Just received the August 2013 Walthers catalog; prices seemingly continue to increase.
I am glad I have no more room on my layout for buildings, etc. and need no more locos or rolling
stock; but perhaps I am just running out of steam given my 83 years of age.
I guess it is just a sign of the times that expenses are up - it would take much more
money to get started today.
Time to learn how to scratch-build.
Scratch-building supplies may cost slightly less than kits, plus you will get more pleasure from the hobby. Since it takes time to scratch-build something, you are saving money while you are building the item.
If I am not mistaken ore cars were around $40 for 12 when they first came out. Now they are on sale at $90 for 6. That is about a 450% rise in an inflation less period.
The ever increasing prices is why I been hitting the use shelf…Cheaper… I plan on buying 2 more new locomotives when released a Walthers SW1 and a Intermountain GP10.
I have more then enough to do me.
Responses will likely try to convince you that prices are not rising…or…will agree with you that they are.
If prices are too high for you, then they are too high…yours is the only opinion that matters when it comes to what you want to pay.
Remember, you are competing with the consumers who do not think prices are too high, or have nothing better to spend money on than model trains. How long the increases can last is anyone’s guess.
I have twin grandbabies, so I’ve been hitting the garage sales in my area (and there are LOTS) to pick up toys, etc. Surprisingly, I’ve found a few nice MRR items “on the tables” for pennies on the dollar. Accurail cars, Atlas flex track, some N-scale DPM kits which I am building just for fun since I model HO.
Fact. Costs of individual items at MSRP and in catalogs/sale flyers are rising.
Fact. There are sources of all kinds for used/old but unused/reparable junk at modest to giveaway prices.
Fact. Over the long haul, price increases have pretty nearly paralleled the increase in wages/cost of living.
Fact. No sane person is ever going to spend more than they can afford on model railroad products.
Conclusion. Model railroaders will continue to afford model railroads. People who are on tight budgets will come up with inventive solutions (from haunting yard sales to scratch building.) Youngsters who have little buying power but really want to be model railroaders will either scrimp and save, or arrange/finagle other financing. The sky hasn’t fallen - and probably won’t.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - inexpensively)
Column heading from the May 1935 Model Railroader
The High Cost of Model Railroading
First line of the column:
“Model railroading as a hobby costs money”
from an old old book:
New International Version (NIV)
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Enjoy
Paul
As usual Chuck sumed it up pretty well.
This has always been an expensive hobby - I suggest the following solutions:
Make more money, spend less on other stuff, redefine what you really need and want - but mainly, stop complaining about what things cost.
Everybody who complains about costs fails to take into account that the costs you pay are someone elses sallery - how much of a pay cut will you take when people complain about the cost of whatever you make/sell/ or do for a living?
And, learn a little about international money markets and the bad policy of our government that is changing the exchange dynamic with China.
Blame those in Washington for you economic troubles, not Bachmann, BLI, Walthers or Athearn.
And, despite the ramblings of the uninformed, supply and demand is not the onlty factor in prices - absolute cost to produce sets the LOWEST price, supply and demand only sets the highest price. So if cost go up, prices go up
I’m going to lock this one up…in the future please use the search function for hobby is expensive and read those one’s …
We do not need yet another thread on this…please