Amherst Show

CTValleyRR,

Probably like a lot of folks today I’m prioritizing and ranting has slipped down the priority list.

At the show I did get to talking with a BLI rep and tried to get the story on Bob Grubba and Mike Wolf. Online I had read a piece from a newspaper in proximity to MTH’s facility. The comments about Bob Grubba attributed to Mike Wolf in the article seemed to be driven by more than just business and alledged patent infringement(s) and I was wondering what accounted for such seemingly personal animosity. Didn’t really get an answer but behind the litigation something’s going on-JMHO.

Did ask about quality control issues re the Mohawks and the recently released Y6. The BLI forum has some disconcerting entries about both models. Since they’re both fairly expensive I can understand the posted frustrations. The rep almost dismissed the forum comments as being authored by a few malcontents and stated that BLI stands behind their products and if anyone has a problem they will resolve it. I know from reading the BLI forum that this is the case, but when the customer plunks down considerable coin for a top line product he does expect it to work out of the box. I’ve got at last count 7 BLI steamers and my Mohawk initially had a bit of a hitch in its very low speed performance that I found really irritating since to date it is the most expensive BLI unit I’ve purchased. I can’t fathom how my Blueline J1 out of the box would do an amazing slow speed “walk” that the more expensive Mohawk couldn’t do. That being said, as track time passes the Mohawk is getting better at doing the low speed “walk”. Factory Direct Trains across the aisle from the BLI booth was offering Y6’s at a show price of $309.00 that had me tempted but I decided to wait and follow the com

January 29 & 30, 2011.

Go back and read my post. I said there were deals to be had (I saw those heavyweights… but as I already have a full set I wasn’t really interested). However, when I first started going to train shows, it seemed like everything was specially priced. Now I see more and more MSRP offerings.

CTValleyRR,
I’ve been doing at least a half dozen train shows per year with the NHRHTA in Eastern Mass. for the past 19 years. Full list price was the norm back then, too. About the only time you got a deal was with used items.

20 years ago, if you wanted new items from a brick and mortar store, you paid MSRP. If you wanted a deal, you got it via mail order (their choice of roadnames). Nowadays, a lot of stores offer 20% off list (and still people complain).

I think a lot of this comparison to the “old days” is wishful thinking, IMHO. You know how it goes…we only remember the good things. So that one time there was that widow selling off her husband’s collection at ridiculous prices remains in one’s memory a lot better than all those dealers that were charging list price that one didn’t look twice at.

The days of pentiful deals from Joe Average modeler selling his collection are gone forever with the rise of eBay. Other than that? There’s still plenty of deals to be had if one digs around enough. It’s not easy saving money.

Paul A. Cutler III

I’m sorry, Paul, but you are mistaken here. Throughout the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s, whereas many LHS indeed sold at list, train shows of every sort were filled with bragains/discounted pricing, as well as virtually all the dealers therein being willing to bargain with potential buyers. The discounted prices were why hobbyists attended and supported shows in such a big way back then.

Unfortunately, I watched as over the the late 1990’s show prices rose, bargains declined and the very suggestion of bargaining became an insult to dealers. Eventually, I could find most of the items that interested me at the same, or sometimes even better, prices at the LHS. These observations are based on attending just as many east coast shows as you in