The Walthers Christmas Catalog is out listing the Rivarossi 2-8-8-2 Mallet for $319.98 and the 4-6-6-4 Challenger for $$289.98. I paid Modelexpo $189.00 incl S & H for the 2-8-8-2 Mallet. Those great discounts are history.
I got my 4-6-6-4 and 4-8-8-4 from ME at the great price of $149.00 each! I wish I had gotten a cabforward for that price, but back then it still seemed expensive! Oh well. Just waiting for the Allegheny---can only afford one in my lifetime!
The Allegheny is priced at $350.00 plus S & H at www.trainworld.com They also offer the Mallet & Challenger at cheaper prices.Infor courtesy of Kervin of Trains.com
Yes I've noticed the price drop at Trainworld as well..... Better then Walthers! Save a buck or two! As the "1-800-buyatrainlady" says
Walthers sells at full retail, most stores sell below. So almost anything you see in a Walthers catalog should be available at a much lower price.
Every November for the last 4 years before dropping my Model Railroader subscription, the prices that had been published during the rest of the year, always went up $20.00 to $100.00 as advertized for Christmas "Discount" specials! The Walthers catalog I just got in the mail shows the "Christmas Special Discount" price at the price it was retail back in September. They say the normal price is $100 higher, but that "normal" is only advertizing hoorah to make you think you are getting a bargain. In mid summer a BigBoy was $188.00 and in Nov-Dec. it is $288.00, then next Jan. it is back to $188.00 again. Check it out. You get affordable prices by mailorder as always, and sometimes you can pick up an item at a reasonable price on eBay. The Hobby Shops are trapped because Walthers doesn't allow the shop hardly any discount, and that keeps the shop prices high too. It is funny that Walthers shows a huge warehouse full of stock, but when you order it, they are out of stock, or it takes a long time for them to find it.
I told ya way back when that the price would drop on it. Nobody listened cause of the hype, oh well at least its a little more affordable!
