    I will make model railroading great again!

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  15. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    Here here!!! I promise to make sure that more east coast railroads are represented!! And free chocolate milk for all!!

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  16. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    My promise to you is if you bribe me well enough, I will support the proposal to build a high speed rail line from Los Angeles to Honolulu. :eek:
     
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  17. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    But...will you build a fence along the whole Mexican border...first !!! ?
     
  18. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    I can continuously submit plans for the floating bridge you need, uh hum,, for the right price of course..

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  19. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    If you adjust for inflation the price of the Arnold Rapido set with which I started out 40 years ago, it comes out to just about $150.
    Today, a starter set from Kato (with a loco, a couple of freight cars and a caboose - quite similar in configuration to the old Arnold Rapido set) can be had for about $100. Add $30 for an oval of Unitrack and another $30 for a basic DC power pack from MRC and you're up to $160.
    In that light, $150 for a high quality (and reliable) starter set, that is likely to still be functioning a decade or more from now, doesn't seem that unreasonable.
     
  20. gcav17

    gcav17 TrainBoard Member

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    Unless your ten..... This, is my point... How many ten to twelve year old kids carry $160 bucks in their pocket? We adults don't complain so much about that cost. But try thinking like a kid.

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