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

DCESharkman Feb 20, 2016

  1. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    For some of us it may be time to hit the swap meets and train shows. Not always but you can find some items priced attractively and do able for those of us who can no longer afford the new stuff.

    I did well at the Bakersfield, Train Show. Came home with a door prize. That can't be all bad.

    My thanks to Micro-Trains for the fine box car and the club member in charge of the prizes. Micro-Trains is and always has been number one, with me.
     
  2. rrjim1

    rrjim1 TrainBoard Member

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    I just purchased 4 n -scale cars and a DCC decoder, with shipping they were just over $100.
     
  3. Rossford Yard

    Rossford Yard TrainBoard Member

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    This thread is like the constant old late night re-runs. You guys said what you guys have said in the past, so I guess its my turn!

    I will admit to some sticker shock as I look at new locos and cars. Luckily, I don't need much any more, unless I want to upgrade detail, or there is a new body style, like the IM short covered hoppers coming out, which fit my era, etc.

    That said, I am confident that all mfgs. price their stuff as low as they possibly can given the costs to that model. They probably sit around having the same "Yikes, that price seems high!" discussion, from the angle of "Will it sell at that?" They are aware its discretional spending and price matters to a degree in the value decision to buy in general, or buy their offerings vs another mfg.

    Yes, they make more money on repaints of old tooling, but they have to have some home runs to offset the average or below average sellers that inevitably happen.

    We just don't know what all affects their cost. We know exchange rates, rising wages in China, manufacturing problems (did they have to reset up all the tooling and factories when their main supplier shut down, adding to expense?) tooling wearing out, modelers demanding better tooling and paint jobs, etc.

    Add in the comment about a generic chop nose geep being a good start, and the fact is, we woo woo woo and moan about generic models, wondering why Atlas wouldn't do "our prototype" exactly at some low cost. I have talked with Atlas, and when they run a GP38 with the wrong blower duct, it affects sales and they won't offer road names that are not really close to their body style.

    Add up all those overhead costs, how demanding we are, etc. and I doubt any of the mfgs is making HUGE money on any of us, despite the rising prices. We are lucky to have them, really.
     
    Steve Rodgers and Calzephyr like this.

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